US 12,249,515 B2
Etching method and etching apparatus
Shigeru Tahara, Miyagi (JP); Jacques Faguet, Austin, TX (US); Kaoru Maekawa, Albany, NY (US); Kumiko Ono, Tokyo (JP); Nagisa Sato, Tokyo (JP); Remi Dussart, Saint-Pryve Saint-Mesmin (FR); Thomas Tillocher, Orleans (FR); Philippe Lefaucheux, Mareau-aux-pres (FR); and Gaëlle Antoun, Dardilly (FR)
Assigned to Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo (JP); and UNIVERSITE D'ORLEANS, Orleans (FR)
Filed by Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo (JP); and UNIVERSITE D'ORLEANS, Orleans (FR)
Filed on Dec. 10, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/547,238.
Application 17/547,238 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2020/021769, filed on Jun. 2, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-109990 (JP), filed on Jun. 13, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0102160 A1, Mar. 31, 2022
Int. Cl. H01L 21/311 (2006.01); H01J 37/32 (2006.01); H01L 21/3065 (2006.01); H01L 21/3213 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/31116 (2013.01) [H01J 37/32449 (2013.01); H01J 37/32522 (2013.01); H01L 21/3065 (2013.01); H01L 21/30655 (2013.01); H01L 21/32136 (2013.01); H01J 37/32834 (2013.01); H01J 2237/3341 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An etching method comprising:
a physical adsorption process of physically adsorbing an adsorbate based on a first processing gas on a film to be etched, with a chemical reaction for etching the film by the first processing gas being not held, under a condition that a pressure of the first processing gas is smaller than a saturated vapor pressure of the first processing gas with respect to a temperature of an object to be processed while cooling the object to be processed on which the film to be etched is formed;
a replacement process of replacing the first processing gas with a third processing gas volatilizing a part of the adsorbate to adjust a thickness of the adsorbate without igniting a plasma of the third processing gas; and
an etching process of etching the film to be etched by reacting the adsorbate with the film to be etched by a plasma of a second processing gas.