Dry photoresist stripping process and apparatus

• US 20080153306A1
• Filed: 12/11/2007
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Foad, Majeed A., Cho, Seon-Mee
• Application Number:
  US12/001,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20080153306A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/712
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/427 using plasma means only
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31138 by dry-etching

Abstract

A process for stripping photoresist from a substrate is provided. A processing system for implanting a dopant into a layer of a film stack, annealing the stripped film stack, and stripping the implanted film stack is also provided. When high dopant concentrations are implanted into a photoresist layer, a crust layer may form on the surface of the photoresist layer that may not be easily removed. The methods described herein are effective for removing a photoresist layer having such a crust on its surface.

Claims

1. A photoresist stripping method, comprising:

positioning a substrate having a photoresist layer thereon in a stripping chamber;

forming a plasma from hydrogen gas and at least one of fluorine gas and oxygen gas in a remote plasma source;

introducing plasma from the remote plasma source and water vapor to the chamber; and

stripping the photoresist from the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the photoresist layer is exposed to an implanting process prior to stripping.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

annealing the stripped substrate.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

disposing the substrate having the photoresist into an implantation chamber, implanting ions into a layer disposed between the substrate and the photoresist layer, and forming a crust layer on the photoresist;

transferring the substrate from the implantation chamber;

transferring the substrate from the stripping chamber into an annealing chamber; and

annealing the substrate.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the ions are selected from the group consisting of boron, phosphorus, arsenic, and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the crust layer comprises two aromatic rings bonded together by two single carbon-carbon bonds.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the stripping comprises converting the photoresist into diatomic oxygen, carbon dioxide, water, and diatomic hydrogen.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the stripping further comprises biasing the substrate with an RF current.

9. A photoresist stripping method, comprising:

disposing a substrate into processing chamber, the substrate having a photoresist layer thereover;

implanting one or more ions into a layer disposed between the photoresist and the substrate, the implanting forming a crust layer out of at least a portion of the photoresist layer;

igniting a plasma in a remote plasma source and exposing the crust layer to the plasma;

exposing the crust layer to water vapor; and

removing the crust layer and the photoresist layer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the crust layer comprises two aromatic rings bonded together by two single carbon-carbon bonds.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the implanted ions comprise boron and the plasma is ignited by flowing hydrogen gas through the remote plasma source.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the water vapor has a flow rate of between about 80 sccm to about 100 sccm.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the water vapor has a flow rate of between about 2800 sccm to about 3000 sccm.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the implanted ions comprise boron and the plasma is ignited by flowing carbon tetrafluoride and oxygen through the remote. plasma source.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the carbon tetrafluoride has a flow rate between about 225 sccm and about 275 sccm, the oxygen has a flow rate between about 4900 sccm and about 5100 sccm, and the water vapor has a flow rate between about 325 sccm and about 375 sccm.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the ions are selected from the group consisting of boron, phosphorus, arsenic, and combinations thereof.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the stripping comprises converting the photoresist into diatomic oxygen, carbon dioxide, water, and diatomic hydrogen.

18. The method of claim 9, further comprising annealing the substrate.

19. A processing system, comprising:

a transfer chamber;

an implantation chamber coupled with the transfer chamber;

a stripping chamber coupled with the transfer chamber;

an annealing chamber coupled with the transfer chamber;

a factory interface coupled with the transfer chamber; and

one or more FOUPs coupled to the factory interface.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the stripping chamber comprises a remote plasma source coupled thereto.