US 12,272,563 B2
Metal oxide directional removal
Baiwei Wang, Milpitas, CA (US); Rohan Puligoru Reddy, San Jose, CA (US); Xiaolin C. Chen, San Ramon, CA (US); Zhenjiang Cui, San Jose, CA (US); and Anchuan Wang, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Jul. 15, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/376,337.
Prior Publication US 2023/0015080 A1, Jan. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. H01L 21/311 (2006.01); H01J 37/32 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/31122 (2013.01) [H01J 37/32449 (2013.01); H01J 2237/334 (2013.01); H01J 2237/338 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An etching method comprising:
modifying an exposed surface of a layer of metal-containing material on a substrate housed in a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber to produce a modified portion of metal-containing material;
flowing a first halogen-containing precursor and hydrogen into a remote plasma region of the semiconductor processing chamber while striking a plasma to produce plasma effluents, wherein the first halogen-containing precursor comprises nitrogen trifluoride, and wherein a flow rate of the hydrogen is at least twice a flow rate of the first halogen-containing precursor;
contacting the modified portion of metal-containing material with the plasma effluents, wherein the contacting produces a metal fluoride material;
flowing a second halogen-containing precursor into the processing region;
contacting the metal fluoride material with the second halogen-containing precursor; and
removing the metal fluoride material.