公开(公告)号：US20170301556A1

公开(公告)日：2017-10-19

申请号：US15413944

申请日：2017-01-24

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Ping Han HSIEH ,  Teng-fang KUO ,  Shi Wei TOH ,  Avgerinos V. GELATOS

IPC: H01L21/311

CPC classification number: H01L21/31116 ,  H01L21/76801

Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to methods of removing oxides and oxide-containing layers from the surfaces of substrates. In one aspect, a method of processing a substrate comprises positioning a substrate in a process chamber, the substrate having an oxide layer thereon; introducing one or more process gases to an interior of the process chamber; ionizing the one or more process gases; exposing the oxide layer to the one or more ionized process gases, wherein the process chamber is maintained at a pressure less than about 50 mTorr during the exposing, and the substrate is maintained at a temperature within a range of about zero degrees Celsius to about 30 degrees Celsius during the exposing; and removing the oxide layer from the surface of the substrate.

公开(公告)号：US20170117118A1

公开(公告)日：2017-04-27

申请号：US14984935

申请日：2015-12-30

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Shi Wei TOH ,  Avgerinos V. GELATOS ,  Vikash Banthia

IPC: H01J37/32 ,  C23C16/458 ,  C23C16/455 ,  C23C16/50

CPC classification number: H01J37/32082 ,  C23C16/455 ,  C23C16/505 ,  H01J37/3244 ,  H01J37/32449 ,  H01J37/32715 ,  H01J2237/3347 ,  H01L21/3065 ,  H01L21/31116 ,  H01L21/477 ,  H01L21/67248

Abstract: Methods of etching include cycles of low temperature etching of a material layer disposed on a substrate, with at least one of the cycles being followed by activation of unreacted etchant deposits during an inert gas plasma treatment. In some embodiments, a method includes: positioning a substrate in a processing chamber; generating, in a first etching cycle, a plasma from a gas mixture within the processing chamber to form a processing gas including an etchant; exposing, to the etchant, a portion of a material layer disposed on a substrate maintained at a first temperature; generating an inert gas plasma within the processing chamber; generating, in a second etching cycle, a plasma from a gas mixture within the processing chamber to form a processing gas including an etchant; and heating the substrate to a second temperature to sublimate a byproduct of reaction between the etchant and the material layer.