US 4,540,466 A · Method of fabricating semiconductor device by dry process utilizing photochemical reaction, and apparatus therefor

Abstract

Photochemical technique is applied, in a unique manner, to the so-called dry process intended for etching a substrate or for deposition thereon in the presence of a gas supplied into a chamber containing the substrate. The interior of this chamber is so structured as to produce a higher pressure gas region and a lower pressure gas region. A beam of light rays is caused to impinge onto the former region to activate the particles of gas. The resulting gas containing the activated particles is fed onto the substrate placed in the latter region as carried through at least one passageway provided between the two regions by the flow of gas caused due to the difference in pressure of gas in these two regions. Thus, the aimed etching or deposition is carried out without damaging the surface of the substrate which would occur by the collision of the otherwise heavily energized particles against the surface of the substrate.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A dry process for fabricating a semiconductor device by utilizing photochemical reactions using a reactant gas fed into a vessel housing therein a semiconductor substrate to perform etching of or deposition onto said substrate, comprising:

establishing, in said vessel, a higher pressure gas first region and an adjacent lower pressure gas second region communicating with said first region by at least one gas passageway formed therebetween to produce a difference in pressure of the gas between the first and second gas regions, causing a flow of said gas from said first region into said second region through said gas passageway;
placing said substrate in a region in said vessel wherein there exsists a low pressure of said gas;
irradiating at least one beam of light rays onto the gas supplied into said first region to activate particles contained in said gas;
and
transporting the resulting activated gas-phase particles from the first region into the second region as they are carried in said flow of gas to be distributed onto said substrate placed in said second region,
whereby performing said etching of or deposition onto the substrate.

3 more elements

An apparatus for performing a dry process utilizing photochemical reactions to perform etching of or deposition onto a semiconductor substrate housed in a vessel supplied with a reactant gas, to fabricate a semiconductor device, comprising:

a vessel;
a first region formed in said vessel wherein the reactant gas supplied is kept at a certain level of pressure;
a second region formed adjacent to said first region in said vessel to be supplied with the gas from said first region through at least one passageway communicating with said first and said second region and to keep this supplied gas at a pressure sufficiently lower than said level of gas in said first region to cause a difference in the pressure of gas between these two regions to thereby produce a flow of gas from the first region into the second region through said gas passageway;
and
light beam generating means provided externally of the vessel to emit at least one beam of light rays to impinge onto the gas fed into said first region to activate gas-phase particles contained in said gas,
whereby allowing the resulting activated gas-phase particles to be carried in said flow of gas to be distributed into said second region onto the substrate placed at a site in the vessel wherein the pressure of the gas is lower that than in the first region to perform said etching of or deposition onto said substrate.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of fabricating semiconductor device by dry process utilizing photochemical reaction, and apparatus therefor

Life of this patent

Method of fabricating semiconductor device by dry process utilizing photochemical reaction, and apparatus therefor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21