Method and system for etching high-k dielectric materials
US7781340B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 5, 2007 |
| Grant date | Aug 24, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 1, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10D64/68
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and a method to remove a layer of high-k dielectric material during the manufacturing of an integrated circuit. In one embodiment of the invention, an etch reactant is employed to form volatile etch products when reacted with high-k layers. Alternately, high-k layers can be anisotropically etched of in accordance with a patterned photoresist or hard mask, where a hyperthermal beam of neutral atoms is used to aid in the reaction of an etch reactant with a high-k layer. Alternately, a hyperthermal beam of neutral atoms or a plasma treatment can used to modify a high-k layer, and subsequently etch the modified high-k layer utilizing an etch reactant that reacts with the modified high-k layer. In still another embodiment of the invention, the hyperthermal beam of neutral atoms is used to etch a high-k layer through physical bombardment of the high-k layer.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.