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PLASMA AIDED DIELECTRIC ETCHING

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Plasma etching is a dry etching method. ... ( John L. Vossen, Aerner Kern, Thin Film Processes II, Academic Press Inc.) Reactive gas etching ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: PLASMA AIDED DIELECTRIC ETCHING


1
PLASMA AIDED DIELECTRIC ETCHING
  • Guoyun Tian
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Auburn University
  • February 21, 2001

2
Outline
  • Introduction
  • Components for Dielectric Etching
  • Evaluation of Etching Processes
  • Etch Gases
  • Highly Anisotropic Etching
  • Isotropic and Anisotropic Etching

3
Introduction
  • Plasma etching is a dry etching method.
  • It overcomes problems such as contamination,
    waste disposal caused by wet chemical etching.
  • It can result in highly anisotropic etching.
  • A desired etch feature can be achieved by a
    combination of isotropic and anisotropic etching.
  • High etch rate and selectivity can be achieved by
    manipulating the etch gas mixtures.

4
Categories of Dry Etching Methods( John L.
Vossen, Aerner Kern, Thin Film Processes II,
Academic Press Inc.)
Laser assisted etching
Reactive gas etching
Dry etching
Ion beam methods
Beam methods
Glow discharge methods
Down stream etching
Ion milling
Reactive ion beam etching
ECR etching
Sputter etching RIE
Barrel
Ion beam assisted chem. etch.
Parallel plate plasma etching
Etching mainly by reactive neutrals

Pressure range 0.2 2 Torr 0.01 - 0.2
Torr 0.1 - 1Torr 10-4-10-3
Torr 10-4-10-1 Torr
Energy of ion
bombard Low High
Minimal
High, but adjustable
5
Components of Dielectric Etching
  • Power Supply RF and/or MW
  • Etch Gases Halogen-containing gases.
    Fluorocarbon gases are preferred
  • Dielectric Materials oxides, nitrides, polymers,
    low-k dielectrics etc.
  • Chamber Systems

6
Evaluation of Etching Processes
  • Uniformity
  • Selectivity
  • Etching Rate

7
Uniformity
  • Gas Flow location (the relative position of gas
    inlet and pumping port has to be optimized for
    the given reactor geometry) rate (at certain
    minimum level with respect to the desired etch
    rate)
  • Bulls Eye Effect corresponding appearance of
    interference colors of reflectivity on an
    incompletely etched wafer because the relative
    reactivity of wafer surface with respect to
    electrode.
  • Edge Effect wafer should be placed far away from
    the edges of electrode. Edge effect results in
    non-uniformity by changing sheath thickness as
    well as varying angles of incidence.
  • Loading Effect use dummy wafer increase flow
    rate promoting wall reaction

8
Selectivity
  • Carbon Blocking The increased selectivity is
    mainly due to carbon-containing species
    originating in the fluorocarbon glow discharges
    and accumulating on the surface. Using gas
    mixtures with H2 to form HF to prevent reactions
    with carbonaceous species Using gas mixtures
    with higher C/F ratio Using a scavenger for
    fluorine such as third silicon electrode or
    silicon-containing gas to form volatile
    silicon-fluorine compounds that can be removed.
  • Volatility Materials that form volatile
    compounds in a glow discharge etch much faster
    than the materials that are converted to
    involatile compounds, such as etching
    photoresist on Si, SiO2, Al in a O2 plasma.
  • Thermodynamics Etch processes with large
    negative free energy of reaction ?H are usually
    much faster, such as Al etches much faster than
    SiO2 in a Cl2 plasma.

9
Etching Rate
  • Gas Flow Rate Etching rate first increases with
    gas flow rate, reaches maximum, and then
    decreases.
  • Gas Additives Add gases such as O2 to react with
    free radicals in the fluorocarbon gas system to
    release fluorine and increase etch rate.

10
Etching Gas Systems
  • Straight-chain low fluorocarbon gas system such
    as CHF3, CF4/O2, CF4/NF3, or CHF3/CF4/He
  • Straight-chain higher fluorocarbon gas system
    such as C2F6, C3F8, C4F10, or C4F8
  • Cyclic high fluorocarbon system saturated
    fluorocarbon compound c-CnF2n such as c- C3F6, or
    c- C4F8 and non-saturated fluorocarbon compound
    c-CnFy (ylt2n-2) such as c-C3F3 or c-C4F6. The
    schematic view of c- C3F6 and c-C4F6, F entered
    at the center of a carbon ring indicates that the
    hydrogen atoms of each of the hydrocarbon
    compounds having the same carbon skeletons are
    unanimously substituted by fluorine atoms.

c- C3F6 all bond saturated
c-C4F6 containing one unsaturated bond
11
Highly Anisotropic Etching
Silicon Nitride
Patterned Photoresist
Remote and In-situ Plasma Etching
Oxide
After Remote Plasma Etching
Lowenstein, U.S. Patent 4857140(1989) Method for
Etching Silicon Nitride
12
Etching Equipment
Wafer carrier
Electrode
Process chamber
Etchant Fluorine source C2F6, NF3, CHF3, and SF6
with He, H2
Gas distributor
Pipe from remote plasma to chamber
Second gas distributor
Remote plasma generator (MW)
Electrode (RF)
H2 bypass can increase selectivity but will
reduce the etch rate to the directly passing
through the generator
In-situ plasma combining with remote plasma
increase etching rate
Vacuum pump
13
Cyclic high fluorocarbon system to Form Contact
Hole in SiO2
Yanagida, U.S. Patent 5338399 (1994) Dry Etching
Method
Patterned resist
Dielectric
Substrate
Diffusion layer
c- C4F8 vs C3F8 Resist selectivity 3.5 vs
1.5 Silicon selectivity 7.2 vs 3.9
c-C4F6 vs c- C4F8 Resist selectivity4 vs
3.5 Silicon selectivity 12 vs 7.2 Higher C/F
ratio
The C3F8 and c- C4F8 mixed gas composed mainly
straight chain C3F8 were also used to achieve
high etching rate and high selectivity. RF with 2
MHz frequency and Magnetic strength field about
150 Gauss. The proper gas pressure and flow rate
were used.
14
Selective Etching of Oxide over Nitride
Third electrode
Matching network
Gas inlet
Antenna tuned to resonance for inductively
coupling
Top wall
Chamber housing
Plasma source
Side wall(anode)
Substrate processing
Bottom wall
Substrate support electrode (cathode)
Vacuum system
Pressure 5 mtorr 50 mtorr, Etchant CF4, C2F6,
C3F8
Reduce the amount of fluorine in the plasma so
that reducing the decomposition of ploymer to
increase the selectivity
Marks et al. U.S. Patent 5423945
(1995) Selectivity for Etching an Oxide over a
Nitride
15
Combination of Isotropic and Anisotropic Etching
Contact hole
Patterned PR
Oxide
Sloped walls
Ploy-crystalline Si
Etchants Isotropic carbon tetrafluoride(CF4),
and/or ammonium trifluoride(NF3) mixed with O2
Anisotriopic carbon tetrafluoride mixed with
trifluoromethane and argon or helium or nitrogen.
As the etching proceeds, the content of fluorine
atoms is adjusted to in favor of the formation of
free radicals and ions with simultaneously
reducing the spacing of electrode.
Generating contact holes with beveled sidewalls
in intermediate oxide layer, PN4764245 (1988)
16
Continued
PatternPR
Dielectric
Substrate
Underlayer(Polisilicon, diffusion or conductive
layer)
The low L/V ratios and ? angles dont allow the
uniform filling of the etched features, resulting
in formation of overhangs at the edges and
corners of the etched features. Voids and gaps
can be formed during the following deposition.
Preferred L/V ratio is 0.6-1.4, average ? angles
of less than about 90C.
Passivating deposit
17
Preferred Equipment for Etching Special Feature
Shape
Impedance matching to plasma zone
Microwave applicator
Plasma zone
Gas distributor
Process zone
Substrate
Merry et al., U.S. Patent 6015761 (2000)
Microwave-activated etching of dielectric
layers,
18
Processes for fabricating complex sidewalls
  • Process gas composition and process conditions
    to etch features having particular shape depend
    on the composition of dielectric layer.
  • Process gases comprises (i) fluorocarbon gases
    (all those straight chain gases and/or their
    mixtures) for providing fluroride-containing
    dissociated species that etch the dielectric
    layer. (ii) inorganic fluorinated gases (NF3,
    SF6, HF), that enhances dissociation of the
    flurocarbon gas, and/or reduces the recombination
    of dissociated fluorine-containing species during
    transport of plasma.(iii) O2 for controlling the
    the amount of passivating deposits formed on the
    substrate to provide highly isotropic etching.
    Their volumetric flow ratio are primary factors
    in controlling the shape of etched features
  • The recombination of dissociated species F to
    non- dissociated F2 results in slower dielectric
    etching rates and reduced the isotropic etching.
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