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US 10,872,788 B2Granted
Wet etch apparatus and method for using the same
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsHong-Ting Lu, Han-Wen Liao
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Abstract
A method includes dispensing a liquid etchant onto a wafer, wherein the wafer is free from rotation during dispensing the liquid etchant; blowing the liquid etchant on the wafer using a gas flow, wherein a direction of the gas flow remains substantially constant during dispensing the liquid etchant; and turning the gas flow off after a target structure on the wafer is etched away by the liquid etchant.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- forming a semiconductor fin on a substrate and extending in a first direction;
- forming a dummy gate stack across the semiconductor fin and extending in a second direction;
- forming a plurality of gate spacers respectively on opposite sides of the dummy gate stack;
- applying a first liquid etchant on the dummy gate stack and blowing the first liquid etchant using a gas flow in the first direction to form a gate trench between the gate spacers;
- and
- forming a metal gate structure in the gate trench.
3 more elements
A method, comprising:
- forming a semiconductor fin on a substrate and extending in a first direction;
- forming a dummy gate stack across a first portion of the semiconductor fin and extending in a second direction;
- forming a source/drain feature over a second portion of the semiconductor fin;
- forming an interlayer dielectric layer surrounding the dummy gate stack and the source/drain feature;
- removing the dummy gate stack to form a gate trench in the interlayer dielectric layer, wherein removing the dummy gate stack comprises:
- dispensing a liquid etchant onto the substrate;
- and
- blowing the liquid etchant on the substrate using a gas flow;
- and
- forming a metal gate structure in the gate trench.
7 more elements
A method, comprising:
- forming a dummy gate stack over a substrate;
- forming a plurality of gate spacers respectively on opposite sides of the dummy gate stack;
- removing the dummy gate stack to form a gate trench between the gate spacers, wherein removing the dummy gate stack comprises:
- dispensing a liquid etchant onto the substrate, wherein the substrate is free from rotation during dispensing the liquid etchant;
- and
- blowing the liquid etchant on the substrate using a gas flow;
- and
- forming a metal gate structure in the gate trench.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.