Plasma-based organic mask removal with silicon fluoride
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsYifeng ZHOU, Qingjun Zhou, Ling Wang, Nancy Fung, Jeremiah T. Pender
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Abstract
Removal of organic mask material from an etched dielectric film with an etchant gas mixture including silicon fluoride (SiF4). In certain embodiments, SiF4 is combined in an etchant gas mixture of molecular nitrogen (N2), carbon dioxide (CO2) to in-situ strip an organic mask material from a porous low-k dielectric film that has been etched to form a damascene interconnect structure with reduced etch profile bowing and reduced ashing damage to the low-k dielectric film.
Claims20
A plasma etching method comprising:
- providing, in a plasma etch chamber, a substrate including an etched dielectric film disposed under an organic mask, wherein a fluorocarbon etch product is disposed on one or more of the plasma etch chamber, organic mask, and etched dielectric film;
- and
- removing at least a portion of the organic mask selectively to the dielectric film by exposing the etched dielectric film and organic mask to a plasma of a first etchant gas including silicon tetrafluoride (SiF4).
A plasma etching method, comprising:
- providing, in a plasma etch chamber, a substrate with a dielectric layer disposed under a first mask including a patterned photo resist layer;
- plasma etching a first feature in the dielectric layer with a first etchant gas including a fluorocarbon species until a stop layer is exposed;
- and removing at least a portion of the patterned photo resist layer with a plasma of a second etchant gas including silicon tetrafluoride (SiF4) and substantially free of the fluorocarbon species.
An microelectronic device comprising:
- a silicon-containing dielectric film over a substrate, wherein a top surface of the silicon-containing dielectric film is substantially unprotected by any organic mask;
- and
- a via formed through the dielectric film, wherein the via has a sidewall surface substantially free of fluorocarbon polymer and covered with a passivation layer comprising silicon fluoride etch products.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.