Use of ammonia for etching organic low-k dielectrics
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Abstract
Method for etching organic low-k dielectric using ammonia, NH3, as an active etchant. Processes using ammonia results in at least double the etch rate of organic low-k dielectric materials than processes using N2/H2 chemistries, at similar process conditions. The difference is due to the much lower ionization potential of NH3 versus N2 in the process chemistry, which results in significantly higher plasma densities and etchant concentrations at similar process conditions.
256 Citations
37 Claims
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1-16. -16. (Cancelled).
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17. An integrated circuit formed from an etched organic low-k dielectric layer over a substrate, made from the steps comprising:
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placing a hard mask over the organic low-k dielectric layer;
placing a patterned photoresist layer over the hard mask layer;
placing the substrate in an etching chamber;
providing an etchant gas comprising NH3 into the etching chamber;
generating a plasma from the NH3, which etches the organic dielectric layer, which is able to selectively etch the organic low-k dielectric layer with respect to the hard mask and strip the photoresist layer;
selectively etching the organic low-k dielectric layer with respect to the hard mask; and
simultaneously stripping the photo resist layer during the selective etching of the organic low-k dielectric layer. - View Dependent Claims (18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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19. (Canceled).
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31. An integrated circuit formed by a method of etching an organic dielectric layer over a substrate, comprising:
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placing a hard mask over the organic dielectric layer;
placing a patterned photoresist layer over the hard mask layer;
placing the substrate in an etching chamber;
providing an etchant gas comprising NH3 into the etching chamber, wherein the NH3 has a flow rate between 5 sccm to 1500 sccm;
generating a plasma from the NH3, which selectively etches the organic dielectric layer with respect to the hardmask; and
simultaneously stripping the photo resist layer during the etching of the organic dielectric layer. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. An integrated circuit formed by a method of etching an organic dielectric layer disposed below a hardmask layer and over a substrate, comprising:
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placing the substrate in an etching chamber;
providing an etchant gas comprising NH3 into the etching chamber with a flow rate from about 300 sccm to about 800 sccm;
generating a plasma from the NH3, which etches the organic dielectric layer; and
maintaining the substrate at a temperature between about 10°
C. to about 40°
C. during the etching of the organic dielectric layer.
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Specification