Molecular layer etching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11257682-B2
Application number	US-201916588176-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2019
Priority date	Sep 30, 2019
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

A method of etching an organic or hybrid inorganic/organic material. The method etches molecular layer deposition coatings. An etching cycle comprises a first half reaction exposing the coating to a precursor. A second half reaction exposes a second precursor, removing or etching a portion of the coating.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of etching an organic/inorganic hybrid coating on a inorganic substrate, comprising:
performing an etching cycle comprising:
a first half reaction exposing a first etching precursor comprising a gaseous lithium precursor to the coating on the substrate at a first half reaction temperature, the coating being selected from the group consisting of an organic coating and an organic-inorganic coating; and
a second half reaction exposing a second etching precursor, which comprises trimethylaluminum, to the coating at a second half reaction temperature; and

removing a portion of the organic/inorganic coating;
wherein the first etching precursor is selected from the group consisting of lithium tert-butoxide (LiO t Bu) and lithium hexamethyldisilizane (LiHMDS), and
wherein performing the etching cycle does not comprise flowing water to react with the first etching precursor or the second etching precursor.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first half reaction temperature and the second half reaction temperature are between 150° C. and 300° C.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organic/inorganic coating is a metalcone.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the metalcone is alucone.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic substrate is Al 2 O 3 .

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the removing is at a rate of 4-40 Angstrom/cycle.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is nonreactive with the first etching precursor and the second etching precursor.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gaseous lithium precursor and the second etching precursor are non-reactive with the substrate.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the etching is at an etching temperature of 150° C. to 300° C.

10. A method of forming an object comprising:
performing an alucone deposition cycle comprising:
exposing a first deposition precursor to the substrate,
exposing a second deposition precursor to the substrate, and
repeating the deposition cycle N times, forming an alucone coating on the substrate;

performing an etching cycle comprising:
a first half reaction exposing a first etching precursor comprising a lithium precursor to the alucone coating on the substrate, and
a second half reaction exposing a second etching precursor, which comprises an organometallic, to the alucone coating; and

removing a portion of the alucone coating;
wherein the first etching precursor is selected from the group consisting of lithium tert-butoxide (LiO t Bu) and lithium hexamethyldisilizane (LiHMDS), and
wherein performing the etching cycle does not comprise flowing water to react with the first etching precursor or the second etching precursor.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first half reaction temperature and the second half reaction temperature are between 150° C. and 300° C.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the inorganic substrate is Al 2 O 3 .

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the removing is at a rate of 4-40 Angstrom/cycle.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the substrate is nonreactive with the first etching precursor and the second etching precursor.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first etching precursor and the organometallic are non-reactive with the substrate.

Assignees

• Uchicago Argonne Llc

Inventors

• Young Matthias John
• Letourneau Steven Payonk
• Choudhury Devika
• Elam Jeffrey W
• Yanguas-Gil Angel
• Mane Anil U

Classifications

• H10P76/403

  for lift-off processes · CPC title

• H10P76/202

  for lift-off processes · CPC title

• H10P50/287

  by chemical means · CPC title

• H10P14/69391

  the material containing aluminium, e.g. Al2O3 · CPC title

• H10P14/6339

  deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE or pulsed CVD · CPC title