Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods of doping a fin-shaped channel region of a partially fabricated 3-D transistor on a semiconductor substrate. The methods may include forming a multi-layer dopant-containing film on the substrate, forming a capping film comprising a silicon carbide material, a silicon carbonitride material, silicon oxycarbide material, silicon carbon-oxynitride, or a combination thereof, the capping film located such that the multi-layer dopant-containing film is located in between the substrate and the capping film, and driving dopant from the dopant-containing film into the fin-shaped channel region. Multiple dopant-containing layers of the film may be formed by an atomic layer deposition process which includes adsorbing a dopant-containing film precursor such that it forms an adsorption-limited layer on the substrate and reacting adsorbed dopant-containing film precursor.

Abstract: Tin oxide films are used as spacers and hardmasks in semiconductor device manufacturing. In one method, tin oxide layer is formed conformally over sidewalls and horizontal surfaces of protruding features on a substrate. A passivation layer is then formed over tin oxide on the sidewalls, and tin oxide is then removed from the horizontal surfaces of the protruding features without being removed at the sidewalls of the protruding features. The material of the protruding features is then removed while leaving the tin oxide that resided at the sidewalls of the protruding features, thereby forming tin oxide spacers. Hydrogen-based and chlorine-based dry etch chemistries are used to selectively etch tin oxide in a presence of a variety of materials. In another method a patterned tin oxide hardmask layer is formed on a substrate by forming a patterned layer over an unpatterned tin oxide and transferring the pattern to the tin oxide.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods of doping a fin-shaped channel region of a partially fabricated 3-D transistor on a semiconductor substrate. The methods may include forming a multi-layer dopant-containing film on the substrate, forming a capping film comprising a silicon carbide material, a silicon nitride material, a silicon carbonitride material, or a combination thereof, the capping film located such that the multi-layer dopant-containing film is located in between the substrate and the capping film, and driving dopant from the dopant-containing film into the fin-shaped channel region. Multiple dopant-containing layers of the film may be formed by an atomic layer deposition process which includes adsorbing a dopant-containing film precursor such that it forms an adsorption-limited layer on the substrate and reacting adsorbed dopant-containing film precursor.

Abstract: Methods of etching metal by depositing a material reactive with a metal to be etched and a halogen to form a volatile species and exposing the substrate to a halogen-containing gas and activation gas to etch the substrate are provided. Deposited materials may include silicon, germanium, titanium, carbon, tin, and combinations thereof. Methods are suitable for fabricating MRAM structures and may involve integrating ALD and ALE processes without breaking vacuum.

Abstract: Methods of and apparatuses for processing substrates having carbon-containing material using atomic layer etch and selective deposition are provided. Methods involve exposing a carbon-containing material on a substrate to an oxidant and igniting a first plasma to modify a surface of the substrate and exposing the modified surface to a second plasma at a bias power to remove the modified surface. Methods also involve selectively depositing a second carbon-containing material onto the substrate using a precursor having a chemical formula of CxHy, where x and y are integers greater than or equal to 1. ALE and selective deposition may be performed without breaking vacuum.

Abstract: Methods of etching metal by depositing a material reactive with a metal to be etched and a halogen to form a volatile species and exposing the substrate to a halogen-containing gas and activation gas to etch the substrate are provided. Deposited materials may include silicon, germanium, titanium, carbon, tin, and combinations thereof. Methods are suitable for fabricating MRAM structures and may involve integrating ALD and ALE processes without breaking vacuum.

Abstract: Methods of etching and smoothening films by exposing to a halogen-containing plasma and an inert plasma within a bias window in cycles are provided. Methods are suitable for etching and smoothening films of various materials in the semiconductor industry and are also applicable to applications in optics and other industries.

Abstract: Methods of and apparatuses for processing substrates having carbon-containing material using atomic layer deposition and selective deposition are provided. Methods involve exposing a carbon-containing material on a substrate to an oxidant and igniting a first plasma at a first bias power to modify a surface of the substrate and exposing the modified surface to an inert plasma at a second bias power to remove the modified surface. Methods also involve selectively depositing a second carbon-containing material onto the substrate. ALE and selective deposition may be performed without breaking vacuum.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for performing high energy atomic layer etching are provided herein. Methods include providing a substrate having a material to be etched, exposing a surface of the material to a modification gas to modify the surface and form a modified surface, and exposing the modified surface to an energetic particle to preferentially remove the modified surface relative to an underlying unmodified surface where the energetic particle has an ion energy sufficient to overcome an average surface binding energy of the underlying unmodified surface. The energy of the energetic particle used is very high; in some cases, the power applied to a bias used when exposing the modified surface to the energetic particle is at least 150 eV.

Abstract: Methods are provided for integrating atomic layer etch and atomic layer deposition by performing both processes in the same chamber or reactor. Methods involve sequentially alternating between atomic layer etch and atomic layer deposition processes to prevent feature degradation during etch, improve selectivity, and encapsulate sensitive layers of a semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for etching metal-doped carbon-containing materials are provided herein. Etching methods include using a mixture of an etching gas suitable for etching the carbon component of the metal-doped carbon-containing material and an additive gas suitable for etching the metal component of the metal-doped carbon-containing material and igniting a plasma to selectively remove metal-doped carbon-containing materials relative to underlayers such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and silicon, at high temperatures. Apparatuses suitable for etching metal-doped carbon-containing materials are equipped with a high temperature movable pedestal, a plasma source, and a showerhead between a plasma generating region and the substrate.

Abstract: A method for patterning a substrate including multiple layers using a sulfur-based mask includes providing a substrate including a first layer and a second layer arranged on the first layer. The first layer includes a material selected from a group consisting of germanium, silicon germanium and type III/V materials. The method includes depositing a mask layer including sulfur species on sidewalls of the first layer and the second layer by exposing the substrate to a first wet chemistry. The method includes removing the mask layer on the sidewalls of the second layer while not completely removing the mask layer on the sidewalls of the first layer by exposing the substrate to a second wet chemistry. The method includes selectively etching the second layer relative to the first layer and the mask layer on the sidewalls of the first layer by exposing the substrate to a third wet chemistry.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for performing cycles of aspect ratio dependent deposition and aspect ratio independent etching on lithographically patterned substrates are described herein. Methods are suitable for reducing variation of feature depths and/or aspect ratios between features formed and partially formed by lithography, some partially formed features being partially formed due to stochastic effects. Methods and apparatuses are suitable for processing a substrate having a photoresist after extreme ultraviolet lithography. Some methods involve cycles of deposition by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and directional etching by atomic layer etching.

Abstract: A method of depositing a metal seed for performing bottom-up gapfill of features of a substrate includes providing a substrate including a plurality of features; flowing a dilute metal precursor solution into the features, wherein the dilute metal precursor solution includes a metal precursor and a dilution liquid; evaporating the dilution liquid to locate the metal precursor at bottoms of the plurality of features; exposing the substrate to a plasma treatment to reduce the metal precursor to at least one of a metal or a metal alloy and to form a seed layer; performing a heat treatment on the substrate; and using a selective gapfill process to fill the features with a transition metal in contact with the seed layer.

Abstract: Provided herein are methods of atomic layer etching (ALE) of metals including tungsten (W) and cobalt (Co). The methods disclosed herein provide precise etch control down to the atomic level, with etching a low as 1 ? to 10 ? per cycle in some embodiments. In some embodiments, directional control is provided without damage to the surface of interest. The methods may include cycles of a modification operation to form a reactive layer, followed by a removal operation to etch only this modified layer. The modification is performed without spontaneously etching the surface of the metal.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods of doping a fin-shaped channel region of a partially fabricated 3-D transistor on a semiconductor substrate. The methods may include forming a multi-layer dopant-containing film on the substrate, forming a capping film comprising a silicon carbide material, a silicon nitride material, a silicon carbonitride material, or a combination thereof, the capping film located such that the multi-layer dopant-containing film is located in between the substrate and the capping film, and driving dopant from the dopant-containing film into the fin-shaped channel region. Multiple dopant-containing layers of the film may be formed by an atomic layer deposition process which includes adsorbing a dopant-containing film precursor such that it forms an adsorption-limited layer on the substrate and reacting adsorbed dopant-containing film precursor.

Abstract: A method of depositing a metal seed for performing bottom-up gapfill of features of a substrate includes providing a substrate including a plurality of features; flowing a dilute metal precursor solution into the features, wherein the dilute metal precursor solution includes a metal precursor and a dilution liquid; evaporating the dilution liquid to locate the metal precursor at bottoms of the plurality of features; exposing the substrate to a plasma treatment to reduce the metal precursor to at least one of a metal or a metal alloy and to form a seed layer; performing a heat treatment on the substrate; and using a selective gapfill process to fill the features with a transition metal in contact with the seed layer.

Abstract: Methods of depositing tungsten into high aspect ratio features using a dep-etch-dep process integrating various deposition techniques with alternating pulses of surface modification and removal during etch are provided herein. Methods involve introducing an activation gas at a chamber pressure and/or applying a bias using a bias power selected to preferentially etch the metal at or near the opening of the feature relative to the interior region of the feature. Apparatuses include integrated hardware for performing deposition of metal and atomic layer etching of metal in the same tool and/or without breaking vacuum.

Abstract: Tin oxide films are used as spacers and hardmasks in semiconductor device manufacturing. In one method, tin oxide layer is formed conformally over sidewalls and horizontal surfaces of protruding features on a substrate. A passivation layer is then formed over tin oxide on the sidewalls, and tin oxide is then removed from the horizontal surfaces of the protruding features without being removed at the sidewalls of the protruding features. The material of the protruding features is then removed while leaving the tin oxide that resided at the sidewalls of the protruding features, thereby forming tin oxide spacers. Hydrogen-based and chlorine-based dry etch chemistries are used to selectively etch tin oxide in a presence of a variety of materials. In another method a patterned tin oxide hardmask layer is formed on a substrate by forming a patterned layer over an unpatterned tin oxide and transferring the pattern to the tin oxide.

Abstract: Provided herein are ALE methods of removing III-V materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) and related apparatus. In some embodiments, the methods involve exposing the III-V material to a chlorine-containing plasma without biasing the substrate to form a modified III-V surface layer; and applying a bias voltage to the substrate while exposing the modified III-V surface layer to a plasma to thereby remove the modified III-V surface layer. The disclosed methods are suitable for a wide range of applications, including etching processes for trenches and holes, fabrication of HEMTs, fabrication of LEDs, and improved selectivity in etching processes.