公开(公告)号：US12183589B2

公开(公告)日：2024-12-31

申请号：US17302847

申请日：2021-05-13

Applicant: Lam Research Corporation

Inventor： Jengyi Yu ,  Samantha S. H. Tan ,  Seongjun Heo ,  Boris Volosskiy ,  Sivananda Krishnan Kanakasabapathy ,  Richard Wise ,  Yang Pan ,  Hui-Jung Wu

IPC: H01L21/3213 ,  C04B41/53 ,  C04B41/91 ,  C23C16/02 ,  C23C16/34 ,  C23C16/40 ,  C23C16/455 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/033 ,  H01L21/311 ,  H01L21/465 ,  H01L21/467 ,  H01L21/67

Abstract: Tin oxide films are used as mandrels in semiconductor device manufacturing. In one implementation the process starts by patterning a tin oxide layer using at least one of a hydrogen-based etch chemistry and a chlorine-based etch chemistry, and using patterned photoresist as a mask, thereby providing a substrate having a plurality of protruding tin oxide features (mandrels). Next, a conformal layer of spacer material is formed both on the horizontal surfaces and on the sidewalls of the mandrels. The spacer material is then removed from the horizontal surfaces exposing the tin oxide material of the mandrels, without fully removing the spacer material residing at the sidewalls of the mandrels. Next, mandrels are selectively removed (e.g., using hydrogen-based etch chemistry), while leaving the spacer material that resided at the sidewalls of the mandrels. The resulting spacers can be used for patterning underlying layers on the substrate.

公开(公告)号：US11784047B2

公开(公告)日：2023-10-10

申请号：US17302044

申请日：2021-04-22

Applicant: Lam Research Corporation

Inventor： David Charles Smith ,  Richard Wise ,  Arpan Pravin Mahorowala ,  Patrick A. van Cleemput ,  Bart J. van Schravendijk

IPC: H01L21/033 ,  H01L21/3213 ,  C23C16/455 ,  H01L21/311 ,  C23C16/40 ,  H01J37/32 ,  C23C16/56 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/027 ,  H01L21/67

CPC classification number: H01L21/0332 ,  C23C16/407 ,  C23C16/45542 ,  C23C16/45553 ,  C23C16/56 ,  H01J37/32091 ,  H01L21/0228 ,  H01L21/0271 ,  H01L21/02175 ,  H01L21/02274 ,  H01L21/0337 ,  H01L21/31111 ,  H01L21/31122 ,  H01L21/31144 ,  H01L21/32137 ,  H01L21/32139 ,  H01L21/67069 ,  H01J37/32862 ,  H01J2237/3321 ,  H01J2237/3341 ,  H01J2237/3342

Abstract: Thin tin oxide films can be used in semiconductor device manufacturing. In one implementation, a method of processing a semiconductor substrate includes: providing a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of protruding features residing on an etch stop layer material, and an exposed tin oxide layer in contact with both the protruding features and the etch stop layer material, where the tin oxide layer covers both sidewalls and horizontal surfaces of the protruding features; and then completely removing the tin oxide layer from horizontal surfaces of the semiconductor substrate without completely removing the tin oxide layer residing at the sidewalls of the protruding features. Next, the protruding features can be removed without completely removing the tin oxide layer that resided at the sidewalls of the protruding features, thereby forming tin oxide spacers.

公开(公告)号：US20230314946A1

公开(公告)日：2023-10-05

申请号：US18005595

申请日：2021-07-16

Applicant: Lam Research Corporation

Inventor： Eric Calvin Hansen ,  Timothy William Weidman ,  Chenghao Wu ,  Qinghuang Lin ,  Kyle Jordan Blakeney ,  Adrien LaVoie ,  Sivananda Krishnan Kanakasabapathy ,  Samantha S.H. Tan ,  Richard Wise ,  Yang Pan ,  Younghee Lee ,  Katie Lynn Nardi ,  Kevin Li Gu ,  Boris Volosskiy

IPC: G03F7/09 ,  G03F7/11 ,  G03F7/20 ,  G03F7/095 ,  G03F7/16 ,  G03F7/004 ,  H01L21/027

CPC classification number: G03F7/094 ,  G03F7/0043 ,  G03F7/095 ,  G03F7/11 ,  G03F7/167 ,  G03F7/2004 ,  H01L21/0274

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a film formed with a metal precursor and an organic precursor, as well as methods for forming and employing such films. The film can be employed as a photopatternable film or a radiation-sensitive film. In particular embodiments, the film includes alternating layers of metal-containing layers and organic layers. In other embodiments, the film includes a matrix of deposited metal and organic constituents.

公开(公告)号：US20230290657A1

公开(公告)日：2023-09-14

申请号：US18184545

申请日：2023-03-15

Applicant: Lam Research Corporation

Inventor： Jengyi Yu ,  Samantha S.H. Tan ,  Mohammed Haroon Alvi ,  Richard Wise ,  Yang Pan ,  Richard Alan Gottscho ,  Adrien LaVoie ,  Sivananda Krishnan Kanakasabapathy ,  Timothy William Weidman ,  Qinghuang Lin ,  Jerome S. Hubacek

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  G03F7/38 ,  G03F7/16 ,  G03F7/004 ,  G03F7/36

CPC classification number: H01L21/67225 ,  G03F7/38 ,  H01L21/67167 ,  G03F7/167 ,  G03F7/0042 ,  G03F7/36

Abstract: Methods for making thin-films on semiconductor substrates, which may be patterned using EUV, include: depositing the organometallic polymer-like material onto the surface of the semiconductor substrate, exposing the surface to EUV to form a pattern, and developing the pattern for later transfer to underlying layers. The depositing operations may be performed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and ALD with a CVD component, such as a discontinuous, ALD-like process in which metal precursors and counter-reactants are separated in either time or space.

公开(公告)号：US20220270877A1

公开(公告)日：2022-08-25

申请号：US17650550

申请日：2022-02-10

Applicant: Lam Research Corporation

Inventor： Jengyi Yu ,  Samantha S.H. Tan ,  Yu Jiang ,  Hui-Jung Wu ,  Richard Wise ,  Yang Pan ,  Nader Shamma ,  Boris Volosskiy

IPC: H01L21/033 ,  H01L21/311 ,  H01L21/027 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/467 ,  H01L21/3065 ,  H01L21/3213 ,  H01L21/465

Abstract: A method of processing a substrate includes: providing a substrate having one or more mandrels comprising a mandrel material, wherein a layer of a spacer material coats horizontal surfaces and sidewalls of the one or more mandrels; and etching and completely removing the layer of the spacer material from the horizontal surfaces of the one or more mandrels and thereby exposing the mandrel material, without completely removing the spacer material residing at the sidewalls of the one or more mandrels. The etching includes exposing the substrate to a plasma formed using a mixture comprising a first gas and a polymer-forming gas, and wherein the etching comprises forming a polymer on the substrate. Polymer-forming gas may include carbon (C) and hydrogen (H).

公开(公告)号：US20220216050A1

公开(公告)日：2022-07-07

申请号：US17594744

申请日：2020-04-14

Applicant: Lam Research Corporation

Inventor： Jengyi Yu ,  Samantha S.H. Tan ,  Liu Yang ,  Chen-Wei Liang ,  Boris Volosskiy ,  Richard Wise ,  Yang Pan ,  Da Li ,  Ge Yuan ,  Andrew Liang

IPC: H01L21/02

Abstract: Provided herein are methods and systems for reducing roughness of an EUV resist and improving etched features. The methods involve descumming an EUV resist, filling divots of the EUV resist, and protecting EUV resists with a cap. The resulting EUV resist has smoother features and increased selectivity to an underlying layer, which improves the quality of etched features. Following etching of the underlying layer, the cap may be removed.

公开(公告)号：US11031245B2

公开(公告)日：2021-06-08

申请号：US15713377

申请日：2017-09-22

Applicant: Lam Research Corporation

Inventor： David Charles Smith ,  Richard Wise ,  Arpan Mahorowala ,  Patrick A. Van Cleemput ,  Bart J. van Schravendijk

IPC: H01L21/033 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/027 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/311 ,  H01L21/3213 ,  C23C16/455 ,  C23C16/40 ,  H01J37/32 ,  C23C16/56

Abstract: Thin tin oxide films are used as spacers in semiconductor device manufacturing. In one implementation, thin tin oxide film is conformally deposited onto a semiconductor substrate having an exposed layer of a first material (e.g., silicon oxide or silicon nitride) and a plurality of protruding features comprising a second material (e.g., silicon or carbon). For example, 10-100 nm thick tin oxide layer can be deposited using atomic layer deposition. Next, tin oxide film is removed from horizontal surfaces, without being completely removed from the sidewalls of the protruding features. Next, the material of protruding features is etched away, leaving tin oxide spacers on the substrate. This is followed by etching the unprotected portions of the first material, without removal of the spacers. Next, underlying layer is etched, and spacers are removed. Tin-containing particles can be removed from processing chambers by converting them to volatile tin hydride.

公开(公告)号：US10685836B2

公开(公告)日：2020-06-16

申请号：US16361083

申请日：2019-03-21

Applicant: Lam Research Corporation

Inventor： Samantha Tan ,  Jengyi Yu ,  Richard Wise ,  Nader Shamma ,  Yang Pan

IPC: H01L21/027 ,  H01L21/3105 ,  B44C1/22 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/3065 ,  H01L21/308 ,  H01L21/311 ,  G03F7/42 ,  H01L21/02

Abstract: Methods of and apparatuses for processing substrates having carbon-containing material using atomic layer etch and selective deposition are provided. Methods involve exposing a carbon-containing material on a substrate to an oxidant and igniting a first plasma to modify a surface of the substrate and exposing the modified surface to a second plasma at a bias power to remove the modified surface. Methods also involve selectively depositing a second carbon-containing material onto the substrate using a precursor having a chemical formula of CxHy, where x and y are integers greater than or equal to 1. ALE and selective deposition may be performed without breaking vacuum.

公开(公告)号：US10438807B2

公开(公告)日：2019-10-08

申请号：US15909814

申请日：2018-03-01

Applicant: Lam Research Corporation

Inventor： Richard Wise ,  Nader Shamma

IPC: H01L21/3065 ,  H01L21/033 ,  H01L21/308 ,  H01L21/31 ,  G03F7/00 ,  G03F7/40 ,  H01L21/027 ,  H01L21/311 ,  H01L21/3213

Abstract: Provided herein are methods and related apparatus to smooth the edges of features patterned using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. In some embodiments, at least one cycle of depositing passivation layer that preferentially collects in crevices of a feature leaving protuberances exposed, and etching the feature to remove the exposed protuberances, thereby smoothing the feature, is performed. The passivation material may preferentially collect in the crevices due to a higher surface to volume ratio in the crevices than in the protuberances. In some embodiments, local critical dimension uniformity (LCDU), a measure of roughness in contact holes, is reduced. In some embodiments, at least one cycle of depositing a thin layer in a plurality of holes formed in photoresist, the holes having different CDs, wherein the thin layer preferentially deposits in the larger CD holes, and anisotropically removing the thin layer to remove it at the bottoms of the holes, is performed.

公开(公告)号：US20190131130A1

公开(公告)日：2019-05-02

申请号：US15799675

申请日：2017-10-31

Applicant: Lam Research Corporation

Inventor： David Charles Smith ,  Richard Wise ,  Arpan Mahorowala ,  Dennis M. Hausmann

IPC: H01L21/033 ,  H01L21/311 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/683 ,  C23F4/00 ,  C23C16/455 ,  C23C16/40 ,  C23C16/52

Abstract: Methods of and apparatuses for processing a metal oxide film are provided. Methods involve (a) exposing the metal oxide film to a boron halide reactant and igniting a first plasma with a first bias power to modify a surface of the metal oxide film, and (b) exposing the modified surface of the metal oxide film to a second plasma at a second bias power and for a duration sufficient to remove the modified surface without sputtering. Methods also involve (c) selectively depositing a metal oxide material on the metal oxide film to fill crevices within the metal oxide film.