Etching process for films of aluminum or its alloys
AssigneeSony Corporation
InventorKeiji Shinohara
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Abstract
A process for etching an aluminum-based film disposed on a substrate is disclosed in which two specific different gases are used. One contains a hydrogen-donating gas in a volume of 10 to 99% and serves to etch and pattern the film until the substrate exposes to view, and the other is an oxidation-imparting gas for use in protecting the resulting pattern at its side walls. Over etching is attained without pattern defects.
Claims10
A process for etching an aluminum-based film of a composite structure including a substrate with a barrier layer and the aluminum-based film being on the barrier layer, said process comprising the steps of:
- (a) etching and patterning said aluminum-based film by using a plasma with a gaseous mixture until the barrier layer of said substrate is exposed, said gaseous mixture containing a hydrogen-donating gas in an amount of 10 to 99% by volume;
- (b) then forming a protective film at two opposite sides walls of the resulting pattern by supplying an oxidation-imparting gas to the plasma;
- and
- (c) then over-etching the barrier layer with said hydrogen-donating gas.
A process for etching an aluminum-based film of a composite structure including a substrate with a barrier layer, the aluminum-based film being on the barrier layer and a refraction inhibiting layer being on the aluminum-based film, said process comprising the steps of etching and patterning the refraction inhibiting layer and the underlying aluminum base film by using a plasma with a gaseous mixture until the barrier layer of the substrate is exposed, said gaseous mixture containing a hydrogen-donating gas in the amount of 10 to 99% by volume;
- then forming a protective film on each of the exposed side walls of the etched aluminum-based film by supplying a gas consisting of oxidation imparting material to the plasma;
- and then subsequently over-etching the barrier layer with said hydrogen-donating gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.