What is claimed is:
1. A method of etching an organic dielectric layer over a substrate, comprising:
placing the substrate in an etching chamber;
providing an etchant gas comprising NH3 into the etching chamber; and
generating a plasma from the NH3, which etches the organic dielectric layer.
2. The method, as recited in claim 1, wherein the NH3 has a flow rate between 5 sccm to 1500 sccm.
3. The method, as recited in claim 2, further comprising placing a hard mask over the organic dielectric layer.
4. The method, as recited in claim 3, further comprising:
placing a patterned photoresist layer over the hard mask layer; and
simultaneously stripping the photo resist layer during the etching of the organic dielectric layer.
5. The method, as recited in claim 4, further comprising providing CH3F while providing the etchant gas comprising NH3.
6. The method, as recited in claim 5, wherein the CH3F has a flow rate between 1 sccm to 50 sccm.
7. The method, as recited in claim 6, further comprising providing an etch with an etchant gas comprising CF4, prior to the step of providing the etchant gas comprising NH3.
8. The method, as recited in claim 7, wherein the etchant gas comprising CF4, further comprises C4F8.
9. The method, as recited in claim 8, wherein the etchant gas comprising CF4 further comprises O2.
10. The method, as recited in claim 9, wherein the O2 has a flow rate of between 3 sccm and 300 sccm.
11. The method, as recited in claim 10, wherein the organic dielectric layer is made of an organic low-k material.
12. The method, as recited in claim 1, further comprising placing a hard mask over the organic dielectric layer.
13. The method, as recited in claim 12, further comprising:
placing a patterned photoresist layer over the hard mask layer; and
simultaneously stripping the photo resist layer during the etching of the organic dielectric layer.
14. The method, as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing CH3F while providing the etchant gas comprising NH3.
15. The method, as recited in claim 14, further comprising providing an etch with an etchant gas comprising CF4, prior to the step of providing the etchant gas comprising NH3.
16. The method, as recited in claim 1, wherein the organic dielectric layer is made of an organic low-k material.
17. An integrated circuit formed from an etched organic dielectric layer over a substrate, made from the steps comprising:
placing the substrate in an etching chamber;
providing an etchant gas comprising NH3 into the etching chamber; and
generating a plasma from the NH3, which etches the organic dielectric layer.
18. The integrated circuit, as recited in claim 17, wherein the NH3 has a flow rate between 5 sccm to 1500 sccm.
19. The integrate circuit, as recited in claim 18, further comprising:
placing a hard mask over the organic dielectric layer.
placing a patterned photoresist layer over the hard mask layer; and
simultaneously stripping the photo resist layer during the etching of the organic dielectric layer.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of removing material from a dielectric layer on a partially fabricated integrated circuit in a reaction chamber, the method comprising:
developing photoresist deposited on the dielectric layer to leave exposed portions of the dielectric layer;
etching the exposed portions of the dielectric layer, thereby leaving material on at least some of the remaining portion of the dielectric layer; and
after etching, exposing the partially fabricated integrated circuit to a plasma comprising species derived from hydrogen and an oxidizing agent, said oxidizing agent comprising at least one of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur oxide, sulfur dioxide, and oxygen containing hydrocarbons, to thereby remove at least a portion of the material from the dielectric layer.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the material being removed from the dielectric layer comprises photoresist andor residues from the etch process.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising producing the plasma by introducing a gas mixture comprising hydrogen and the oxidizing agent to the reaction chamber and exposing the mixture to conditions that form a plasma.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein introducing a gas mixture comprising hydrogen comprises introducing pure hydrogen without a carrier gas.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the oxidizing agent comprises carbon dioxide.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plasma comprises between about 0.1% to about 1.0% carbon dioxide by volume.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the plasma comprises no species derived from O2 gas.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the dielectric material is selected from one of silicon oxide based dielectric material and polymeric dielectric material.
9. The method of claim 1 further comprising, after etching the exposed portions of the dielectric layer and prior to exposing the partially fabricated integrated circuit to a plasma, introducing the partially fabricated integrated circuit to the reaction chamber.
10. A method of removing photoresist material from a dielectric layer in a reaction chamber comprising:
providing a partially fabricated integrated circuit having regions of exposed copper and regions of dielectric material having photoresist disposed thereon to a reaction chamber; and
exposing the partially fabricated integrated circuit having regions of exposed copper and regions of dielectric material having photoresist disposed thereon to a hydrogen-based plasma containing species derived from an oxidizing agent selected from carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur oxide, sulfur dioxide, and oxygen containing hydrocarbons, thereby removing at least some of the photoresist material from the dielectric material.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the partially fabricated integrated circuit provided to the reaction chamber comprises etch residues on the exposed copper andor dielectric material.
12. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating the hydrogen-plasma by applying a RF power to a mixture of hydrogen and the oxidizing agent.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the plasma is generated downstream of the reaction chamber.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the plasma is generated in situ in the reaction chamber.
15. The method of claim 10, wherein the reaction chamber is a multi-station strip reaction chamber and exposing the partially fabricated integrated circuit to the plasma comprises exposing the partially fabricated integrated circuit to a plasma in each of the multiple stations of the reaction chamber to remove a portion of the material in each station.
16. A method of forming a low-k Damascene device, comprising:
providing dielectric material on a copper layer;
providing patterned photoresist on the dielectric material such that regions of the dielectric material to be etched are exposed;
etching the exposed portions of the dielectric material to form a via andor trench in the dielectric material; and
stripping the patterned photoresist from the dielectric material by exposing the photoresist a plasma containing hydrogen and an oxidizing agent selected from at least one of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur oxide, sulfur dioxide, and oxygen containing hydrocarbons.
17. The method of claim 16 further comprising depositing a diffusion barrier on the portions of the copper layer exposed in the etch operation.
18. A method of removing photoresist andor etch-related material from an etched dielectric material comprising exposing etched dielectric material with photoresist provided thereon to a hydrogen-based plasma containing species derived from oxidizing agent selected from carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur oxide, sulfur dioxide, and oxygen containing hydrocarbons.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the oxidizing agent comprises carbon dioxide.
20. The method of claim 16 wherein the plasma comprises between about 0.1% to about 1.0% carbon dioxide by volume.