Abstract: Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a halogen-containing precursor into a remote plasma region of a semiconductor processing chamber while striking a plasma to produce plasma effluents. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in a processing region with the plasma effluents. The substrate may define an exposed region of tungsten oxide. The contacting may produce a tungsten oxy-fluoride material. The methods may include flowing an etchant precursor into the processing region. The methods may include contacting the tungsten oxy-fluoride material with the etchant precursor. The methods may include removing the tungsten oxy-fluoride material.

Abstract: Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into a substrate processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include flowing a hydrogen-containing precursor into the substrate processing region. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the substrate processing region with the fluorine-containing precursor and the hydrogen-containing precursor. The substrate may include a trench or recessed feature, and a spacer may be formed along a sidewall of the trench or feature. The spacer may include a plurality of layers including a first layer of a carbon-containing or nitrogen-containing material and a second layer of an oxygen-containing material. The methods may also include removing the oxygen-containing material.

Abstract: Processing methods may be performed to form an airgap spacer on a semiconductor substrate. The methods may include forming a spacer structure including a first material and a second material different from the first material. The methods may include forming a source/drain structure. The source/drain structure may be offset from the second material of the spacer structure by at least one other material. The methods may also include etching the second material from the spacer structure to form the airgap. The source/drain structure may be unexposed to etchant materials during the etching.

Abstract: Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor and a hydrogen-containing precursor into a remote plasma region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The hydrogen-containing precursor may be flowed at a flow rate of at least 2:1 relative to the flow rate of the fluorine-containing precursor. The methods may include forming a plasma of the fluorine-containing precursor and the hydrogen-containing precursor to produce plasma effluents. The methods may include flowing the plasma effluents into a substrate processing region housing a substrate. The substrate may include an exposed region of a tantalum or titanium material and an exposed region of a silicon-containing material or a metal. The methods may include contacting the substrate with the plasma effluents. The methods may include removing the tantalum or titanium material selectively to the silicon-containing material or the metal.

Abstract: Exemplary processing methods may include depositing a boron-containing material or a silicon-and-boron-containing material on a substrate disposed within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include etching portions of the boron-containing material or the silicon-and-boron-containing material with a chlorine-containing precursor to form one or more features in the substrate. The methods may also include removing remaining portions of the boron-containing material or the silicon-and-boron-containing material from the substrate with a fluorine-containing precursor.

Abstract: Processing methods may be performed to form an airgap spacer on a semiconductor substrate. The methods may include forming a spacer structure including a first material and a second material different from the first material. The methods may include forming a source/drain structure. The source/drain structure may be offset from the second material of the spacer structure by at least one other material. The methods may also include etching the second material from the spacer structure to form the airgap. The source/drain structure may be unexposed to etchant materials during the etching.

Abstract: A semiconductor device fabrication process includes forming gates on a substrate having a plurality of openings, each gate having a conducting layer a first metal and a gate dielectric layer of a first dielectric material, partially filling the openings with a second dielectric material, forming a first structure on the substrate in a processing system without breaking vacuum, depositing a third dielectric material over the first structure, and forming a planarized surface of the gates and a surface of the third dielectric material that is disposed over the first structure. The forming of the first structure includes forming trenches by removing second portions of the second dielectric material within each opening, forming recessed active regions in the trenches by partially filling the trenches with a second metal, forming a liner over each recessed active region, and forming a metal cap layer over each liner.

Abstract: Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a halogen-containing precursor into a substrate processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The halogen-containing precursor may be characterized by a gas density greater than or about 5 g/L. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the substrate processing region with the halogen-containing precursor. The substrate may define an exposed region of an aluminum-containing material. The contacting may produce an aluminum halide material. The methods may include flowing an etchant precursor into the substrate processing region. The methods may include contacting the aluminum halide material with the etchant precursor. The methods may include removing the aluminum halide material.

Abstract: A semiconductor device fabrication process includes forming gates on a substrate having a plurality of openings, each gate having a conducting layer a first metal and a gate dielectric layer of a first dielectric material, partially filling the openings with a second dielectric material, forming a first structure on the substrate in a processing system without breaking vacuum, depositing a third dielectric material over the first structure, and forming a planarized surface of the gates and a surface of the third dielectric material that is disposed over the first structure. The forming of the first structure includes forming trenches by removing second portions of the second dielectric material within each opening, forming recessed active regions in the trenches by partially filling the trenches with a second metal, forming a liner over each recessed active region, and forming a metal cap layer over each liner.

Abstract: Exemplary methods for selectively removing silicon (e.g. polysilicon) from a patterned substrate may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into a substrate processing chamber to form plasma effluents. The plasma effluents may remove silicon (e.g. polysilicon, amorphous silicon or single crystal silicon) at significantly higher etch rates compared to exposed silicon oxide, silicon nitride or other dielectrics on the substrate. The methods rely on the temperature of the substrate in combination with some conductivity of the surface to catalyze the etch reaction rather than relying on a gas phase source of energy such as a plasma.

Abstract: Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a hydrogen-containing precursor into a substrate processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into the substrate processing region. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the substrate processing region with the hydrogen-containing precursor and the fluorine-containing precursor. The substrate may define a trench. A spacer may be formed along a sidewall of the trench, and the spacer may include a plurality of layers including a first layer of a carbon-containing material, a second layer of an oxygen-containing material, and a third layer of a carbon-containing material. The second layer of the spacer may be disposed between the first layer and third layer of the spacer. The methods may also include removing the oxygen-containing material.

Abstract: Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a hydrogen-containing precursor into a substrate processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into the substrate processing region. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the substrate processing region with the hydrogen-containing precursor and the fluorine-containing precursor. The substrate may define a trench, and a layer of an oxygen-containing material may be disposed within the trench and exposed on the substrate. The methods may include halting delivery of the hydrogen-containing precursor. The methods may also include removing the oxygen-containing material.

Abstract: A semiconductor device fabrication process includes forming gates on a substrate having a plurality of openings, each gate having a conducting layer a first metal and a gate dielectric layer of a first dielectric material, partially filling the openings with a second dielectric material, forming a first structure on the substrate in a processing system without breaking vacuum, depositing a third dielectric material over the first structure, and forming a planarized surface of the gates and a surface of the third dielectric material that is disposed over the first structure. The forming of the first structure includes forming trenches by removing second portions of the second dielectric material within each opening, forming recessed active regions in the trenches by partially filling the trenches with a second metal, forming a liner over each recessed active region, and forming a metal cap layer over each liner.

Abstract: Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into a substrate processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include flowing a hydrogen-containing precursor into the substrate processing region. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the substrate processing region with the fluorine-containing precursor and the hydrogen-containing precursor. The substrate may include a trench or recessed feature, and a spacer may be formed along a sidewall of the trench or feature. The spacer may include a plurality of layers including a first layer of a carbon-containing or nitrogen-containing material and a second layer of an oxygen-containing material. The methods may also include removing the oxygen-containing material.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods for forming features in a film stack. The film stack may be utilized to form stair-like structures with accurate profiles control in manufacturing three dimensional (3D) stacking of semiconductor chips. In one example, a method includes exposing a substrate having a multi-material layer formed thereon to radicals of a remote plasma to form one or more features through the multi-material layer, the one or more features exposing a portion of a top surface of the substrate, and the multi-material layer comprising alternating layers of a first layer and a second layer, wherein the remote plasma is formed from an etching gas mixture comprising a fluorine-containing chemistry, and wherein the process chamber is maintained at a pressure of about 2 Torr to about 20 Torr and a temperature of about ?100° C. to about 100° C.

Abstract: Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into a substrate processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include flowing a hydrogen-containing precursor into the substrate processing region. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the substrate processing region with the fluorine-containing precursor and the hydrogen-containing precursor. The substrate may include a trench or recessed feature, and a spacer may be formed along a sidewall of the trench or feature. The spacer may include a plurality of layers including a first layer of a carbon-containing or nitrogen-containing material, a second layer of an oxygen-containing material, and a third layer of a carbon-containing or nitrogen-containing material. The second layer of the spacer may be disposed between the first layer and third layer of the spacer. The methods may also include removing the oxygen-containing material.

Abstract: Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a hydrogen-containing precursor into a substrate processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into the substrate processing region. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the substrate processing region with the hydrogen-containing precursor and the fluorine-containing precursor. The substrate may define a trench, and a layer of an oxygen-containing material may be disposed within the trench and exposed on the substrate. The methods may include halting delivery of the hydrogen-containing precursor. The methods may also include removing the oxygen-containing material.

Abstract: Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a hydrogen-containing precursor into a substrate processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into the substrate processing region. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the substrate processing region with the hydrogen-containing precursor and the fluorine-containing precursor. The substrate may define a trench. A spacer may be formed along a sidewall of the trench, and the spacer may include a plurality of layers including a first layer of a carbon-containing material, a second layer of an oxygen-containing material, and a third layer of a carbon-containing material. The second layer of the spacer may be disposed between the first layer and third layer of the spacer. The methods may also include removing the oxygen-containing material.

Abstract: Exemplary cleaning or etching methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into a remote plasma region of a semiconductor processing chamber. Methods may include forming a plasma within the remote plasma region to generate plasma effluents of the fluorine-containing precursor. The methods may also include flowing the plasma effluents into a processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be positioned within the processing region, and the substrate may include a region of exposed oxide and a region of exposed metal. Methods may also include providing a hydrogen-containing precursor to the processing region. The methods may further include removing at least a portion of the exposed oxide.

Abstract: Exemplary cleaning or etching methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into a remote plasma region of a semiconductor processing chamber. Methods may include forming a plasma within the remote plasma region to generate plasma effluents of the fluorine-containing precursor. The methods may also include flowing the plasma effluents into a processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be positioned within the processing region, and the substrate may include a region of exposed oxide and a region of exposed metal. Methods may also include providing a hydrogen-containing precursor to the processing region. The methods may further include removing at least a portion of the exposed oxide.