Oxide and metal removal
First Claim
1. A method of etching metal from a substrate, the method comprising:
- flowing a hydrogen-containing precursor into a substrate processing region housing the substrate while forming a plasma of the hydrogen-containing precursor in the substrate processing region;
treating a metal oxide layer exposed on the substrate, wherein the metal oxide layer is overlying a metal layer on the substrate, and wherein the treating comprises removing or reducing the metal oxide layer to expose the metal layer underlying the metal oxide layer;
exposing a portion of the metal layer underlying the metal oxide layer;
subsequent to treating the metal oxide layer, flowing a halogen-containing precursor into the substrate processing region, wherein the substrate processing region is plasma-free during the flowing of the halogen-containing precursor;
subsequent to flowing the halogen-containing precursor, flowing a carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor into the substrate processing region, wherein the substrate processing region is plasma-free during the flowing of the carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor; and
removing a portion of the exposed portion of the metal layer from the substrate.
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Abstract
Methods are described herein for etching metal films which are difficult to volatize. The methods include exposing a metal film to a chlorine-containing precursor (e.g. Cl2). Chlorine is then removed from the substrate processing region. A carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor (e.g. TMEDA) is delivered to the substrate processing region to form volatile metal complexes which desorb from the surface of the metal film. The methods presented remove metal while very slowly removing the other exposed materials. A thin metal oxide layer may be present on the surface of the metal layer, in which case a local plasma from hydrogen may be used to remove the oxygen or amorphize the near surface region, which has been found to increase the overall etch rate.
1854 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method of etching metal from a substrate, the method comprising:
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flowing a hydrogen-containing precursor into a substrate processing region housing the substrate while forming a plasma of the hydrogen-containing precursor in the substrate processing region; treating a metal oxide layer exposed on the substrate, wherein the metal oxide layer is overlying a metal layer on the substrate, and wherein the treating comprises removing or reducing the metal oxide layer to expose the metal layer underlying the metal oxide layer; exposing a portion of the metal layer underlying the metal oxide layer; subsequent to treating the metal oxide layer, flowing a halogen-containing precursor into the substrate processing region, wherein the substrate processing region is plasma-free during the flowing of the halogen-containing precursor; subsequent to flowing the halogen-containing precursor, flowing a carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor into the substrate processing region, wherein the substrate processing region is plasma-free during the flowing of the carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor; and removing a portion of the exposed portion of the metal layer from the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of etching metal from a substrate, the method comprising:
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transferring the substrate into a substrate processing region; forming a plasma of a hydrogen-containing precursor in the substrate processing region to treat a metal oxide layer exposed on the substrate, wherein the metal oxide layer is overlying a metal layer on the substrate, and wherein treating the metal oxide layer comprises removing or reducing the metal oxide layer to expose the metal layer underlying the metal oxide layer; exposing a portion of the metal layer underlying the metal oxide layer; subsequently flowing a halogen-containing precursor into the substrate processing region while maintaining the substrate processing region plasma free; purging the substrate processing region with an inert gas to remove the halogen-containing precursor from the substrate processing region; flowing a carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor in to the substrate processing region while maintaining the substrate processing region plasma free; and removing a portion of the exposed portion of the metal layer from the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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Specification