US 11,721,558 B2
Designer atomic layer etching
Keren Jacobs Kanarik, Los Altos, CA (US)
Assigned to Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
Filed by Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 6, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/457,909.
Application 17/457,909 is a division of application No. 16/717,385, filed on Dec. 17, 2019, granted, now 11,239,094.
Application 16/717,385 is a continuation of application No. 15/841,205, filed on Dec. 13, 2017, granted, now 10,566,212, issued on Feb. 18, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/532,916, filed on Jul. 14, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/436,286, filed on Dec. 19, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2022/0093413 A1, Mar. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. H01L 21/321 (2006.01); H01L 21/3213 (2006.01); H01L 21/02 (2006.01); H01L 21/311 (2006.01); H01L 21/3065 (2006.01); H01L 21/67 (2006.01); H01L 21/306 (2006.01); H01J 37/32 (2006.01); H01L 21/683 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/32136 (2013.01) [H01J 37/32715 (2013.01); H01J 37/32724 (2013.01); H01L 21/0228 (2013.01); H01L 21/02274 (2013.01); H01L 21/3065 (2013.01); H01L 21/30621 (2013.01); H01L 21/31116 (2013.01); H01L 21/31122 (2013.01); H01L 21/32138 (2013.01); H01L 21/67063 (2013.01); H01L 21/67069 (2013.01); H01L 21/67103 (2013.01); H01L 21/67207 (2013.01); H01L 21/67259 (2013.01); H01L 21/6831 (2013.01); H01J 2237/2001 (2013.01); H01J 2237/3341 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
a process chamber comprising a showerhead and a substrate support for holding the substrate having a material,
a plasma generator, and
a controller having at least one processor and a memory,
wherein the at least one processor and the memory are communicatively connected with one another,
the at least one processor is at least operatively connected with flow-control hardware, and
the memory stores machine-readable instructions for:
causing identification of process conditions for an atomic layer etching process of the material using a modification gas and a removal gas; and
causing performance of the atomic layer etching process on the material on the substrate by:
causing introduction of the modification gas to modify a surface of the material, the modification gas having a modification energy and a desorption energy with respect to the material to be etched, and
causing introduction of the removal gas and generation of a plasma to remove the modified surface,
wherein the modification energy is less than the desorption energy, and the desorption energy is less than a surface binding energy of the material;
wherein the identification of the process conditions comprises causing selection of a substrate temperature for introduction of the modification gas, wherein an ion energy provided by the substrate temperature is between the modification energy and the desorption energy; and
further comprising wherein the material has a surface binding energy greater than about 6 eV, and wherein the machine-readable instructions further comprises causing of setting the substrate at a temperature to provide an ion energy between the modification energy and the desorption energy prior to the causing performance of the atomic layer etching process.