Filing Information

Inventor(s)	Gurtej S. Sandhu · Donald L. Westmoreland · Pierre Fazan ·
Assignee(s)	Micron Technology, Inc. ·  View assignee updates
Attorney/Agent(s)	Wells, St. John, Roberts, Gregory & Matkin ·
Primary Examiner	Breneman; R. Bruce ·
Assistant Examiner	George Goudreau ·
Application Number	US8031572
Filing date	03/15/1993
Issue date	11/29/1994
Predicted expiration date	03/15/2013
U.S. Classifications	156/664  · 156/643  ·
International Classifications	H01L 2100  ·
Kind Code	A
International Classifications	156643;646;667;664;662;651;635 ·

Patent Family

Abstract

In one aspect of the invention, a semiconductor processing method includes the following steps: a) providing a layer of an insulating inorganic metal oxide material atop a semiconductor wafer; b) subjecting the wafer with exposed insulating inorganic metal oxide material to dry etching conditions using a halogen or pseudohalogen based chemistry to react the insulating inorganic metal oxide material into solid halogenated or pseudohalogenated material; and c) reacting the solid halogenated or pseudohalogenated material with a gaseous organic ligand precursor to form a gaseous metal organic coordination complex incorporating the organic ligand precursor and to form a gaseous halogenated or pseudohalogenated species which are expelled from the wafer. In another aspect, a semiconductor processing method of removing or otherwise cleaning metal from a semiconductor wafer includes the following steps: a) subjecting a semiconductor wafer having exposed metal to a dry halogen or pseudohalogen gas to react the metal into solid halogenated or pseudohalogenated material; and b) reacting the solid halogenated or pseudohalogenated material with a gaseous organic ligand precursor to form a gaseous metal organic coordination complex incorporating the organic ligand precursor and metal, and to form a gaseous halogenated or pseudohalogenated species, the complex and species being expelled from the wafer. Alternately, the metal is directly incorporated with the gaseous organic ligand precursor without previous halogenation.

Independent Claims | See all claims (32)

1. 1. A semiconductor processing method comprising the following steps:providing a layer of an insulating inorganic metal oxide material atop a semiconductor wafer;subjecting the wafer with exposed insulating inorganic metal oxide material to dry etching conditions using a halogen or pseudohalogen based chemistry to react the insulating inorganic metal oxide material into solid halogenated or pseudohalogenated material; andreacting the solid halogenated or pseudohalogenated material with a gaseous organic ligand precursor to form a gaseous metal organic coordination complex incorporating the organic ligand precursor and to form a gaseous halogenated or pseudohalogenated species which are expelled from the wafer.
2. 22. A semiconductor processing method of removing or otherwise cleaning metal from a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising the following steps:subjecting a semiconductor wafer having exposed metal to a dry halogen or pseudohalogen gas to react the metal into solid halogenated or pseudohalogenated material; andreacting the solid halogenated or pseudohalogenated material with a gaseous organic ligand precursor to form a gaseous metal organic coordination complex incorporating the organic ligand precursor and metal, and to form a gaseous halogenated or pseudohalogenated species, the complex and species being expelled from the wafer.
3. 28. A semiconductor processing method of removing or otherwise cleaning metal from a semiconductor wafer comprising subjecting a semiconductor wafer having exposed metal to a gaseous organic ligand precursor to form a gaseous metal organic coordination complex incorporating the organic ligand precursor and metal, the organic ligand precursor comprising an aromatic compound, the complex being expelled from the wafer.
4. 29. A semiconductor processing method of removing or otherwise cleaning metal from a semiconductor wafer comprising subjecting a semiconductor wafer having exposed metal to a gaseous organic ligand precursor to form a gaseous metal organic coordination complex incorporating the organic ligand precursor and metal, the organic ligand precursor comprising a material which upon reaction with the metal forms a metal organic coordination complex which is heterocyclic, the complex being expelled from the wafer.
5. 30. A semiconductor processing method of removing or otherwise cleaning metal from a semiconductor wafer comprising subjecting a semiconductor wafer having exposed metal to a gaseous organic ligand precursor to form a gaseous metal organic coordination complex incorporating the organic ligand precursor and metal, the organic ligand precursor comprising cyclopentadiene or a cyclopentadiene derivative, the complex being expelled from the wafer.
6. 31. A semiconductor processing method of removing or otherwise cleaning metal from a semiconductor wafer comprising subjecting a semiconductor wafer having exposed metal to a gaseous organic ligand precursor to form a gaseous metal organic coordination complex incorporating the organic ligand precursor and metal, the organic ligand precursor comprising a fused polycyclic, the complex being expelled from the wafer,
7. 32.32. A semiconductor processing method of removing or otherwise cleaning metal from a semiconductor wafer comprising subjecting a semiconductor wafer having exposed metal to a organic ligand precursor to form a gaseous metal organic coordination complex incorporating the organic ligand precursor and metal, the organic ligand precursor comprising a betadiketone which upon reaction with the metal forms a metal organic coordination complex which is heterocyclic, the complex being expelled from the wafer.