Method of preventing damage to porous low-K materials during resist stripping
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of forming a feature in a porous low-K dielectric layer is provided. A porous low-K dielectric layer is placed over a substrate. A patterned photoresist mask is placed over the porous low-K dielectric layer. A feature is etched into the porous low-K dielectric layer. A protective layer is deposited over the feature after the etching the feature. The patterned photoresist mask is stripped, so that part of the protective layer is removed, where protective walls formed from the protective layer remain in the feature.
235 Citations
36 Claims
-
1-15. -15. (canceled)
-
16. An apparatus for etching a feature in a porous low-K dielectric layer through a mask over a substrate, comprising:
-
a plasma processing chamber, comprising;
a chamber wall forming a plasma processing chamber enclosure;
a substrate support for supporting a substrate within the plasma processing chamber enclosure;
a pressure regulator for regulating the pressure in the plasma processing chamber enclosure;
at least one electrode for providing power to the plasma processing chamber enclosure for sustaining a plasma;
a gas inlet for providing gas into the plasma processing chamber enclosure; and
a gas outlet for exhausting gas from the plasma processing chamber enclosure;
a gas source in fluid connection with the gas inlet, comprising;
an etchant gas source;
a protective layer gas source; and
a stripping gas source;
a controller controllably connected to at least one of the gas source the at least one electrode, the pressure regulator, the gas inlet, and the gas outlet, comprising;
at least one processor; and
computer readable media, comprising;
computer readable code for providing an etch plasma for etching a feature into a porous low-K dielectric layer;
computer readable code for for forming a protective layer over the feature in the porous low-K dielectric layer after the feature has been etched by providing a protective layer gas from the protective layer gas source; and
computer readable code for stripping a photoresist mask from over the porous low-K dielectric layer, where the stripping removes part of the protective layer and leaves protective walls formed from the protective layer. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
-
-
17. (canceled)
-
18. (canceled)
-
30. A semiconductor device formed by the method of forming a feature in a porous low-K dielectric layer, comprising:
-
placing a porous low-K dielectric layer over a substrate;
placing a patterned photoresist mask over the porous low-K dielectric layer;
etching a feature into the porous low-K dielectric layer;
depositing a protective layer over the feature after the etching the feature; and
stripping the patterned photoresist mask, so that part of the protective layer is removed, where protective walls formed from the protective layer remain in the feature. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
-
Specification