Plasma-free metal etch

US9472417B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Nitin K. Ingle · San Jose, US
• Jessica S. Kachian · Portland, US
• Lin Xu · Fremont, US
• Soonam Park · Sunnyvale, US
• Xikun Wang · Sunnyvale, US
• Jeffrey W. Anthis · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 14, 2014
• Grant date: Oct 18, 2016
• Expiry date: Oct 14, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01J2237/3341
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Methods of selectively etching metal-containing materials from the surface of a substrate are described. The etch selectively removes metal-containing materials relative to silicon-containing films such as silicon, polysilicon, silicon oxide, silicon germanium, silicon carbide, silicon carbon nitride and/or silicon nitride. The methods include exposing metal-containing materials to halogen containing species in a substrate processing region. No plasma excites the halogen-containing precursor either remotely or locally in embodiments.