Method for patterning on a wafer having at least one substrate for the realization of an integrated circuit

• US 20060261036A1
• Filed: 04/10/2006
• Published: 11/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SRL (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Fazio, Giuseppe, Petruzza, Pietro, Spandre, Alessandro
• Application Number:
  US11/401,113
• Publication Number:
  US 20060261036A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 216/59
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31116 by dry-etching

Abstract

A method is provided for patterning a wafer comprising at least one substrate for the manufacture of an integrated circuit. The method comprises: etching at least one portion of the substrate with a reactive gas plasma to obtain an optical emission signal, resulting from the products of the reaction between the plasma and the substrate and having a predetermined spectral fingerprint; carrying on the etching of the substrate up to a predetermined end point; and monitoring the spectral fingerprint of the optical emission signal to detect the etching end point. The method comprises the further insertion of an inert gas in the plasma to obtain an increase in the intensity of the optical emission signal.

Claims

1. A method for patterning a wafer having at least one substrate to manufacture an integrated circuit, the method comprising:

etching at least one portion of the substrate with a reactive gas plasma to obtain an optical emission signal resulting from products of a reaction between the plasma and the substrate and having a spectral fingerprint;

carrying on the etching of the portion of the substrate up to an end point;

monitoring the spectral fingerprint of the optical emission signal to detect the end point of the etching; and

before performing the etching, adding an inert gas to the reactive gas plasma, the inert gas being indifferent in the etching reaction and being able to affect the optical emission signal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the optical emission signal is detected in an infrared frequency range.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the optical emission signal is detected between 900 and 950 nm.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the optical emission signal is detected at 905 nm.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the optical emission signal is detected at 906 nm.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the wafer comprises a landing substrate whereon said substrate lies and wherein the end point corresponds to reaching an interface area between the substrate and the landing substrate.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the substrate is made of silicon nitride.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the landing substrate is made of silicon.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the inert gas being added to the plasma is argon.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the argon is 10% to 50% with respect to whole of the plasma.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the reactive gas plasma is comprised of a mixture of gases Cl₂, BCl₃ and CHF₃.

12. A method for patterning a film of silicon nitride landing over a silicon oxide substrate to manufacture an integrated circuit, the method comprising:

etching at least one portion of a silicon nitride surface with plasma containing Cl₂, BCl₃ and CHF₃, so as to perform an etching reaction to define tapered trenches within the silicon nitride;

adding an inert gas to the plasma containing Cl₂, BCl₃ and CHF₃ wherein the inert gas is indifferent in the etching reaction

monitoring an infrared frequency emission signal resulting from etching reaction products; and

correlating a variation of the infrared frequency emission signal with an etching across an interface area between the silicon nitride and the silicon oxide substrate.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the inert gas is argon.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein argon is 10% to 50% with respect to whole of the plasma.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising, after having reached the interface, performing a selective overetching to clean silicon nitride residuals in the trenches.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the tapered trenches occupy about 5% with respect to an area of the silicon nitride surface.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein each of the tapered trenches has a depth comprised between 40 nm and 60 nm.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein each of the tapered trenches has a width which is of about 58 nm at a level of the interface area between the silicon nitride and the silicon oxide substrate and of 153 nm at a level of the silicon nitride surface.

19. A method for patterning a wafer having at least one substrate to manufacture an integrated circuit, the method comprising:

adding an inert gas to a reactive gas plasma;

etching at least a portion of the substrate with the reactive gas plasma having the inert gas added thereto;

detecting an optical emission signal resulting from a reaction between the plasma and the substrate, the optical emission signal having a property;

continuing the etching of the portion of the substrate up to an end point; and

monitoring the property of the optical emission signal to detect the end point, wherein the inert gas is not involved in the reaction and is able to affect the optical emission signal.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein adding the inert gas to the plasma includes adding argon gas to the plasma.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein monitoring the property of the optical emission signal includes monitoring an intensity of the optical emission signal.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein etching the portion of the substrate includes etching a silicon nitride substrate to define tapered trenches.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the end point is associated with reaching another substrate, underlying the silicon nitride substrate, with the etching.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein reaching the another substrate with the etching includes reaching a silicon oxide substrate with the etching.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein detecting the optical emission signal includes detecting the optical emission signal in an infrared range.

26. The method of claim 19 wherein adding the inert gas to the reactive gas plasma includes adding the inert gas to a Cl₂, BCl₃ and CHF₃ gas mixture.