METHOD TO MINIMIZE WET ETCH UNDERCUTS AND PROVIDE PORE SEALING OF EXTREME LOW K (K<2.5) DIELECTRICS
First Claim
1. A method of treating a substrate having a low k layer comprising silicon and carbon, wherein the surface of the low k layer has a reduced carbon content after an etching process comprising exposure to a oxygen-containing plasma, the method comprising:
- depositing a second layer comprising silicon and carbon on the low k layer.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods of processing films on substrates are provided. In one aspect, the methods comprise treating a patterned low dielectric constant film after a photoresist is removed form the film by depositing a thin layer comprising silicon, carbon, and optionally oxygen and/or nitrogen on the film. The thin layer provides a carbon-rich, hydrophobic surface for the patterned low dielectric constant film. The thin layer also protects the low dielectric constant film from subsequent wet cleaning processes and penetration by precursors for layers that are subsequently deposited on the low dielectric constant film.
-
Citations
16 Claims
-
1. A method of treating a substrate having a low k layer comprising silicon and carbon, wherein the surface of the low k layer has a reduced carbon content after an etching process comprising exposure to a oxygen-containing plasma, the method comprising:
depositing a second layer comprising silicon and carbon on the low k layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
9. A method of forming a patterned semiconductor substrate, comprising:
-
forming a low k layer comprising carbon on the substrate; forming a patterning layer over the low k layer; patterning the low k layer; removing the patterning layer, and forming a depleted-carbon surface on the low k layer by exposing the substrate to a plasma comprising oxygen; recovering the carbon content of the depleted-carbon surface by depositing a thin, conformal, carbon-containing layer over the depleted-carbon surface; and
thenwet cleaning the substrate without loss of critical dimension. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A method of forming a patterned layer on a semiconductor substrate, comprising:
-
depositing a porous, low k layer comprising silicon and carbon on the substrate by performing a PECVD process using an organosilicon precursor and a porogen on the substrate and post-treating the substrate to remove the porogen; patterning the porous, low k layer by forming a photoresist layer over the low k layer, patterning the photoresist layer, and transferring the pattern through the low k layer; removing the photoresist layer, and depleting the carbon concentration of a surface of the low k layer, by ashing with a plasma comprising oxygen; and recovering the carbon concentration of the surface of the low k layer by depositing a thin, dense layer comprising silicon and carbon directly on the low k layer. - View Dependent Claims (16)
-
Specification