Etch enhancement via controlled introduction of chamber contaminants

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016133441-A1
Application number	US-201414535997-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 7, 2014
Priority date	Nov 7, 2014
Publication date	May 12, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments of methods for removing materials from a substrate are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of controlling contaminants in a process chamber may include flowing a first gas into the process chamber during an interval between completion of a process and start of a subsequent process in the process chamber to remove the contaminants from the process chamber; and flowing a second gas into the process chamber at a specific flow rate during the subsequent process to generate a same species as the contaminants.

First claim

1 . A method of controlling contaminants in a process chamber, comprising:
flowing a first gas into the process chamber during an interval between completion of a process and start of a subsequent process in the process chamber to remove the contaminants from the process chamber; and flowing a second gas into the process chamber at a specific flow rate during the subsequent process to generate a same species as the contaminants.

2 . The method claim 1 , wherein the process and the subsequent process are each two-phase processes having similar first stages and similar second stages.

3 . The method claim 2 , wherein the second gas is flowed into the process chamber during a first phase of the subsequent process.

4 . The method claim 2 , wherein the first phase of each two-phase process includes a treatment phase in which a material disposed on a substrate is modified.

5 . The method claim 4 , wherein the treatment phase modifies topmost molecular layers of the material.

6 . The method claim 4 , wherein the treatment phase includes plasma based surface activation of topmost molecular layers of the material.

7 . The method claim 4 , wherein a second phase of each two-phase process includes selective removal of one of the modified material or unmodified material disposed on the substrate.

8 . The method claim 1 , wherein the first gas includes argon or helium.

9 . The method claim 1 , wherein the first gas is flowed at 1000 sccm for 10 to 30 seconds.

10 . The method claim 1 , wherein the second gas is at least one of nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3 ), ammonia (NH 3 ), or hydrogen (H 2 ).

11 . The method claim 1 , wherein the specific flow rate of the second gas is at least about 0.10% and at most about 4%.

12 . A method of selectively removing material disposed on a substrate using a process chamber, comprising:
(a) carrying out a plasma based surface activation phase in the process chamber to modify topmost layers of a material disposed on the substrate; (b) carrying out a selective removal phase to selectively remove the modified topmost layers of the material disposed on the substrate or unmodified material disposed on the substrate; (c) flowing a first gas into the process chamber during an interval between completion of the selective removal phase and start of a subsequent plasma based surface activation phase in the process chamber to remove contaminants from the process chamber; (d) carrying out the subsequent plasma based surface activation phase in the process chamber to further modify the material disposed on the substrate while flowing a second gas into the process chamber at a specific flow rate to generate a same species as the contaminants; (e) carrying out another selective removal phase in the process chamber to either selectively remove the further modified material or selectively remove further unmodified disposed on the substrate; and repeating (c), (d), and (e) until a desired amount of the modified material or the unmodified material is removed.

13 . A method of controlling selective removal of material disposed on a substrate using a process chamber, comprising:
(a) treating a material disposed on the substrate in the process chamber; (b) introducing a first gas and ammonia (NH 3 ) into the chamber during activation of a plasma; and (c) selectively removing the treated material or unmodified material disposed on the substrate in the process chamber using the plasma.

14 . The method claim 13 , wherein the first gas includes argon.

15 . The method claim 13 , wherein the first gas is introduced into the chamber at a 2000 sccm flow rate.

16 . The method claim 13 , wherein the NH 3 is introduced into the chamber at a 10 sccm flow rate.

17 . The method claim 13 , wherein inner walls of the process chamber are bare aluminum.

18 . The method claim 13 , wherein treating the material modifies topmost layers of the material.

19 . The method claim 13 , wherein treating the material includes plasma based surface activation of topmost layers of the material.

20 . The method claim 13 , further comprising
repeating (a), (b), and (c) until a desired amount of the treated material or the unmodified material is removed.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Germain Jonathan
• Pender Jeremiah T P
• Toh Shi Wei
• Or David T

Classifications

• C23C16/455

  characterised by the method used for introducing gases into reaction chamber or for modifying gas flows in reaction chamber · CPC title

• C23C16/50

  using electric discharges {(generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34)} · CPC title

• H01J37/3244 Primary

  Gas supply means · CPC title

• H01J37/32009

  Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources (plasma generation in general H05H1/24) · CPC title

• C23C16/4404

  Coatings or surface treatment on the inside of the reaction chamber or on parts thereof · CPC title