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US 12,593,634 B2Granted
Selective gas phase etch of silicon germanium alloys
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorsToshiki Kanaki, Subhadeep Kal, Aelan Mosden, Ivo Otto, IV, Masashi Matsumoto, Shinji Irie
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods for selective etching of one layer or material relative to another layer or material adjacent thereto. In an example, a SiGe layer is etched relative to or selective to another silicon containing layer which either contains no germanium or geranium in an amount less than that of the target layer.
Claims20
An etching method free of plasma generation, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate having a plurality of first layers alternating with a plurality of second layers, each of the first layers including silicon and germanium, each of the second layers including silicon and either no germanium or germanium in an amount lower than the first layers;
- and
- selectively etching the first layers relative to the second layers by a process comprising:
- etching the first layers with a gas chemistry which includes a halogen containing gas and a carbon containing gas to etch the first layers with respect to the second layers, wherein the etching is a non-plasma gas phase etch.
1 more element
A method of etching without a remote plasma generation, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate having a first layer and a second layer, the first layer adjacent to the second layer, the first and second layers are formed of different materials, and each of the first and second layers comprises silicon, the first and second layers having an oxide layer on side surfaces;
- removing the oxide layer from the side surfaces of the first and second layers so that the first layer has a first exposed side surface and the second layer has a second exposed side surface;
- and
- etching the first exposed side surface relative to the second exposed side surface so that an outer dimension of the first layer is smaller than an outer dimension of the second layer, and wherein the etching is performed with a fluorine containing gas and a carbon containing gas, the fluorine containing gas being configured to react with the first layer, the carbon containing gas being configured to react with byproducts resulting from the etching, wherein the etching is a non-plasma gas phase etch.
1 more element
A method of etching without a remote plasma generation, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate having devices which each include a plurality of first layers and a plurality of second layers;
- and
- etching the plurality of first layers selectively to the plurality of second layers, wherein the etching is performed in a gas phase, non-plasma environment,
- the etching is performed with a fluorine containing gas and a carbon containing gas,
- during the etching, byproducts are formed which can etch the second layers;
- layers, and
- the carbon containing gas reacting with the byproducts to prevent the byproducts from etching the second layers, the fluorine containing gas being configured to react with the first layers.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.