Substrate processing method, substrate processing system and storage medium

• US 20080045030A1
• Filed: 08/14/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Tahara, Shigeru
• Application Number:
  US11/889,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20080045030A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/715
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02063 the processing being the formation of vias or contact holes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31116 by dry-etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67115 mainly by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67201 characterized by the construction of the load-lock chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76807 for dual damascene structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76808 involving intermediate temporary filling with material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76814 post-treatment or after-treatment, e.g. cleaning or removal of oxides on underlying conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76835 Combinations of two or more different dielectric layers having a low dielectric constant H01L21/76832 takes precedence

Abstract

[Subject In a plasma process using an ammonia gas after conducting a plasma process by using a process gas containing fluorine and carbon to a silicone-containing substrate, an ammonium silicofluoride having toxicity and water absorbancy is formed on the substrate. [Means for Solution]After conducting the plasma process using an ammonia gas, the substrate is heated to a temperature not lower than the decomposition temperature of the ammonium silicofluoride to decompose the ammonium silicofluoride in a process container in which the plasma process was conducted, or in a process container connected with the processing vessel which the plasma process was conducted therein and is isolated from a clean room atmosphere.

Claims

1. A substrate processing method including:

a step of conducting a step (a) of applying a plasma process using a processing gas containing fluorine to a silicon-containing film on a substrate, and a step (b) of applying a plasma process using a processing gas containing nitrogen and hydrogen to the substrate in one identical processing vessel, thereby forming an ammonium silicofluoride; and

a step of subsequently heating the substrate at a temperature not less than a decomposition temperature of the ammonium silicofluoride in a processing vessel before placing the substrate in a clean room atmosphere.

2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the step (b) is conducted after the step (a).

3. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the step (a) is a process for removing an etch stop film containing silicon and carbon formed on the surface of a metal interconnection formed on the substrate.

4. The substrate processing method according to claim 2, wherein the step (b) is a process for removing an organic dielectric film containing carbon formed on a layer above the metal interconnection and/or a process for removing an organic film formed as a by-product on the metal interconnection by the step (a).

5. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the step of heating the substrate is conducted in a processing vessel different from the processing vessel in which the step (a) and the step (b) are conducted.

6. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the processing gas containing fluorine is a gas containing fluorine and carbon.

7. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the processing gas containing nitrogen and hydrogen is ammonia gas.

13. A storage medium storing a computer program to be used for a substrate processing system for processing a substrate in a processing vessel, and to be run on a computer, wherein

the computer program is incorporated with steps for practicing the substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

8. A substrate processing system including:

a plasma processing apparatus for conducting a step (a) of applying a plasma process using a processing gas containing fluorine to a silicon-containing film on a substrate, and a step (b) of applying a plasma process using a processing gas containing nitrogen and hydrogen to the substrate, and

a heating apparatus that heats the substrate in a processing vessel at a temperature not less than a decomposition temperature of ammonium silicofluoride in the processing vessel for decomposing the ammonium silicofluoride formed on the substrate by the plasma processes in the plasma processing apparatus.

9. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein the plasma processing apparatus is configured so as to conduct the step (b) succeeding to the step (a).

10. The substrate processing system according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the processing vessel of the plasma processing apparatus and the processing vessel of the heating apparatus are different from each other, and the processing vessels are air tightly connected to a transfer chamber having a vacuum atmosphere and provided with substrate transfer means.

11. The substrate processing system according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the gas containing fluorine is a gas containing fluorine and carbon.

12. The substrate processing system according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the processing gas containing nitrogen and hydrogen is ammonia gas.