Papers by Keyword: Post-Etch Residues

Abstract: Back end of the line processing requires removal of deposited polymers resulting from etch processes. These polymers typically exist on the whole of the pattern including the dielectric sidewalls and can be removed by wet cleans or a combination of wet cleans and plasma treatments. When a porous dielectric is present these residues cannot be efficiently removed using plasma or certain wet cleans without potentially damaging the underlying porous dielectric layer. Therefore there exists a need for a one-step wet clean that can completely remove the residues without damaging the porous dielectric. Previous work has shown that a combination of a UV pretreatment followed by a wet clean can remove these residues [1]. These residues are composed of CF, -CF₂, and CF₃ groups as described by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In an effort to improve the manufacturing viability of such a process we have undertaken a study to develop a one-step wet clean for fluoropolymer removal. Utilizing a blanket checkerboard pattern with a model fluoropolymer deposited on a porous low-κ substrate we have demonstrated the one-step wet clean of the aforementioned fluoropolymer while maintaining compatibility with the pristine and etch processed porous low-k dielectric.

Abstract: In back-end of line processing (BEOL), the polymer deposited on the dielectric sidewalls during the etch process must be removed prior to subsequent processing steps to achieve high adhesion and good coverage of materials deposited in the etched features [1, . Typically, this is done by a combination of a short plasma treatment and a diluted wet clean, or by wet cleans alone. On the one hand, for porous dielectric stacks, a mild plasma treatment that preserves the integrity of the low-k dielectrics would not be sufficient to effectively remove this residue. With regard to wet clean, diluted aqueous solutions (e.g. HF-based) are not efficient for polymer removal without etching the underlying dielectric to lift off the polymer, leading to unacceptable critical dimension (CD) loss. In addition, analytical techniques available for direct characterization of sidewall residues are limited. For a fast screening of potential chemistries capable of dissolving/removing polymer residues generated during the low-k etch, a model fluoropolymer was deposited on a blanket, checkerboard low-k substrate. The present study mainly focused on the characterization of model polymer after deposition (as-deposited) and after immersion in aqueous and solvent-based cleaning solutions. The polymer removal efficiency was influenced/ improved by UV treatments prior to wet clean processes. In the second part of the study, selected UV treatment conditions and cleaning solutions were applied to low-k patterned structures using Angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS) to characterize the dielectric sidewall before and after UV modification and the subsequent cleaning process.

Abstract: In back-end of line processing, the polymer deposited on the dielectric sidewalls during the etch must be removed prior to subsequent processing steps to achieve high adhesion and good coverage of materials deposited in the etched features [1,. Typically, this is done by a combination of short plasma treatment and diluted wet clean, or by wet cleans alone. On the one hand, for porous dielectric stacks, a mild plasma treatment that preserves the integrity of the low-k dielectrics would not be sufficient to efficiently remove this residue. Furthermore, aqueous cleaning solutions is not efficient to achieve a complete removal without etching the underlying layer. Hence appropriate wet clean chemistries are needed to dissolve/decompose these polymers without etching the dielectric. On the other hand, analytical techniques available for direct characterization of sidewall polymer are limited. For a fast screening of potential chemistries capable of dissolving/removing polymer residues generated during the low-k etch, a fluoropolymer deposited on a blanket, checkerboard low-k substrate was used as a model polymer. In our recent study [, using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), it was shown that the polymer was composed of CF, CF₂, and CF₃ groups. This model polymer was found to be very similar to the polymer residue generated during the etch of the low-k stack using similar plasma. The present study mainly focused on the effect of UV treatment and the concentration of active component in wet clean solution on the structure change of the polymer and the enhancement of polymer removal.

Abstract: The subject of this report is the characterization of plasma etch residues after a metal etch process with Cl2/BCl3 etch gases. One of the interactive factors in the removability of the residues is the photo-mask removal process (DSQ). Depending on the DSQ process the molecular structure of the residues will differ. For our findings, we used laser spectroscopy and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy to obtain information about the degree of the cross-linking of the molecular structure of residues in a post-metal etch cleaning process. The post-etch cleaning is important for removing residues remaining after the metal structuring process. The main goal is to use emission spectroscopy for studying the compounds of the dry-etch related residues. Finally, it was shown that small variations in wafer treatment directly after dry-etching results in different solubilities of residues in HDA (hydroxylamine) based solutions. [1]