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US 11,699,596 B2Granted
Metal etching with in situ plasma ashing
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsHsing-Hsiang Wang, Yu-Hsiang Lin, Wei-Da Chen, Tom Peng, P. Y. Chiu, Miau-Shing Tsai, Cheng-Yi Huang, Ching-Horng Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an embodiment, a method includes: receiving, within a processing chamber, a wafer with a photoresist mask above a metal layer, wherein the processing chamber is connected to a gas source; applying an etchant configured to etch the metal layer in accordance with the photoresist mask within the processing chamber; and applying gas from the gas source to perform plasma ashing in the processing chamber.
Claims17
A method, comprising:
- receiving, within a processing chamber, a wafer with a photoresist mask above a metal layer, wherein the processing chamber is connected to a gas source;
- applying an etchant configured to etch the metal layer in accordance with the photoresist mask within the processing chamber;
- inserting gas from the gas source into the processing chamber to perform plasma ashing in the processing chamber, wherein the applying of the etchant and the plasma ashing are performed in the processing chamber, wherein:
- the gas comprises a mixture of N2 and O2;
- the metal layer is aluminum (Al);
- the applying of the etchant comprises applying a dry etchant selected from a group consisting of:
- Cl2, CCl4, SiCl4, and/or BCl3 so as to produce AlCl3 as an etching byproduct;
- the O2 reacts with the photoresist in accordance with CxHyOz+O2→CO2+CO+H2O;
- and
- the N2 reacts with the etching byproduct AlCl3 in accordance with AlCl3+N2→AlN+Cl2;
- and
- applying a source power of over 1600 watts while maintaining the processing chamber at a temperature range of 40 to 60 degrees centigrade to perform the plasma ashing, wherein the source power is applied to at least one coil in the processing chamber, and the processing chamber comprises a wall that separates the at least one coil from the metal layer.
9 more elements
A method, comprising:
- receiving, within a processing chamber, a wafer with a photoresist mask above a metal layer, wherein the processing chamber is connected to a gas source;
- applying an etchant configured to etch the metal layer in accordance with the photoresist mask within the processing chamber;
- inserting gas from the gas source into the processing chamber to perform plasma ashing in the processing chamber, wherein the applying of the etchant and the plasma ashing are performed in the processing chamber;
- applying a source power of over 1600 watts while maintaining the processing chamber at a temperature range of 40 to 60 degrees centigrade to perform the plasma ashing;
- and
- removing ash produced during the plasma ashing from the processing chamber, wherein the source power is applied to at least one coil in the processing chamber, and the processing chamber comprises a wall that separates the at least one coil from the metal layer, wherein:
- the gas comprises a mixture of N2 and O2;
- the metal layer is aluminum (Al);
- the applying of the etchant comprises applying a dry etchant selected from a group consisting of:
- Cl2, CCl4, SiCl4, and/or BCl3 so as to produce AlCl3 as an etching byproduct;
- the O2 reacts with the photoresist in accordance with CxHyOz+O2→CO2+CO+H2O;
- and
- the N2 reacts with the etching byproduct AlCl3 in accordance with AlCl3+N2→AlN+Cl2.
10 more elements
A method, comprising:
- receiving, within a processing chamber, a wafer with a photoresist mask above a metal layer, wherein the processing chamber is connected to a gas source;
- applying an etchant configured to etch the metal layer in accordance with the photoresist mask within the processing chamber;
- inserting gas from the gas source into the processing chamber;
- applying a source power of over 1600 watts while maintaining the processing chamber at a temperature range of 40 to 60 degrees centigrade to perform plasma ashing, wherein the applying of the etchant and the plasma ashing are performed in the processing chamber;
- and
- removing ash produced during the plasma ashing from the processing chamber, wherein the source power is applied to at least one coil in the processing chamber, and the processing chamber comprises a wall that separates the at least one coil from the metal layer, wherein:
- the gas comprises a mixture of N2 and O2;
- the metal layer is aluminum (Al);
- the applying of the etchant comprises applying a dry etchant selected from a group consisting of:
- Cl2, CCl4, SiCl4, and/or BCl3 so as to produce AlCl3 as an etching byproduct;
- the O2 reacts with the photoresist in accordance with CxHyOz+O2→CO2+CO+H2O;
- and
- the N2 reacts with the etching byproduct AlCl3 in accordance with AlCl3+N2→AlN+Cl2.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.