Selective etching of silicon-containing material relative to metal-doped boron films

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12550651-B2
Application number	US-202318106697-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2023
Priority date	Feb 7, 2023
Publication date	Feb 10, 2026
Grant date	Feb 10, 2026

Abstract

Exemplary semiconductor processing methods may include depositing a metal-doped boron-containing material on a substrate disposed within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The metal-doped boron-containing material may include a metal dopant comprising tungsten. The substrate may include a silicon-containing material. The methods may include depositing one or more additional materials over the metal-doped boron-containing material. The one or more additional materials may include a patterned photoresist material. The methods may include transferring a pattern from the patterned photoresist material to the metal-doped boron-containing material. The methods may include etching the metal-doped boron-containing material with a chlorine-containing precursor. The methods may include etching the silicon-containing material with a fluorine-containing precursor. The metal dopant may enhance an etch rate of the silicon-containing material. The methods may include removing the metal-doped boron-containing material from the substrate with a halogen-containing precursor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A semiconductor processing method comprising:
depositing a metal-doped boron-containing material on a substrate disposed within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the metal-doped boron-containing material comprises a metal dopant comprising tungsten, and wherein the substrate comprises a silicon-containing material; depositing one or more additional materials over the metal-doped boron-containing material, wherein the one or more additional materials comprise a patterned photoresist material; transferring a pattern from the patterned photoresist material to the metal-doped boron-containing material; etching the metal-doped boron-containing material with a chlorine-containing precursor; etching the silicon-containing material with a fluorine-containing precursor, wherein the metal dopant enhances an etch rate of the silicon-containing material; and removing the metal-doped boron-containing material from the substrate with a halogen-containing precursor.

2 . The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein a metal dopant concentration within the metal-doped boron-containing material is maintained at less than or about 80 at. %.

3 . The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additional materials comprise:
an oxide hardmask deposited over the metal-doped boron-containing material; a carbon hardmask deposited over the oxide hardmask; and one or more anti-reflective coatings deposited over the carbon hardmask, wherein the patterned photoresist material overlies the one or more anti-reflective coatings.

4 . The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein the chlorine-containing precursor comprises diatomic chlorine (Cl 2 ).

5 . The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , further comprising:
during etching of the metal-doped boron-containing material, applying a plasma power to the processing region.

6 . The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , further comprising:
during etching of the metal-doped boron-containing material, intermittently delivering a silicon-containing precursor and an oxygen-containing precursor to form a passivation material on sidewalls of the metal-doped boron-containing material.

7 . The semiconductor processing method of claim 6 , wherein:
the silicon-containing precursor comprises silicon tetrachloride (SiCl 4 ); or the oxygen-containing precursor comprises molecular oxygen (O 2 ).

8 . The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorine-containing precursor comprises a fluorocarbon.

9 . The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein the metal dopant facilitates fluorine radical formation during etching of the silicon-containing material.

10 . The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein the halogen-containing precursor comprises diatomic chlorine (Cl 2 ) or hydrogen bromide (HBr).

11 . A semiconductor processing method comprising:
depositing a metal-doped boron-containing material over a silicon-containing material overlying a substrate disposed within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the metal-doped boron-containing material comprises a metal; delivering a fluorine-containing precursor and an oxygen-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber; forming a plasma of the fluorine-containing precursor and the oxygen-containing precursor within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber; and etching the silicon-containing material, wherein the etching removes a portion of the metal-doped boron-containing material, and wherein the metal increases an etch rate of the silicon-containing material.

12 . The semiconductor processing method of claim 11 , wherein the metal-doped boron-containing material further comprises one or more of tungsten, molybdenum, titanium, aluminum, cobalt, ruthenium, tantalum, hafnium, zirconium, silicon, carbon, or nitrogen.

13 . The semiconductor processing method of claim 11 , wherein the metal-doped boron-containing material further comprises tungsten.

14 . The semiconductor processing method of claim 11 , further comprising:
depositing a photoresist material over the metal-doped boron-containing material; patterning the photoresist material; and transferring a pattern from the patterned photoresist material to the metal-doped boron-containing material.

15 . The semiconductor processing method of claim 11 , wherein the fluorine-containing precursor comprises a fluorocarbon, and wherein the fluorine-containing precursor passivates sidewalls of the metal-doped boron-containing material.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Wang Han
• Yang Yu
• Zhang Jing
• Aydin Aykut
• Li Guoqing
• Zhong Guangyan
• Cheng Rui
• Lee Gene H
• Guggilla Srinivas
• Heo Sinae
• Venkatasubramanian Eswaranand
• Mallick Abhijit Basu
• Janakiraman Karthik

Classifications

• H10P76/4085

  characterised by the processes involved to create the masks · CPC title

• H10P76/405

  characterised by their composition, e.g. multilayer masks · CPC title

• H10P76/2043

  using an anti-reflective coating · CPC title

• H10P50/73 Primary

  using masks for insulating materials · CPC title

• H10P50/71

  using masks for conductive or resistive materials · CPC title