METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PATTERNING SUBSTRATES USING ASYMMETRIC PHYSICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION

• US 20200135464A1
• Filed: 10/30/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2018
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: KESAPRAGADA, SREE RANGASAI V., BAKKE, JONATHAN R., LEE, JOUNG JOO, MEBARKI, BENCHERKI, NGAI, CHRISTOPHER, FREED, REGINA, THAREJA, GAURAV, SINGH, TEJINDER, FERNANDEZ, JORGE PABLO
• Application Number:
  US16/175,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20200135464A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/04 Coating on selected surface areas, e.g. using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/046 Coating cavities or hollow spaces, e.g. interior of tubes; Infiltration of porous substrates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/225 Oblique incidence of vaporised material on substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/3464 using more than one target C23C14/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/3492 Variation of parameters during sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/505 for rotation of the substrates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/54 Controlling or regulating the coating process
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02266 deposition by physical ablation of a target, e.g. sputtering, reactive sputtering, physical vapour deposition or pulsed laser deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0332 characterised by their composition, e.g. multilayer masks, materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0334 characterised by their size, orientation, disposition, behaviour, shape, in horizontal or vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0337 characterised by the process involved to create the mask, e.g. lift-off masks, sidewalls, or to modify the mask, e.g. pre-treatment, post-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0338 Process specially adapted to improve the resolution of the mask
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31116 by dry-etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31144 using masks

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method for processing a substrate includes: directing a stream of material from a PVD source toward a surface of a substrate at a non-perpendicular angle to the plane of the surface to selectively deposit the material on a top portion of one or more features on the substrate and form an overhang extending beyond a first sidewall of the one or more features; and etching a first layer of the substrate beneath the one or more features selective to the deposited material.

Claims

1. A method for processing a substrate, comprising:

directing a stream of material from a PVD source toward a surface of a substrate at a non-perpendicular angle to the plane of the surface to selectively deposit the material on a top portion of one or more features on the substrate and form an overhang extending beyond a first sidewall of the one or more features; and

etching a first layer of the substrate beneath the one or more features selective to the deposited material.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to etching the first layer, rotating the substrate;

directing the stream of material from the PVD source toward the surface of the substrate at the non-perpendicular angle to the plane of the surface to selectively deposit the material on the top portion of the one or more features on the substrate and form an overhang extending beyond a second sidewall, opposite the first sidewall, of the one or more features; and

etching the first layer of the substrate beneath the one or more features selective to the deposited material.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the substrate is rotated 180°

.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to etching the first layer, rotating the substrate;

directing the stream of material from the PVD source toward the surface of the substrate at the non-perpendicular angle to the plane of the surface to selectively deposit the material on the top portion of the one or more features on the substrate and form an overhang extending beyond a third sidewall, adjacent the first sidewall, of the one or more features; and

etching the first layer of the substrate beneath the one or more features selective to the deposited material.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the substrate is rotated 90°

.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to etching the first layer, rotating the substrate;

directing the stream of material from the PVD source toward the surface of the substrate at a different non-perpendicular angle to the plane of the surface to selectively deposit the material on the top portion of the one or more features on the substrate and form an overhang extending beyond a second sidewall, opposite the first sidewall, of the one or more features; and

etching the first layer of the substrate beneath the one or more features selective to the deposited material.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a distance that overhang extends beyond the first sidewall is at least one of greater than or less than a distance that the overhang extends beyond the second sidewall.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to etching the first layer, rotating the substrate;

directing the stream of material from the PVD source toward the surface of the substrate at a different non-perpendicular angle to the plane of the surface to selectively deposit the material on the top portion of the one or more features on the substrate and form an overhang extending beyond a third sidewall, adjacent the first sidewall, of the one or more features; and

etching the first layer of the substrate beneath the one or more features selective to the deposited material.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a distance that the overhang extends beyond the first sidewall is at least one of greater than or less than a distance that the overhang extends beyond the third sidewall.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the material deposited via the PVD source from the substrate.

11. A method for processing a substrate, comprising:

directing a stream of material from a PVD source toward a surface of a substrate at a non-perpendicular angle to the plane of the surface to selectively deposit the material on a top portion of one or more features on the substrate and form an overhang extending beyond a first sidewall of the one or more features;

rotating the substrate;

directing a stream of material from the PVD source toward a surface of a substrate at a different non-perpendicular angle to the plane of the surface to selectively deposit the material on the top portion of the one or more features on the substrate and form an overhang extending beyond at least one of a second sidewall and a third sidewall of the one or more features; and

etching a first layer of the substrate beneath the one or more features selective to the deposited material.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the material is at least one of titanium (Ti) nitride (TiN), silicon (Si), silicon nitride (SiN), and silicon oxynitride (SiON).

13. The method of claim 11, wherein a distance that the overhang extends beyond the first sidewall and beyond at least one of the second sidewall and third sidewall is varied for at least one of:

a) controlling critical dimension reduction on the substrate;

b) forming at least one pattern on the substrate; and

c) controlling tip-to-tip reduction on the substrate.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one pattern formed on the substrate comprises a plurality of vias.

15. A nontransitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed cause a process controller to perform a method for processing a substrate, the method comprising:

directing a stream of material from a PVD source toward a surface of a substrate at a non-perpendicular angle to the plane of the surface to selectively deposit the material on a top portion of one or more features on the substrate and form an overhang extending beyond a first sidewall of the one or more features; and

etching a first layer of the substrate beneath the one or more features selective to the deposited material.

16. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

prior to etching the first layer, rotating the substrate 180°

, directing the stream of material from the PVD source toward the surface of the substrate at the non-perpendicular angle to the plane of the surface to selectively deposit the material on the top portion of the one or more features on the substrate and form an overhang extending beyond a second sidewall, opposite the first sidewall, of the one or more features; and

etching the first layer of the substrate beneath the one or more features selective to the deposited material.

17. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

prior to etching the first layer, rotating the substrate 90°

;

directing the stream of material from the PVD source toward the surface of the substrate at the non-perpendicular angle to the plane of the surface to selectively deposit the material on the top portion of the one or more features on the substrate and form an overhang extending beyond a third sidewall, adjacent the first sidewall, of the one or more features; and

etching the first layer of the substrate beneath the one or more features selective to the deposited material.

18. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

prior to etching the first layer, rotating the substrate;

directing the stream of material from the PVD source toward the surface of the substrate at a different non-perpendicular angle to the plane of the surface to selectively deposit the material on the top portion of the one or more features on the substrate and form an overhang extending beyond a second sidewall, opposite the first sidewall, of the one or more features; and

etching the first layer of the substrate beneath the one or more features selective to the deposited material,

wherein a distance that overhang extends beyond the first sidewall is at least one of greater than or less than a distance that the overhang extends beyond the second sidewall.

19. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

prior to etching the first layer, rotating the substrate;

directing the stream of material from the PVD source toward the surface of the substrate at a different non-perpendicular angle to the plane of the surface to selectively deposit the material on the top portion of the one or more features on the substrate and form an overhang extending beyond a third sidewall, adjacent the first sidewall, of the one or more features; and

etching the first layer of the substrate beneath the one or more features selective to the deposited material,

wherein a distance that the overhang extends beyond the first sidewall is at least one of greater than or less than a distance that the overhang extends beyond the third sidewall.

20. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:

removing the material deposited via the PVD source from the substrate.