Poly directional etch by oxidation
First Claim
1. An etching method comprising:
- oxidizing an exposed silicon surface on a semiconductor substrate within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber;
forming an inert plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber;
modifying at least part of the oxidized silicon with effluents of the inert plasma;
forming a remote plasma from a fluorine-containing precursor to produce plasma effluents;
flowing the plasma effluents to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber; and
removing the modified oxidized silicon from the semiconductor substrate.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Processing methods may be performed to form recesses in a semiconductor substrate. The methods may include oxidizing an exposed silicon surface on a semiconductor substrate within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include forming an inert plasma within the processing region of the processing chamber. Effluents of the inert plasma may be utilized to modify the oxidized silicon. A remote plasma may be formed from a fluorine-containing precursor to produce plasma effluents. The methods may include flowing the plasma effluents to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may also include removing the modified oxidized silicon from the semiconductor substrate.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An etching method comprising:
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oxidizing an exposed silicon surface on a semiconductor substrate within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber; forming an inert plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber; modifying at least part of the oxidized silicon with effluents of the inert plasma; forming a remote plasma from a fluorine-containing precursor to produce plasma effluents; flowing the plasma effluents to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber; and removing the modified oxidized silicon from the semiconductor substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An etching method comprising:
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oxidizing an exposed silicon surface on a semiconductor substrate within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber to produce a region of silicon oxide; forming an inert plasma within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber; modifying at least a portion of the region of silicon oxide with effluents of the inert plasma; contacting the modified silicon oxide with plasma effluents of a fluorine-containing precursor; and etching the modified silicon oxide, wherein the oxidizing, modifying, contacting, and etching are all performed in the semiconductor processing chamber. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An etching method comprising:
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forming an oxygen-containing plasma within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber; oxidizing an exposed silicon-containing surface on a semiconductor substrate within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber to form a region of silicon oxide at least 3 nm in depth from the silicon-containing surface; forming an inert plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the inert plasma comprises a helium plasma formed by a bias power of less than 100 W; modifying at least a portion of the oxidized silicon-containing surface with effluents of the inert plasma, wherein a pressure within the semiconductor processing chamber is maintained below about 50 mTorr during the modifying; forming a plasma of a fluorine-containing precursor in a remote region of the semiconductor processing chamber that is separated from the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber by a showerhead; contacting the modified, oxidized silicon-containing surface with plasma effluents of the fluorine-containing precursor; and etching the modified, oxidized silicon-containing surface at a temperature of about 100°
C., wherein the oxidizing, modifying, contacting, and etching are all performed in the semiconductor processing chamber, and wherein no solid byproducts are produced during the etching. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification