Subtractive plasma etching of a blanket layer of metal or metal alloy
AssigneesApplied Materials, Inc., International Business Machines Corporation
InventorsNicholas C. M. Fuller, Eric A. Joseph, Hiroyuki Miyazoe, Mark Hoinkis, Chun Yan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of forming at least one metal or metal alloy feature in an integrated circuit is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a material stack including at least an etch mask located on a blanker layer of metal or metal alloy. Exposed portions of the blanket layer of metal or metal alloy that are not protected by the etch mask are removed utilizing an etch comprising a plasma that forms a polymeric compound and/or complex which protects a portion of the blanket layer of metal or metal alloy located directly beneath the etch mask during the etch.
Claims24
A method of forming at least one metal or metal alloy feature in an integrated circuit, said method comprising:
- providing a material stack including at least an etch mask located on a blanket layer of metal or metal alloy or metal or metal alloy alloy;
- and
- removing exposed portions of the blanket layer of metal or metal alloy that are not protected by said etch mask utilizing an etch comprising a plasma, wherein said plasma forms a polymeric compound and/or complex which protects a portion of the blanket layer of metal or metal alloy located directly beneath the etch mask during said etch.
A method of forming at least one metal or metal alloy feature in an integrated circuit, said method comprising:
- providing a material stack on a surface of a substrate, wherein said material stack comprises, from bottom to top, a blanket layer of dielectric material, a blanket layer of metal or metal alloy, a blanket layer of a first hard mask material, and a blanket layer of a second hard mask material;
- forming a patterned mask on an uppermost surface of said material stack;
- first transferring a pattern from said patterned mask into the blanket layer of a second hard mask material, wherein after said first transferring of the pattern said patterned mask is removed;
- second transferring said pattern from a remaining portion of said blanket layer of second hard mask material into said blanket layer of first hard mask material, wherein after said second transferring of the pattern said remaining portion of the blanket layer of second hard mask material is removed;
- and
- removing exposed portions of the blanket layer of metal or metal alloy that are not protected by a remaining portion of said blanket layer of first hard mask material utilizing an etch comprising a plasma, wherein said plasma forms a polymeric compound and/or complex which protects a portion of the blanket layer of metal or metal alloy located directly beneath the remaining portion of said blanket layer of first hard mask material during said etch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.