Patent Grant
10497573
The present technology relates to semiconductor processes and equipment. More specifically, the present technology relates to methods and systems for isotropic atomic or molecular layer etching of materials used in semiconductor processing.
Integrated circuits are made possible by processes which produce intricately patterned material layers on substrate surfaces. Producing patterned material on a substrate requires controlled methods for removal of exposed material. Chemical etching is used for a variety of purposes including transferring a pattern in photoresist into underlying layers, thinning layers, or thinning lateral dimensions of features already present on the surface. Often it is desirable to have an etch process that etches one material faster than another facilitating, for example, a pattern transfer process. Such an etch process is said to be selective to the first material. As a result of the diversity of materials, circuits, and processes, etch processes have been developed with a selectivity towards a variety of materials.
Etch processes may be termed wet or dry based on the materials used in the process. A wet HF etch preferentially removes silicon oxide over other dielectrics and materials. However, wet processes may have difficulty penetrating some constrained trenches and also may sometimes deform the remaining material. Dry etches produced in local plasmas formed within the substrate processing region can penetrate more constrained trenches and exhibit less deformation of delicate remaining structures. However, local plasmas may damage the substrate through the production of electric arcs as they discharge.
Thus, there is a need for improved systems and methods that can be used to produce high quality devices and structures. These and other needs are addressed by the present technology.
Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a halogen-containing precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may further include contacting an exposed region of a semiconductor material with the halogen-containing precursor such that the halogen-containing precursor may be adsorbed on a surface of the exposed region of the semiconductor material. The methods may also include forming a film of the halogen-containing precursor having a predetermined thickness on the surface of the exposed region of the semiconductor material. The methods may further include pausing the flow of the halogen-containing precursor into the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may also include etching the exposed region of the semiconductor material with the adsorbed halogen-containing precursor. The adsorbed halogen-containing precursor may produce a fluoride of the semiconductor material. In some embodiments, the method may further include purging the halogen-containing precursor not adsorbed on the surface of the exposed region of the semiconductor material.
In some embodiments, the film of the halogen-containing precursor formed on the surface of the exposed region of the semiconductor material may include an atomic layer of the halogen-containing precursor. In some embodiments, etching the exposed region of the semiconductor material may include isotropically etching the exposed region of the semiconductor material. In some embodiments, the adsorbed halogen-containing precursor may produce a noble gas. In some embodiments, the halogen-containing precursor may include at least one of a noble gas compound precursor, an interhalogen precursor, or a fluorinating precursor. In some embodiments, the semiconductor material may include at least one of silicon, germanium, or a compound thereof. In some embodiments, a temperature of the substrate may be maintained at about room temperature. In some embodiments, the etching method may be repeated for at least two cycles. In some embodiments, a thickness of the semiconductor material etched during each cycle may be between about 5 Å and about 50 Å. In some embodiments, the etching method may have a selectivity toward the semiconductor material to a metal-containing material greater than or about 50:1. In some embodiments, the metal-containing material may include at least one of titanium, titanium nitride, tantalum, tantalum nitride, tungsten, or titanium tungsten. In some embodiments, a pressure within the semiconductor processing chamber may be maintained between about 5 mTorr and about 50 Torr.
The present technology may also include additional exemplary etching methods. The methods may include flowing a halogen-containing precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may further include contacting an exposed region of a metal-containing material with the halogen-containing precursor such that the halogen-containing precursor may be adsorbed on a surface of the exposed region of the metal-containing material. The methods may further include forming a film of the halogen-containing precursor on the surface of the exposed region of the metal-containing material. The methods may also include pausing the flow of the halogen-containing precursor into the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may further include etching the exposed region of the metal-containing material with the adsorbed halogen-containing precursor. The adsorbed halogen-containing precursor may produce a fluoride of the metal-containing material.
In some embodiments, the methods may further include purging the halogen-containing precursor not adsorbed on the surface of the exposed region of the metal-containing material such that an atomic layer of the halogen-containing precursor may be produced on the surface of the exposed region of the metal-containing material. In some embodiments, a temperature of the substrate may be maintained between about room temperature and about 300° C. In some embodiments, the metal-containing material may include at least one of molybdenum, titanium, titanium nitride, tantalum, tantalum nitride, tungsten, or titanium tungsten. In some embodiments, the halogen-containing precursor may include XeF2.
In some embodiments, the methods may further include contacting an exposed region of a semiconductor material with the halogen-containing precursor such that the halogen-containing precursor may be adsorbed on a surface of the exposed region of the semiconductor material. The methods may further include forming a film of the halogen-containing precursor on the surface of the exposed region of the semiconductor material. The methods may also include pausing the flow of the halogen-containing precursor into the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may further include etching the exposed region of the semiconductor material with the adsorbed halogen-containing precursor on the surface of the exposed region of the semiconductor material. The adsorbed halogen-containing precursor may produce a fluoride of the semiconductor material.
The present technology may also include additional exemplary etching methods. The methods may include flowing a first halogen-containing precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The first halogen-containing precursor may include a noble gas compound precursor. The methods may further include contacting an exposed region of a semiconductor material with the first halogen-containing precursor such that the first halogen-containing precursor may be adsorbed on a surface of the exposed region of the semiconductor material. The methods may further include etching the exposed region of the semiconductor material with the adsorbed first halogen-containing precursor. The adsorbed first halogen-containing precursor may produce a gaseous byproduct. The methods may also include forming a second halogen-containing precursor from the gaseous byproduct using plasma.
In some embodiments, the methods may further include flowing the second halogen-containing precursor into the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may also include contacting the exposed region of the semiconductor material with the second halogen-containing precursor such that the second halogen-containing precursor may be adsorbed on the surface of the exposed region of the semiconductor material. In some embodiments, the methods may further include etching the exposed region of the semiconductor material with the adsorbed second halogen-containing precursor. The adsorbed second halogen-containing precursor may produce a fluoride of the semiconductor material. In some embodiments, the gaseous byproduct may include at least one of a noble gas or a halogen gas.
Such technology may provide numerous benefits over conventional systems and techniques. For example, the technology may allow for highly selective etching towards semiconductor materials over a wide variety of metals, oxides, nitrides, carbides, and/or organic compounds commonly used in semiconductor processing. The technology may also allow for highly selective etching of select metal-containing materials at elevated temperatures. The high selectivity offered by the technology may further allow very thin mask materials to be used. Additionally, the technology may allow for very controlled delivery of precursors and may achieve atomic or molecular layer etching of select semiconductor and metal-containing materials to improve the uniformity of the etched profile. Further, the technology may allow for isotropic etching of semiconductor materials from all crystal planes. Moreover, the technology may be more economical by collecting and reusing select etch byproducts. These and other embodiments, along with many of their advantages and features, are described in more detail in conjunction with the below description and attached figures.
A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the disclosed technology may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the drawings.
Several of the figures are included as schematics. It is to be understood that the figures are for illustrative purposes, and are not to be considered of scale unless specifically stated to be of scale. Additionally, as schematics, the figures are provided to aid comprehension and may not include all aspects or information compared to realistic representations, and may include exaggerated material for illustrative purposes.
In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a letter that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the letter.
The selectivity of conventional wet chemistry etching processes for etching silicon relative to other materials is generally low. In addition, the wet chemistry etching processes can also be crystallographic, which means that etching of silicon may not be the same at different cyrstal planes. For example, etching of silicon at silicon crystal planes of (110), (111) or along the <110>, <111> direction may be so slow that the etching process may be substantially stopped at these crystal planes or surfaces, which results in roughness in the etched profile. Low selectivity toward silicon and crystallographic etching are also common problems many dry etching processes encounter.
The present technology overcomes these issues by utilizing one or more halogen-containing persursors that may be highly selective towards silicon over a wide variety of metals, oxides, nitrides, carbides, and/or organic compounds commonly used in semiconductor processing. The halogen-containing precursors may also allow for isotropic etching of semiconductor materials from all crystal planes. The technology further overcomes the issues associated with the conventional etching processes by controlling the delivery of the precursors to achieve atomic or molecular layer etching and to obtain uniformity in the etched profile. Further, the present technology may be plasma free, which may limit damage to the substrate features many conventional dry etching methods may cause. These and other embodiments, along with many of their advantages and features, are described in more detail in conjunction with the below description and attached figures.
Although the remaining disclosure will routinely identify specific etching processes utilizing the disclosed technology, it will be readily understood that the systems and methods are equally applicable to deposition and cleaning processes as may occur in the described chambers. Accordingly, the technology should not be considered to be so limited as for use with etching processes or chambers alone. Moreover, although an exemplary chamber is described to provide foundation for the present technology, it is to be understood that the present technology can be applied to virtually any semiconductor processing chamber that may allow the single-chamber operations described.
The substrate processing chambers 108a-f may include one or more system components for depositing, annealing, curing and/or etching a dielectric or metallic film on the substrate wafer. In one configuration, two pairs of the processing chambers, e.g., 108c-d and 108e-f, may be used to deposit material on the substrate, and the third pair of processing chambers, e.g., 108a-b, may be used to etch the deposited material. In another configuration, all three pairs of chambers, e.g., 108a-f, may be configured to etch a dielectric or metallic film on the substrate. Any one or more of the processes described may be carried out in chamber(s) separated from the fabrication system shown in different embodiments. It will be appreciated that additional configurations of deposition, etching, annealing, and curing chambers for dielectric films are contemplated by system 100.
A cooling plate 203, faceplate 217, ion suppressor 223, showerhead 225, and a substrate support 265, having a substrate 255 disposed thereon, are shown and may each be included according to embodiments. The pedestal 265 may have a heat exchange channel through which a heat exchange fluid flows to control the temperature of the substrate, which may be operated to heat and/or cool the substrate or wafer during processing operations. The wafer support platter of the pedestal 265, which may comprise aluminum, ceramic, or a combination thereof, may also be resistively heated in order to achieve relatively high temperatures, such as from up to or about 100° C. to above or about 600° C., using an embedded resistive heater element.
The faceplate 217 may be pyramidal, conical, or of another similar structure with a narrow top portion expanding to a wide bottom portion. The faceplate 217 may additionally be flat as shown and include a plurality of through-channels used to distribute process gases. Plasma generating gases and/or plasma excited species, depending on use of the RPS 201, may pass through a plurality of holes, shown in
Exemplary configurations may include having the gas inlet assembly 205 open into a gas supply region 258 partitioned from the first plasma region 215 by faceplate 217 so that the gases/species flow through the holes in the faceplate 217 into the first plasma region 215. Structural and operational features may be selected to prevent significant backflow of plasma from the first plasma region 215 back into the supply region 258, gas inlet assembly 205, and fluid supply system 210. The faceplate 217, or a conductive top portion of the chamber, and showerhead 225 are shown with an insulating ring 220 located between the features, which allows an AC potential to be applied to the faceplate 217 relative to showerhead 225 and/or ion suppressor 223. The insulating ring 220 may be positioned between the faceplate 217 and the showerhead 225 and/or ion suppressor 223 enabling a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) to be formed in the first plasma region. A baffle (not shown) may additionally be located in the first plasma region 215, or otherwise coupled with gas inlet assembly 205, to affect the flow of fluid into the region through gas inlet assembly 205.
The ion suppressor 223 may comprise a plate or other geometry that defines a plurality of apertures throughout the structure that are configured to suppress the migration of ionically-charged species out of the first plasma region 215 while allowing uncharged neutral or radical species to pass through the ion suppressor 223 into an activated gas delivery region between the suppressor and the showerhead. In embodiments, the ion suppressor 223 may comprise a perforated plate with a variety of aperture configurations. These uncharged species may include highly reactive species that are transported with less reactive carrier gas through the apertures. As noted above, the migration of ionic species through the holes may be reduced, and in some instances completely suppressed. Controlling the amount of ionic species passing through the ion suppressor 223 may advantageously provide increased control over the gas mixture brought into contact with the underlying wafer substrate, which in turn may increase control of the deposition and/or etch characteristics of the gas mixture. For example, adjustments in the ion concentration of the gas mixture can significantly alter its etch selectivity, e.g., SiNx:SiOx etch ratios, Si:SiOx etch ratios, etc. In alternative embodiments in which deposition is performed, it can also shift the balance of conformal-to-flowable style depositions for dielectric materials.
The plurality of apertures in the ion suppressor 223 may be configured to control the passage of the activated gas, i.e., the ionic, radical, and/or neutral species, through the ion suppressor 223. For example, the aspect ratio of the holes, or the hole diameter to length, and/or the geometry of the holes may be controlled so that the flow of ionically-charged species in the activated gas passing through the ion suppressor 223 is reduced. The holes in the ion suppressor 223 may include a tapered portion that faces the plasma excitation region 215, and a cylindrical portion that faces the showerhead 225. The cylindrical portion may be shaped and dimensioned to control the flow of ionic species passing to the showerhead 225. An adjustable electrical bias may also be applied to the ion suppressor 223 as an additional means to control the flow of ionic species through the suppressor.
The ion suppressor 223 may function to reduce or eliminate the amount of ionically charged species traveling from the plasma generation region to the substrate. Uncharged neutral and radical species may still pass through the openings in the ion suppressor to react with the substrate. It should be noted that the complete elimination of ionically charged species in the reaction region surrounding the substrate may not be performed in embodiments. In certain instances, ionic species are intended to reach the substrate in order to perform the etch and/or deposition process. In these instances, the ion suppressor may help to control the concentration of ionic species in the reaction region at a level that assists the process.
Showerhead 225 in combination with ion suppressor 223 may allow a plasma present in first plasma region 215 to avoid directly exciting gases in substrate processing region 233, while still allowing excited species to travel from chamber plasma region 215 into substrate processing region 233. In this way, the chamber may be configured to prevent the plasma from contacting a substrate 255 being etched. This may advantageously protect a variety of intricate structures and films patterned on the substrate, which may be damaged, dislocated, or otherwise warped if directly contacted by a generated plasma. Additionally, when plasma is allowed to contact the substrate or approach the substrate level, the rate at which oxide species etch may increase. Accordingly, if an exposed region of material is oxide, this material may be further protected by maintaining the plasma remotely from the substrate.
The processing system may further include a power supply 240 electrically coupled with the processing chamber to provide electric power to the faceplate 217, ion suppressor 223, showerhead 225, and/or pedestal 265 to generate a plasma in the first plasma region 215 or processing region 233. The power supply may be configured to deliver an adjustable amount of power to the chamber depending on the process performed. Such a configuration may allow for a tunable plasma to be used in the processes being performed. Unlike a remote plasma unit, which is often presented with on or off functionality, a tunable plasma may be configured to deliver a specific amount of power to the plasma region 215. This in turn may allow development of particular plasma characteristics such that precursors may be dissociated in specific ways to enhance the etching profiles produced by these precursors.
A plasma may be ignited either in chamber plasma region 215 above showerhead 225 or substrate processing region 233 below showerhead 225. Plasma may be present in chamber plasma region 215 to produce the radical precursors from an inflow of, for example, a fluorine-containing precursor or other precursor. An AC voltage typically in the radio frequency (RF) range may be applied between the conductive top portion of the processing chamber, such as faceplate 217, and showerhead 225 and/or ion suppressor 223 to ignite a plasma in chamber plasma region 215 during deposition. An RF power supply may generate a high RF frequency of 13.56 MHz but may also generate other frequencies alone or in combination with the 13.56 MHz frequency.
The gas distribution assemblies such as showerhead 225 for use in the processing chamber section 200 may be referred to as dual channel showerheads (DCSH) and are additionally detailed in the embodiments described in
The showerhead 225 may comprise an upper plate 214 and a lower plate 216. The plates may be coupled with one another to define a volume 218 between the plates. The coupling of the plates may be so as to provide first fluid channels 219 through the upper and lower plates, and second fluid channels 221 through the lower plate 216. The formed channels may be configured to provide fluid access from the volume 218 through the lower plate 216 via second fluid channels 221 alone, and the first fluid channels 219 may be fluidly isolated from the volume 218 between the plates and the second fluid channels 221. The volume 218 may be fluidly accessible through a side of the gas distribution assembly 225.
The chambers discussed previously may be used in performing exemplary methods including etching methods. Turning to
The operations of method 400 will now be described in conjunction with the schematic illustration of
The patterned structure 510 may further include one or more layered materials above which the patterned structure 510 and the hard mask spacer 515 may be formed. The processed structure 500a may include a first layer 520 above which the patterned structure 510 and the hard mask spacer 515 may be formed. The first layer 520 may include another hard mask material, which may be the same as or different from the material of the hard mask spacers 515. The first layer 520 may include a nitride, such as silicon nitride, a carbide, such as silicon carbide, an oxide, such as a thermal oxide or low temperature oxide which may include silicon oxide or other oxide, and so on. The processed structure 500a may further include a second layer 525 below the first layer 520 and above the substrate 505. The second layer 525 may include another semiconductor material, which may be the same as or different from the material of the patterned structure 510. The second layer 525 may include silicon, germanium, silicon germanium, or molybdenum. In some embodiments, the first layer 520 may be formed by performing an oxidation process on the second layer 525. Accordingly, the first layer 520 may include an oxide layer of the material of the second layer 525. For example, the second layer 525 may include silicon, and the first layer 520 may include silicon oxide. Although the first layer 520 and the second layer 525 are described herein as examples, the processed structure 500a may include only one or more than two layers between the patterned structure 510 and the substrate 505.
In some embodiments, the processed structure 500a may be produced in the same processing chamber as the processing chamber in which method 400 may be performed, or may be produced in a different processing chamber and then transferred to the processing chamber in which method 400 may be performed. Once the substrate 505 may be positioned within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, such as the substrate processing region 233 of the processing chamber 200 discussed above with reference to
The halogen-containing precursor may include a variety of fluids, and may include one or more of noble gas compound precursors, interhalogen precursors, fluorinating precursors, or other halogen-containing precursors that may be used or useful in semiconductor processes. The noble gas compound precursors may include one or more noble gas halides, which may include xenon halides, such as xenon fluoride, krypton halides, such as krypton fluoride, or any other compounds including a noble gas element and a halogen that may be used or useful in semiconductor processes.
One exemplary noble gas compound precursor may include xenon difluoride (XeF2). Xenon difluoride may include a vapor pressure of about 4 Torr at about 25° C. As mentioned above, the halogen-containing precursor film formed on the exposed surfaces of the processed structure 500a may be formed to a predetermined thickness, and in some embodiments, the film formed may include an atomic layer, a molecular layer, a few atomic layers, or a few molecular layers of the halogen-containing precursor. To achieve such predetermined thickness, xenon difluoride vapor or gas may be formed in a loading chamber before being flowed into the processing region of the processing chamber where the processed structure 500a may be positioned. To vaporize xenon difluoride, the pressure of the loading chamber may be maintained at about 4 Torr, and the temperature of the loading chamber may be maintained at about 25° C. The pressure and/or temperature of the loading chamber may be maintained at other suitable ranges, although the pressure may be maintained within a relatively low range to facilitate controlled flow of the xenon difluoride vapor or gas into the processing chamber where the processed structure 500a may be positioned, and the temperature may be maintained to be similar to the temperature at which method 400 may be performed.
For example, the pressure of the loading chamber may be maintained below or about 20 Torr in embodiments. The pressure of the loading chamber may be maintained below or about 15 Torr, and may be maintained below or about 10 Torr, below or about 5 Torr, below or about 4 Torr, below or about 3 Torr, below or about 2 Torr, below or about 1 Torr, below or about 500 mTorr, below or about 100 mTorr, below or about 50 mTorr, below or about 20 mTorr, below or about 10 mTorr, below or about 5 mTorr, below or about 4 mTorr, below or about 3 mTorr, below or about 2 mTorr, below or about 1 mTorr, or lower. In embodiments the pressure may be maintained between about 500 mTorr and about 10 Torr. In embodiments the pressure may be maintained below about 500 mTorr. The temperature of the loading chamber may be maintained between about 0° C. and about 50° C. in embodiments. The temperature may be maintained above or about 5° C., and may be maintained above or about 10° C., above or about 15° C., above or about 20° C., above or about 25° C., above or about 30° C., above or about 35° C., above or about 40° C., above or about 45° C., above or about 50° C., or higher. When xenon difluoride gas may not be included or flowed into the processing chamber, the pressure of the loading chamber may be maintained at an increased level, and/or the temperature of the loading chamber may be maintained at a decreased level such that xenon difluoride may be preserved in the loading chamber in a solid form.
Once vaporized in the loading chamber, the xenon difluoride vapor or gas may then be flowed into the processing region of the processing chamber where the processed structure 500a may be positioned via a gas distribution assembly of the processing chamber, such as the gas distribution assembly 205 of the processing chamber 200 described above with reference to
The interhalogen precursors may include one or more compounds containing two or more halogen elements, such as one or more fluorides containing fluorine and one or more of chlorine, bromine, or iodine, one or more chlorides containing chlorine and one or more of fluorine, bromine, or iodine, one or more bromides containing bromine and one or more of fluorine, chlorine, or iodine, or other interhalogen precursors that may be used or useful in semiconductor processes. Some exemplary interhalogen precursors may include iodine fluoride, such as iodine monofluoride, iodine trifluoride, iodine pentafluoride, iodine heptafluoride, and may further include chlorine fluoride, such as chlorine monofluoride, chlorine trifluoride, chlorine pentafluoride, and so on. As compared to diatomic halogens, interhalogen compounds may be more reactive and thus serve better halogenating agents because the interhalogen bonds may be weaker as compared to diatomic halogen bonds, except for F2. The highly reactive interhalogen compounds may be used as halogen-containing precursors for selective etching of semiconductor or other materials used in semiconductor processes and device manufacturing. During the etching process, the element of the interhalogen having a relatively higher electronegativity, such as fluorine, may react with the materials to be etched to form volatile etching byproducts, and the element of the interhalogen having a relatively lower electronegativity may be recycled to re-form one or more halogen-containing precursors using a plasma process, as will be described in more detail below.
The fluorinating precursors may include any of the noble gas compound precursors or the interhalogen precursors described above, or other fluorinating precursors that may be used or useful in selective etching of semiconductor or other materials used in semiconductor processes and device manufacturing.
To achieve the predetermined thickness, such an atomic layer, a molecular layer, a few atomic layers, or a few molecular layers, of the xenon difluoride film or other halogen-containing precursor film formed on the exposed surfaces of the processed structure 500a, the amount or dosage of xenon difluoride or other halogen-containing precursors delivered to the processing region of the processing chamber where the processed structure 500a may be positioned may be controlled. For example, the amount or dosage of the xenon difluoride gas or other halogen-containing precursors that may be flowed into the processing region may be predetermined or calculated based on desired film thickness, the flow rate at which xenon difluoride or other halogen-containing precursors may be flowed, the amount of time during which xenon difluoride or other halogen-containing precursors may be flowed, the pressure of the processing region, the temperature of the processing region and/or the processed structure 500a, the particular structures and features of the processed structure 500a, and so on.
In some embodiments, a precursor delivery system incorporating one or more precision valves may be utilized to facilitate the controlled delivery of the halogen-containing precursors. With reference to
The flow rate and/or amount of the halogen-containing precursors flowed into the processing chamber 604 may be controlled in a variety of ways. In some embodiments, the precision valve 606 may be opened for a predetermined period of time to control the halogen-containing precursors flowed into the carrier gas line 608. For example, the precision valve 606 may be opened for a period of time less than or about 1 second, less than or about 0.5 seconds, less than or about 0.1 seconds, less than or about 50 milliseconds, less than or about 40 milliseconds, less than or about 30 milliseconds, less than or about 20 milliseconds, less than or about 10 milliseconds, less than or about 5 milliseconds, less than or about 4 milliseconds, less than or about 3 milliseconds, less than or about 2 milliseconds, less than or about 1 millisecond, or less, depending on the specific application or process may require. In some embodiments, the flow rate and/or amount of the halogen-containing precursors flowed into the processing chamber 604 may also be controlled by adjusting the flow of the carrier gases to obtain a desired dilution factor. In some embodiments, a ratio of the flow rate of the carrier gases to the flow rate of the halogen-containing precursors before combining may be greater than or about 5:1, greater than or about 10:1, greater than or about 20:1, greater than or about 50:1, greater than or about 100:1, greater than or about 200:1, greater than or about 300:1, greater than or about 400:1, greater than or about 500:1, or more. By controlling the period of time the precision valve 606 may be opened and/or the dilution of the halogen-containing precursors by the carrier gases, the amount or dosage of the halogen-containing precursors delivered to the processing chamber 604 may be controlled to obtain desired etching rates.
Depending on the specific applications, in some embodiments, the flow rate of xenon difluoride or other halogen-containing precursors may be less than or about 50 sccm in embodiments, and may be less than or about 45 sccm, less than or about 40 sccm, less than or about 35 sccm, less than or about 30 sccm, less than or about 25 sccm, less than or about 20 sccm, less than or about 15 sccm, less than or about 10 sccm, less than or about 5 sccm, less than or about 3 sccm, less than or about 1 sccm, or less. The flow rate of the xenon difluoride gas or other halogen-containing precursors may be maintained at a relatively low level to facilitate dosage control as well as to improve the uniformity of the thickness of the film formed at the exposed surfaces of the processed structure 500a.
Additionally, the flow or delivery of xenon difluoride or other halogen-containing precursors may be pulsed for time periods of less than or about 30 seconds in embodiments, and may be pulsed for time periods of less than or about 25 seconds, less than or about 20 seconds, less than or about 15 seconds, less than or about 10 seconds, less than or about 5 seconds, less than or about 2 seconds, or less. Between each of the pulsed flow or delivery, the flow or delivery of xenon difluoride or other halogen-containing precursors may be paused for less than or about 30 seconds in embodiments, and may be paused for time periods of less than or about 25 seconds, less than or about 20 seconds, less than or about 15 seconds, less than or about 10 seconds, less than or about 5 seconds, less than or about 2 seconds, or less. Additionally, the flow rate and pulsing may be combined for any of the listed numbers. For example, the flow rate of xenon difluoride or other halogen-containing precursors may be below or about 10 sccm and may be delivered in pulses from about 5 to about 10 seconds in embodiments, depending on the desired thickness of the film formed.
In some embodiments, the pressure of the processing region may be maintained below or about 50 Torr in embodiments. The pressure may be maintained below or about 40 Torr, and may be maintained below or about 30 Torr, below or about 20 Torr, below or about 15 Torr, below or about 10 Torr, below or about 5 Torr, below or about 4 Torr, below or about 3 Torr, below or about 2 Torr, below or about 1 Torr, below or about 800 mTorr, below or about 600 mTorr, below or about 400 mTorr, below or about 200 mTorr, below or about 100 mTorr, below or about 80 mTorr, below or about 60 mTorr, below or about 40 mTorr, below or about 20 mTorr, below or about 10 mTorr, below or about 5 mTorr, below or about 2 mTorr, below or about 1 mTorr, or lower. Maintaining a relatively low pressure inside the processing chamber may facilitate even adsorption and uniform film formation by the halogen-containing precursors at the surfaces of the processed structure 500a, and in some embodiments, to facilitate atomic or molecular layer adsorption of xenon difluoride or other halogen-containing precursors at the exposed surfaces.
In some embodiments, the temperature of the processing region or at the substrate level may be maintained between about 0° C. and about 100° C. in embodiments. The temperature may be maintained above or about 5° C., and may be maintained above or about 10° C., above or about 15° C., above or about 20° C., above or about 25° C., above or about 30° C., above or about 35° C., above or about 40° C., above or about 45° C., above or about 50° C., above or about 60° C., above or about 70° C., above or about 80° C., above or about 90° C., or higher. In some embodiments, the temperature of the processing region or at the substrate level may be maintained at about room temperature or the chamber temperature without additional heating or cooling performed at the substrate level. The room temperature may range between about 10° C. and about 50° C.
By controlling the flow of the halogen-containing precursors, the temperature and/or pressure of the loading chamber of the halogen-containing precursors (if utilized), the temperature and/or pressure of the processing region of the chamber where the processed structure 500a may be positioned, and/or other operational parameters, a film of the halogen-containing precursors with a desired thickness, including atomic-layer thickness, and uniformity may be formed at the exposed regions of the processed structure 500a. As mentioned above, controlled film formation of the halogen-containing precursors at the exposed regions of the processed structure 500a may further lead to controlled etching, including atomic or molecular layer etching in some embodiments, of the exposed regions of the processed structure 500a. In some embodiments, method 400 may also include pausing the flow of the halogen-containing precursors at operation 420 by halting the flow of the halogen-containing precursors, and may further include purging the halogen-containing precursors that may not be adsorbed on the exposed surfaces of the processed structure 500a at operation 425 using one or more inert gases. In some embodiments, the purging operation 425 may be performed immediately after the predetermined amount of the halogen-containing precursors may be flowed. In some embodiments, the purging operation 425 may be performed after the flow of the halogen-containing precursors may be paused for a period of time so as to allow the halogen-containing precursors to flow onto and to be adsorbed on the exposed surfaces of the processed structure 500a. For example, the purging operation 425 may be performed after the flow of the halogen-containing precursors may be paused for a time period of less than or about 30 seconds in embodiments, and may be paused for time periods of less than or about 25 seconds, less than or about 20 seconds, less than or about 15 seconds, less than or about 10 seconds, less than or about 5 seconds, less than or about 2 seconds, or less.
By performing these operations 420, 425, only the halogen-containing precursors that may be adsorbed at the exposed surfaces of the processed structure 500a may remain in the processing region forming the halogen-containing precursor film of the predetermined thickness, and any excess may be removed from the processing region. Method 400 may then proceed to operation 430 to etch the exposed regions of the processed structure 500a with the adsorbed halogen-containing precursors. Because the thickness of the halogen-containing precursor film may be predetermined, or in other words, the amount of the halogen-containing precursors available for the etching operation 430 may be predetermined, the thickness or amount of the materials etched may be controlled at operation 430. In some embodiments, when one or a few atomic or molecular layers of the halogen-containing precursors may be adsorbed at the exposed surfaces of the processed structure 500a after performing operations 405-425, atomic or molecular layer etching of select materials (discussed further below) at the exposed regions of the processed structure 500a may be achieved in operation 430.
In some embodiments, depending on the thickness or amount of the halogen-containing precursors adsorbed, a thickness of less than or about 5 nm of select materials at the exposed regions of the processed structure 500a may be etched or removed. In some embodiments, an etching or removal thickness of less than or about 4 nm, less than or about 3 nm, less than or about 2 nm, less than or about 1 nm, less than or about 9 Å, less than or about 8 Å, less than or about 7 Å, less than or about 6 Å, less than or about 5 Å, less than or about 4 Å, less than or about 3 Å, less than or about 2 Å, or less in embodiments. In some embodiments, the removal may be at least about 5 Å, and may be between about 5 Å and about 5 nm of removal, or between about 10 Å and about 2 nm of removal. In some embodiments, method 400 may be repeated for several cycles to achieve a greater overall removal thickness. In some embodiments, method 400 may be repeated for at least two cycles, and may be repeated for at least about 3 cycles, at least about 5 cycles, at least about 8 cycles, at least about 10 cycles, at least about 20 cycles, at least about 50 cycles, at least about 100 cycles, or more. The number of cycles may be dependent on the amount of removal provided by each cycle. By performing method 400 in cycles and removing only a controlled amount, including in some embodiments, one or a few atomic or molecular layers, of the materials to be etched, a uniform or smooth etching profile may be obtained.
As mentioned previously, not all exposed regions of the processed structure 500a may be etched by the halogen-containing precursors, and only select materials may be etched, depending on the operational parameters of the processing region and the materials at the exposed regions of the processed structure 500a. In the example as shown in
The interaction between the adsorbed halogen-containing precursors with the exposed semiconductor material of the patterned structure 510 may produce one or more volatile substances, which may then be removed from the processing chamber. The volatile byproducts produced by the interaction between the halogen-containing precursors and the semiconductor material may include a halide of the semiconductor material, such as a fluoride of the semiconductor material, which may include silicon fluoride, such as silicon tetrafluoride, germanium fluoride, such as germanium tetrafluoride, molybdenum fluoride, such as molybdenum hexafluoride, or any fluorinated compound or molecule of the etched material. The volatile byproducts produced may further include a noble gas or a halogen, depending on the halogen-containing precursors flowed. For example, when a noble gas halide, such as xenon difluoride, may be used as one of the halogen-containing precursors, xenon gas may be released and may be removed from the chamber. When an interhalogen, such as chlorine fluoride, may be used as one of the halogen-containing precursors, chlorine gas may be released and may be removed from the chamber. As will be described in more detail below, the noble gas or halogen released may be captured and recycled to produce additional halogen-containing precursors.
Although not shown in
In some embodiments, the processed structure 500a may further include exposed regions of other metal-containing materials that the halogen-containing precursors substantially may not interact with or may only react to a limited extent at room or elevated temperatures. Such metal-containing materials may include gold, copper, aluminum, nickel, chrome, platinum, gallium, hafnium, and so on. In some embodiments, the halogen-containing precursors, such as xenon difluoride, may not interact with aluminum, nickel, chrome, platinum, gallium, hafnium or the interaction with these metals may be so limited that the selectivity toward the semiconductor material forming the patterned structure 510 to these metals may be close to infinite.
Other commonly used materials in semiconductor processing that the halogen-containing precursors may not interact with may further include aluminum nitride, gallium arsenide, select oxides, such as PZT, magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, hafnium oxide, titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium dioxide, and so on. The halogen-containing precursors may not interact with polymers or select organic compounds commonly used in semiconductor processing, such as photoresists, PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), C4F8, silica glass, dicing tape, PP (polypropylene), PEN (polyethylene naphthalate), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene), acrylic, and so on.
Because the halogen-containing precursors may have a high selectivity toward the semiconductor material forming the patterned structure 510 over the materials forming the hard mask spacers 515 and the first layer 520 as discussed above, by performing method 400 in one or more cycles, the processed structure 500a as shown in
Once the processed structure 500c may be produced, method 400 may be initiated again or repeated to further develop the processed structure 500c into the processed structure 500d shown in
There are several advantages of method 400. Because the halogen-containing precursors used in method 400 may have very high selectivity towards semiconductor materials over a wide variety of metals, oxide, nitride, or carbide commonly used in semiconductor processing, method 400 may be used for selective etching of semiconductor materials, such as silicon, germanium, silicon germanium, or may be used for selective etching of metal or metal-containing materials, such as molybdenum, using very thin mask materials. For example, as shown in
Another advantage associated with method 400 may include isotropic etching of semiconductor materials, such as silicon, germanium, silicon germanium, or metal or metal-containing materials, such as molybdenum. Using silicon as an example, many etchants used in both wet and dry etching processes may only etch silicon at or from select crystal planes but not the others. For example, many etchants may not etch or may substantially stop etching when contacted with (110), (111), etc., crystal planes of silicon. As such, in the case of the substrate features formed of single-crystal silicon, the features may not be etched if the exposed surfaces correspond to one of the above mentioned crystal planes of silicon. In the case of the substrate features formed of polysilicon, the etched profile may not be uniform because depending on the orientation of the crystals, some may be etched while others may not be etched. In contrast, the halogen-containing precursors used in the present technology may etch the above mentioned semiconductor materials from any crystal planes or towards any crystal directions. Therefore, whether the substrate features may be formed of single- or polysilicon, the exposed surfaces may be etched uniformly. Further, because the halogen-containing precursors may etch the semiconductor materials from any crystal planes or towards any crystal directions, method 400 may be utilized in lateral recessing of semiconductor features, such as lateral recessing operations which may be performed in producing V-NAND memory cells.
With reference to
Method 700 may include, at operation 705, flowing a halogen-containing precursor into a processing region of a processing chamber where a processed structure may be positioned. The halogen-containing precursors utilized for method 400 may also be utilized for method 700. Accordingly, the halogen-containing precursors flowed at operation 705 may include one or more of noble gas compound precursors, interhalogen precursors, fluorinating precursors, or other halogen-containing precursors. The noble gas compound precursors may include one or more noble gas halides, which may include xenon halides, such as xenon fluoride, krypton halides, such as krypton fluoride, or any other compounds including a noble gas element and a halogen that may be used or useful in semiconductor processes. Similar to method 400, method 700 may utilize xenon difluoride as one of the halogen-containing precursors, which may be vaporized first in a loading chamber, and then flowed to the processing region of the processing chamber where the processed structure to be etched may be positioned. During the operations of method 700, the pressure and/or temperature of the loading chamber may be maintained at similar levels to those maintained for the loading chamber described above with reference to operations of method 400. The interhalogen precursors may include one or more fluorides containing fluorine and one or more of chlorine, bromine, or iodine, one or more chlorides containing chlorine and one or more of fluorine, bromine, or iodine, one or more bromides containing bromine or one or more of fluorine, chlorine, or iodine, or other interhalogen precursors that may be used or useful in semiconductor processes. Some exemplary interhalogen precursors may include iodine fluoride, such as iodine monofluoride, iodine trifluoride, iodine pentafluoride, iodine heptafluoride, and may further include chlorine fluoride, such as chlorine monofluoride, chlorine trifluoride, chlorine pentafluoride, and so on. The fluorinating precursors may include any of the noble gas compound precursors or the interhalogen precursors described above.
Method 700 may further include operation 710 similar to operation 410, during which the halogen-containing precursors may contact the exposed regions of the processed structure, which may include exposed regions of select metal-containing materials, such as titanium, tantalum, tungsten, or one or more compounds thereof, such as titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, titanium tungsten, and so on. Method 700 may also forming a film on the surfaces of the exposed regions of the processed structure at operation 715, which may be similar to operation 415. Method 700 may also include pausing the flow of the halogen-containing precursors at operation 720 by halting the flow of the halogen-containing precursors, and may further include purging the halogen-containing precursors that may not be adsorbed on the exposed surfaces of the processed structure at operation 725 such that only the halogen-containing precursors that may be adsorbed at the exposed surfaces of the processed structure may remain in the processing region forming the halogen-containing precursor film, and any excess may be removed from the processing region. In some embodiments, only one or a few atomic or molecular layers of the halogen-containing precursors may be adsorbed on the exposed surfaces of the processed structure.
Similar to method 400, method 700 may include additional controls over operational conditions and such to control the thickness of the halogen-containing precursor film. For example, at operation 705, only a predetermined or calculated amount or dosage of the halogen-containing precursors may be flowed to the processing region. The flow rate of the halogen-containing precursors may be maintained at relatively low levels to facilitate uniform film formation. For example, the flow rate of the halogen-containing precursors may be less than or about 50 sccm in embodiments, and may be less than or about 45 sccm, less than or about 40 sccm, less than or about 35 sccm, less than or about 30 sccm, less than or about 25 sccm, less than or about 20 sccm, less than or about 15 sccm, less than or about 10 sccm, less than or about 5 sccm, less than or about 3 sccm, less than or about 1 sccm, or less. Additionally, the flow of the halogen-containing precursors may be pulsed for time periods of less than or about 30 seconds in embodiments, and may be pulsed for time periods of less than or about 25 seconds, less than or about 20 seconds, less than or about 15 seconds, less than or about 10 seconds, less than or about 5 seconds, less than or about 2 seconds, or less. Between each of the pulsed flow or delivery, the flow or delivery of the halogen-containing precursors may be paused for less than or about 30 seconds in embodiments, and may be paused for time periods of less than or about 25 seconds, less than or about 20 seconds, less than or about 15 seconds, less than or about 10 seconds, less than or about 5 seconds, less than or about 2 seconds, or less. The flow rate and pulsing may be combined for any of the listed numbers. For example, the flow rate of the halogen-containing precursors may be below or about 10 sccm and may be delivered in pulses from about 5 to about 10 seconds in embodiments, depending on the desired thickness of the film formed.
The pressure of the processing region of the processing chamber may be maintained at relatively low levels, similar to the pressure levels maintained during operations of method 400. In some embodiments, the pressure of the processing region may be maintained below or about 50 Torr in embodiments. The pressure may be maintained below or about 40 Torr, and may be maintained below or about 30 Torr, below or about 20 Torr, below or about 15 Torr, below or about 10 Torr, below or about 5 Torr, below or about 4 Torr, below or about 3 Torr, below or about 2 Torr, below or about 1 Torr, below or about 800 mTorr, below or about 600 mTorr, below or about 400 mTorr, below or about 200 mTorr, below or about 100 mTorr, below or about 80 mTorr, below or about 60 mTorr, below or about 40 mTorr, below or about 20 mTorr, below or about 10 mTorr, below or about 5 mTorr, below or about 2 mTorr, below or about 1 mTorr, or lower. Maintaining a relatively low pressure inside the processing chamber may facilitate even adsorption and uniform film formation by the halogen-containing precursors, and in some embodiments, to facilitate atomic or molecular layer adsorption of the halogen-containing precursors.
Although many operational conditions for method 700 may be kept to be similar to those for method 400, the temperature in the processing region or at the substrate level may be maintained at an elevated level during method 700 as compared to that of method 400 so as to allow for selective etching of titanium, tantalum, tungsten, or one or more compounds thereof, such as titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, titanium tungsten, and so on. In some embodiments, the temperature of the processing region or at the substrate level may be maintained between about 0° C. and about 400° C. in embodiments. The temperature may be maintained above or about 5° C., and may be maintained above or about 10° C., above or about 15° C., above or about 20° C., above or about 25° C., above or about 30° C., above or about 50° C., above or about 75° C., above or about 100° C., above or about 150° C., above or about 200° C., above or about 250° C., above or about 300° C., above or about 350° C., or higher. Maintaining the temperature of the processing region or the substrate at relatively high temperature may increase the etch rate of titanium, tantalum, tungsten, or one or more compounds thereof, such as titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, titanium tungsten. However, relatively high operational temperature may also decrease the selectivity of the halogen-containing precursors towards these materials. Depending on the particular application, the temperature of the processing region may be maintained between about room temperature and about 300° C. to achieve desired etch rate as well as desired selectivity.
Once a desired thickness of the halogen-containing precursor film may be adsorbed on the exposed regions of the processed structure, method 700 may then proceed to operation 730 to etch select materials at the exposed regions of the processed structure. The interaction between the adsorbed halogen-containing precursors with titanium, tantalum, tungsten, titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, or titanium tungsten may produce one or more volatile substances, which may then be removed from the processing chamber. The volatile byproducts produced may include halides of titanium, tantalum, or tungsten, such as fluorides of titanium, tantalum, or tungsten. The volatile byproducts produced may further include a noble gas or a halogen, which may be captured and recycled to produce additional halogen-containing precursors, as described below.
Depending on the thickness or amount of the halogen-containing precursors adsorbed, an etched thickness of less than or about 5 nm may be achieved. In some embodiments, an etching or removal thickness of less than or about 4 nm, less than or about 3 nm, less than or about 2 nm, less than or about 1 nm, less than or about 9 Å, less than or about 8 Å, less than or about 7 Å, less than or about 6 Å, less than or about 5 Å, less than or about 4 Å, less than or about 3 Å, less than or about 2 Å, or less in embodiments, down to a few molecules of removal may be achieved. In some embodiments, the removal may be at least about 5 Å, and may be between about 5 Å and about 5 nm of removal, or between about 10 Å and about 2 nm of removal. In some embodiments, method 700 may be repeated for several cycles to achieve a greater overall removal thickness. In some embodiments, method 700 may be repeated for at least two cycles, and may be repeated for at least about 3 cycles, at least about 5 cycles, at least about 8 cycles, at least about 10 cycles, at least about 20 cycles, at least about 50 cycles, at least about 100 cycles, or more. The number of cycles may be dependent on the amount of removal provided by each cycle.
Method 700 may have a selectivity towards titanium, tantalum, tungsten, titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, or titanium tungsten over silicon nitride, silicon carbide, silicon oxide, thermal oxide, or low temperature oxide of greater than or about 50:1, greater than or about 100:1, greater than or about 150:1, greater than or about 200:1, or higher depending on the operating conditions. Method 700 may also have a similar selectivity towards titanium, tantalum, tungsten, titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, or titanium tungsten over gold or copper. Other materials commonly used in semiconductor processing that method 700 may not etch, or may have a close to infinite selectivity over, even at elevated temperatures may include aluminum, nickel, chrome, platinum, gallium, hafnium, aluminum nitride, gallium arsenide, select oxides, such as PZT, magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, hafnium oxide, titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium dioxide, and so on. Method 700 may further have high selectivity over select polymers or organic compounds commonly used in semiconductor processing, such as photoresists, PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), C4F8, silica glass, dicing tape, PP (polypropylene), PEN (polyethylene naphthalate), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene), acrylic, and so on.
It should be noted that although method 400 and method 700 are described as separate methods, method 700 may also be performed to etch or remove the semiconductor materials that method 400 may be performed to etch or remove. Given the elevated temperature, method 700 may yield greater etch rates as compared to method 400. However, method 400 may yield improved selectivity. Depending on the particular application, if the structure to be processed containing exposed regions of materials may be etched by both method 400 and method 700, then method 700 may be performed. For example, if the materials to be removed include one of the metal-containing materials etched by method 700, such as titanium, titanium nitride, tantalum, tantalum nitride, tungsten, or titanium tungsten, in addition to the semiconductor materials etched by method 400, such as silicon, germanium, or silicon germanium, or the metal-containing materials etched by method 400, such as molybdenum, then method 700 may be performed to remove the semiconductor materials as well as the metal-containing materials. If in some embodiments, the semiconductor materials or the metal-containing materials may be removed at different operations, then the temperature in the processing region or at the substrate level may be adjusted accordingly to achieve desired removal using either method 400 or method 700. Alternatively, the substrate may be processed at different processing chambers maintained at different temperatures, with one at room temperature for method 400 and one at elevated temperature for method 700.
With reference to
Method 800 may include, at operation 805, flowing a first halogen-containing precursor into a processing region of a processing chamber where a processed structure may be positioned. The first halogen-containing precursor may include one or more of any of the halogen-containing precursors described above with reference to method 400 and method 700. Accordingly, the first halogen-containing precursor flowed at operation 805 may include one or more of noble gas compound precursors, interhalogen precursors, fluorinating precursors, or other halogen-containing precursors. The noble gas compound precursors may include one or more noble gas halide, which may include xenon halides, such as xenon fluoride, krypton halides, such as krypton fluoride, or any other compounds including a noble gas element and a halogen that may be used or useful in semiconductor processes. Similar to method 400 and method 700, method 800 may utilize xenon difluoride as the first halogen-containing precursor. The interhalogen precursors may include one or more fluorides containing fluorine and one or more of chlorine, bromine, or iodine, one or more chlorides containing chlorine and one or more of fluorine, bromine, or iodine, one or more bromides containing bromine or one or more of fluorine, chlorine, or iodine, or other interhalogen precursors that may be used or useful in semiconductor processes. Some exemplary interhalogen precursors may include iodine fluoride, such as iodine monofluoride, iodine trifluoride, iodine pentafluoride, iodine heptafluoride, and may further include chlorine fluoride, such as chlorine monofluoride, chlorine trifluoride, chlorine pentafluoride, and so on. The fluorinating precursors may include any of the noble gas compound precursors or the interhalogen precursors described above.
Method 800 may further include operation 810, during which the first halogen-containing precursor may contact the exposed regions of the processed structure, and may form a film on the exposed surfaces of the processed structure at operation 815. Method 800 may also include pausing the flow of the first halogen-containing precursor at operation 820 by halting the flow of the first halogen-containing precursor, and may further include purging the first halogen-containing precursor that may not be adsorbed on the exposed surfaces of the processed structure at operation 825 such that only the first halogen-containing precursor that may be adsorbed at the exposed surfaces of the processed structure may remain in the processing region forming the first halogen-containing precursor film, and any excess may be removed from the processing region. In some embodiments, only one or a few atomic or molecular layers of the first halogen-containing precursor may be adsorbed on the exposed surfaces of the processed structure. Similar to method 400 and method 700, method 800 may further implement controls over the flow rate of the first halogen-containing precursor, the temperature and/or pressure of the loading chamber of the first halogen-containing precursor (if utilized), the temperature and/or pressure of the processing region of the chamber where the processed structure may be positioned, and/or other operational parameters, to obtain a desired thickness of the film of the first halogen-containing precursor, which may be one or a few atomic or molecular layers of the first halogen-containing precursor in some embodiments. Once the desired thickness of the first halogen-containing precursor film may be formed, method 800 may then proceed to operation 830 to etch select materials at the exposed regions of the processed structure, which may produce one or more volatile etch byproducts.
As mentioned above, certain etch byproducts may be collected and recycled to generate halogen-containing precursors. In some embodiments, a noble gas compound precursor may be used during operations 805-830, then one of the volatile byproducts generated may include a noble gas, which may be collected at operation 835. For example, when xenon difluoride may be used as the first halogen-containing precursor during operation 805-830, xenon gas may be produced at operation 830 and may be collected at operation 835. In some embodiments, an interhalogen precursor may be used during operations 805-830, then one of the volatile byproducts generated may include a gas of one of the halogen elements forming the interhalogen, such as the element having a relatively lower electronegativity compared to the other element forming the interhalogen. The gas of the halogen element having the relatively low electronegativity may also be collected at operation 835. For example, when a chlorine fluoride may be used at the first halogen-containing precursor during operation 805-830, chlorine gas may be produced at operation 830 and may be collected at operation 835.
The noble gas and/or the halogen gas collected at operation 835 may be delivered into a processing chamber or system at operation 840 to mix with a halogen-containing plasma, such as fluorine-containing plasma, which may include a plasma formed from nitrogen trifluoride. At operation 845, a second halogen-containing precursor may be formed through the reaction between the collected gas and the halogen-containing precursor. At operation 850, the second halogen-containing precursor may then be flowed back to the processing region for etching exposed regions of the processed structure, similar to how the first halogen-containing precursor may be flowed to the processing region for etching the exposed regions of the processed structure in operations 805-830. In some embodiments, the second halogen-containing precursor may be flowed back to the same processing region for continued etching of the processed structure. In some embodiments, the second halogen-containing precursor may be flowed to a different processing chamber for etching a different processed structure. In some embodiments, the second halogen-containing precursor generated may be preserved for later use. In the case of xenon difluoride, the xenon difluoride generated at step 845 may be collected by increasing the chamber pressure and/or lowering the chamber temperature such that xenon difluoride solid may be formed and collected. By collecting the noble gas or the halogen gas and generating additional halogen-containing precursor therefrom, method 800 may be more economical than conventional etching methods where byproducts may simply be discharged.
In some embodiments, the processing chamber for generating the second halogen-containing precursor may be the same as the processing chamber in which operations 805-830 may be performed. The processing chamber may include a remote plasma region, such as the capacitively-coupled plasma (CCP) region 215 described above with reference to
In some embodiments, the processing chamber for generating the second halogen-containing precursor using plasma may be a different chamber separated from but fluidly connected with the processing chamber in which operations 805-830 may be performed. In some embodiments, the second halogen-containing precursor may be generated using a remote plasma system, such as the RPS 201 discussed above with reference to
Generating the second halogen-containing precursor using a separate chamber or system may limit or prevent any plasma that may be flowed into the processing region, which may damage the substrate features and cause unevenness in the etched profile. It may also allow for more precise control of the halogen-containing precursor flowed towards the processed structure so as to achieve thin layer etching, such as atomic or molecular layer etching. In addition, because plasma may be used in forming the second halogen-containing precursor, the temperature of the second halogen-containing precursor formed may be relatively high. Forming the second halogen-containing precursor in a separate chamber or system may also allow the second halogen-containing precursor to be cooled to a desired temperature before being flowed to the processing region at operation 850.
In the preceding description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous details have been set forth in order to provide an understanding of various embodiments of the present technology. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that certain embodiments may be practiced without some of these details, or with additional details.
Having disclosed several embodiments, it will be recognized by those of skill in the art that various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the embodiments. Additionally, a number of well-known processes and elements have not been described in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present technology. Accordingly, the above description should not be taken as limiting the scope of the technology. Additionally, methods or processes may be described as sequential or in steps, but it is to be understood that the operations may be performed concurrently, or in different orders than listed.
Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the smallest fraction of the unit of the lower limit, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limits of that range is also specifically disclosed. Any narrower range between any stated values or unstated intervening values in a stated range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range is encompassed. The upper and lower limits of those smaller ranges may independently be included or excluded in the range, and each range where either, neither, or both limits are included in the smaller ranges is also encompassed within the technology, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included.
As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a precursor” includes a plurality of such precursors, and reference to “the layer” includes reference to one or more layers and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art, and so forth.
Also, the words “comprise(s)”, “comprising”, “contain(s)”, “containing”, “include(s)”, and “including”, when used in this specification and in the following claims, are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, components, or operations, but they do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, components, operations, acts, or groups.
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