Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025132164-A1
Application number	US-202218685668-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 15, 2022
Priority date	Aug 24, 2021
Publication date	Apr 24, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A technique enabling wet etching of a first silicon oxide film with high selectivity with respect to a metal film and a second silicon oxide film is provided. A substrate processing method of wet-etching a substrate having a stacked structure including a metal film, a first silicon oxide film, and a second silicon oxide film having a moisture content lower than that of the first silicon oxide film is provided. The substrate processing method includes performing an etching while increasing etching selectivity of the first silicon oxide film with respect to the second silicon oxide film and the metal film by supplying an etching liquid, which is prepared by diluting sulfuric acid, hydrogen peroxide and hydrofluoric acid in an anhydrous organic solvent, to the substrate such that the metal film, the first silicon oxide film, and the second silicon oxide film are simultaneously exposed to the etching liquid.

First claim

1 . A substrate processing method of wet-etching a substrate having a stacked structure including a metal film, a first silicon oxide film, and a second silicon oxide film having a moisture content lower than that of the first silicon oxide film, the substrate processing method comprising:
performing an etching while increasing etching selectivity of the first silicon oxide film with respect to the second silicon oxide film and the metal film by supplying an etching liquid, which is prepared by diluting sulfuric acid, hydrogen peroxide and hydrofluoric acid in an anhydrous organic solvent, to the substrate such that the metal film, the first silicon oxide film, and the second silicon oxide film are simultaneously exposed to the etching liquid.

2 . The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
wherein the anhydrous organic solvent is acetic acid, isopropyl alcohol (IPA), ethylene glycol, glycerin, or acetone.

3 . The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
wherein the anhydrous organic solvent is acetic acid or ethylene glycol.

4 . The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
wherein the metal film is a tungsten film, the first silicon oxide film is boro-phospho silicate glass (BPSG), and the second silicon oxide film is tetraethoxy silane (TEOS).

5 . The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
wherein polymer attached to a surface of the stacked structure exposed to the etching liquid is removed all at once by the etching liquid.

6 . The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
wherein a temperature of the etching liquid is within a range from a room temperature to 80° C.

7 . The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
wherein the etching selectivity of the first silicon oxide film with respect to the second silicon oxide film is larger than 4.

8 . The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
wherein an etching rate of the metal film is less than 10 Å/min (angstrom per minute).

9 . The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
wherein the etching liquid contains 0.01 wt % to 15 wt % of sulfuric acid, 0.1 wt % to 10 wt % of hydrogen peroxide, and 0.005 wt % to 1 wt % of hydrofluoric acid, and a rest of the etching liquid is composed of the anhydrous organic solvent, and moisture contained in stock solutions of the sulfuric acid, the hydrofluoric acid, and the hydrogen peroxide.

10 . The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
wherein the etching liquid contains 1 wt % to 15 wt % of sulfuric acid, 0.2 wt % to 2 wt % of hydrogen peroxide, and 0.005 wt % to 0.5 wt % of hydrofluoric acid, and a rest of the etching liquid is composed of the anhydrous organic solvent, and moisture contained in stock solutions of the sulfuric acid, the hydrofluoric acid, and the hydrogen peroxide.

11 . The substrate processing method of claim 1 ,
wherein the stacked structure as a target of the wet-etching includes the metal film made of tungsten as a lowest layer, the first silicon oxide film made of boro-phospho silicate glass (BPSG) formed on the metal film, and the second silicon oxide film made of tetraethoxy silane (TEOS) formed on the first silicon oxide film, and the stacked structure is provided with a trench extending continuously in a stacking direction from a top of the stacked structure to a surface of the metal film.

12 . The substrate processing method of claim 11 ,
wherein the stacked structure includes a silicon nitride film between the metal film and the first silicon oxide film and between the first silicon oxide film and the second silicon oxide film.

13 . The substrate processing method of claim 12 ,
wherein the stacked structure includes a silicon nitride film provided directly on the second silicon oxide film and a hard mask layer provided directly on the silicon nitride film, the stacked structure has the trench formed by performing dry etching with the hard mask layer as an etching mask, polymer generated by the dry etching is attached to an inner wall surface of the trench, and the polymer is removed by the etching liquid.

14 . The substrate processing method of claim 13 ,
wherein the etching liquid contains 0.01 wt % to 15 wt % of sulfuric acid, 0.1 wt % to 10 wt % of hydrogen peroxide, and 0.005 wt % to 1 wt % of hydrofluoric acid, and a rest of the etching liquid is composed of the anhydrous organic solvent, and moisture contained in stock solutions of the sulfuric acid, the hydrofluoric acid, and the hydrogen peroxide.

15 . The substrate processing method of claim 14 ,
wherein the anhydrous organic solvent is acetic acid, isopropyl alcohol (IPA), ethylene glycol, glycerin, or acetone.

16 . The substrate processing method of claim 14 ,
wherein the anhydrous organic solvent is acetic acid or ethylene glycol.

17 . The substrate processing method of claim 13 ,
wherein the etching liquid contains 1 wt % to 15 wt % of sulfuric acid, 0.2 wt % to 2 wt % of hydrogen peroxide, and 0.005 wt % to 0.5 wt % of hydrofluoric acid, and a rest of the etching liquid is composed of the anhydrous organic solvent, and moisture contained in stock solutions of the sulfuric acid, the hydrofluoric acid, and the hydrogen peroxide.

18 . The substrate processing method of claim 17 ,
wherein the anhydrous organic solvent is acetic acid, isopropyl alcohol (IPA), ethylene glycol, glycerin, or acetone.

19 . The substrate processing method of claim 17 ,
wherein the anhydrous organic solvent is acetic acid or ethylene glycol.

20 . A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate; an etching liquid supply configured to supply an etching liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holder; and a controller configured to perform a substrate processing method as claimed in claim 1 by controlling an operation of the substrate processing apparatus.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Kagawa Koji

Classifications

• H10P72/0424

  using mainly spraying means, e.g. nozzles · CPC title

• H10P50/73 Primary

  using masks for insulating materials · CPC title

• H10P50/283 Primary

  by chemical means · CPC title

• H10P50/667

  by liquid etching only · CPC title

• H10P50/00

  Etching of wafers, substrates or parts of devices · CPC title