US 7,547,637 B2 · Methods for patterning a semiconductor film

Abstract

A method of patterning a semiconductor film is described. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a hard mask material is formed on a silicon film having a global crystal orientation wherein the semiconductor film has a first crystal plane and second crystal plane, wherein the first crystal plane is denser than the second crystal plane and wherein the hard mask is formed on the second crystal plane. Next, the hard mask and semiconductor film are patterned into a hard mask covered semiconductor structure. The hard mask covered semiconductor structured is then exposed to a wet etch process which has sufficient chemical strength to etch the second crystal plane but insufficient chemical strength to etch the first crystal plane.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A method of patterning a monocrystalline silicon film comprising:

forming a hard mask on a monocrystalline silicon film;
etching said monocrystalline silicon film in alignment with said hard mask to form a monocrystalline silicon structure with a top surface and a pair of laterally opposite sidewalls, said monocrystalline silicon structure covered with said hard mask;
and
exposing, to etch away a portion of said monocrystalline silicon structure, said monocrystalline silicon structure covered with said hard mask to a wet chemical etchant comprising water and less than 1% by volume NH4OH, wherein said wet chemical etchant is self-limiting so that it stops on the first total intact <111> crystalline plane of said monocrystalline silicon structure.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

11/158,661Filed 21 Jun 2005

Published

US 2007/0001173 A14 Jan 2007

Granted

16 Jun 2009

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

H10D 30/6212
Fin field-effect transistors [FinFET]: having fin-shaped semiconductor bodies having non-rectangular cross-sections
H10D 30/024
Of FETs having insulated gates [IGFET]: of fin field-effect transistors [FinFET]
H10D 62/117
Shapes, relative sizes or dispositions of the regions of the semiconductor bodies; Shapes of the semiconductor bodies: shapes of semiconductor bodies
H10D 62/40
Semiconductor bodies, or regions thereof, of devices having potential barriers: crystalline structures

Methods for patterning a semiconductor film

Life of this patent

Methods for patterning a semiconductor film

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims8