# US 10,373,806 B2 · Apparatus and method for deposition and etch in gap fill > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,373,806 B2 - Document ID: US10373806B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/683,397 - Filed: 2017-08-22 - Published: 2018-01-04 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-06-30 - Assignees: Lam Research Corporation - Applicants: Lam Research Corporation - Inventors: Akhil Singhal; Patrick A. Van Cleemput; Martin E. Freeborn; Bart J. van Schravendijk - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373806B2 ## CPC - H01J 37/32091: {the radio frequency energy being capacitively coupled to the plasma} - C23C 16/045: {Coating cavities or hollow spaces, e.g. interior of tubes; Infiltration of porous substrates} - C23C 16/45536: {Use of plasma, radiation or electromagnetic fields} - C23C 16/4554: {Plasma being used non-continuously in between ALD reactions (C23C16/56 takes precedence)} - C23C 16/45544: {characterized by the apparatus} - C23C 16/45565: {Shower nozzles} - C23C 16/50: using electric discharges {(generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34)} - C23C 16/5096: {Flat-bed apparatus} - H01J 37/32174: {Circuits specially adapted for controlling the RF discharge} - H01J 37/3244: {Gas supply means} - H01J 37/32449: {Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow} - H01J 37/32568: {Relative arrangement or disposition of electrodes; moving means} - H01J 37/32577: {Electrical connecting means} - H01J 37/32715: {Workpiece holder} - H01J 2237/3321: CVD [Chemical Vapor Deposition] - H01J 2237/334: Etching - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) ## Abstract Provided are apparatuses and methods for performing deposition and etch processes in an integrated tool. An apparatus may include a plasma processing chamber that is a capacitively-coupled plasma reactor, and the plasma processing chamber can include a showerhead that includes a top electrode and a pedestal that includes a bottom electrode. The apparatus may be configured with an RF hardware configuration so that an RF generator may power the top electrode in a deposition mode and power the bottom electrode in an etch mode. In some implementations, the apparatus can include one or more switches so that at least an HFRF generator is electrically connected to the showerhead in a deposition mode, and the HFRF generator and an LFRF generator is electrically connected to the pedestal and the showerhead is grounded in the etch mode. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of filling one or more gaps in a wafer, the comprising: providing a wafer on a pedestal in a plasma processing chamber, wherein the wafer has one or more gaps each having a depth to width aspect ratio of greater than about 5:1, and wherein the wafer includes a first dielectric layer in the one or more gaps; switching from a deposition mode to an etch mode in the plasma processing chamber, wherein at least the pedestal is powered by an RF generator in the etch mode; anisotropically etching, in the plasma processing chamber, the first dielectric layer; switching from the etch mode to the deposition mode in the plasma processing chamber, wherein at least the showerhead is powered by the RF generator in the deposition mode; and depositing, in the plasma processing chamber, a second dielectric layer in the one or more gaps over the first dielectric layer via ALD. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a wafer temperature is between about 50° C. and about 650° while anisotropically etching the first dielectric layer, and while depositing the second dielectric layer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a wafer temperature is greater than about 300° C. while anisotropically etching the first dielectric layer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein anisotropically etching includes anisotropically etching the first dielectric layer so that the one or more gaps each has a more sloped profile near the top of the gap than near the bottom of the gap. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a pressure is between about 0.3 and about 1.0 Torr while anisotropically etching the first dielectric layer, and while depositing the second dielectric layer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein a low-frequency power applied to the plasma processing chamber is between about 1500 W and about 6000 W while anisotropically etching the first dielectric layer and while depositing the second dielectric layer, and wherein the high-frequency power applied to the plasma processing chamber is between about 0 W and about 5000 W while anisotropically etching the first dielectric layer and while depositing the second dielectric layer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein a low frequency of the low-frequency power is about 400 kHz for anisotropically etching the first dielectric layer and depositing the second dielectric layer, and wherein a high frequency of the high-frequency power is about 13.56 MHz for anisotropically etching with slope control the first dielectric layer and depositing the second dielectric layer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the RF generator applies a high-frequency power to the showerhead in the plasma processing chamber and grounds the pedestal in the plasma processing chamber in the deposition mode. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the plasma processing chamber comprises: the pedestal for supporting the wafer; the showerhead over the pedestal; a low-frequency radio-frequency (LFRF) generator; a high-frequency radio-frequency (HFRF) generator; and one or more switches operatively coupled to one or both of the LFRF generator and the HFRF generator, the one or more switches configured to switch between (1) the deposition mode for performing a deposition process, wherein the one or more switches in the deposition mode couple at least the HFRF generator to the showerhead, and (2) the etch mode for performing an etch process, wherein the one or more switches in the etch mode couple the HFRF generator and the LFRF generator to the pedestal and ground the showerhead. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the plasma processing chamber is a capacitively-coupled plasma (CCP) reactor, the showerhead including a top electrode and the pedestal including a bottom electrode. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the plasma processing chamber comprises: the pedestal for supporting the wafer; the showerhead over the pedestal; one or more HF/LF RF generators; and one or more switches operatively coupled to the one or more HF/LF RF generators, the one or more switches configured to switch between (1) the deposition mode for performing a deposition process, wherein the one or more switches in the deposition mode couple at least one of the HF/LF RF generators to the showerhead, and (2) the etch mode for performing an etch process, wherein the one or more switches in the etch mode couple at least one of the HF/LF RF generators to the pedestal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the plasma processing chamber is a CCP reactor, the showerhead including a top electrode and the pedestal including a bottom electrode. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer includes silicon dioxide (SiO2). ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein anisotropically etching the first dielectric layer includes anisotropically etching with nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), wherein a concentration of NF3 is between about 1.0-2.5% by volume. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least the pedestal is powered by the RF generator at a low-frequency power in the etch mode. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the wafer has one or more gaps each having a depth to width aspect ratio of greater than about 20:1. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the RF power includes a low-frequency power and a high-frequency power. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: depositing, in the plasma processing chamber, the first dielectric layer in the one or more gaps via ALD.