Abstract: A method of patterning a substrate. The method may include providing a surface feature on the substrate, the surface feature having a first dimension along a first direction within a substrate plane, and a second dimension along a second direction within the substrate plane, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction; and directing first ions in a first exposure to the surface feature along the first direction at a non-zero angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to the substrate plane, in a presence of a reactive ambient containing a reactive species; wherein the first exposure etches the surface feature along the first direction, wherein after the directing, the surface feature retains the second dimension along the second direction, and wherein the surface feature has a third dimension along the first direction different than the first dimension.

Abstract: The invention provides a chemical-mechanical polishing composition comprising (a) an abrasive selected from the group consisting of alumina, ceria, titania, zirconia, and combinations thereof, wherein the abrasive is surface-coated with a copolymer comprising a combination of sulfonic acid monomeric units and carboxylic acid monomeric units a combination of sulfonic acid monomeric units and phosphonic acid monomeric units, (b) an oxidizing agent, and (c) water, wherein the polishing composition has a pH of about 2 to about 5. The invention further provides a method of chemically-mechanically polishing a substrate with the inventive chemical-mechanical polishing composition. Typically, the substrate comprises tungsten or cobalt and silicon oxide.

Abstract: Thin tin oxide films are used as spacers in semiconductor device manufacturing. In one implementation, thin tin oxide film is conformally deposited onto a semiconductor substrate having an exposed layer of a first material (e.g., silicon oxide or silicon nitride) and a plurality of protruding features comprising a second material (e.g., silicon or carbon). For example, 10-100 nm thick tin oxide layer can be deposited using atomic layer deposition. Next, tin oxide film is removed from horizontal surfaces, without being completely removed from the sidewalls of the protruding features. Next, the material of protruding features is etched away, leaving tin oxide spacers on the substrate. This is followed by etching the unprotected portions of the first material, without removal of the spacers. Next, underlying layer is etched, and spacers are removed. Tin-containing particles can be removed from processing chambers by converting them to volatile tin hydride.

Abstract: There is provided an etching method including: loading a substrate having a recess and an etching target portion existing on an inner surface of the recess into a processing container, the etching target portion being made of SiN or Si; preferentially modifying a surface of the etching target portion at a top portion of the recess by performing an oxygen-containing plasma process on the substrate inside the processing container; and subsequently, dry-etching the etching target portion in an isotropic manner.

Abstract: There is provided an etching method which includes: supplying an etching gas to a workpiece including a first SiGe-based material and a second SiGe-based material having different Ge concentrations; and selectively etching the first SiGe-based material and the second SiGe-based material with respect to the other using a difference in incubation time until the first SiGe-based material and the second SiGe-based material begin to be etched by the etching gas.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit device is provided. A first feature, which has a first susceptibility to damage by chemical mechanical processing (CMP), is formed at a first height as measured from an upper surface of the substrate. A second feature, which has a second susceptibility to damage by the CMP, is formed at a second height as measured from the upper surface of the substrate and is laterally spaced from the first feature by a recess. The second height is greater than the first height, and the second susceptibility is less than the first susceptibility. A sacrificial coating is formed in the recess over an uppermost surface of the first feature. CMP is performed to remove a first portion of the sacrificial coating and expose an upper surface of the second feature while leaving a second portion of the sacrificial coating in place over the first feature.

Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing method for performing an etching processing by immersing a substrate in a processing liquid containing a chemical liquid and silicon, the substrate processing method including: a preparation step of setting a supply flow rate of the chemical liquid based on a replenishment amount of the chemical liquid and a replenishment amount of the silicon; and a replenishment step of supplying the chemical liquid at the set supply flow rate of the chemical liquid and dissolving a set replenishment amount of the silicon in the processing liquid.

Abstract: A method for the dry removal of a material on a microelectronic workpiece is described. The method includes receiving a workpiece having a surface exposing a target layer composed of silicon and either (1) organic material or (2) both oxygen and nitrogen, and selectively removing at least a portion of the target layer from the workpiece. The selective removal includes exposing the surface of the workpiece to a chemical environment containing N, H, and F at a first setpoint temperature to chemically alter a surface region of the target layer, and then, elevating the temperature of the workpiece to a second setpoint temperature to remove the chemically treated surface region of the target layer.

Abstract: An acid chemical mechanical polishing composition polishes silicon nitride over silicon dioxide and simultaneously inhibits damage to the silicon dioxide. The acid chemical mechanical polishing composition includes polyvinylpyrrolidone polymers, anionic functional colloidal silica abrasive particles and an amine carboxylic acid. The pH of the acid chemical mechanical polishing composition is 5 or less.

Abstract: Compositions useful for the selective removal of silicon germanium materials relative to germanium-containing materials and silicon-containing materials from a microelectronic device having same thereon. The removal compositions include at least one diol and are tunable to achieve the required SiGe:Ge removal selectivity and etch rates.

Abstract: Disclosed is a dry etching method for etching a metal film on a substrate with the use of an etching gas, wherein the etching gas contains a ?-diketone and first and second additive gases; wherein the metal film contains a metal element capable of forming a complex with the ?-diketone; wherein the first additive gas is at least one kind of gas selected from the group consisting of NO, NO2, O2 and O3; wherein the second additive gas is at least one kind of gas selected from the group consisting of H2O and H2O2; wherein the amount of the ?-diketone contained is 10 vol % to 90 vol % relative to the etching gas; and wherein the amount of the second additive gas contained is 0.1 vol % to 15 vol % relative to the etching gas. The etching rate of the metal film is increased by this etching method.

Abstract: An etching method is provided. The etching method is performed on a substrate having a first film to a third film. The third film is provided on an underlying region, the second film is provided on the third film, the first film is provided on the second film. The second film contains silicon and nitrogen. The first film to the third film are etched in sequence. Plasma of a processing gas containing fluorine and hydrogen is used in the etching of the first film to the third film. A temperature of the substrate is set to be equal to or less than 20° C. at least in the etching of the second film.

Abstract: A method for etching a substrate includes performing, in a plasma chamber, a first etch of a substrate material using a plasma etch process. The first etch forms features to a first depth in the material. Following the first etch, the method includes performing, in the plasma chamber without removing the substrate from the chamber, an atomic layer passivation (ALP) process to deposit a conformal film of passivation over the mask and the features formed during the first etch. The ALP process uses a vapor from a liquid precursor to form passivation over the features and the mask. The method further includes performing, in the plasma chamber, a second etch of the material using the plasma etch process. The conformal film of passivation is configured to protect the mask and sidewalls of the features during the second etch. A plasma processing system also is described.

Abstract: An etchant composition may include: a peroxosulfate; a cyclic amine compound; a first amphoteric compound including a carboxyl group; and a second amphoteric compound including a sulfone group, wherein the second amphoteric compound may be different from the first amphoteric compound.

Abstract: A method for the dry removal of a material on a microelectronic workpiece is described. The method includes receiving a substrate having a working surface exposing a silicon-germanium alloy and at least one other material, the silicon-germanium alloy represented as SixGe1-x, wherein x is a real number ranging from 0 to 1; and selectively etching the silicon-germanium alloy relative to the other material by exposing the substrate to a controlled gas-phase environment containing an anhydrous halogen compound, such as a diatomic halogen or an interhalogen compound.

Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing method which includes: treating a substrate using a fluorine-containing gas; and exposing the substrate to a moisture-containing atmosphere.

Abstract: An etching shape can be suppressed from having non-uniform pattern. A substrate processing method includes burying an organic film in a recess surrounded by a silicon-containing film formed on a sidewall of a pattern of photoresist on a target film; and etching or sputtering the organic film and the silicon-containing film under a condition in which a selectivity thereof is about 1:1.

Abstract: A method for processing a substrate in a plasma chamber is provided. The method includes providing a substrate on which an underlying layer to be etched and a mask are formed. The method further includes forming a protective film on the mask. The method further includes performing an anisotropic deposition to selectively form a deposition layer on a top portion of the mask.

Abstract: In a mask pattern forming method, a resist film is formed over a thin film, the resist film is processed into resist patterns having a predetermined pitch by photolithography, slimming of the resist patterns is performed, and an oxide film is formed on the thin film and the resist patterns after an end of the slimming step in a film deposition apparatus by supplying a source gas and an oxygen radical or an oxygen-containing gas. In the mask pattern forming method, the slimming and the oxide film forming are continuously performed in the film deposition apparatus.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a through hole of a substrate includes forming, to the substrate, a cutting hole surrounding a removal-target-part such that a connection part of the substrate remains, the connection part that connects the removal-target-part that is removed from the substrate and a remaining part other than the removal-target-part that has been removed, along a cutting line of the through hole formed to the substrate; applying plating on an area including an inner peripheral wall face of the cutting hole of the substrate; applying a film covering an opening of the cutting hole on a surface of the substrate applied with the plating and performing exposure and development of the film to form an etching resist covering an area including the opening of the cutting hole; performing etching of the plating applied on the substrate; removing the etching resist; and cutting the connection part to remove the removal-target-part.