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US 12,217,936 B2Granted
DC bias in plasma process
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsSheng-Liang Pan, Bing-Hung Chen, Chia-Yang Hung, Jyu-Horng Shieh, Shu-Huei Suen, Syun-Ming Jang, Jack Kuo-Ping Kuo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments described herein relate to plasma processes. A plasma process includes generating a plasma containing negatively charged oxygen ions. A substrate is exposed to the plasma. The substrate is disposed on a pedestal while being exposed to the plasma. While exposing the substrate to the plasma, a negative direct current (DC) bias voltage is applied to the pedestal to repel the negatively charged oxygen ions from the substrate.
Claims19
A method comprising:
- placing a substrate on a pedestal within a chamber, the chamber comprising a first region and a second region separated by a gas distribution plate, the pedestal being disposed within the second region of the chamber, the substrate comprising negatively charged fluorine ions;
- and
- performing a plasma process on the substrate, performing the plasma process comprises:
- flowing an oxygen-containing gas into the first region;
- generating a first plasma in the first region of the chamber;
- exposing the substrate to the first plasma while applying a first negative direct current (DC) bias voltage;
- stopping the flow of the oxygen-containing gas;
- flowing a hydrogen-containing gas into the first region;
- generating a second plasma in the first region of the chamber;
- exposing the substrate to the second plasma while applying a second negative DC bias voltage;
- and
- stopping the flow of the hydrogen-containing gas, wherein the first negative DC bias voltage is a same negative DC bias voltage as the second negative DC bias voltage, the same negative DC bias voltage being applied continuously from exposing the substrate to the first plasma to after exposing the substrate to the second plasma.
9 more elements
A method comprising:
- placing a substrate on a pedestal within a chamber, the chamber comprising a first region and a second region separated by a gas distribution plate, the pedestal being disposed within the second region of the chamber;
- and
- performing a plasma process on the substrate, performing the plasma process comprises:
- generating a first plasma in the first region of the chamber, the first plasma comprising negatively charged oxygen ions;
- filtering the first plasma by the gas distribution plate into the second region of the chamber to expose the substrate to the negatively charged oxygen ions;
- applying a first negative direct current (DC) bias voltage to the pedestal to repel the negatively charged oxygen ions from the substrate;
- halting generation of the first plasma;
- generating a second plasma in the first region of the chamber, the second plasma comprising positively charged hydrogen ions;
- filtering the second plasma by the gas distribution plate into the second region of the chamber to expose the substrate to the positively charged hydrogen ions;
- and
- applying a second negative DC bias voltage to the pedestal to remove at least some negatively charged fluorine ions from the substrate, the first negative DC bias voltage being a same bias voltage as the second negative DC bias voltage, the same bias voltage is applied continuously from applying the first negative DC bias voltage to completing the plasma process.
8 more elements
A method comprising:
- placing a substrate on a pedestal within a chamber;
- and
- performing a plasma process on the substrate, performing the plasma process comprises:
- generating a first plasma, the first plasma comprising negatively charged oxygen ions, the substrate being exposed to the negatively charged oxygen ions;
- applying a first negative direct current (DC) bias voltage to the pedestal to repel the negatively charged oxygen ions from the substrate;
- generating a second plasma, the second plasma comprising positively charged hydrogen ions, the substrate being exposed to the positively charged hydrogen ions;
- and
- applying a second negative DC bias voltage to the pedestal to remove at least some negatively charged fluorine ions from the substrate, the first negative DC bias voltage being a same bias voltage as the second negative DC bias voltage, the same bias voltage is applied continuously from applying the first negative DC bias voltage to applying the second negative DC bias voltage.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.