UV-ASSISTED REACTIVE ION ETCH FOR COPPER

• US 20170011887A1
• Filed: 09/22/2016
• Published: 01/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Deshmukh, Subhash, Liu, Jingjing, Ren, He
• Application Number:
  US15/273,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20170011887A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 4/00 Processes for removing metallic material from surfaces, not provided for in group C23F1/00 or C23F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/334 Etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32128 using particular waveforms, e.g. polarised waves
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32146 Amplitude modulation, includes pulsing
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32155 Frequency modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32431 Constructional details of the reactor
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32724 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02057 Cleaning during device manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0206 during, before or after processing of insulating layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02068 during, before or after processing of conductive layers, e.g. polysilicon or amorphous silicon layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3065 Plasma etching; Reactive-ion etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67115 mainly by radiation

Abstract

The invention includes generating a plasma from a process gas for etching copper on a substrate; providing DC bias pulses to the substrate; exposing at least one of the plasma and the substrate to UV light while the DC bias pulses are provided to the substrate. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Claims

1. A copper plasma etching method, comprising:

providing a substrate within a process chamber;

providing a process gas to the process chamber;

exposing the process gas in the process chamber to RF pulses;

plasma etching the substrate within the process chamber; and

exposing at least one of the process gas and substrate to UV light during at least a portion of the plasma etching.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing DC bias pulses to the substrate through conductive pins in electrically conductive contact with the substrate.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising varying a frequency of the DC bias pulses.

4. The method of claim 2, comprising varying a frequency of the RF pulses and the frequency of the DC bias pulses.

5. The method of claim 2, comprising varying a duty cycle the DC bias pulses.

6. The method of claim 2, comprising modulating amplitude of the DC bias pulses.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising removing copper residue from the substrate.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the DC bias pulses have a bias power of between about 10 W and about 2,000 W.

9. A copper plasma etching method, comprising:

providing a substrate within a process chamber;

providing a process gas to the process chamber;

exposing the process gas in the process chamber to RF energy to generate a plasma within the process chamber;

plasma etching the substrate within the process chamber; and

exposing at least one of the process gas and substrate to UV light during at least a portion of the plasma etching.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing DC bias pulses to the substrate through conductive pins in electrically conductive contact with the substrate.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising varying a frequency of the DC bias pulses.

12. The method of claim 10, comprising exposing the process gas in the process chamber to RF pulses having varying a frequency.

13. The method of claim 10, comprising varying a duty cycle the DC bias pulses.

14. The method of claim 10, comprising modulating amplitude of the DC bias pulses.

15. The method of claim 9, comprising removing copper residue from the substrate.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the DC bias pulses have a bias power of between about 10 W and about 2,000 W.

17. A method comprising:

generating a plasma from a process gas for etching copper on a substrate;

providing DC bias pulses to the substrate;

exposing at least one of the plasma and the substrate to UV light while the DC bias pulses are provided to the substrate.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising varying a frequency of the DC bias pulses.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein generating a plasma includes exposing the process gas to RF pulses having varying a frequency.

20. The method of claim 17, comprising modulating amplitude of the DC bias pulses.