Method for high aspect ratio photoresist removal in pure reducing plasma

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11107693-B2
Application number	US-201916587439-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2019
Priority date	Jul 16, 2012
Publication date	Aug 31, 2021
Grant date	Aug 31, 2021

Abstract

A method for removing photoresist, an oxidation layer, or both from a semiconductor substrate is disclosed. The method includes placing a substrate in a processing chamber, the processing chamber separate from a plasma chamber for generating a non-oxidizing plasma to be used in treating the substrate; generating a first non-oxidizing plasma from a first reactant gas and a first carrier gas in the plasma chamber, wherein the first non-oxidizing plasma comprises from about 10% to about 40% of the first reactant gas, wherein the first reactant gas has a flow rate of from about 100 standard cubic centimeters per minute to about 15,000 standard cubic centimeters per minute, and wherein the first carrier gas has a flow rate of from about 500 standard cubic centimeters per minute to about 20,000 standard cubic centimeters per minute; and treating the substrate by exposing the substrate to the first non-oxidizing plasma in the processing chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for processing a substrate comprising a TiN liner having holes with an aspect ratio of at least 50 and a photoresist layer, the method comprising:
placing the substrate in a processing chamber, the processing chamber located downstream from a plasma chamber;
generating a first non-oxidizing plasma from a first process gas in the plasma chamber, the first process gas comprising a first carrier gas and a first reactant gas, wherein the first process gas comprises from about 10% to about 40% of the first reactant gas, wherein the first reactant gas comprises NH 3 and the first carrier gas comprises N 2 ;
exposing the substrate to species of the first non-oxidizing plasma in the processing chamber to implement a strip process for removal of at least a portion of the photoresist layer;
generating a second non-oxidizing plasma from a second process gas in the plasma chamber, the second process gas comprising a second carrier gas and a second reactant gas, wherein the second process gas comprises from about 10% to about 40% of the second reactant gas, wherein the second reactant gas comprises H 2 and the second carrier gas comprises Ar;
exposing the substrate to species of the second non-oxidizing plasma in the processing chamber to implement a post-strip treatment process on the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first process gas comprises about 20% of the first reactant gas.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second process gas comprises about 20% of the second reactant gas.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma chamber comprises a dielectric sidewall.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein an induction coil is disposed adjacent the dielectric sidewall.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is carried out at a source power ranging from about 0.4 kilowatts to about 13.5 kilowatts.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is carried out at a pressure ranging from about 100 milliTorr to about 4000 milliTorr.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is treated at a temperature ranging from about 150° C. to about 350° C.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is treated by exposing the substrate to the species of the first non-oxidizing plasma for a time period ranging from about 10 seconds to about 180 seconds.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate has a diameter of from about 100 millimeters to about 500 millimeters.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the strip process comprises a photoresist removal process.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the species of the first non-oxidizing plasma comprise neutral particles and the species of the second non-oxidizing plasma comprise neutral particles.

Assignees

• Beijing E Town Semiconductor Tech Co Ltd
• Mattson Tech Inc

Inventors

• Diao Li
• Elliston Robert George
• Gilbert David
• Lee Chan-Yun
• Paris James
• Phanvu Haiau
• Tillery Tom
• Vaniapura Vijay Matthew

Classifications

• H10P70/27 Primary

  during, before or after processing of conductive materials, e.g. polysilicon or amorphous silicon layers · CPC title

• H10P50/287 Primary

  by chemical means · CPC title

• H10P50/242 Primary

  of Group IV materials · CPC title

• H01J37/32449

  Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow · CPC title

• H01J2237/334

  Etching · CPC title