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JP-7854771-B2 - Plasma treatment method, plasma treatment apparatus, and plasma treatment system

JP7854771B2JP 7854771 B2JP7854771 B2JP 7854771B2JP-7854771-B2

Inventors

  • 米澤 隆宏
  • 熊倉 翔

Assignees

  • 東京エレクトロン株式会社

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20220607
Priority Date
20210622

Claims (20)

  1. A preparation step for preparing a substrate having (a) a film to be etched, (b) a photoresist film formed on the upper surface of the film to be etched and having a side surface that defines at least one opening on the upper surface of the film to be etched, and (c) a first film comprising at least a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion is a portion formed on the upper surface of the photoresist film, the second portion is a portion formed on the side surface of the photoresist film, and the first portion is thicker than the second portion. A plasma processing method comprising a trimming step of etching at least a portion of the side surface of the photoresist film and at least a portion of the second portion of the first film, while leaving at least a portion of the first portion intact.
  2. A preparation step for preparing a substrate having (a) a film to be etched, (b) a photoresist film formed on the upper surface of the film to be etched and having a side surface that defines at least one opening on the upper surface of the film to be etched, and (c) a first film comprising at least a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion is a portion formed on the upper surface of the photoresist film, the second portion is a portion formed on the side surface of the photoresist film, and the first portion is thicker than the second portion. A trimming step of etching at least a portion of the side surface of the photoresist film and at least a portion of the second part of the first film. Includes, A plasma treatment method comprising the preparation step of forming a second film on at least a first portion of the first film.
  3. The aforementioned preparation step is, A step of preparing a substrate having the etched film and the photoresist film, A step of trimming at least a portion of the side surface of the photoresist film, A step of forming a first film on the trimmed photoresist film, including, The plasma treatment method according to claim 1.
  4. The plasma processing method according to claim 2, further comprising an etching step after the trimming step, in which the film to be etched is etched using the photoresist film, the first film, and the second film as masks.
  5. The plasma processing method according to claim 1, wherein the side surface of the photoresist film has at least one of a recessed portion and a portion protruding from the side surface into the opening.
  6. The plasma processing method according to claim 5, wherein the protruding portion extends from the side surface of the photoresist film to the upper surface of the film to be etched.
  7. The plasma treatment method according to claim 2, wherein the first film is an organic film and the second film is an inorganic film.
  8. The plasma treatment method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the photoresist film is a Sn-containing film.
  9. The plasma treatment method according to claim 7, wherein the inorganic film is a metal-containing film or a Si-containing film.
  10. The plasma treatment method according to claim 9, wherein the metal-containing film is a Sn-containing film.
  11. The plasma treatment method according to claim 9, wherein the metal-containing film is a W-containing film, a Ti-containing film, or an Al-containing film.
  12. The plasma treatment method according to claim 7, wherein the inorganic film is a nonmetallic inorganic film containing boron, phosphorus, or sulfur.
  13. The trimming process is performed using plasma generated from a predetermined processing gas. The plasma processing method according to any one of claims 2, 4, and 7, wherein the etching rate of the first film with respect to the generated plasma is greater than the etching rate of the second film with respect to the generated plasma.
  14. The plasma treatment method according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined treatment gas includes an oxygen-containing gas and a halogen-containing gas.
  15. The plasma processing method according to any one of claims 2, 4, and 7, wherein the first film and the second film are formed by plasma CVD.
  16. The first film is formed using plasma generated from a gas containing a carbon-containing gas. The second film is formed using plasma generated from a gas containing a Si-containing gas. The plasma treatment method according to claim 15.
  17. The plasma treatment method according to claim 16, wherein the carbon-containing gas is CxHy (where x and y are integers of 1 or more), CtHuFv (where t and v are integers of 1 or more, and u is an integer of 0 or more), CO, or CO2.
  18. The plasma processing method according to claims 2, 4, and 7, wherein the thickness of the first portion of the first film is thicker than the thickness of the photoresist film and the thickness of the second film.
  19. The plasma treatment method according to claim 4, wherein the etching step involves etching the film to be etched and the second film.
  20. The plasma treatment method according to claim 19, wherein the etched film is a Si-containing film, and the second film is a Si-containing film.

Description

The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure relate to a plasma processing method, a plasma processing apparatus, and a plasma processing system. As a technique for improving pattern controllability, there is a method and apparatus for processing substrates described in Patent Document 1. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-126999 This figure schematically shows a plasma processing apparatus 1 according to one exemplary embodiment.This figure schematically shows a substrate processing system PS according to one exemplary embodiment.This flowchart shows an example of this processing method.This figure shows an example of a substrate W.This figure shows an example of a substrate W.This diagram schematically shows an example of the cross-sectional structure of substrate W, following the flow of this processing method.This diagram schematically shows an example of the cross-sectional structure of substrate W, following the flow of this processing method.This diagram schematically shows an example of the cross-sectional structure of substrate W, following the flow of this processing method.This diagram schematically shows an example of the cross-sectional structure of substrate W, following the flow of this processing method.This diagram schematically shows an example of the cross-sectional structure of substrate W, following the flow of this processing method.This flowchart shows a modified version of this processing method.This flowchart shows a modified version of this processing method.This flowchart shows a modified version of this processing method.This flowchart shows a modified version of this processing method. The embodiments of this disclosure are described below. In one exemplary embodiment, a plasma processing method is provided. The plasma processing method includes a preparation step of preparing a substrate having (a) a film to be etched, (b) a photoresist film formed on the upper surface of the film to be etched and having a side surface defining at least one opening on the upper surface of the film to be etched, and (c) a first film comprising at least a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion is a portion formed on the upper surface of the photoresist film, the second portion is a portion formed on the side surface of the photoresist film, and the first portion is thicker than the second portion; and a trimming step of etching at least a portion of the side surface of the photoresist film and at least a portion of the second portion of the first film. In one exemplary embodiment, the preparation step includes forming a second film on at least a first portion of the first film. In one exemplary embodiment, the process further includes an etching step after the trimming step, in which the film to be etched is etched using the photoresist film, the first film, and the second film as masks. In one exemplary embodiment, the side surface of the photoresist film has at least one of a recessed portion and a portion that protrudes from the side surface into an opening. In one exemplary embodiment, the protruding portion extends from the side surface of the photoresist film to the upper surface of the film being etched. In one exemplary embodiment, the first film is an organic film, and the second film is an inorganic film. In one exemplary embodiment, the photoresist film is a Sn-containing film. In one exemplary embodiment, the inorganic film is a metal-containing film or a Si-containing film. In one exemplary embodiment, the metal-containing film is a Sn-containing film. In one exemplary embodiment, the metal-containing film is a W-containing film, a Ti-containing film, or an Al-containing film. In one exemplary embodiment, the inorganic film is a nonmetallic inorganic film containing boron, phosphorus, or sulfur. In one exemplary embodiment, the trimming process is performed using plasma generated from a predetermined processing gas, and the etching rate of the first film with respect to the generated plasma is greater than the etching rate of the second film with respect to the generated plasma. In one exemplary embodiment, the predetermined processing gas includes an oxygen-containing gas and a halogen-containing gas. In one exemplary embodiment, the first and second films are formed by plasma CVD. In one exemplary embodiment, the first film is formed using plasma generated from a gas containing a carbon-containing gas, and the second film is formed using plasma generated from a gas containing a silicon-containing gas. In one exemplary embodiment, the carbon-containing gas is CxHy (where x and y are integers of 1 or greater), CtHuFv (where t and v are integers of 1 or greater, and u is an integer of 0 or greater), CO, or CO2. In one exemplary embodiment, the thickness of the first portion of the first film is greater than the thickness of the photoresist film and the thickness of the second film. In one exemplary embodiment, the etching step involves etching the film to be e