Encapsulation of post-etch halogenic residue

• US 20060032833A1
• Filed: 08/10/2004
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Khan, Anisul H., Lill, Thorsten B., Kawaguchi, Mark Naoshi
• Application Number:
  US10/915,519
• Publication Number:
  US 20060032833A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 216/37
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0206 during, before or after processing of insulating layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02063 the processing being the formation of vias or contact holes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02071 the processing being a delineation, e.g. RIE, of conductive layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/32136 using plasmas

Abstract

A method of etching is provided that includes transferring a substrate into a vacuum environment, etching a material layer on the substrate and depositing a polymeric film encapsulating etch residues on the substrate without removing the substrate from the vacuum environment.

Claims

1. A method of etching, comprising:

transferring a substrate into a vacuum environment;

etching a material layer on the substrate in the vacuum environment; and

depositing a polymeric film encapsulating etch residue without removing the substrate from the vacuum environment.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transferring the substrate to an ex-situ processing reactor; and

removing the polymeric film and the residue from the substrate using the ex-situ processing reactor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the residue is a halogenic residue formed after etching the material layer using at least one of NF₃, CF₄, Cl₂, and HBr.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the material layer comprises at least one of a dielectric material, a metal, and a metal alloy.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the material layer comprises at least one of Si, polysilicon, SiO₂, HfSiO₄ and HfO₂.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the material layer has a patterned etch mask disposed thereon.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the patterned etch mask further comprises an anti-reflective coating (ARC).

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the ARC comprises at least one of Si₃N₄ and SiON.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the material layer comprises trenches having an aspect ratio of about 20 to 100.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the patterned etch mask is formed from borosilicate glass (BSG).

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the patterned etch mask is formed from photoresist.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the encapsulating step further comprises flowing a carbon containing gas into the etch chamber that comprises at least one of a fluorocarbon gas and a hydrocarbon gas.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the fluorocarbon gas comprises at least one of CF₄, CH₂F₂, CH₃F, CHF₃, C₂F₆, C₂F₄, C3F₈, C₄F₆, and C₄F₈.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the hydrocarbon gas comprises at least one gas having a chemical formula CxHy, where x and y are integers.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the carbon containing gas further comprises at least one of O₂, CO₂, H₂O, H₂, N₂, NH₃, Br₂, Cl₂, F₂, HBr, HCl, HF, NF₃, and a forming gas.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the forming gas comprises about 3-5% of H₂ and about 97-95% of N₂.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the encapsulating step further comprises:

providing CF₄ and H₂ at a flow ratio H₂;

CF₄ in a range from about 0;

1 to 5;

1.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the encapsulating step further comprises:

providing CHF₃ and H₂ at a flow ratio H₂;

CHF₃ in a range from about 0;

1 to 5;

1.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the transferring step further comprises a cleaning process that in-situ cleans a processing chamber of the etch reactor after the substrate is removed from the chamber.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the removing step further strips the photoresist mask.

21. The method of claim 2, wherein the ex-situ processing reactor performs a plasma strip process.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the plasma strip process uses at least one of O₂, water vapor (H₂O), and O₃.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the plasma strip process further uses N₂.

24. The method of claim 2, wherein the ex-situ processing reactor performs a wet strip process.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the wet strip process uses a solvent comprising at least one of H₂SO₄ and H₂O₂.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the solvent comprises, by volume, about 70% of H₂SO₄ and about 30% of H₂O₂.

27. The method of claim 2, wherein the removing step further comprises a substrate cleaning process performed after the polymeric film is removed from the substrate.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the substrate cleaning process uses a solution comprising at least one of HF, HNO₃, and HCl in deionized water

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the solution comprises, by volume, about 0.5 to 2% of HF and deionized water.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of etching depositing occur in the same reactor.

31. A method of etching, comprising:

etching a substrate in an etch reactor using a halogen containing etchant;

depositing in-situ a polymeric film encapsulating residue formed on the substrate during etching; and

removing the polymeric film and the residue from the substrate ex-situ in the reactor.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

transferring the encapsulated substrate from a first integrated semiconductor substrate processing system to an ex-situ processing reactor of a second integrated semiconductor substrate processing system.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the residue is a halogenic residue formed after etching the material layer using at least one of NF₃, CF₄, Cl₂, and HBr.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the material layer comprises at least one of a dielectric material, a metal, and a metal alloy.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the material layer comprises at least one of Si, polysilicon, SiO₂, and HfO₂.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the material layer comprises structures each having a patterned etch mask.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the patterned etch mask further comprises an anti-reflective coating (ARC).

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the ARC comprises at least one of Si₃N₄ and SiON.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the structures are trenches having an aspect ration of about 20 to 100.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein the patterned etch mask is formed from borosilicate glass (BSG).

41. The method of claim 36, wherein the patterned etch mask is formed from photo resist.

42. The method of claim 31, wherein the depositing step uses a carbon containing gas that comprises at least one of a fluorocarbon gas and a hydrocarbon gas.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the fluorocarbon gas comprises at least one of CF₄, CH₂F₂, CH₃F, CHF₃;

C₂F₆, C₂F₄, C3F₈, C₄F₆, and C₄F₈.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the hydrocarbon gas comprises at least one gas having a chemical formula C_xH_y, where x and y are integers.

45. The method of claim 42, wherein the carbon containing gas further comprises at least one of O₂, CO₂, H₂O, H₂, N₂, NH₃, Br₂, Cl₂, F₂, HBr, HCl, HF, NF₃, and a forming gas.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the forming gas comprises about 3-5% of H₂ and about 97-95% of N₂.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein the depositing step further comprises:

providing CF₄ and H₂ at a flow ratio H₂;

CF₄ in a range from about 0;

1 go 5;

1.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein the depositing step further comprises:

providing CHF₃ and H₂ at a flow ratio about H₂;

CHF₃ in a range from 0;

1 to 5;

1.

49. The method of claim 41, wherein the removing step further strips the photoresist mask.

50. The method of claim 31, wherein the ex-situ processing reactor performs a plasma strip process.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the plasma strip process uses at least one of O₂, water vapor (H₂O), and O₃.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein the plasma strip process further uses N₂.

53. The method of claim 31, wherein the ex-situ processing reactor performs a wet strip process.

54. The method of claim 51, wherein the wet strip process uses a solvent comprising at least one of H₂SO₄ and H₂O₂.

55. The method of claim 31, wherein the removing step further comprises a substrate cleaning process performed after the polymeric film is removed from the substrate.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein the substrate cleaning process uses a solution comprising at least one of HF, HNO₃, and HCl in deionized water