Patent · US Active

Atomic layer etch methods and hardware for patterning applications

US9997371B1 · kind B1 · utility

36Cited by

18References

16Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Lam Research Corporation · US

Inventors

Pulkit Agarwal · Beaverton, US
Purushottam Kumar · Hillsboro, US
Adrien LaVoie · Newberg, US

Key dates

Filing date	Apr 28, 2017
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Apr 28, 2037

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH01L21/31116
WIPO fieldOptics
WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for patterning carbon-containing material over a layer to be etched are provided herein. Methods involve trimming carbon-containing material by atomic layer etching including exposing the carbon-containing material to an oxygen-containing gas without a plasma to modify a surface of the carbon-containing material and exposing the carbon-containing material to an inert gas and igniting a plasma to remove the modified surface of the carbon-containing material. Methods may be used for multiple patterning techniques such as double and quad patterning. Methods also include depositing a conformal film over a carbon-containing material patterned using atomic layer etching without breaking vacuum.

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