Scanned angled etching apparatus and techniques providing separate co-linear radicals and ions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12106936-B2
Application number	US-202318214355-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2023
Priority date	Dec 17, 2018
Publication date	Oct 1, 2024
Grant date	Oct 1, 2024

Abstract

A system may include a substrate stage, configured to support a substrate, where a main surface of the substrate defines a substrate plane. The system may include an ion source, including an extraction assembly that is oriented to direct an ion beam to the substrate along a trajectory defining a non-zero angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to the substrate plane. The system may include a radical source oriented to direct a radical beam to the substrate along a trajectory defining the non-zero angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to the substrate plane. The substrate stage may be further configured to scan the substrate along a first direction, lying with the substrate plane, while the main surface of the substrate is oriented within the substrate plane.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a substrate stage, configured to support a substrate, wherein a main surface of the substrate defines a substrate plane;
an ion source, the ion source comprising an extraction assembly, the extraction assembly oriented to direct an ion beam comprising ion flux to the substrate along a trajectory defining a non-zero angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to the substrate plane; and
a radical source, the radical source oriented to direct a radical beam comprising radical flux to the substrate, wherein the substrate stage is further configured to scan the substrate along a first direction, the first direction lying with the substrate plane, while the main surface of the substrate is oriented within the substrate plane, wherein the radical flux is displaced along the first direction with respect to the ion flux at the substrate plane.

2. The system of claim 1 , the ion source comprising a first plasma source, and the radical source comprising a second plasma source.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a neutralizing source, disposed between the ion source and the substrate stage, the neutralizing source arranged to direct electrons to the ion beam.

4. The system of claim 1 , the ion source comprising an extraction assembly, wherein the extraction assembly further comprises a plurality of extraction electrodes.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of extraction electrodes are staggered from one another along the first direction.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of extraction electrodes are elongated along a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the radical source comprises a nozzle, elongated along a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the nozzle comprises a plurality of partitions along the second direction.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ion beam comprises a divergent ion beam and the radical beam comprises a divergent radical beam, wherein an ion flux density of the divergent ion beam and a radical flux density of the divergent radical beam are uniform across the substrate.

10. A method of treating a substrate, comprising:
providing the substrate on a substrate stage, wherein a main surface of the substrate defines a substrate plane;
directing an ion beam comprising ion flux to the substrate along a trajectory defining a non-zero angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to the substrate plane;
directing a radical beam comprising radical flux to the substrate; and
scanning the substrate along a first direction, the first direction lying with the substrate plane, while the main surface of the substrate is oriented within the substrate plane, wherein the radical flux is displaced along the first direction with respect to the ion flux at the substrate plane.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the directing the ion beam comprises extracting the ion beam from an ion source through an extraction assembly, wherein the extraction assembly further comprises a plurality of extraction electrodes, and wherein the plurality of extraction electrodes are staggered from one another along the first direction.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of extraction electrodes are elongated along a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the radical beam is extracted from a radical source, the radical source comprising a nozzle, elongated along a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the nozzle comprises a plurality of partitions along the second direction.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the ion beam comprises a divergent ion beam and the radical beam comprises a divergent radical beam, wherein an ion flux density of the divergent ion beam and a radical flux density of the divergent radical beam are uniform across the substrate.

16. A reactive angled ion beam etching system, comprising:
a substrate stage, arranged to support a substrate and to scan the substrate along a first direction, the first direction lying within a substrate plane, defined by a main surface of the substrate;
a plasma chamber, the plasma chamber comprising an extraction assembly disposed along a side of the plasma chamber, and facing the substrate stage, the extraction assembly comprising a plurality of extraction electrodes, oriented to extract an ion beam comprising ion flux and direct the ion beam along a non-zero angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to the substrate plane; and
a radical source, the radical source oriented to direct a radical beam comprising radical flux toward the substrate, and wherein a given region of the substrate is exposed to the ion beam and the radical beam in a sequential manner when the substrate is scanned along the first direction, wherein the radical flux is displaced along the first direction with respect to the ion flux at the substrate plane.

17. The reactive angled ion beam etching system of claim 16 , further comprising a neutralizing source, disposed between the ion source and the substrate stage, the neutralizing source arranged to direct electrons to the ion beam.

18. The reactive angled ion beam etching system of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of extraction electrodes are staggered from one another along the first direction.

19. The reactive angled ion beam etching system of claim 16 , wherein the radical source comprises a nozzle, wherein the nozzle and the plurality of extraction electrodes are elongated along a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction.

20. The reactive angled ion beam etching system of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of extraction electrodes are configured to generate the ion beam as a divergent ion beam and, wherein the nozzle is configured to generate the radical beam as a divergent radical beam, wherein an ion flux density of the divergent ion beam and a radical flux density of the divergent radical beam are uniform across the substrate.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Kurunczi Peter F
• Evans Morgan
• Olson Joseph C
• Rowland Christopher A
• Buonodono James

Classifications

• H10P50/242

  of Group IV materials · CPC title

• H01J37/3056 Primary

  for microworking, e. g. etching of gratings or trimming of electrical components · CPC title

• H01J2237/20228

  Mechanical X-Y scanning · CPC title

• H01J2237/0041

  Neutralising arrangements · CPC title

• H01J2237/0822

  Multiple sources · CPC title