Patent · US Active

Methods of removing a material layer from a substrate using water vapor treatment

US9653327B2 · kind B2 · utility

1Cited by
63References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 8, 2011
Grant dateMay 16, 2017
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 30, 2034

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/76814
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention generally relate to methods of removing and/or cleaning a substrate surface having different material layers disposed thereon using water vapor plasma treatment. In one embodiment, a method for cleaning a surface of a substrate includes positioning a substrate into a processing chamber, the substrate having a dielectric layer disposed thereon forming openings on the substrate, exposing the dielectric layer disposed on the substrate to water vapor supplied into the chamber to form a plasma in the water vapor, maintaining a process pressure in the chamber at between about 1 Torr and about 120 Torr, and cleaning the contact structure formed on the substrate.

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