Method for plasma etching of high-K dielectric materials
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsPadmapani C. Nallan, Ajay Kumar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of etching high dielectric constant materials (a material with a dielectric constant greater than 4) using a halogen gas, reducing gas, and passivating gas chemistry. An embodiment of the method is accomplished using chlorine, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen to etch and passivate a hafnium dioxide layer.
Claims24
A method of etching a substrate comprising a dielectric material having a dielectric constant that is greater than 4, comprising:
- exposing the substrate to a first plasma comprising a reducing gas and a halogen containing gas and a second plasma comprising a passivating gas.
A method for etching a workpiece having a layer of hafnium dioxide comprising the steps of:
- supplying between 20 to 300 sccm of Cl2, between 2 to 200 sccm of CO, and between 20 to 200 sccm of N2;
- maintaining a pressure of between 2-100 mTorr;
- applying a bias power to a cathode electrode of between 0 to 300 W;
- applying power to an inductively coupled antenna of between 200 to 2500 W;
- and
- maintaining the workpiece at a temperature between 100 and 500 degrees Celsius.
A method for etching a workpiece having a layer of hafnium dioxide using the steps of etching and passivating, the method comprising:
- during the etching step, supplying between 20 to 300 sccm of Cl2, between 2 to 200 sccm of CO, maintaining a pressure of between 2-100 mTorr, applying a bias power to a cathode electrode of between 5 to 300 W, and applying power to an inductively coupled antenna of between 200 to 2500 W;
- during the passivating step, supplying between 20 to 200 sccm of N2, maintaining a pressure of between 2-50 mTorr, applying a bias power to a cathode electrode of between 0 to 300 W, and applying power to an inductively coupled antenna of between 200 to 2500 W;
- and
- maintaining the workpiece at a temperature between 100 and 500 degrees Celsius.
A computer-readable medium containing software that when executed by a computer causes an etch reactor to plasma etch a dielectric material having a dielectric constant that is greater than 4 using a method comprising:
- exposing the substrate to a first plasma comprising a reducing gas and a halogen containing gas and a second plasma comprising a passivating gas.
A computer-readable medium containing software that when executed by a computer causes a etch reactor to etch a workpiece having a layer of hafnium dioxide using a method comprising:
- supplying between 20 to 300 sccm of Cl2, between 2 to 200 sccm of CO, and between 20 to 200 sccm of N2;
- maintaining a pressure of between 2-100 mTorr;
- applying a bias power to a cathode electrode of between 0 to 300 W;
- applying power to an inductively coupled antenna of between 200 to 2500 W;
- and
- maintaining the workpiece at a temperature between 100 and 500 degrees Celsius.
A computer-readable medium containing software that when executed by a computer causes a etch reactor to etch a workpiece having a layer of hafnium dioxide using a method having etch and passivating steps, the method comprising:
- during the etching step, supplying between 20 to 300 sccm of Cl2, between 2 to 200 sccm of CO, maintaining a pressure of between 2-100 mTorr, applying a bias power to a cathode electrode of between 5 to 300 W, and applying power to an inductively coupled antenna of between 200 to 2500 W;
- during the passivating step, supplying between 20 to 200 sccm of N2, maintaining a pressure of between 2-50 mTorr, applying a bias power to a cathode electrode of between 0 to 300 W, and applying power to an inductively coupled antenna of between 200 to 2500 W;
- and
- maintaining the workpiece at a temperature between 100 and 500 degrees Celsius.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.