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.

Abstract: Methods are described herein for etching metal films which are difficult to volatize. The methods include exposing a metal film to a chlorine-containing precursor (e.g. Cl2). Chlorine is then removed from the substrate processing region. A carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor (e.g. TMEDA) is delivered to the substrate processing region to form volatile metal complexes which desorb from the surface of the metal film. The methods presented remove metal while very slowly removing the other exposed materials. A thin metal oxide layer may be present on the surface of the metal layer, in which case a local plasma from hydrogen may be used to remove the oxygen or amorphize the near surface region, which has been found to increase the overall etch rate.

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: Embodiments of the present technology may include a method of etching a substrate. The method may include striking a plasma discharge in a plasma region. The method may also include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into the plasma region to form a plasma effluent. The plasma effluent may flow into a mixing region. The method may further include introducing a hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing compound into the mixing region without first passing the hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing compound into the plasma region. Additionally, the method may include reacting the hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing compound with the plasma effluent in the mixing region to form reaction products. The reaction products may flow through a plurality of openings in a partition to a substrate processing region. The method may also include etching the substrate with the reaction products in the substrate processing region.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present technology may include a method of etching a substrate. The method may include striking a plasma discharge in a plasma region. The method may also include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into the plasma region to form a plasma effluent. The plasma effluent may flow into a mixing region. The method may further include introducing a hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing compound into the mixing region without first passing the hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing compound into the plasma region. Additionally, the method may include reacting the hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing compound with the plasma effluent in the mixing region to form reaction products. The reaction products may flow through a plurality of openings in a partition to a substrate processing region. The method may also include etching the substrate with the reaction products in the substrate processing region.

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 methods for laterally etching silicon nitride may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor and an oxygen-containing precursor into a remote plasma region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include forming a plasma within the remote plasma region to generate plasma effluents of the fluorine-containing precursor and the oxygen-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 trench formed through stacked layers including alternating layers of silicon nitride and silicon oxide. The methods may also include laterally etching the layers of silicon nitride from sidewalls of the trench while substantially maintaining the layers of silicon oxide. The layers of silicon nitride may be laterally etched less than 10 nm from the sidewalls of the trench.

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 methods for laterally etching silicon nitride may include flowing oxygen-containing plasma effluents into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate positioned within the processing region may include a trench formed through stacked layers including alternating layers of silicon nitride and silicon oxide. The methods may include passivating exposed surfaces of the silicon nitride with the oxygen-containing plasma effluents. The methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into the remote plasma region while maintaining the flow of the oxygen-containing precursor. The methods may include forming plasma effluents of the fluorine-containing precursor and the oxygen-containing precursor. The methods may include flowing the plasma effluents into the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may also include laterally etching the layers of silicon nitride from sidewalls of the trench.

Abstract: Exemplary methods for laterally etching silicon nitride may include flowing oxygen-containing plasma effluents into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate positioned within the processing region may include a trench formed through stacked layers including alternating layers of silicon nitride and silicon oxide. The methods may include passivating exposed surfaces of the silicon nitride with the oxygen-containing plasma effluents. The methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into the remote plasma region while maintaining the flow of the oxygen-containing precursor. The methods may include forming plasma effluents of the fluorine-containing precursor and the oxygen-containing precursor. The methods may include flowing the plasma effluents into the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may also include laterally etching the layers of silicon nitride from sidewalls of the trench.