Method and apparatus for patterning a metal layer
AssigneeVLSI Technology, Inc.
InventorCalvin T. Gabriel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides both method and apparatus for patterning a metal layer through a mask layer. A substrate or wafer having a metal layer covered by a mask layer is first placed into a chamber for processing. An etch plasma is then created over the substrate by applying energy into the chamber with an RF energy source while a gas flow is supplied into the chamber. The gas flow preferably includes chloroform and chlorine in a predetermined ratio of flow rates. By application of the process and the means for performing the process, optimal sidewall profiles for both dense and isolated metal lines can be achieved on a single die in a single process step. Specifically, dense metal lines are etched with vertical sidewalls and isolated metal lines are etched with sloped sidewalls.
Claims15
A process for patterning a metal layer through a mask, the metal layer being provided over a substrate, the process comprising the steps of:
- creating a flow of at least CHCl.sub.3 and Cl.sub.2 into a process chamber;
- creating an etch plasma from said flow;
- and
- exposing the metal layer to the etch plasma through the mask to etch a desired sidewall profile pattern into said metal layer, the desired sidewall profile pattern includes spatially dense lines and spatially isolated lines that are spaced substantially farther apart than the spatially dense lines, and wherein said dense lines have vertical sidewalls and said isolated lines have outwardly sloping sidewalls.
A process for patterning a metal layer provided over a substrate, the process comprising the steps of:
- forming a mask layer over a metal layer, said mask layer having a first region with spatially dense lines and a second region with spatially isolated lines;
- placing the substrate in a chamber;
- creating a gas flow into the chamber including CHCl.sub.3 and Cl.sub.2 ;
- and
- applying energy to the gas flow to create an etch plasma such that the metal layer is exposed to the etch plasma through the mask, wherein the etch plasma etches said spatially dense lines to create vertical sidewalls on said spatially dense lines, and etches said spatially isolated lines to create outwardly sloping sidewalls on said spatially isolated lines.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.