Surface smoothing of workpieces
AssigneesBeijing E-Town Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd., Mattson Technology, Inc.
InventorsQi Zhang, Xinliang Lu, Hua Chung
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Abstract
Apparatus, systems, and methods for processing workpieces are provided. In one example implementation, a fluorine and oxygen plasma-based process can be used to smooth a roughened surface of a silicon and/or a silicon containing structure. The process can include generating species from a process gas using an inductive coupling element in a first chamber. The process can include introducing a fluorine containing gas and an oxygen containing gas with the species to create a mixture. The process can further include exposing the silicon and/or the silicon containing structure to the mixture such that the mixture at least partially etches a roughened portion to leave a smoother surface of the silicon and/or the silicon containing structure.
Claims11
A method for processing a workpiece, the workpiece comprising a silicon containing layer, wherein a surface of the silicon containing layer comprises a roughened portion, the method comprising:
- generating species from a process gas by generating a plasma using an inductive coupling element in a first chamber;
- providing a fluorine-containing gas and an oxygen-containing gas into the species to generate a mixture;
- exposing the surface of the silicon containing layer to the mixture such that the mixture at least partially etches the roughened portion to leave a smoother surface of the silicon containing layer,
- wherein the workpiece is in a second chamber that is separated from the first chamber by a separation grid,
- wherein the fluorine-containing gas and the oxygen-containing gas are introduced into the species generated by the plasma passing through the separation grid via a post-plasma gas injection source located between a first grid plate and a second grid plate of the separation grid, wherein each of the first grid plate and the second grid plate provide ion filtering, the fluorine-containing gas and the oxygen-containing gas being mixed with the species between the first grid plate and the second grid plate to generate the mixture for exposure to the workpiece.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.