Process and material for manufacturing semiconductor devices

Abstract

A process step and material for use in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. To facilitate the removal of organic photoresist material from a substrate, the material is exposed to a low pressure rf generated "cold" plasma (under 32° C.) produced from a homogeneous gaseous binary mixture of oxygen and a halocarbon, where the halocarbon is preferably a gas having one carbon atom per molecule and fully fluorine-substituted, and wherein the mixture contains at least 25% of oxygen by volume.

I claim: 
     
       1. A process for removing organic photoresist material from a substrate in a plasma environment, comprising the step of: exposing the material to a gaseous plasma formed from a binary mixture of oxygen and a halocarbon having no more than two carbon atoms per molecule, wherein at least one carbon atom in said molecule is linked to a predominance of fluorine atoms, and wherein oxygen constitutes at least 25% by volume of said binary mixture.   
     
     
       2. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said halocarbon and said oxygen are supplied to a reactor from a common premixed source. 
     
     
       3. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said halocarbon is trifluoromethane. 
     
     
       4. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein said halocarbon is tetrafluoromethane. .[.5. A composition of matter useful for stripping organic photoresist material from a substrate in a plasma environment, said composition comprising a binary gaseous mixture of oxygen and a halocargon having no more than two carbon atoms per molecule, wherein at least one carbon atom in said molecule is linked to a predominance of fluorine atoms and wherein said oxygen comprises at least 25% by volume of said binary gaseous mixture.]. .[.6. A composition of matter in accordance with claim 5 wherein said halocarbon is trifluoromethane..]. .[.7. A composition of matter in accordance with claim 5 wherein said halocarbon is tetrafluoromethane..].