Low temperature etchant for treatment of silicon-containing surfaces
First Claim
1. A method of etching a silicon-containing material on a substrate surface, comprising:
- positioning a substrate comprising the silicon-containing material containing a contaminant into a process chamber;
exposing the silicon-containing material to an etching gas comprising chlorine gas, a silicon source and a carrier gas at a temperature less than 800°
C.; and
removing the contaminant and a predetermined thickness of the silicon-containing material.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In one embodiment of the invention, a method for finishing or treating a silicon-containing surface is provided which includes removing contaminants and/or smoothing the surface contained on the surface by a slow etch process (e.g., about <100 Å/min). The silicon-containing surface is exposed to an etching gas that contains an etchant, a silicon source and a carrier gas. Preferably, the etchant is chlorine gas so that a relatively low temperature (e.g., <800° C.) is used during etching or smoothing processes. In another embodiment of the invention, a method for etching a silicon-containing surface during a fast etch process (e.g., about >100 Å/min) is provided which includes removing silicon-containing material to form a recess in a source/drain (S/D) area on the substrate. The silicon-containing surface is exposed to an etching gas that contains an etchant, preferably chlorine, a carrier gas and an optional silicon source.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A method of etching a silicon-containing material on a substrate surface, comprising:
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positioning a substrate comprising the silicon-containing material containing a contaminant into a process chamber; exposing the silicon-containing material to an etching gas comprising chlorine gas, a silicon source and a carrier gas at a temperature less than 800°
C.; andremoving the contaminant and a predetermined thickness of the silicon-containing material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of smoothing a silicon-containing material on a substrate surface, comprising:
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positioning a substrate into a process chamber, wherein the substrate contains a silicon-containing material comprising a first surface roughness of about 1 nm RMS or greater; exposing the silicon-containing material to an etching gas comprising an etchant, a silicon source and a carrier gas at a temperature less than 800°
C.; andredistributing the silicon-containing material to form a second surface roughness of less than about 1 nm RMS. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of etching a silicon-containing monocrystalline material on a substrate comprising at least a second material selected from the group consisting of a nitride material, an oxide material or combinations thereof, comprising:
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positioning a substrate into a process chamber; exposing the substrate to an etching gas comprising chlorine gas and a carrier gas at a temperature less than 800°
C.;removing a predetermined thickness of the silicon-containing monocrystalline material to form an exposed monocrystalline surface; and depositing an epitaxy layer on the exposed monocrystalline surface in the process chamber. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method of forming a silicon-containing monocrystalline material on a substrate, comprising:
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exposing a substrate to a HF-last wet clean process; positioning the substrate into a process chamber; exposing the substrate to an etching gas comprising chlorine gas and a carrier gas at a temperature less than 800°
C.;removing a predetermined thickness of the silicon-containing monocrystalline material to form an exposed monocrystalline surface; depositing an epitaxy layer on the exposed monocrystalline surface in the process chamber; and cleaning the process chamber with the chlorine gas to remove silicon-containing contaminant adhered thereon. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification