Apparatus and Methods for Cyclical Oxidation and Etching
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for performing a cyclical oxidation and etching process on a material layer, comprising:
- a processing chamber having a plurality of walls defining a processing region within the processing chamber including a substrate support to hold a substrate having a material layer within the processing region;
an oxygen-containing gas supply, an inert gas supply and an etching gas supply in fluid communication with the processing chamber to deliver the oxygen-containing gas, the inert gas and the etching gas into the process chamber;
a plasma source to form a plasma in a plasma generation region inside the chamber and at least one of the oxygen-containing gas and etching gas to energize the gas to form at least one of an oxygen plasma, and an etching plasma to contact the material layer;
a heating system to heat the substrate within the chamber to a first temperature greater than about 100°
C.;
a cooling system to cool the substrate within the chamber to a second temperature below the first temperature; and
a control system to cycle the substrate within the chamber between the first temperature the second temperature.
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods for the manufacture of semiconductor devices suitable for narrow pitch applications and methods of fabrication thereof are described herein. Disclosed are various single chambers configured to form and/or shape a material layer by oxidizing a surface of a material layer to form an oxide layer; removing at least some of the oxide layer by an etching process; and cyclically repeating the oxidizing and removing processes until the material layer is formed to a desired shape. In some embodiments, the material layer may be a floating gate of a semiconductor device.
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20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for performing a cyclical oxidation and etching process on a material layer, comprising:
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a processing chamber having a plurality of walls defining a processing region within the processing chamber including a substrate support to hold a substrate having a material layer within the processing region; an oxygen-containing gas supply, an inert gas supply and an etching gas supply in fluid communication with the processing chamber to deliver the oxygen-containing gas, the inert gas and the etching gas into the process chamber; a plasma source to form a plasma in a plasma generation region inside the chamber and at least one of the oxygen-containing gas and etching gas to energize the gas to form at least one of an oxygen plasma, and an etching plasma to contact the material layer; a heating system to heat the substrate within the chamber to a first temperature greater than about 100°
C.;a cooling system to cool the substrate within the chamber to a second temperature below the first temperature; and a control system to cycle the substrate within the chamber between the first temperature the second temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification