# US 12,112,949 B2 · Highly etch selective amorphous carbon film

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- Number: US 12,112,949 B2
- Document ID: US12112949B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/963,059
- Filed: 2022-10-10
- Published: 2023-02-02
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-12-01
- Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Applicants: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Inventors: Rajesh Prasad; Sarah Bobek; Prashant Kumar Kulshreshtha; Kwangduk Douglas Lee; Harry Whitesell; Hidetaka Oshio; Dong Hyung Lee; Deven Matthew Raj Mittal; Scott Falk; Venkataramana R. Chavva
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12112949B2

## CPC

- H10P 76/4088: {Processes for improving the resolution of the masks}
- C23C 16/26: Deposition of carbon only
- C23C 16/505: using radio frequency discharges
- C23C 16/5096: {Flat-bed apparatus}
- C23C 16/56: After-treatment
- H10P 14/6336: {in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]}
- H10P 14/6518: {by introduction of substances into an already-existing insulating layer}
- H10P 14/6532: {by exposure to a plasma}
- H10P 14/6902: {composed of carbon, e.g. alpha-C, diamond or hydrogen doped carbon}
- H10P 30/40: into insulating materials
- H10P 50/285: {of materials not containing Si, e.g. PZT or Al2O3}
- H10P 76/405: {characterised by their composition, e.g. multilayer masks}
- H10P 76/4083: {characterised by their behaviours during the lithography processes, e.g. soluble masks or redeposited masks}
- H10P 76/4085: {characterised by the processes involved to create the masks}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- 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

Methods and techniques for deposition of amorphous carbon films on a substrate are provided. In one example, the method includes depositing an amorphous carbon film on an underlayer positioned on a susceptor in a first processing region. The method further includes implanting a dopant or the inert species into the amorphous carbon film in a second processing region. The implant species, energy, dose & temperature in some combination may be used to enhance the hardmask hardness. The method further includes patterning the doped amorphous carbon film. The method further includes etching the underlayer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of forming an amorphous carbon film, comprising:
depositing an amorphous carbon film on an underlayer positioned on a susceptor in a first processing region;
forming a doped amorphous carbon film by implanting a dopant or an inert species into the amorphous carbon film in a second processing region, wherein the dopant or the inert species is selected from carbon, boron, nitrogen, silicon, phosphorous, argon, helium, neon, krypton, xenon, beryllium, germanium, or combinations thereof, wherein a target temperature during implanting the dopant or the inert species is between about −100 degrees Celsius and about 550 degrees Celsius;
patterning the doped amorphous carbon film; and
etching the underlayer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the underlayer comprises a single layer or a dielectric stack.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein depositing the amorphous carbon film on the underlayer comprises:
flowing a hydrocarbon-containing gas mixture into the first processing region; and
generating an RF plasma in the first processing region to form the amorphous carbon film on the underlayer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein a distance between a gas distribution showerhead positioned in the first processing region and the susceptor is between about 200 mils and about 1,000 mils.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein a pressure within the first processing region is between about 4 Torr and about 8 Torr.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein an implant energy utilized to energize the dopant or the inert species is between about 5 keV and about 300 keV.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein an ion dosage is between about 1×1013 ions/cm2 and about 5×1016 ions/cm2.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6 where implanting the dopant or the inert species into the patterned amorphous carbon film is performed at an angle between about 1 degree and about 80 degrees.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the amorphous carbon film is deposited using a PECVD process.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the deposited amorphous carbon film comprises about 85 to about 97 atomic percentage of carbon.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the deposited amorphous carbon film comprises about 3 to about 15 atomic percentage of hydrogen.

### Claim 12

A method of forming an amorphous carbon film, comprising:
depositing an amorphous carbon film on an underlayer positioned on a susceptor in a first processing region;
forming a doped amorphous carbon film by implanting a dopant or an inert species into the amorphous carbon film in a second processing region, wherein the dopant or the inert species is selected from carbon, boron, nitrogen, silicon, phosphorous, argon, helium, neon, krypton, xenon, beryllium, germanium, or combinations thereof, wherein a target temperature during implanting the dopant or the inert species is between about −100 degrees Celsius and about 550 degrees Celsius;
patterning the doped amorphous carbon film; and
etching the underlayer, wherein the doped amorphous carbon film has a refractive index at 633 nm of from about 2.1 to about 2.2.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the doped amorphous carbon film has a k-value at 633 nm of less than 1.0.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the doped amorphous carbon film has a Young's modulus (GPa) of from about 70 to about 200 GPa.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the doped amorphous carbon film has a hardness (GPa) of from about 14 GPa to about 22 GPa.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the doped amorphous carbon film has a stress (MPa) of from about −600 MPa to about 0 MPa.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the doped amorphous carbon film has a density (g/cc) from about 1.95 g/cc to about 2.1 g/cc.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the doped amorphous carbon film has a thickness between about 10 Å and about 50,000 Å.

### Claim 19 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the amorphous carbon film is deposited using a PECVD process.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the deposited amorphous carbon film comprises about 85 to about 97 atomic percentage of carbon.

### Claim 21 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the deposited amorphous carbon film comprises about 3 to about 15 atomic percentage of hydrogen.

### Claim 22

A method of forming an amorphous carbon film, comprising:
depositing an amorphous carbon film on an underlayer positioned on a susceptor in a first processing region;
forming a doped amorphous carbon film by implanting a carbon dopant into the amorphous carbon film in a second processing region, wherein a target temperature during implanting the carbon dopant is between about −100 degrees Celsius and about 550 degrees Celsius;
patterning the doped amorphous carbon film; and
etching the underlayer, wherein the doped amorphous carbon film has a hardness (GPa) of from about 14 GPa to about 22 GPa.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein the doped amorphous carbon film has a refractive index at 633 nm of from about 2.1 to about 2.2.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the doped amorphous carbon film has a k-value at 633 nm of less than 1.0.

### Claim 25 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein the doped amorphous carbon film has a Young's modulus (GPa) of from about 70 to about 200 GPa.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The method of claim 25, wherein the doped amorphous carbon film has:
a stress (MPa) of from about −600 MPa to about 0 MPa;
a density (g/cc) from about 1.95 g/cc to about 2.1 g/cc; and
a thickness between about 10 Å and about 50,000 Å.

### Claim 27 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein the amorphous carbon film is deposited using a PECVD process.

### Claim 28 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein the deposited amorphous carbon film comprises about 85 to about 97 atomic percentage of carbon.

### Claim 29 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein the deposited amorphous carbon film comprises about 3 to about 15 atomic percentage of hydrogen.