Patent · US Expired

Method of etching titanium nitride

US6531404B1 · kind B1 · utility

26Cited by
7References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 4, 2000
Grant dateMar 11, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 4, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/32136
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The present disclosure pertains to a method of plasma etching a titanium nitride layer within a semiconductor structure. In many embodiments of the method, the titanium nitride layer is etched using a source gas comprising chlorine and a fluorocarbon. Also disclosed herein is a two-step method of plasma etching a titanium nitride gate consisting of a main etch step, followed by an overetch step which utilizes a source gas comprising chlorine and a bromine-containing compound, to etch a portion of the titanium nitride layer which was not etched in the main etch step. The chlorine/bromine overetch chemistry can be used in conjunction with a chlorine/fluorocarbon main etch chemistry, or with any other titanium nitride etch chemistry known in the art.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.