Abstract: Methods of etching silicon nitride faster than silicon or silicon oxide are described. Methods of selectively depositing additional material onto the silicon nitride are also described. Exposed portions of silicon nitride and silicon oxide may both be present on a patterned substrate. A self-assembled monolayer (SAM) is selectively deposited over the silicon oxide but not on the exposed silicon nitride. Molecules of the self-assembled monolayer include a head moiety and a tail moiety, the head moiety forming a bond with the OH group on the exposed silicon oxide portion and the tail moiety extending away from the patterned substrate. A subsequent exposure to an etchant or a deposition precursor may then be used to selectively remove silicon nitride or to selectively deposit additional material on the silicon nitride.

Abstract: A method of selectively etching silicon nitride from a substrate comprising a silicon nitride layer and a silicon oxide layer includes flowing a fluorine-containing gas into a plasma generation region of a substrate processing chamber and applying energy to the fluorine-containing gas to generate a plasma in the plasma generation region. The plasma comprises fluorine radicals and fluorine ions. The method also includes filtering the plasma to provide a reactive gas having a higher concentration of fluorine radicals than fluorine ions and flowing the reactive gas into a gas reaction region of the substrate processing chamber. The method also includes exposing the substrate to the reactive gas in the gas reaction region of the substrate processing chamber. The reactive gas etches the silicon nitride layer at a higher etch rate than the reactive gas etches the silicon oxide layer.

Abstract: A method of etching exposed silicon oxide on patterned heterogeneous structures is described and includes a gas phase etch using plasma effluents formed in a remote plasma. The remote plasma excites a fluorine-containing precursor in combination with an oxygen-containing precursor. Plasma effluents within the remote plasma are flowed into a substrate processing region where the plasma effluents combine with water vapor or an alcohol. The combination react with the patterned heterogeneous structures to remove an exposed silicon oxide portion faster than an exposed silicon nitride portion. The inclusion of the oxygen-containing precursor may suppress the silicon nitride etch rate and result in unprecedented silicon oxide etch selectivity.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for etching a silicon material in a device structure in semiconductor applications. In one example, a method for etching features in a silicon material includes performing a remote plasma process formed from an etching gas mixture including HF gas without nitrogen etchants to remove a silicon material disposed on a substrate.

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. 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 while maintaining a relative humidity within the processing region below about 50%. Subsequent to the removal, the methods may include increasing the relative humidity within the processing region to greater than or about 50%. The methods may further include removing an additional amount of the exposed oxide.

Abstract: Methods for forming a spacer comprising depositing a film on the top, bottom and sidewalls of a feature and treating the film to change a property of the film on the top and bottom of the feature. Selectively dry etching the film from the top and bottom of the feature relative to the film on the sidewalls of the feature using a high intensity plasma.

Abstract: A method of etching patterned heterogeneous silicon-containing structures is described and includes a remote plasma etch with inverted selectivity compared to existing remote plasma etches. The methods may be used to conformally trim polysilicon while removing little or no silicon oxide. More generally, silicon-containing films containing less oxygen are removed more rapidly than silicon-containing films which contain more oxygen. Other exemplary applications include trimming silicon carbon nitride films while essentially retaining silicon oxycarbide. Applications such as these are enabled by the methods presented herein and enable new process flows. These process flows are expected to become desirable for a variety of finer linewidth structures. Methods contained herein may also be used to etch silicon-containing films faster than nitrogen-and-silicon containing films having a greater concentration of nitrogen.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for etching features in a silicon material includes performing a remote plasma process formed from an etching gas mixture including chlorine containing gas to remove a silicon material disposed on a substrate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate are described herein. A process system described herein includes a plasma source and a flow distribution plate. A method described herein includes generating fluorine radicals or ions, delivering the fluorine radicals or ions through one or more plasma blocking screens to a volume defined by the flow distribution plate and one of one or more plasma blocking screens, delivering oxygen and hydrogen to the volume, mixing the oxygen and hydrogen with fluorine radicals or ions to form hydrogen fluoride, flowing hydrogen fluoride through the flow distribution plate, and etching a substrate using bifluoride. The concentration of fluorine radicals or ions on the surface of the substrate is reduced to less than about two percent.

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: The present disclosure provides methods for cleaning chamber components post substrate etching. In one example, a method for cleaning includes activating an etching gas mixture using a plasma to create an activated etching gas mixture, the etching gas mixture comprising hydrogen-containing precursor and a fluorine-containing precursor and delivering the activated etching gas mixture to a processing region of a process chamber, the process chamber having an edge ring positioned therein, the edge ring comprising a catalyst and anticatalytic material, wherein the activated gas removes the anticatalytic material from the edge ring.

Abstract: Systems, chambers, and processes are provided for controlling process defects caused by moisture contamination. The systems may provide configurations for chambers to perform multiple operations in a vacuum or controlled environment. The chambers may include configurations to provide additional processing capabilities in combination chamber designs. The methods may provide for the limiting, prevention, and correction of aging defects that may be caused as a result of etching processes performed by system tools.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for etching a silicon material in a device structure in semiconductor applications. In one example, a method for etching features in a silicon material includes performing a remote plasma process formed from an etching gas mixture including HF gas without nitrogen etchants to remove a silicon material disposed on a substrate.

Abstract: A method of etching exposed silicon oxide on patterned heterogeneous structures is described and includes a gas phase etch using plasma effluents formed in a remote plasma. The remote plasma excites a fluorine-containing precursor in combination with an oxygen-containing precursor. Plasma effluents within the remote plasma are flowed into a substrate processing region where the plasma effluents combine with water vapor or an alcohol. The combination react with the patterned heterogeneous structures to remove an exposed silicon oxide portion faster than an exposed silicon nitride portion. The inclusion of the oxygen-containing precursor may suppress the silicon nitride etch rate and result in unprecedented silicon oxide etch selectivity.

Abstract: Methods of etching silicon nitride faster than silicon oxide are described. Exposed portions of silicon nitride and silicon oxide may both be present on a patterned substrate. A self-assembled monolayer (SAM) is selectively deposited over the silicon oxide but not on the exposed silicon nitride. Molecules of the self-assembled monolayer include a head moiety and a tail moiety, the head moiety forming a bond with the OH group on the exposed silicon oxide portion and the tail moiety extending away from the patterned substrate. A subsequent gas-phase etch using anhydrous vapor-phase HF may then be used to selectively remove silicon nitride much faster than silicon oxide because the SAM has been found to delay the etch and reduce the etch rate.

Abstract: Methods of etching silicon nitride faster than silicon or silicon oxide are described. Methods of selectively depositing additional material onto the silicon nitride are also described. Exposed portions of silicon nitride and silicon oxide may both be present on a patterned substrate. A self-assembled monolayer (SAM) is selectively deposited over the silicon oxide but not on the exposed silicon nitride. Molecules of the self-assembled monolayer include a head moiety and a tail moiety, the head moiety forming a bond with the OH group on the exposed silicon oxide portion and the tail moiety extending away from the patterned substrate. A subsequent exposure to an etchant or a deposition precursor may then be used to selectively remove silicon nitride or to selectively deposit additional material on the silicon nitride.

Abstract: Methods are described for etching metal layers that are difficult to volatize, such as cobalt, nickel, and platinum to form an etched metal layer with reduced surface roughness. The methods include pretreating the metal layer with a local plasma formed from a hydrogen-containing precursor. The pretreated metal layer is then reacted with a halogen-containing precursor to form a halogenated metal layer having a halogenated etch product. A carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor reacts with the halogenated etch product to form a volatile etch product that can be removed in the gas phase from the etched surface of the metal layer. The surface roughness may be reduced by performing one or more plasma treatments on the etching metal layer after a plurality of etching sequences. Surface roughness is also reduced by controlling the temperature and length of time the metal layer is reacting with the etchant precursors.

Abstract: Systems, chambers, and processes are provided for controlling process defects caused by moisture contamination. The systems may provide configurations for chambers to perform multiple operations in a vacuum or controlled environment. The chambers may include configurations to provide additional processing capabilities in combination chamber designs. The methods may provide for the limiting, prevention, and correction of aging defects that may be caused as a result of etching processes performed by system tools.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for etching features in a silicon material includes performing a remote plasma process formed from an etching gas mixture including chlorine containing gas to remove a silicon material disposed on a substrate.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for etching features in a silicon material includes performing a remote plasma process formed from an etching gas mixture including chlorine containing gas to remove a silicon material disposed on a substrate.