Selective etch using material modification and RF pulsing
First Claim
1. A method of performing a selective etch, the method comprising:
- modifying a material on a semiconductor substrate having at least two exposed materials on a surface of the semiconductor substrate;
forming a low-power plasma within a processing chamber housing the semiconductor substrate, wherein the low-power plasma is a radio-frequency (RF) plasma, and wherein the low-power plasma is at least partially formed by an RF bias power operating at between about 10 W and 100 W and at a pulsing frequency below about 5,000 Hz; and
etching one of the at least two exposed materials on the surface of the semiconductor substrate at a higher rate than a second of the at least two exposed materials on the surface of the semiconductor substrate.
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Abstract
Semiconductor systems and methods may include methods of performing selective etches that include modifying a material on a semiconductor substrate. The substrate may have at least two exposed materials on a surface of the semiconductor substrate. The methods may include forming a low-power plasma within a processing chamber housing the semiconductor substrate. The low-power plasma may be a radio-frequency (“RF”) plasma, which may be at least partially formed by an RF bias power operating between about 10 W and about 100 W in embodiments. The RF bias power may also be pulsed at a frequency below about 5,000 Hz. The methods may also include etching one of the at least two exposed materials on the surface of the semiconductor substrate at a higher etch rate than a second of the at least two exposed materials on the surface of the semiconductor substrate.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method of performing a selective etch, the method comprising:
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modifying a material on a semiconductor substrate having at least two exposed materials on a surface of the semiconductor substrate; forming a low-power plasma within a processing chamber housing the semiconductor substrate, wherein the low-power plasma is a radio-frequency (RF) plasma, and wherein the low-power plasma is at least partially formed by an RF bias power operating at between about 10 W and 100 W and at a pulsing frequency below about 5,000 Hz; and etching one of the at least two exposed materials on the surface of the semiconductor substrate at a higher rate than a second of the at least two exposed materials on the surface of the semiconductor substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of removing material from a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising:
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modifying a material on a semiconductor substrate having at least two exposed materials on a surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the modifying comprises forming a plasma from a precursor with an RF bias power to generate plasma effluents that modify the material; forming a low-power plasma within a processing chamber housing the semiconductor substrate, wherein the low-power plasma is a radio-frequency (RF) plasma, and wherein the low-power plasma is formed by a pulsed RF bias power operating at between about 20 W and 50 W at a pulsing frequency between about 500 Hz and about 2,000 Hz at a duty cycle of between about 20% and 50%; operating a DC pulsed power on an alternating frequency with the RF bias power pulsing; and etching one of the at least two exposed materials on the surface of the semiconductor substrate at a selectivity of at least about 20;
1 with respect to a second of the at least two exposed materials on the surface of the semiconductor substrate. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification