Fast atomic layer etch process using an electron beam

• US 9,362,131 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2014
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Agarwal, Ankur, Rauf, Shahid, Ramaswamy, Kartik
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Jiong-Ping
• Application Number:
  US14/505,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20160064231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00531 Dry etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32357 Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32706 Polarising the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/30621 Vapour phase etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3065 Plasma etching; Reactive-ion etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/30655 comprising alternated and repeated etching and passivation steps, e.g. Bosch process
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31111 by chemical means
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31116 by dry-etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/32135 by vapour etching only

Abstract

An etch process gas is provided to a main process chamber having an electron beam plasma source, and during periodic passivation operations a remote plasma source provides passivation species to the main process chamber while ion energy is limited below an etch ion energy threshold. During periodic etch operations, flow from the remote plasma source is halted and ion energy is set above the etch threshold.

Claims

1. A method of removing an overlying film comprising:

generating a plasma in a chamber by providing an electron beam in said chamber;

coupling an RF bias voltage to a workpiece in said chamber, said workpiece comprising said overlying film;

performing a passivation process for a time duration corresponding to a desired thickness of a layer of said overlying film, said passivation process comprising;

enabling flow of plasma by-products from a remote plasma source containing a passivating gas;

setting energy of ions in said chamber to a first ion energy level less than a first minimum ion energy required for etching said overlying film;

after said time duration, halting said passivation process and performing an etching process by;

setting energy of ions in said chamber to a second ion energy level exceeding said first minimum ion energy.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said workpiece comprises a base material under said overlying film, and said second ion energy level is less than a second minimum ion energy required to etch said base material.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said overlying film comprises Silicon dioxide or Silicon nitride and said base material comprises crystalline Silicon.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said desired thickness is one atomic layer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said passivation process is performed for a time duration sufficiently short to limit thickness of said layer to one atomic layer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said halting said passivation process comprises stopping said flow of plasma by-products from said remote plasma source to said reactor chamber.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said passivating gas contains Chlorine;

said process gas comprises an etch species comprising a fluorocarbon.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said setting ion energy of ions to a first ion energy level comprises tailoring a time domain waveform of said RF bias voltage to an RF waveform in which the RF voltage is at a level corresponding to said first ion energy level for a duration of at least 50% of an RF cycle of said RF waveform.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said setting ion energy of ions to a second ion energy level comprises tailoring a time domain waveform of said RF bias voltage to an RF waveform in which the RF voltage is at a level corresponding to said second ion energy level for a duration of at least 50% of an RF cycle of said RF waveform.

10. A method of etching an overlying film, comprising:

generating a plasma in a chamber by directing an electron beam into said chamber;

coupling an RF bias voltage to a workpiece comprising said overlying film;

passivating a predetermined thickness of a layer of said overlying film by enabling flow of plasma by-products to said chamber and then disabling said flow of plasma by-products to said chamber;

etching said layer;

during said passivating, setting energy of ions in said chamber to a first ion energy level less than a first minimum ion energy for etching said layer by tailoring a time domain waveform of said RF bias voltage to an RF waveform in which the RF voltage is at a level corresponding to said first ion energy level for a duration of at least 50% of an RF cycle of said RF waveform;

during said etching, setting energy of ions in said chamber to a second ion energy level exceeding said first minimum ion energy by tailoring a time domain waveform of said RF bias voltage to an RF waveform in which the RF voltage is at a level corresponding to said second ion energy level for a duration of at least 50% of an RF cycle of said RF waveform.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

limiting said passivating to a time duration corresponding to said predetermined thickness.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said predetermined thickness corresponds to a predetermined number of atomic layers of said layer.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said predetermined thickness corresponds to a single atomic layer.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising repeating said passivating and etching in successive operations until removal of said overlying film is complete.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing a process gas in said chamber, wherein said process gas comprises a precursor for an etchant species.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said etchant species comprises a fluorocarbon.

17. The method of claim 10 further comprising producing said plasma by-products from a passivating gas, wherein said passivating gas comprises Chlorine.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein:

during said passivating, said tailoring comprises conforming a time domain waveform of said RF bias voltage to a shape that produces an ion energy distribution function having a population peak at said first ion energy level.

19. The method of claim 10 wherein:

during said etching, said tailoring comprises conforming a time domain waveform of said RF bias voltage to a shape that produces an ion energy distribution function having a population peak at said second ion energy level.

20. A method of performing atomic layer etching on a workpiece in alternating operations of passivating and etching in a chamber, comprising:

generating a plasma in said chamber by providing an electron beam in said chamber;

during said passivating, enabling a flow to said chamber of plasma by-products comprising passivation species from a remote plasma source, and tailoring RF bias power to a waveform in which RF voltage is at a level corresponding to a first ion energy level less than an etch threshold of a deposited layer on said workpiece for a duration of at least 50% of an RF cycle of said waveform; and

during said etching, halting said flow and tailoring RF bias power to a waveform in which RF voltage is at a level corresponding to a second ion energy level exceeding an etch threshold of a deposited layer on said workpiece for a duration of at least 50% of an RF cycle of said waveform.