Method and apparatus for detecting endpoint during plasma...

Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – Coating with electrically or thermally conductive material – To form ohmic contact to semiconductive material

Reexamination Certificate

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

C438S623000, C438S624000, C438S710000, C438S717000, C438S723000, C257S758000, C257S760000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06908846

ABSTRACT:
A method for controlling a plasma etch process while etching a layer stack having a first layer disposed above an end-point generating layer is disclosed. The method includes etching through the first layer and at least partially through the end-point generating layer while monitoring an absorption rate of a light beam traversing an interior portion of the plasma processing chamber, wherein the end-point generating layer is selected from a material that produces a detectable change in the absorption rate when etched. The end-point generating layer is characterized by at least one of a first characteristic and a second characteristic. The first characteristic is an insufficient thickness to function as an etch stop layer, and the second characteristic is an insufficient selectivity to etchants employed to etch through the first layer to function as the etch stop layer. The method additionally includes generating an end-point signal upon detecting the detectable change.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4675072 (1987-06-01), Bennett et al.
patent: 5963336 (1999-10-01), McAndrew et al.
patent: 5966586 (1999-10-01), Hao
patent: 6054333 (2000-04-01), Bensaoula
patent: 6143667 (2000-11-01), Marsh
patent: 6214734 (2001-04-01), Bothra et al.
patent: 6297064 (2001-10-01), Koshimizu
patent: 6406924 (2002-06-01), Grimbergen et al.
patent: 6449038 (2002-09-01), Stolze
patent: 6635573 (2003-10-01), Pau et al.
patent: 6649253 (2003-11-01), Bothra et al.
patent: 2001/0030369 (2001-10-01), MacNeil et al.
patent: 2002/0048019 (2002-04-01), Sui et al.
patent: 2002/0090833 (2002-07-01), Matsuura
patent: 2002/0102856 (2002-08-01), Xia et al.
patent: 62274726 (1987-11-01), None
patent: 2000228397 (2000-08-01), None
patent: WO 00/20900 (2000-04-01), None
patent: WO 01/71776 (2001-09-01), None
Benson et al., “Sensor Systems for Real-time Feedback Control of Reactive Ion Etching”, (1996) J. Vac. Sci. Tech. B 14(1), pp. 483-488.
Chou, “Diode-Laser Absorption Spectroscopy of Hydrogen Halides for Semiconductor Plasma Process Diagnostics” (Jul. 2000) Mechanical Eng. Dept, Stanford Univ, Stanford, CA, pp. 26-39 & 78-81.
Cooper et al., “Near-infrared diode lasers monitor molecular species”, Nov. 1992) Laser Focus World, pp. 133-146.
Kim et al., “In-situ UV Absorption CF2Sensor for Reactive Ion Etch Process Control”, (May 1999) Proceedings of the SPIE—Int'l Soc. For Optical Eng., vol. 3742, pp. 136-143.
Maruyamat et al., “Measurement of the CF2radical using infrared diode laser absorption spectroscopy”, (1993) J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. vol. 26, pp. 199-202.
Oh et al., “In situ diode laser absorption measurements of plasma species in a gaseous electronics conference reference call reactor”, (May/Jun. 1995) J. Vac. Sci. Tech. B vol. 13(3), pp. 954-961.
Richards et al., “Atomic Chlorine concentration measurements in a plasma etching reactor. I. A comparison of infrared absorption and optical emission actinometry”, (Aug. 1987) J. Appl. Phys. vol. 62(3), pp. 792-798.
Richards et al., “Atomic Chlorine concentration measurements in a plasma etching reactor. II. A simple predictive model”, (Aug. 1987) J. Appl. Phys. vol. 62(3), pp. 799-807.
Stanton, “A Measurement of the Radiative Lifetime of CI(3p52P{fraction (1/2 )})”, (Dec. 1985) Chemical Physics Letters vol. 122, No. 4, North Holland Physics Publ. Div., pp. 385-390.
Stanton et al., “Direct absorption measurement of the spin-orbit splitting and2P{fraction (1/2 )}radiative lifetime in atomic fluorine (2p5)”, (Jun. 1980) J. Chem. Phys. vol. 72(12), pp. 6637-6641.
Sun et al., “Combined wavelength and frequency modulation spectroscopy: a novel diagnostic tool for materials processing”, (Feb. 1993) Applied Optics, vol. 32, No. 6, pp. 885-893.
Sun et al., “Measurements of neutral species in low pressure C2F6discharges using diode laser absorption spectroscopy”, (Jul./Aug. 1993) J. Vac. Sci. Tech. A, vol. 11(4), pp. 1193-1198.
Sun et al., “Novel étalon fringe rejection technique for laser absorption spectroscopy”, (Aug. 1992) Applied Optics, vol. 31, No. 24, pp. 4998-5002.
Sun et al., “Real-timein situdetection of SF6in a plasma reactor”, (Aug. 1993) Appl. Phys. Lett. vol. 63(8), pp. 1035-1037.
Sun et al., “Sensitive Plasma etching endpoint detection using tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy”, (May 1994) Appl. Phys. Lett. vol. 64(21), pp. 2779-2781.
Takahashi et al., “Control of Fluorocarbon Radicals by On-Off Modulated Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma”, (Aug. 1993) Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. vol. 32, pp. 1088-1091.
Takahashi et al., “Measurements of the CF, CF2and CF3Radicals in a CHF3 Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma”, (May 1993) Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. vol. 32, pp. L694-L697.
Magane et al., “Measurements of the CF Radical in DC Pulsed CF4/H2Discharge Plasma Using Infrared Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy”, (May 1990) Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., vol. 29, No. 5, pp. L829-L832.
Wormhoudt et al., “Atomic chlorine concentration and gas temperature measurements in a plasma etching reactor”, (Jan. 1987) J. Appl. Phys. vol. 61(1), pp. 142-148.
Wormhoudt, “Radical and molecular product concentration measurements in CF4 and CH4 radio frequency plasmas by infrared tunable diode laser absorption”, (May/Jun. 1990) J. Vac. Sci. Tech., pp. 1722-1725.
“LaserMax inc.—The Diode Laser Solution”, Internet download, (Rochester, NY) 14 pp.
Richter et al., “Exhaust gas monitoring: New window into semiconductor processing” (May 1999) Solid State Technology, Cowan Publ. Corp, Washington, US, pp. 61, 63-64, 66, 68, 70-71.
International Search Report, mailed Jul. 8, 2004, Int'l Appl. No. PCT/US03/33706, EPO.

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for the USA inventors and patents. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Method and apparatus for detecting endpoint during plasma... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Method and apparatus for detecting endpoint during plasma..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and apparatus for detecting endpoint during plasma... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3463361

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.