Method and device for dissolving surface layer of semiconductor substrate

• US 5,890,501 A
• Filed: 11/27/1996
• Issued: 04/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishizaki, Itsuro, Shimazaki, Ayako, Kaneko, Minako
• Primary Examiner(s): Utech, Benjamin
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOUDREAU, GEORGE A
• Application Number:
  US08/757,398
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 216/90, 216/92, 216/93, 216/99, 216/100, 216/104, 216/107, 216/57, 134/1.3
• US Class Current: 134/1.3
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02052 Wet cleaning only H01L21/02085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67075 for wet etching

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of dissolving a surface of a semiconductor substrate or a thin-film surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate, with an oxidizing agent and fluorine-series gas. The method is characterized in that an initial dissolution rate is controlled by gradually increasing a concentration of fluorine-series gas introduced in a dissolving solution containing the oxidizing agent.

Claims

1. A method for dissolving a surface of a semiconductor substrate or a thin-film surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate by use of a fluorine-series gas and an oxidizing agent, the method comprising:

controlling an initial dissolution rate of the surface of the semiconductor substrate or the thin-film surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate by gradually increasing the concentration of said fluorine-series gas in a dissolving solution to several tens of parts per million (ppm) by diffusing said gas for approximately 3 to 5 minutes in the dissolving solution on the surface of the semiconductor substrate or the thin-film surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate containing an oxidizing agent.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said surface of a semiconductor substrate or said thin-film surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate is placed in a dissolving solution containing an oxidizing agent, and exposed to said fluorine-series gas to gradually increase a concentration of the fluorine-series gas to be dispersed in said dissolving solution containing an oxidizing agent, thereby controlling said initial dissolution rate.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a dissolving solution containing an oxidizing agent is placed on part of said surface of a semiconductor substrate or a thin-film surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate and exposed to said fluorine series gas to gradually increase a concentration of said fluorine-series gas to be dispersed in said dissolving solution containing an oxidizing agent, thereby controlling an initial dissolution rate of said part.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a dissolving solution containing an oxidizing agent is supplied to part or an entire surface of the semiconductor substrate or the thin-film surface layer within a frame immobilized on said surface of the semiconductor substrate or said thin-film surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate, and then exposed to said fluorine-series gas to gradually increase a concentration of said fluorine-series gas to be dispersed in said dissolving solution containing an oxidizing agent, thereby controlling an initial dissolution rate of said part or said entire surface of a semiconductor substrate or said thin-film surface layer within said frame immobilized.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said fluorine-series gas is one selected from the group consisting of hydrofluoric acid and ammonium fluoride.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said oxidizing agent is selected from the group consisting of nitric acid;

a nitric acid solution containing a diluent selected from the group consisting of acetic acid, water, hydrogen, and bromine;

hydrogen peroxide; and

ammonium fluoride.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said surface of a semiconductor substrate or said thin-film surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate is one selected from the group consisting of a single-crystalline silicon, a poly-crystalline silicon, an amorphous silicon a metal-tungsten silicon (WSI) alloy, a metal-molybdenum silicon (MoSi) alloy, a metal-aluminum silicon copper (AlSiCu) alloy, and a metal-titanium silicon (TiSi) alloy,

wherein the single-crystalline silicon, the poly-crystalline silicon, and the amorphous silicon each contain any one of the group consisting of bromine, phosphorus, and arsenic.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said initial dissolution rate is larger than 0.02 nm/min and lower than 2 nm/min.

9. A method of dissolving an entire surface of a semiconductor substrate or a thin surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate, comprising the steps of:

placing a semiconductor substrate on a holding stage and fixing said semiconductor substrate watertight with a frame;

housing said semiconductor substrate fixed with frame thus obtained in an airtight chamber containing hydrofluoric acid;

placing said airtight chamber housing said semiconductor substrate, on an acoustic wave generating portion consisting of one vibrator;

supplying an oxidizing agent serving as a dissolving solution dropwise in a minimum volume required to cover the surface of said semiconductor substrate and closing said airtight chamber; and

transmitting vibrating waves having a perpendicular component to said semiconductor substrate from a vibrator provided to said acoustic wave generating portion, thereby stirring said oxidizing agent.

10. A method of dissolving an entire surface of a semiconductor substrate or of a thin-surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate, comprising the steps of:

placing a semiconductor substrate on a holding stage and fixing said semiconductor substrate watertight with a frame;

housing said semiconductor substrate fixed with frame thus obtained in an airtight chamber containing hydrofluoric acid;

placing said airtight chamber housing said semiconductor substrate, on an acoustic wave generating portion having a plurality of vibrators;

supplying an oxidizing agent serving as a dissolving solution so as to cover the surface of said semiconductor substrate and closing said airtight chamber; and

transmitting vibrating waves having a perpendicular component to said semiconductor substrate from said plural vibrators, thereby stirring said oxidizing agent.

14. The methods according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein said vibrator acoustic wave generating portion generates acoustic waves having a frequency of 1 KHz to 1 MHz.

11. A method of dissolving a predetermined region in a surface of a semiconductor substrate or of a thin-surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate, comprising the steps of:

placing a semiconductor substrate on a holding stage;

housing said semiconductor substrate with said holding stage in an airtight chamber containing hydrofluoric acid;

placing said airtight chamber housing said semiconductor substrate, on an acoustic wave generating portion having at least two vibrators;

transmitting vibrating waves having a perpendicular component to said semiconductor substrate from said at least two vibrators to said semiconductor substrate to determine a node, an intersection of standing waves;

corresponding said predetermined region of said semiconductor substrate to said node;

supplying an oxidizing agent serving as a dissolving solution dropwise to said predetermined region of said semiconductor substrate; and

dissolving said predetermined region of said semiconductor substrate with stirring while said oxidizing agent is being collected and retained at said node by use of vibrating waves.

12. A method of dissolving a plurality of predetermined regions in a surface of a semiconductor substrate or a thin surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate, comprising the steps of:

placing a semiconductor substrate on a holding stage;

housing said semiconductor substrate with said holding stage in an airtight chamber containing hydrofluoric acid;

placing said airtight chamber housing said semiconductor substrate, on an acoustic wave generating portion having at least two vibrators;

transmitting vibrating waves having a perpendicular component to said semiconductor substrate from said at least two vibrators to said semiconductor substrate to determine a plurality of nodes, intersections of standing waves;

corresponding said plural predetermined regions in a surface of said semiconductor substrate to said plural nodes; and

supplying an oxidizing agent serving as a dissolving solution dropwise to said plural predetermined regions in a surface of said semiconductor substrate.

13. A method of dissolving a predetermined region of a semiconductor substrate or a thin surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate, comprising the steps of:

placing a semiconductor substrate on a holding stage;

housing said semiconductor substrate with said holding stage in an airtight chamber containing hydrofluoric acid;

providing an acoustic wave generating portion having at least two vibrators to the upper portion of said airtight chamber housing said semiconductor substrate;

placing said at least two vibrators so as to surround a predetermined region of said semiconductor substrate; and

dissolving said predetermined region of said semiconductor substrate with stirring while said dissolving solution is being collected and retained at a node by transmitting vibrating waves through the atmosphere in said airtight chamber.

15. A method for dissolving a surface of a semiconductor substrate or a thin-film surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate by use of a fluorine-series gas and an oxidizing agent, the method comprising:

controlling an initial dissolution rate of the surface of the semiconductor substrate or the thin-film surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate by gradually increasing the concentration of the fluorine-series gas in a dissolving solution containing the oxidizing agent on the surface of the semiconductor substrate or the thin-film surface layer formed on the semiconductor substrate,

wherein the oxidizing agent is selected from the group consisting of nitric acid;

a nitric acid solution containing a diluent selected from the group consisting of acetic acid, water, hydrogen and bromine;

hydrogen peroxide; and

ammonium fluoride.