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US 2006/0231522 A1Published application
Etch of silicon nitride selective to silicon and silicon dioxide useful during the formation of a semiconductor device
OwnerDavid Pecorainventor
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Abstract
A method for etching silicon nitride selective to silicon dioxide and silicon (polycrystalline silicon or monocrystalline silicon) comprises the use of oxygen along with an additional etchant of either CHF3 or CH2F2. Flow rates, power, and pressure settings are specified.
Claims8
A method of forming a circuit structure comprising:
- forming a first layer from a material selected from the group consisting of silicon and silicon dioxide over a semiconductor wafer substrate assembly;
- forming a second layer comprising silicon nitride on the first layer;
- placing the semiconductor wafer substrate into an etch chamber;
- introducing an etchant consisting essentially of oxygen and one of CH2F2 and CHF3 into the etch chamber at a flow rate ratio of about 3:1 to etch at least a portion of the second layer, wherein the etchant etches through the second layer and stops on the first layer.
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A method of etching silicon nitride selective to at least one of silicon and silicon dioxide, comprising:
- forming a first layer from a material selected from the group consisting of silicon and silicon dioxide over a semiconductor wafer substrate assembly;
- forming a second layer comprising silicon nitride on the first layer;
- placing the semiconductor wafer substrate into an etch chamber;
- introducing an etchant consisting essentially of oxygen and CH2F2 into the etch chamber at a flow rate ratio of about 3:1 to etch at least a portion of the second layer, wherein the etchant etches through the second layer and stops on the first layer.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.