COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR SUBSTANTIALLY EQUALIZING RATES AT WHICH MATERIAL IS REMOVED OVER AN AREA OF A STRUCTURE OR FILM THAT INCLUDES RECESSES OR CREVICES
First Claim
1. A method for isotropic etching, comprising:
- exposing a film or other structure that includes at least anomaly at an exposed surface of the film or other structure to a wet etchant that includes at least one etch blocker; and
generating pressure waves in the wet etchant to remove the at least one etch blocker from the exposed surface while allowing the at least one etch blocker to remain within the at least one seam, crevice, or recess.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods for preventing isotropic removal of materials at corners formed by seams, keyholes, and other anomalies in films or other structures include use of etch blockers to cover or coat such corners. This covering or coating prevents exposure of the corners to isotropic etch solutions and cleaning solutions and, thus, higher material removal rates at the corners than at smoother areas of the structure or film from which material is removed. Solutions, including wet etchants and cleaning solutions, that include at least one type of etch blocker are also disclosed, as are systems for preventing higher rates of material removal at corners formed by seams, crevices, or recesses in a film or other structure. Semiconductor device structures in which etch blockers are located so as to prevent isotropic etchants from removing material from corners of seams, crevices, or recesses in a surface of a film or other structure at undesirably high rates are also disclosed.
28 Citations
35 Claims
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1. A method for isotropic etching, comprising:
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exposing a film or other structure that includes at least anomaly at an exposed surface of the film or other structure to a wet etchant that includes at least one etch blocker; and generating pressure waves in the wet etchant to remove the at least one etch blocker from the exposed surface while allowing the at least one etch blocker to remain within the at least one seam, crevice, or recess. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A wet etchant comprising:
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an etch solution; and at least one etch blocker configured to be retained within seams, crevices, or recesses opening onto an exposed surface of a film or other structure to prevent the etch solution from isotropically removing material from corners of the seams, crevices, or recesses. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A semiconductor device structure, comprising:
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a structure or film including at least one exposed surface and at least one seam, crevice, or recess opening thereonto; an etch blocker disposed in the at least one seam, crevice, or recess in a substantially higher concentration than on the at least one exposed surface. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A material removal system, comprising:
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a substrate holder configured to retain a fabrication substrate for contact of at least one structure or feature of a substrate to a wet etchant comprising an etch solution and etch blocker disposed over an exposed surface of the fabrication substrate; and apparatus for generating pressure waves in wet etchant over the at least one structure or feature. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for fabricating a semiconductor device structure, comprising:
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exposing a film or structure that includes at least one anomaly to a wet etchant that includes at least one etch blocker; and generating pressure waves across a surface of the film or structure. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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30. A method for fabricating a semiconductor device structure, comprising:
applying an etchant mixture including an isotropic etchant and an etch blocker to an exposed surface of a structure or film from which material is to be removed, the etchant and etch blocker interacting with one another such that the etch blocker non-specifically adsorbs to all areas of the exposed surface and enables the isotropic etchant to remove material at all areas of the exposed surface, including regions in which at least one crevice or recess is located, at substantially the same rate. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
Specification