Carbon mask deposition
AssigneeLam Research Corporation
InventorsDaniela ANJOS RIGSBY, Kapu Sirish REDDY, Todd SCHROEDER
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Examples are disclosed that relate to depositing a carbon mask to thicken a partially etched mask. One example provides a method comprising forming a mask layer on a substrate, and etching the substrate to partially form one or more etched features, the etching of the substrate also causing etching of the mask layer. The method further comprises, after etching a portion of the one or more etched features but before completing etching of the one or more etched features, depositing, by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), a carbon mask over the mask layer.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- forming a mask layer on a substrate;
- etching the substrate to partially form one or more etched features, the etching of the substrate also causing etching of the mask layer;
- and
- after etching a portion of the one or more etched features and partially etching the mask layer, depositing, by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), a carbon mask over the mask layer.
A method, comprising:
- obtaining a substrate comprising one or more etched features and a partially etched mask layer;
- and
- exposing the substrate to a plasma comprising a carbon-containing compound and an inert gas to deposit a carbon mask over the partially etched mask layer without use of a patterning step.
A processing tool, comprising:
- a processing chamber;
- a substrate support disposed within the processing chamber;
- a substrate heater disposed within the processing chamber;
- a showerhead disposed within the processing chamber;
- a radiofrequency power supply configured to supply radiofrequency power to the showerhead or the support;
- flow control hardware configured to control gas flow from a carbon-containing compound source and an inert gas source into the processing chamber through the showerhead;
- and
- a controller operatively coupled to the flow control hardware and the substrate heater, the controller configured to
- operate the substrate heater to heat a substrate disposed in the processing chamber,
- operate the flow control hardware to introduce a carbon-containing compound gas from the carbon-containing compound source into the processing chamber,
- operate the flow control hardware to introduce an inert gas from the inert gas source into the processing chamber;
- and
- operate the radiofrequency power supply to supply a lower frequency radiofrequency energy component and a higher frequency radiofrequency energy component to form a plasma comprising the carbon-containing compound gas and the inert gas to grow a carbon mask on a partially etched mask without use of a patterning step, the lower frequency radio frequency energy component comprising a lower frequency than the higher frequency radiofrequency energy component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.