Sidewall passivation for plasma etching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12334354-B2
Application number	US-202217590084-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2022
Priority date	Feb 1, 2022
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

Exemplary semiconductor processing methods may include depositing a boron-containing material on the substrate. The boron-containing material may extend along sidewalls of the one or more features in the substrate. The methods may include forming a plasma of an oxygen-containing precursor and contacting the substrate with plasma effluents of the oxygen-containing precursor. The contacting may etch a portion of the one or more features in the substrate. The contacting may oxidize the boron-containing material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A semiconductor processing method comprising:
depositing a boron-containing material on a substrate, wherein a carbon-containing mask is disposed along at least a portion of the substrate, wherein a patterned silicon-containing material is disposed along the carbon-containing mask, and wherein the boron-containing material extends along sidewalls of one or more features in the carbon-containing mask;
forming a plasma of an oxygen-containing precursor; and
contacting the substrate with plasma effluents of the oxygen-containing precursor, wherein the contacting etches a portion of the one or more features in the carbon-containing mask, and wherein the contacting oxidizes the boron-containing material.

2. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein:
the oxygen-containing precursor comprises diatomic oxygen.

3. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein:
a temperature is maintained at less than or about 50° C. while contacting the substrate with plasma effluents of the oxygen-containing precursor and while depositing the boron-containing material on the substrate.

4. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein:
a pressure is maintained between about 5 mTorr and about 100 mTorr while contacting the substrate with plasma effluents of the oxygen-containing precursor and while depositing the boron-containing material on the substrate.

5. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming a plasma of a boron-containing precursor.

6. The semiconductor processing method of claim 5 , wherein:
the plasma of the oxygen-containing precursor is generated at a plasma power of greater than or about 3,000 W.

7. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , further comprising:
depositing a second amount of boron-containing material on the substrate, wherein the second amount of boron-containing material extends further along sidewalls of the one or features in the carbon-containing mask.

8. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing a boron-containing precursor, wherein the boron-containing precursor comprises boron trichloride.

9. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing a fluorine-containing precursor; and
treating a silicon-containing material disposed along at least a portion of the substrate with the fluorine-containing precursor, wherein treating the silicon-containing material with the fluorine-containing precursor maintains openings defined in the silicon-containing material.

10. The semiconductor processing method of claim 9 , wherein:
the fluorine-containing precursor comprises an organohalide.

11. A semiconductor processing method comprising:
i) etching one or more features in a substrate disposed within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber with plasma effluents of an oxygen-containing precursor;
ii) depositing a boron-containing material on the substrate, wherein the boron-containing material extends along at least a portion of the one or more features in the substrate; and
repeating operations i and ii to iteratively etch the one or more features in the substrate, wherein a temperature within the semiconductor processing chamber is maintained at less than or about −5° C. while performing operations i and ii.

12. The semiconductor processing method of claim 11 , wherein:
the boron-containing material comprises a boron-and-oxygen-containing material.

13. The semiconductor processing method of claim 11 , wherein:
a silicon-containing material is formed along at least a portion of the substrate during the etching; and
the method further comprises iii) treating the silicon-containing material with a fluorine-containing precursor, wherein treating the silicon-containing material with the fluorine-containing precursor maintains openings defined in the substrate.

14. The semiconductor processing method of claim 13 , wherein:
operations i) through iii) are repeated at least three times, and wherein the boron-containing material is deposited for a total period of time of less than or about 60 seconds.

15. A semiconductor processing method comprising:
flowing an oxygen-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the oxygen-containing precursor comprises diatomic oxygen, wherein a substrate is disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber;
forming a plasma of the oxygen-containing precursor within the processing region;
contacting the substrate with plasma effluents of the oxygen-containing precursor, wherein the contacting etches a first portion of one or more features in the substrate;
flowing a boron-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber;
depositing a boron-containing material on a substrate, wherein the boron-containing material extends along at least a portion of one or more features in the substrate, and wherein the boron-containing material comprises oxygen;
flowing an oxygen-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber;
forming a plasma of the oxygen-containing precursor within the processing region; and
contacting the substrate with plasma effluents of the oxygen-containing precursor, wherein the contacting etches a second portion of the one or more features in the substrate, and wherein the contacting oxidizes the boron-containing material, wherein a temperature within the semiconductor processing chamber is maintained at less than or about −5° C.

16. The semiconductor processing method of claim 15 , wherein:
a flow rate of the boron-containing precursor is between about 50 sccm and about 500 sccm.

17. The semiconductor processing method of claim 15 , wherein:
the boron-containing precursor is flowed to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber without a carrier gas.

18. The semiconductor processing method of claim 15 , further comprising:
forming a plasma of the boron-containing precursor, wherein the plasma of the oxygen-containing precursor is generated at a higher plasma power than the plasma of the boron-containing precursor.

19. The semiconductor processing method of claim 15 , further comprising:
providing a fluorine-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the fluorine-containing precursor comprises carbon; and
treating a silicon-containing mask disposed along at least a portion of the substrate with the fluorine-containing precursor, wherein treating the silicon-containing mask with the fluorine-containing precursor maintains openings defined in the silicon-containing mask.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Yao Zhonghua
• Fu Qian
• Eppler Aaron
• Srinivasan Mukund

Classifications

• H10P14/6923

  the material being boron or phosphorus doped silicon oxides, e.g. BPSG, BSG or PSG · CPC title

• H10P14/668

  the materials being characterised by the deposition precursor materials · CPC title

• H10P50/242 Primary

  of Group IV materials · CPC title

• C23C16/56

  After-treatment · CPC title

• C23C16/38

  Borides · CPC title