Etching reactants and plasma-free etching processes using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10648087-B2
Application number	US-201615774892-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 1, 2016
Priority date	Nov 10, 2015
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed are processes of removing layers from substrates using fluorinated reactants having the formula MF x (adduct) n , wherein x ranges from 2 to 6 inclusive; n ranges from 0 to 5 inclusive; M is selected from the group consisting of P, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Mo, and W; and the adduct is a neutral organic molecule selected from THF, dimethylether, diethylether, glyme, diglyme, triglyme, polyglyme, dimethylsulphide, diethylsulphide, or methylcyanide. The fluorinated reactants dry etch the nitride layers without utilizing any plasma.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of removing layers from a substrate using a fluorinated reactant comprising the steps of: (a) introducing a vapor of the fluorinated reactant into a reactor having a substrate disposed therein, the substrate having a layer thereon, and (b) etching at least part of the layer from the substrate, the fluorinated reactant selected from the group consisting of VF 5 , NbF 5 , MoF 6 , NbF 5 (SEt), and NbF 4 (SEt) 2 .

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a silicon wafer, silicon oxide, stainless steel, aluminum nitride, or aluminum oxide.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the layer is a metal layer, further comprising (c) oxidizing or nitridizing the metal layer prior to step (a) introducing the vapor of the fluorinated reactant.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the metal layer is selected from the group consisting of a tungsten layer, a molybdenum layer, a tantalum layer, a niobium layer, a vanadium layer, a hafnium layer, a zirconium layer, a titanium layer, and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising repeating steps (c), (a), and (b).

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, or a silicon wafer and the layer is selected from the group consisting of titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, vanadium oxide, niobium oxide, tantalum oxide, molybdenum oxide, tungsten oxide, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorinated reactant is NbF 5 .

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorinated reactant is VF 5 .

9. A dry etching method for selectively etching a layer from a substrate by reacting a vapor of a fluorinated reactant with the layer to form volatile fluorinated species, the fluorinated reactant selected from the group consisting of VF 5 , NbF 5 , MoF 6 , NbF 5 (SEt), and NbF 4 (SEt) 2 .

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the substrate is stainless steel, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, a silicon wafer, or aluminum nitride.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the layer is a metal layer, further comprising oxidizing or nitridizing the metal layer prior to reacting the vapor of the fluorinated reactant with the layer.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the metal layer is selected from the group consisting of a tungsten layer, a molybdenum layer, a tantalum layer, a niobium layer, a vanadium layer, a hafnium layer, a zirconium layer, a titanium layer, and combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising repeating the oxidizing or nitridizing and reacting steps.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the substrate is silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, or a silicon wafer and the layer is selected from the group consisting of titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, vanadium oxide, niobium oxide, tantalum oxide, molybdenum oxide, tungsten oxide, and combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the fluorinated reactant is NbF 5 .

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the fluorinated reactant is VF 5 .

Assignees

• Air Liquide
• Lansalot Matras Clement
• Lee Jooho
• Girard Jean Marc
• Blasco Nicolas
• Gatineau Satoko
• Lair Liquide Soc Pour Lexploitation Et Letude Des Procedes Georges Claude

Inventors

• Lansalot-Matras Clément
• Lee Jooho
• Girard Jean-Marc
• Blasco Nicolas
• Gatineau Satoko

Classifications

• H10P14/6316

  Formation by nitridation, e.g. nitridation of the substrate · CPC title

• H10P14/6314

  of a metallic layer · CPC title

• H10P72/0421

  for drying etching · CPC title

• H10P50/285

  of materials not containing Si, e.g. PZT or Al2O3 · CPC title

• H10P50/283

  by chemical means · CPC title