Forming a semiconductor feature using atomic layer etch
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorsEric Chih-Fang Liu, Akiteru Ko, Angelique Raley, Henan Zhang, Shan Hu, Subhadeep Kal
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Abstract
In certain embodiments, a method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming a patterned resist layer over a hard mask layer using an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process. The hard mask layer is disposed over a substrate. The method includes patterning the hard mask layer using the patterned resist layer as an etch mask. The method includes smoothing the hard mask layer by forming, using a first atomic layer etch step, a first layer by converting a first portion of the hard mask layer, and by removing, using a second atomic layer etch step, the first layer.
Claims21
A method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- forming a patterned resist layer over a hard mask layer using an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process, the hard mask layer being disposed over a substrate;
- patterning, using the patterned resist layer as an etch mask, the hard mask layer to form a feature from the hard mask layer;
- and
- subsequently smoothing the feature formed from the hard mask layer by
- forming, using a first atomic layer etch step, a first layer by converting a first portion of the feature formed from the hard mask layer, and
- removing, using a second atomic layer etch step, the first layer.
A method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- forming a patterned resist layer over a hard mask layer using an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process, the hard mask layer being disposed over a substrate;
- patterning the hard mask layer using the patterned resist layer as an etch mask;
- and
- in a plasma process chamber, executing a self-limiting atomic layer etch process to modify the hard mask layer, the self-limiting atomic layer etch process comprising:
- converting a first portion of the hard mask layer to a first layer,
- purging the plasma process chamber of gas chemistries used for converting the first portion of the hard mask layer to the first layer,
- removing the first layer, and
- after forming the first layer by converting the first portion of the hard mask layer and removing the first layer:
- forming a second layer by converting a second portion of the hard mask layer, and
- removing the second layer.
(canceled)
A method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- forming a patterned resist layer over a hard mask layer using an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process, the hard mask layer being disposed over a substrate;
- patterning, using the patterned resist layer as an etch mask, the hard mask layer to form a feature from the hard mask layer;
- and
- subsequently performing a cyclic process to modify the feature formed from the hard mask layer, the cyclic process comprising:
- forming, using a first atomic layer etch step, a layer by converting a portion of the feature formed from the hard mask layer, and
- removing, using a second atomic layer etch step, the layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.