Plasma etching process

Abstract

In one implementation, a plasma etching process includes forming a carbon containing material over a semiconductor substrate. The carbon containing material is plasma etched from the substrate at a temperature of at least 400° C. using a hydrogen or oxygen containing plasma. In one implementation, a plasma etching process includes forming a masking layer over a substrate. The masking layer is patterned to form openings therein. Material beneath the masking layer is etched through the openings. After such etching, the masking layer is removed from the substrate. After such removing and before subsequently depositing any material over the substrate, the substrate is plasma etched at a temperature of at least 400° C. In one implementation, a semiconductor plasma etching process includes first etching material from a substrate and forming an undesired residue at least partially over the substrate during the first etching. After the first etching and before subsequently depositing any material over the substrate, the undesired residue is plasma etched from the substrate. In one implementation, a chemical vapor deposition process of depositing a material over a semiconductor substrate includes positioning a semiconductor substrate within a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition reactor. The substrate is plasma etched within the reactor using a first gas chemistry. After the plasma etching, a material is chemical vapor deposited over the semiconductor substrate within the reactor using a second gas chemistry without removing the substrate from the reactor between the etching and the depositing.

1 . A plasma etching process comprising: 
 forming a carbon containing material over a semiconductor substrate; and    plasma etching the carbon containing material from the substrate at a temperature of at least 400° C. using a hydrogen or oxygen containing plasma.    
     
     
         2 . The plasma etching process of  claim 1  wherein the temperature is at least 600° C.  
     
     
         3 . The plasma etching process of  claim 1  wherein the plasma contains hydrogen and oxygen.  
     
     
         4 . The plasma etching process of  claim 1  wherein the plasma contains oxygen.  
     
     
         5 . The plasma etching process of  claim 1  wherein the plasma contains hydrogen.  
     
     
         6 . The plasma etching process of  claim 5  wherein the hydrogen containing plasma is derived at least in part from H 2 .  
     
     
         7 . The plasma etching process of  claim 5  wherein the hydrogen containing plasma is derived at least in part from NH 3 .  
     
     
         8 . The plasma etching process of  claim 5  wherein the carbon containing material comprises a polymer.  
     
     
         9 . The plasma etching process of  claim 1  wherein the plasma is predominately comprised of hydrogen.  
     
     
         10 . The plasma etching process of  claim 1  further comprising after said plasma etching, further plasma etching using a gas comprising chlorine.  
     
     
         11 . The plasma etching process of  claim 10  further comprising after said plasma etching, further plasma etching using a gas comprising a mixture of chlorine and hydrogen.  
     
     
         12 . The plasma etching process of  claim 10  further comprising after said plasma etching, further plasma etching using a gas comprising a mixture of Cl 2  and H 2 .  
     
     
         13 . The plasma etching process of  claim 10  wherein the chlorine is derived at least in part from Cl 2 .  
     
     
         14 . The plasma etching process of  claim 10  wherein the chlorine is derived at least in part from HCl.  
     
     
         15 . A plasma etching process comprising: 
 forming a masking layer over a substrate;    patterning the masking layer to form openings therein;    first etching material beneath the masking layer through the openings;    after the first etching, removing the masking layer from the substrate; and    after the removing and before subsequently depositing any material over the substrate, plasma etching the substrate at a temperature of at least 400° C.    
     
     
         16 . The plasma etching process of  claim 15  wherein the plasma comprises oxygen.  
     
     
         17 . The plasma etching process of  claim 15  wherein the plasma comprises hydrogen.  
     
     
         18 . The plasma etching process of  claim 17  wherein the hydrogen containing plasma is derived at least in part from H 2 .  
     
     
         19 . The plasma etching process of  claim 17  wherein the hydrogen containing plasma is derived at least in part from NH 3 .  
     
     
         20 . The plasma etching process of  claim 15  wherein the plasma is predominately comprised of hydrogen.  
     
     
         21 . The plasma etching process of  claim 15  wherein the temperature is at least 600° C.  
     
     
         22 . The plasma etching process of  claim 15  wherein the first etching leaves a residue at least partially over the substrate, the plasma etching removing the residue from the substrate.  
     
     
         23 . The plasma etching process of  claim 15  comprising after the removing and before subsequently depositing any material over the substrate, conducting at least two plasma etchings using different reactive gas chemistries, one of the at least two plasma etchings being said plasma etching at a temperature of at least 400° C., another of the at least two plasma etchings being subsequent to the one and using a gas chemistry comprising chlorine.  
     
     
         24 . The plasma etching process of  claim 23  wherein the another plasma etching is conducted at a temperature of at least 400° C.  
     
     
         25 . A semiconductor plasma etching process comprising: 
 first etching material from a substrate and forming an undesired residue at least partially over the substrate during the first etching; and    after the first etching and before subsequently depositing any material over the substrate, plasma etching the undesired residue from the substrate.    
     
     
         26 . The plasma etching process of  claim 25  wherein the first etching comprises dry etching.  
     
     
         27 . The plasma etching process of  claim 25  wherein the first etching comprises wet etching.  
     
     
         28 . The plasma etching process of  claim 25  wherein the residue comprises a carbon containing polymer.  
     
     
         29 . The plasma etching process of  claim 25  wherein the residue is not a polymer.  
     
     
         30 . The plasma etching process of  claim 25  wherein the plasma etching is conducted at a temperature of at least 400° C.  
     
     
         31 . The plasma etching process of  claim 25  wherein the plasma etching is conducted at a temperature of at least 600° C.  
     
     
         32 . The plasma etching process of  claim 25  wherein the plasma etching is conducted substantially selective to remove the residue relative to all other exposed material of the substrate.  
     
     
         33 . The plasma etching process of  claim 25  wherein the residue comprises a carbon containing polymer, and the plasma etching is conducted at a temperature of at least 400° C.  
     
     
         34 . The plasma etching process of  claim 25  wherein the residue comprises a carbon containing polymer, and the plasma etching is conducted at a temperature of at least 600° C.  
     
     
         35 . A plasma etching process comprising: 
 forming a photoresist layer over a semiconductor substrate;    patterning the photoresist layer to form openings therethrough;    dry etching a first layer immediately beneath the photoresist layer through the openings and forming a carbon containing polymer residue at least partially over the substrate during the first etching;    after the dry etching, removing the photoresist layer from the substrate; and    after the removing and before subsequently depositing any material over the substrate, plasma etching the carbon containing polymer residue from the substrate substantially selectively relative to the first layer.    
     
     
         36 . The plasma etching process of  claim 35  wherein the plasma etching is conducted at a temperature of at least 400° C.  
     
     
         37 . The plasma etching process of  claim 35  wherein the plasma etching is conducted at a temperature of at least 600° C.  
     
     
         38 . The plasma etching process of  claim 35  wherein the plasma comprises oxygen.  
     
     
         39 . The plasma etching process of  claim 35  wherein the plasma comprises hydrogen.  
     
     
         40 . The plasma etching process of  claim 39  wherein the plasma is derived at least in part from H 2 .  
     
     
         41 . The plasma etching process of  claim 39  wherein the plasma is derived at least in part from NH 3 .  
     
     
         42 . A chemical vapor deposition process of depositing a material over a semiconductor substrate comprising: 
 positioning a semiconductor substrate within a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition reactor;    plasma etching the substrate within the reactor using a first gas chemistry; and    after the plasma etching, chemical vapor depositing a material over the semiconductor substrate within the reactor using a second gas chemistry without removing the substrate from the reactor between the etching and the depositing.    
     
     
         43 . The plasma etching process of  claim 42  wherein the plasma etching and the depositing are conducted at subatmospheric pressure, the substrate not being exposed to atmospheric pressure intermediate the plasma etching and the depositing.  
     
     
         44 . The plasma etching process of  claim 42  wherein the plasma etching is conducted at a temperature of at least 400° C.  
     
     
         45 . The plasma etching process of  claim 42  wherein the plasma etching is conducted at a temperature of at least 600° C.  
     
     
         46 . The plasma etching process of  claim 42  wherein the first chemistry comprises oxygen.  
     
     
         47 . The plasma etching process of  claim 42  wherein the first chemistry comprises hydrogen.  
     
     
         48 . The plasma etching process of  claim 42  wherein the substrate has a residue formed at least partially thereover the result of previous processing, the plasma etching removing the residue from the substrate.  
     
     
         49 . The plasma etching process of  claim 42  wherein the substrate has a carbon containing polymer formed at least partially thereover, the plasma etching removing the carbon containing polymer from the substrate.  
     
     
         50 . The plasma etching process of  claim 42  wherein the substrate has a carbon containing polymer residue formed at least partially thereover the result of previous processing, the plasma etching removing the carbon containing polymer residue from the substrate.  
     
     
         51 . The plasma etching process of  claim 42  comprising plasma etching the substrate within the reactor using another gas chemistry different from the first and second gas chemistries intermediate the plasma etching with the first gas chemistry and the depositing.  
     
     
         52 . The plasma etching process of  claim 51  wherein the another gas chemistry comprises chlorine.  
     
     
         53 . The plasma etching process of  claim 52  wherein the another gas chemistry comprises hydrogen.  
     
     
         54 . A method of forming a conductive contact comprising: 
 forming an insulative material over a silicon comprising substrate;    forming an opening into the insulative material over a node location on the silicon comprising substrate to which electrical connection is desired;    first plasma etching within the opening using a gas chemistry comprising hydrogen and exposing silicon of the substrate to said plasma hydrogen;    after the first plasma etching, second plasma etching within the opening using a gas chemistry comprising chlorine; and    after the second plasma etching, forming a silicide material within the opening in contact with silicon of the substrate.    
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 54  wherein the silicide material is formed by refractory metal deposition and anneal.  
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 54  wherein the silicide material is formed by chemical vapor deposition of the silicide material.  
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 54  wherein the gas chemistry comprising hydrogen comprises H 2 .  
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 54  wherein the gas chemistry comprising chlorine comprises Cl 2 .  
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 54  wherein the gas chemistry comprising chlorine comprises HCl.  
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 54  wherein the first plasma etching, the second plasma etching, and at least some of the silicide material forming all occur in the same chamber.