Peroxide-vapor treatment for enhancing photoresist-strip performance and modifying organic films

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9514954-B2
Application number	US-201414301155-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2014
Priority date	Jun 10, 2014
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for treating an organic film such as photoresist with a hydroxyl-generating compound prior to removing the organic film from a substrate are provided. Treatments include exposure to one or more of hydrogen peroxide vapor and water vapor in a non-plasma environment. In some implementations, conditions are such that condensation on the surface is suppressed. Methods include treating high-dose ion-implantation photoresists and post-plasma doping photoresists with little or no material loss and permit mild plasma removal of the photoresist after treatment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of removing an organic film from a substrate, comprising:
exposing the organic film to hydrogen peroxide vapor to modify the organic film under non-plasma conditions at a chamber pressure between 0.6 Torr and 760 Torr; and
after exposing the organic film to the hydrogen peroxide vapor, exposing the organic film to a plasma to remove the organic film.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma is substantially fluorine-free.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate further comprises one or more exposed surfaces having no organic film thereon, and wherein the exposure results in substantially no material loss from the one or more exposed surfaces.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the exposure chemically or physically modifies the organic film.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organic film comprises photoresist comprising bulk photoresist encapsulated by a crust, and wherein the crust has properties different from the bulk photoresist.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the photoresist is an ion-implanted photoresist.

7. A method of removing an organic film on a semiconductor substrate, comprising:
exposing a substrate with the organic film thereon to one or more hydroxyl-generating gases under conditions that prevent condensation of the one or more hydroxyl-generating gases to generate hydroxyl groups that chemically or physically modify the organic film and thereby treat the organic film,
wherein the exposure is performed prior to removing the organic film,
wherein the exposure is performed at a chamber pressure between about 0.6 Torr and about 760 Torr, and
wherein the exposure is performed in a non-plasma environment.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the organic film is photoresist.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the one or more hydroxyl-generating gases comprise hydrogen peroxide vapor.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the one or more hydroxyl-generating gases comprise water vapor.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the one or more hydroxyl-generating gases comprise hydrogen peroxide vapor and water vapor.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising, after treating the organic film, exposing the substrate to a plasma to thereby remove the organic film.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the plasma is substantially fluorine-free.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the plasma is generated from forming gas.

15. The method of claim 8 , wherein the substrate having the photoresist thereon further comprises one or more exposed surfaces having no photoresist thereon, and wherein the exposure results in substantially no material loss from the one or more exposed surfaces.

16. The method of claim 7 , further comprising exposing the one or more hydroxyl-generating gases to ultra-violet radiation.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the one or more hydroxyl-generating gases are exposed to ultra-violet radiation in a chamber housing the substrate.

18. The method of claim 8 , wherein the photoresist comprises bulk photoresist encapsulated by a crust, and wherein the crust has properties different from the bulk photoresist.

19. The method of claim 8 , wherein the photoresist is an ion-implanted photoresist.

20. The method of claim 7 , wherein the partial pressure of the one or more hydroxyl-generating gases is between about 225 ppm and about 10000 ppm.

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Thedjoisworo Bayu Atmaja
• Jacobs Bradley Jon
• Berry Ivan
• Cheung David

Classifications

• H10P72/0421

  for drying etching · CPC title

• H10P50/287 Primary

  by chemical means · CPC title

• H01L21/67069

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L21/31138 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic