Systems for etching a substrate using a hybrid wet atomic layer etching process

A system configured to etch a substrate using a hybrid atomic layer etching (ALE) process, the system comprising:

• a process chamber configured to receive the substrate;
• a gas supply system comprising at least one reservoir containing a gas-phase reactant, wherein the gas supply system is coupled to supply the gas-phase reactant to the process chamber via a gas supply line coupled between the gas supply system and the process chamber;
• a chemical supply system comprising one or more reservoirs containing one or more liquid-phase reactants, wherein the chemical supply system is coupled to supply the one or more liquid-phase reactants to the process chamber via a liquid supply line coupled between the chemical supply system and the process chamber;
• and
• a controller comprising one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums that store programming instructions and one or more programmable integrated circuits that execute the programming instructions to control process conditions within the process chamber while multiple cycles of the hybrid ALE process are performed to etch a material exposed on the substrate, wherein each cycle includes a gas-phase surface modification step and a liquid-phase dissolution step, and wherein the controller is configured to supply:
• a first set of control signals to the gas supply system during the gas-phase surface modification step, wherein the first set of control signals cause the gas supply system to introduce the gas-phase reactant into the process chamber to expose the substrate to the gas-phase reactant, chemically modify an exposed surface of the material and provide a modified surface layer of the material;
• a second set of control signals to the chemical supply system during the liquid-phase dissolution step, wherein the second set of control signals cause the chemical supply system to dispense the one or more liquid-phase reactants onto a surface of the substrate to selectively dissolve the modified surface layer without dissolving the material underlying the modified surface layer;
• wherein the controller is programmed to control timing of the gas-phase surface modification step and the liquid-phase dissolution step performed during each cycle of the hybrid ALE process, so that the one or more liquid-phase reactants are dispensed onto the surface of the substrate while the substrate is exposed to the gas-phase reactant;
• and
• wherein the one or more liquid-phase reactants dispensed during the liquid-phase dissolution step segregate the gas-phase surface modification step from the liquid-phase dissolution step by displacing the gas-phase reactant from the surface of the substrate.

A system configured to etch a substrate using a hybrid atomic layer etching (ALE) process, the system comprising:

• a process chamber configured to receive the substrate;
• a gas supply system comprising at least one reservoir containing a gas-phase reactant, wherein the gas supply system is coupled to supply the gas-phase reactant to the process chamber via a gas supply line coupled between the gas supply system and the process chamber;
• a chemical supply system comprising one or more reservoirs containing one or more liquid-phase reactants, wherein the chemical supply system is coupled to supply the one or more liquid-phase reactants to the process chamber via a liquid supply line coupled between the chemical supply system and the process chamber;
• and
• a controller comprising one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums that store programming instructions and one or more programmable integrated circuits that execute the programming instructions to control process conditions within the process chamber while multiple cycles of the hybrid ALE process are performed to etch a material exposed on the substrate, wherein each cycle includes a gas-phase surface modification step and a liquid-phase dissolution step, and wherein the controller is configured to supply:
• a first set of control signals to the gas supply system during the gas-phase surface modification step, wherein the first set of control signals cause the gas supply system to introduce the gas-phase reactant into the process chamber to expose the substrate to the gas-phase reactant, chemically modify an exposed surface of the material and provide a modified surface layer of the material;
• and
• a second set of control signals to the chemical supply system during the liquid-phase dissolution step, wherein the second set of control signals cause the chemical supply system to dispense the one or more liquid-phase reactants onto a surface of the substrate to selectively dissolve the modified surface layer without dissolving the material underlying the modified surface layer;
• and
• wherein the controller is programmed to control a temperature and a pressure within the process chamber, so that the gas-phase surface modification step and the liquid-phase dissolution step are performed at roughly the same temperature and the same pressure.