ATOMIC LAYER ETCHING IN CONTINUOUS PLASMA
First Claim
1. A method of etching a material of a substrate, the method comprising:
- exposing a substrate in a processing chamber to both a plasma generated by a reactive species and a plasma generated by an inert ion gas to remove the material using self-limiting reactions,wherein the energy threshold for removing a layer of the material modified by the reactive species using the inert ion gas is less than the energy threshold for sputtering the material on the substrate using the inert ion gas.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for etching substrates using self-limiting reactions based on removal energy thresholds determined by evaluating the material to be etched and the chemistries used to etch the material involve flow of continuous plasma. Process conditions permit controlled, self-limiting anisotropic etching without alternating between chemistries used to etch material on a substrate. A well-controlled etch front allows a synergistic effect of reactive radicals and inert ions to perform the etching, such that material is etched when the substrate is modified by reactive radicals and removed by inert ions, but not etched when material is modified by reactive radicals but no inert ions are present, or when inert ions are present but material is not modified by reactive radicals.
27 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of etching a material of a substrate, the method comprising:
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exposing a substrate in a processing chamber to both a plasma generated by a reactive species and a plasma generated by an inert ion gas to remove the material using self-limiting reactions, wherein the energy threshold for removing a layer of the material modified by the reactive species using the inert ion gas is less than the energy threshold for sputtering the material on the substrate using the inert ion gas. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An apparatus for etching a material of a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) one or more process chambers, each process chamber comprising a chuck; (b) one or more gas inlets into the process chambers and associated flow-control hardware; (c) a plasma generator for generating a plasma in at least one of the one or more process chambers; and (d) a controller having at least one processor and a memory, wherein the at least one processor and the memory are communicatively connected with one another, the at least one processor is at least operatively connected with the flow-control hardware, and the memory stores computer-executable instructions for controlling the at least one processor to at least control the flow-control hardware to; expose a substrate in the processing chamber to both a plasma generated by a reactive species and a plasma generated by an inert ion gas to remove the material by etching using self-limiting reactions, wherein the energy threshold for removing a layer of the material modified by the reactive species using the inert ion gas is less than the energy threshold for sputtering the material on the substrate using the inert ion gas, and wherein during the exposure of the substrate to the reactive species and inert ions the plasma is delivered continuously such that both source power and bias power are continuously on during the etch.
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Specification