# US 2025/0096006 A1 · Etching method and plasma processing apparatus

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- Number: US 2025/0096006 A1
- Document ID: US20250096006A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/964,049
- Filed: 2024-11-29
- Published: 2025-03-20
- Earliest claimed: 2022-06-08
- Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Inventors: Rin SASAKI; Masanori HOSOYA; Yuki CHIBA; Shun ITOH; Daisuke NISHIDE; Takatoshi ORUI; Yuto SAITO
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250096006A1

## CPC

- H10P 50/283: {by chemical means}
- H01J 37/3053: {for evaporating or etching}
- H01J 37/32091: {the radio frequency energy being capacitively coupled to the plasma}
- H01J 37/32449: {Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow}
- H10P 14/60: of insulating materials
- H10P 50/242: {of Group IV materials}
- H10P 50/285: {of materials not containing Si, e.g. PZT or Al2O3}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)

## Abstract

A disclosed etching method includes (a) preparing a substrate in a chamber, (b) forming a deposit on the substrate, (c) supplying ions from a plasma generated from the process gas to the deposit to modify the deposit, and (d) etching the dielectric film by using a plasma after (c). The substrate includes a dielectric film and a mask. The deposit is supplied from a plasma generated from a process gas containing a gas component containing fluorine and carbon. A power level of a source radio frequency power in (c) is not higher than a power level of the source radio frequency power in (b). An electric bias has a level in (c) higher than a level of the electric bias in (b), or is not supplied in (b). A level of the electric bias in (d) is higher than the level of the electric bias in (c).

## Claims

### Claim 1

An etching method comprising:
(a) preparing a substrate on a substrate support in a chamber of a plasma processing apparatus, the substrate including a dielectric film containing silicon and oxygen and a metal hard mask provided on the dielectric film;
(b) forming a deposit on the substrate, the deposit being supplied from a plasma generated from a process gas containing a gas component containing fluorine and carbon in the chamber;
(c) supplying ions from a plasma generated from the process gas to the deposit to modify the deposit; and
(d) etching the dielectric film by using a plasma generated in the chamber after the (c), wherein
a power level of a source radio frequency power used to generate the plasma from the process gas in the (c) is equal to or lower than a power level of the source radio frequency power used to generate the plasma from the process gas in the (b),
a level of an electric bias supplied to the substrate support in the (c) is higher than a level of the electric bias supplied to the substrate support in the (b), or the electric bias is not supplied to the substrate support in the (b), and
a level of the electric bias supplied to the substrate support in the (d) is higher than the level of the electric bias supplied to the substrate support in the (c).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The etching method according to claim 1, wherein energy of the ions supplied to the deposit in the (c) is higher than energy of ions supplied to the substrate in the (b).

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The etching method according to claim 1, wherein the process gas used in the (b) and the (c) is used to generate the plasma used in the (d).

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The etching method according to claim 1, further comprising:
(e) generating a plasma from the process gas in the chamber after the (a) and before the (b),
wherein a power level of the source radio frequency power used to generate the plasma from the process gas in the (e) is higher than the power level of the source radio frequency power used to generate the plasma from the process gas in each of the (b) and the (c).

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The etching method according to claim 1, wherein a cycle including (b), (c), and (d) is repeated.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The etching method according to claim 5, wherein
the cycle further includes (e) generating a plasma from the process gas in the chamber before the (b), and
a power level of the source radio frequency power used to generate the plasma from the process gas in the (e) is higher than the power level of the source radio frequency power used to generate the plasma from the process gas in each of the (b) and the (c).

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The etching method according to claim 5, wherein
the cycle further includes (f) discharging a reaction product generated in the (d) from the chamber after the (d), and
the plasma is not generated in the chamber in the (f).

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The etching method according to claim 1, wherein the metal hard mask contains at least one metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, tungsten, molybdenum, and ruthenium.

### Claim 9

A plasma processing apparatus comprising:
a chamber;
a substrate support provided in the chamber;
a gas supply configured to supply a gas into the chamber;
a radio frequency power supply configured to supply a source radio frequency power to generate a plasma in the chamber;
a bias power supply configured to supply an electric bias to the substrate support; and
a controller configured to control the gas supply, the radio frequency power supply, and the bias power supply, wherein
the controller is configured to, in a state where a substrate including a dielectric film containing silicon and oxygen and a metal hard mask on the dielectric film is placed on the substrate support,
control the gas supply and the radio frequency power supply to generate a plasma from a process gas containing a gas component containing fluorine and carbon in the chamber to form a deposit on the substrate in a first operation,
control the gas supply, the radio frequency power supply, and the bias power supply to supply ions from a plasma generated from the process gas to the deposit to modify the deposit in a second operation, and
control the gas supply, the radio frequency power supply, and the bias power supply to etch the dielectric film by using a plasma generated in the chamber in a third operation after the deposit has been modified, and
the controller is configured to
set a power level of the source radio frequency power used to generate the plasma from the process gas in the second operation to a level equal to or lower than a power level of the source radio frequency power used to generate the plasma from the process gas in the first operation,
set a level of the electric bias supplied to the substrate support in the second operation to a level higher than a level of the electric bias supplied to the substrate support in the first operation, or not supply the electric bias to the substrate support in the first operation, and
set a level of the electric bias supplied to the substrate support in the third operation to a level higher than the level of the electric bias supplied to the substrate support in the second operation.

### Claim 10

An etching method comprising:
(a) preparing a substrate on a substrate support in a chamber of a plasma processing apparatus, the substrate including a film and a mask provided on the film;
(b) repeating a first cycle including
(b1) forming a deposit on the substrate, the deposit being supplied to the substrate from a plasma generated from a process gas having a deposit property in the chamber, and
(b2) supplying ions from a plasma to the deposit to modify the deposit; and
(c) etching the film by using a plasma generated in the chamber, wherein
a second cycle including the (b) and the (c) is repeated,
a power level of a source radio frequency power used to generate the plasma in a period during which the (b1) is performed in the first cycle is higher than a power level of the source radio frequency power in a period during which the (b2) is performed in the first cycle,
a level of an electric bias supplied to the substrate support to attract the ions into the substrate in the period during which the (b2) is performed in the first cycle is higher than a level of the electric bias supplied to the substrate support in the period during which the (b1) is performed in the first cycle, or the electric bias is not supplied to the substrate support in the (b1), and
a level of the electric bias supplied to the substrate support in the (c) is higher than the level of the electric bias supplied to the substrate support in the (b2).

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The etching method according to claim 10, wherein energy of the ions supplied to the deposit in the (b2) is higher than energy of ions supplied to the substrate in the (b1).

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The etching method according to claim 10, wherein the second cycle further includes (d) generating a plasma from the process gas in the chamber before the (b).

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The etching method according to claim 12, wherein a power level of the source radio frequency power supplied to generate the plasma from the process gas in the chamber in the (d) is higher than the power level of the source radio frequency power used in the first cycle.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The etching method according to claim 10, wherein the first cycle further includes (d) generating the plasma from the process gas in the chamber before the (b1).

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The etching method according to claim 10, wherein
the second cycle further includes (e) discharging a reaction product generated in the (c) from the chamber after the (c), and
the plasma is not generated in the chamber in the (e).

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The etching method according to claim 10, wherein
the second cycle further includes (g) stopping supply of the electric bias for attracting the ions into the substrate in a state where the source radio frequency power for generating the plasma in the chamber is supplied, and
the (g) is performed at least any one of before or after the (c).

### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The etching method according to claim 10, wherein the plasma generated in the (b2) is generated from a process gas that is the same as the process gas used in the (b1).

### Claim 18 (depends on 10)

The etching method according to claim 10, wherein the plasma generated in the (c) is generated from a process gas that is the same as the process gas used in the (b1).

### Claim 19 (depends on 10)

The etching method according to claim 10, wherein the level of the electric bias supplied to the substrate support in the (c) increases stepwise or continuously.