Patent · US Active

Cleaning high aspect ratio vias

US9576788B2 · kind B2 · utility

97Cited by
5References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 24, 2015
Grant dateFeb 21, 2017
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 30, 2035

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/32137
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of removing an amorphous silicon/silicon oxide film stack from vias is described. The method may involve a remote plasma comprising fluorine and a local plasma comprising fluorine and a nitrogen-and-hydrogen-containing precursor unexcited in the remote plasma to remove the silicon oxide. The method may then involve a local plasma of inert species to potentially remove any thin carbon layer (leftover from the photoresist) and to treat the amorphous silicon layer in preparation for removal. The method may then involve removal of the treated amorphous silicon layer with several options possibly within the same substrate processing region. The bottom of the vias may then possess exposed single crystal silicon which is conducive to epitaxial single crystal silicon film growth. The methods presented herein may be particularly well suited for 3d NAND (e.g. VNAND) device formation.

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