# US 2026/0100337 A1 · Plasma etching method

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- Number: US 2026/0100337 A1
- Document ID: US20260100337A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 19/115,375
- Filed: 2023-10-04
- Published: 2026-04-09
- Earliest claimed: 2022-12-15
- Assignees: Ajouuniversity Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation
- Applicants: Ajouuniversity Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation
- Inventors: Chang-Koo KIM; Sang Hyun YOU
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20260100337A1

## CPC

- H01J 37/32449: {Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow}
- C09K 13/00: Etching, surface-brightening or pickling compositions (for glass C03C15/00, {C03C25/66; for mortars, concrete, artificial or natural stone or ceramics C04B41/5338}; for metallic material C23F, C23G1/00, C25F1/00; {for semi-conductors H10P52/40})
- H01J 37/32: Gas-filled discharge tubes (heating by discharge H05B)
- H10P 50/28: of insulating materials
- H10P 50/283: {by chemical means}
- H01J 2237/334: Etching
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)
- C09K: MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

Disclosed is a plasma etching method. The method may include a first step of vaporizing liquid heptafluoroisopropyl methyl ether (HFE-347mmy) and liquid pentafluoropropanol (PFP); a second step of supplying a discharge gas containing the vaporized HFE-347mmy, the vaporized PFP, and argon gas to a plasma chamber in which an etching target is disposed; and a third step of discharging the discharge gas to generate plasma and of plasma-etching the etching target using the generated plasma.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A plasma etching method comprising:
a first step of vaporizing liquid heptafluoroisopropyl methyl ether (HFE-347mmy) and liquid pentafluoropropanol (PFP);
a second step of supplying a discharge gas containing the vaporized HFE-347mmy, the vaporized PFP, and argon gas to a plasma chamber in which an etching target is disposed; and
a third step of discharging the discharge gas to generate plasma and of plasma-etching the etching target using the generated plasma.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The plasma etching method of claim 1, wherein in order to vaporize the liquid HFE-347mmy and the liquid PFP and then supply the vaporized HFE-347mmy and the vaporized PFP to the plasma chamber,
a first container receiving the liquid HFE-347mmy therein is heated to a first temperature higher than or equal to a boiling point of the HFE-347mmy, and a first connection pipe connecting the first container and the plasma chamber to each other is heated to a second temperature higher than the first temperature, and
a second container receiving the liquid PFP therein is heated to a third temperature higher than or equal to a boiling point of the PFP, and a second connection pipe connecting the second container and the plasma chamber to each other is heated to a fourth temperature higher than the third temperature.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The plasma etching method of claim 1, wherein a ratio of a flow rate of HFE-347mmy to a sum of flow rates of HFE-347mmy and PFP in the discharge gas is in a range of 10% to 90%.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The plasma etching method of claim 3, wherein a ratio of the sum of the flow rates of the HFE-347mmy and the PFP and a flow rate of the argon gas is in a range of 1:1 to 1:3.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The plasma etching method of claim 1, wherein a bias voltage applied to a substrate supporting the etching target thereon in the plasma chamber is in a range of −800 V to −400 V.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The plasma etching method of claim 1, wherein the etching target is a silicon nitride film or a silicon oxide film.