Methods for polymer removal following etch-stop layer etch
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsPatricia Beauregard Smith, Heungsoo Park
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Abstract
Cleaning methods are disclosed for removing sidewall polymers from interconnect vias or trenches, wherein a wafer is exposed to a plasma comprising hydrogen and an inert gas in a plasma cleaning chamber following etch-stop etching.
Claims28
A method for creating an interconnect structure associated with a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising:
- forming a cavity in a dielectric layer over the semiconductor wafer to expose a portion of an etch-stop layer underlying the dielectric layer;
- performing an etch-stop etch process to remove the exposed portion of the etch-stop layer in the cavity and to expose a portion of a conductive feature underlying the etch-stop layer;
- and
- removing polymer from sidewalls in the cavity after the etch-stop etch process using a plasma comprising hydrogen or a hydrogen-containing gas and one of argon, helium, neon, and xenon.
A method of removing polymer from a cavity during formation of Interconnect structures in the manufacture of a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising:
- etching an exposed portion of an etch-stop layer in the cavity in a first process chamber to expose a portion of a conductive feature underlying the etch-stop layer;
- and
- removing polymer from sidewalls in the cavity in a second process chamber using a plasma comprising hydrogen and one of the following gases:
- argon, helium, neon, or xenon.
A method of cleaning polymer from a cavity in a dual damascene interconnect structure of a semiconductor wafer, comprising;
- placing the wafer in a plasma cleaning chamber;
- and
- exposing the wafer to a plasma comprising hydrogen or other hydrogen-containing gas and one of argon, helium, neon, and xenon in the plasma cleaning chamber.
A method of cleaning polymer from a cavity in a single damascene interconnect structure of a semiconductor wafer, comprising:
- placing the wafer in a plasma cleaning chamber;
- and
- exposing the wafer to a plasma comprising hydrogen or other hydrogen-containing gas and one of argon, helium, neon, and xenon in the plasma cleaning chamber.
A method of cleaning polymer from a cavity in a semiconductor wafer, comprising:
- performing an etch process which leaves polymeric residue in a cavity in the wafer;
- and
- exposing the wafer to a plasma comprising hydrogen or other hydrogen-containing gas and one of argon, helium, neon, and xenon to remove at least a portion of the polymeric residue from the cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.