公开(公告)号：US11380536B2

公开(公告)日：2022-07-05

申请号：US16867554

申请日：2020-05-05

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Xi Cen ,  Yakuan Yao ,  Yiming Lai ,  Kai Wu ,  Avgerinos V. Gelatos ,  David T. Or ,  Kevin Kashefi ,  Yu Lei ,  Lin Dong ,  He Ren ,  Yi Xu ,  Mehul Naik ,  Hao Chen ,  Mang-Mang Ling

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/768

Abstract: Methods for pre-cleaning substrates having metal and dielectric surfaces are described. The substrate is exposed to a strong reductant to remove contaminants from the metal surface and damage the dielectric surface. The substrate is then exposed to an oxidation process to repair the damage to the dielectric surface and oxidize the metal surface. The substrate is then exposed to a weak reductant to reduce the metal oxide to a pure metal surface without substantially affecting the dielectric surface. Processing tools and computer readable media for practicing the method are also described.

公开(公告)号：US20190311900A1

公开(公告)日：2019-10-10

申请号：US15949341

申请日：2018-04-10

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Mandar B. Pandit ,  Mang-Mang Ling ,  Tom Choi ,  Nitin K. Ingle

IPC: H01L21/033 ,  H01L21/311 ,  H01L21/67

Abstract: Methods may be performed to limit footing, pitch walking, and other alignment issues. The methods may include forming a treatment gas plasma within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may further include directing effluents of the treatment gas plasma towards a semiconductor substrate within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, and anisotropically modifying a surface of a first material on the semiconductor substrate with the effluents of the treatment gas plasma. The methods may also include passivating a surface of a second material on the semiconductor substrate with the effluents of the treatment gas plasma. The methods may further include forming a remote fluorine-containing plasma to produce fluorine-containing plasma effluents, and flowing the fluorine-containing plasma effluents to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may also include selectively removing the modified surface of the first material from the semiconductor substrate.

公开(公告)号：US10424487B2

公开(公告)日：2019-09-24

申请号：US15792252

申请日：2017-10-24

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Jungmin Ko ,  Tom Choi ,  Junghoon Kim ,  Sean Kang ,  Mang-Mang Ling

IPC: H01L21/3065 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/3213 ,  H01L21/311

Abstract: Processing methods may be performed to remove unwanted materials from a substrate. The methods may include forming a remote plasma of an inert precursor in a remote plasma region of a processing chamber. The methods may include forming a bias plasma of the inert precursor within a processing region of the processing chamber. The methods may include modifying a surface of an exposed material on a semiconductor substrate within the processing region of the processing chamber with plasma effluents of the inert precursor. The methods may include extinguishing the bias plasma while maintaining the remote plasma. The methods may include adding an etchant precursor to the remote plasma region to produce etchant plasma effluents. The methods may include flowing the etchant plasma effluents to the processing region of the processing chamber. The methods may also include removing the modified surface of the exposed material from the semiconductor substrate.

公开(公告)号：US08980758B1

公开(公告)日：2015-03-17

申请号：US14029769

申请日：2013-09-17

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Mang-Mang Ling ,  Sean S. Kang ,  Jeremiah T. P. Pender ,  Srinivas D. Nemani ,  Bradley Howard

IPC: H01L21/302 ,  H01L21/461 ,  H01L21/306

CPC classification number: H01L21/31116 ,  H01J37/32091 ,  H01J2237/334 ,  H01L21/76802 ,  H01L21/76826 ,  H01L21/76829

Abstract: Methods for etching an etching stop layer disposed on the substrate using a cyclical etching process are provided. In one embodiment, a method for etching an etching stop layer includes performing a treatment process on the substrate having a silicon nitride layer disposed thereon by supplying a treatment gas mixture into the processing chamber to treat the silicon nitride layer, and performing a chemical etching process on the substrate by supplying a chemical etching gas mixture into the processing chamber, wherein the chemical etching gas mixture includes at least an ammonium gas and a nitrogen trifluoride, wherein the chemical etching process etches the treated silicon nitride layer.

Abstract translation: 提供了使用循环蚀刻工艺蚀刻设置在基板上的蚀刻停止层的方法。 在一个实施例中，蚀刻停止层的蚀刻方法包括：通过将处理气体混合物供给到处理室中来对其上设置有氮化硅层的基板进行处理处理，以处理氮化硅层，并进行化学蚀刻工艺 在所述基板上通过向所述处理室供给化学蚀刻气体混合物，其中所述化学蚀刻气体混合物至少包含铵气体和三氟化氮，其中所述化学蚀刻工艺蚀刻所处理的氮化硅层。

公开(公告)号：US20220270871A1

公开(公告)日：2022-08-25

申请号：US17742712

申请日：2022-05-12

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Xi Cen ,  Yakuan Yao ,  Yiming Lai ,  Kai Wu ,  Avgerinos V. Gelatos ,  David T. Or ,  Kevin Kashefi ,  Yu Lei ,  Lin Dong ,  He Ren ,  Yi Xu ,  Mehul Naik ,  Hao Chen ,  Mang-Mang Ling

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/768

Abstract: Methods for pre-cleaning substrates having metal and dielectric surfaces are described. The substrate is exposed to a strong reductant to remove contaminants from the metal surface and damage the dielectric surface. The substrate is then exposed to an oxidation process to repair the damage to the dielectric surface and oxidize the metal surface. The substrate is then exposed to a weak reductant to reduce the metal oxide to a pure metal surface without substantially affecting the dielectric surface. Processing tools and computer readable media for practicing the method are also described.

公开(公告)号：US20200043734A1

公开(公告)日：2020-02-06

申请号：US16599447

申请日：2019-10-11

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Mandar B. Pandit ,  Mang-Mang Ling ,  Tom Choi ,  Nitin K. Ingle

IPC: H01L21/033 ,  H01L21/311 ,  H01L21/67

Abstract: Methods may be performed to limit footing, pitch walking, and other alignment issues. The methods may include forming a treatment gas plasma within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may further include directing effluents of the treatment gas plasma towards a semiconductor substrate within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, and anisotropically modifying a surface of a first material on the semiconductor substrate with the effluents of the treatment gas plasma. The methods may also include passivating a surface of a second material on the semiconductor substrate with the effluents of the treatment gas plasma. The methods may further include forming a remote fluorine-containing plasma to produce fluorine-containing plasma effluents, and flowing the fluorine-containing plasma effluents to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may also include selectively removing the modified surface of the first material from the semiconductor substrate.

公开(公告)号：US10354889B2

公开(公告)日：2019-07-16

申请号：US15651607

申请日：2017-07-17

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Tom Choi ,  Mandar B. Pandit ,  Mang-Mang Ling ,  Nitin K. Ingle

IPC: H01L21/3105 ,  H01L21/3213 ,  H01L29/66 ,  H01L21/3205

Abstract: Processing methods may be performed to limit damage of features of a substrate, such as missing fin damage. The methods may include forming a plasma of an inert precursor within a processing region of a processing chamber. Effluents of the plasma of the inert precursor may be utilized to passivate an exposed region of an oxygen-containing material that extends about a feature formed on a semiconductor substrate. A plasma of a hydrogen-containing precursor may also be formed within the processing region. Effluents of the plasma of the hydrogen-containing precursor may be directed, with DC bias, towards an exposed silicon-containing material on the semiconductor substrate. The methods may also include anisotropically etching the exposed silicon-containing material with the plasma effluents of the hydrogen-containing precursor, where the plasma effluents of the hydrogen-containing precursor selectively etch silicon relative to silicon oxide.

公开(公告)号：US20180025900A1

公开(公告)日：2018-01-25

申请号：US15217651

申请日：2016-07-22

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Soonam Park ,  Mang-Mang Ling ,  Toan Q. Tran ,  Dmitry Lubomirsky

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/3065

CPC classification number: H01L21/02057 ,  H01L21/3065 ,  H01L21/31116 ,  H01L21/31138 ,  H01L21/32136

Abstract: Methods of removing contamination from the surface of a substrate are described. The etch selectively removes alkali metals and alkali earth metals from substrates. The alkali metals may include sodium, lithium, rubidium or potassium and the alkali earth metals may include calcium. For example, the etch may remove contaminants by generating and then desorbing volatile chemical species from the substrate. A hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing precursor or combination of precursors is flowed into a remote plasma to form plasma effluents. The plasma effluents are then flowed into the substrate processing region to react with the substrate and remove an alkali metal and/or an alkali earth metal from the surface of the substrate. No local plasma excites the plasma effluents in embodiments.