17963687. ISOTROPIC SILICON NITRIDE REMOVAL simplified abstract (Applied Materials, Inc.)

ISOTROPIC SILICON NITRIDE REMOVAL

Organization Name

Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor(s)

Mikhail Korolik of San Jose CA (US)

Paul E. Gee of San Jose CA (US)

Wei Ying Doreen Yong of Singapore (SG)

Tuck Foong Koh of Singapore (SG)

John Sudijono of Singapore (SG)

Philip A. Kraus of San Jose CA (US)

Thai Cheng Chua of Cupertino CA (US)

ISOTROPIC SILICON NITRIDE REMOVAL - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 17963687 titled 'ISOTROPIC SILICON NITRIDE REMOVAL

Simplified Explanation

The abstract describes a method of etching a silicon-containing material using fluorine and sulfur-containing precursors in a semiconductor processing chamber.

• Flow a first fluorine-containing precursor into a remote plasma region
• Flow a sulfur-containing precursor into the remote plasma region
• Form a plasma within the remote plasma region
• Generate plasma effluents of the precursors
• Flow the plasma effluents into a processing region
• Isotropically etch layers of silicon nitride while maintaining silicon oxide

Potential Applications

This technology could be applied in the semiconductor industry for etching silicon-containing materials in the fabrication of electronic devices.

Problems Solved

This technology solves the problem of selectively etching silicon nitride layers while maintaining the integrity of silicon oxide layers in stacked structures.

Benefits

The benefits of this technology include precise and controlled etching of silicon-containing materials, which is essential for the manufacturing of advanced semiconductor devices.

Potential Commercial Applications

The potential commercial applications of this technology include semiconductor manufacturing, specifically in the production of integrated circuits and other electronic components.

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art could be the use of different etching techniques to selectively etch specific materials in semiconductor processing.

How does this method compare to traditional etching techniques in terms of efficiency and precision?

This article does not provide a direct comparison between this method and traditional etching techniques in terms of efficiency and precision. Further research or experimentation may be needed to determine the advantages of this method over traditional techniques.

What are the potential environmental impacts of using fluorine and sulfur-containing precursors in the etching process?

The article does not address the potential environmental impacts of using fluorine and sulfur-containing precursors in the etching process. Additional studies may be required to assess the environmental implications of this technology.

Original Abstract Submitted

Exemplary methods of etching a silicon-containing material may include flowing a first fluorine-containing precursor into a remote plasma region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include flowing a sulfur-containing precursor into the remote plasma region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include forming a plasma within the remote plasma region to generate plasma effluents of the first fluorine-containing precursor and the sulfur-containing precursor. The methods may include flowing the plasma effluents into a processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be positioned within the processing region. The substrate may include a trench formed through stacked layers including alternating layers of silicon nitride and silicon oxide. The methods may include isotropically etching the layers of silicon nitride while substantially maintaining the silicon oxide.