US2011056625A1PendingUtilityA1

Electron beam etching device and method

47
Individually held — no corporate assignee on recordPriority: Aug 14, 2006Filed: Nov 12, 2010Published: Mar 10, 2011
Est. expiryAug 14, 2026(~0.1 yrs left)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Neal R. RuegerMark WilliamsonGurtej S. Sandhu
H10P 50/283
47
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Claims

Abstract

Methods and devices for selective etching in a semiconductor process are shown. Chemical species generated in a reaction chamber provide both a selective etching function and concurrently form a protective coating on other regions. An electron beam provides activation to selective chemical species. In one example, reactive species are generated from a halogen and carbon containing gas source. Addition of other gasses to the system can provide functions such as controlling a chemistry in a protective layer during a processing operation.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A semiconductor processing system, comprising:
 a reaction chamber;   an electron beam source to provide an electron beam to a semiconductor surface within the reaction chamber; and   a source of carbon-halogen gas to react with the electron beam to create reactive species.   
     
     
         2 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 1 , further including a beam rastering system and a secondary electron detector to image the surface. 
     
     
         3 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 1 , further including a noble gas source coupled to the reaction chamber. 
     
     
         4 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 1 , further including a scavenger gas source to selectively remove halogen species from the reaction chamber. 
     
     
         5 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 4 , wherein a scavenger gas source includes H 2  gas. 
     
     
         6 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 1 , wherein the source of carbon-halogen gas includes a source of CHF 3  gas. 
     
     
         7 . A semiconductor processing system, comprising:
 a reaction chamber;   an electron beam source to provide an electron beam to a semiconductor surface within the reaction chamber; and   a source of carbon-fluorine gas to react with the electron beam to create reactive species.   
     
     
         8 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 7 , wherein the source of carbon-fluorine gas is a CHF 3  gas source. 
     
     
         9 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 7 , wherein the source of carbon-fluorine gas is a CF 4  gas source. 
     
     
         10 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 7 , wherein the electron beam source operates at a beam energy between approximately 5 eV and 100 eV. 
     
     
         11 . A semiconductor processing system, comprising:
 a reaction chamber;   an electron beam source to provide an electron beam to a semiconductor surface within the reaction chamber;   a source of carbon-halogen gas to react with the electron beam to create reactive species;   an first scavenger gas source to selectively remove carbon species from the reaction chamber; and   a second scavenger gas source to selectively remove halogen species from the reaction chamber.   
     
     
         12 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 11 , wherein the source of carbon-fluorine gas is a CHF 3  gas source. 
     
     
         13 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 11 , wherein the source of carbon-fluorine gas is a CF 4  gas source. 
     
     
         14 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 11 , wherein the first scavenger gas includes oxygen. 
     
     
         15 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 11 , wherein the second scavenger gas includes hydrogen. 
     
     
         16 . A semiconductor processing system, comprising:
 a reaction chamber;   an electron beam source to provide an electron beam to a semiconductor surface within the reaction chamber;   a source of carbon-fluorine gas to react with the electron beam to create reactive species;   a first scavenger gas source to selectively remove halogen species from the reaction chamber;   a noble gas source coupled to the reaction chamber; and   a beam rastering system and an imager to view the surface.   
     
     
         17 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 16 , wherein the noble gas source includes a helium source. 
     
     
         18 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 16 , wherein the noble gas source includes an argon source. 
     
     
         19 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 16 , further including a second scavenger gas to remove carbon. 
     
     
         20 . The semiconductor processing system of  claim 19 , wherein the first scavenger gas includes hydrogen and the second scavenger gas includes oxygen.

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