An etching method includes (a) providing a substrate including a first region and a second region below the first region, the first region containing a first material and including an opening, the second region containing a second material different from the first material, the second material containing silicon; (b) forming a metal-containing deposition on the first region by using first plasma generated from a first process gas containing halogen, metal, and at least one of carbon or hydrogen; and (c) after (b), etching the second region via the opening by using second plasma generated from a second process gas different from the first process gas.

A system including a chamber enclosing a processing region, a substrate support within the chamber and configured to retain a substrate in the processing region, a gas distribution manifold coupled to the chamber to introduce first and a second etching gases from the gas distribution manifold using first and second inlets, a first gas distribution channel coupled configured to selectively switch between directing the first etching gas along a first gas flow path towards the processing region, and directing the first etching gas towards a vent, and a second gas distribution channel configured to selectively switch between directing the second etching gas towards the vent, and directing the second etching gas along a fourth gas flow path towards the processing region, and a flow ratio controller operatively coupled to the first and second gas distribution channels and configured to direct the first or second etching gases towards the processing region.

A plasma etching apparatus includes a second electrode configured to support a target substrate thereon, a second RF power supply unit configured to apply a second RF power for providing a bias for ion attraction to the second electrode, and a control system including and an RF controller. The RF controller is configured to switch the second RF power supply unit between a continuous mode that executes continuous supply of the second RF power at a constant power level and a power modulation mode that executes modulation of the second RF power between a first power and a second power larger than the first power. The RF controller is preset to control the second RF power supply unit such that the second RF power supply unit is first operated in the continuous mode for plasma ignition and then is switched into the power modulation mode.

Methods, systems, and devices for plasma-assisted film removal for wafer fabrication are described. The present disclosure provides in-situ techniques for removing a film from a select portion of a wafer, such as a surrounding bevel edge. After forming a film on the wafer using chemical vapor deposition (CVD), the wafer may be raised to a higher position in the chamber for CVD. A combination of gases may be ejected from a gas fixture and directed, respectively, to different portions of the wafer. The combination of gases may react to selectively remove the film from the bevel edge of the wafer and maintain the film on other portions of the wafer.

An etching method includes providing a substrate including a first region and a second region below the first region, the first region containing a first material and having an opening, and the second region containing a second material different from the first material, and etching the second region through the opening while forming a carbon-containing layer and a metal-containing layer below the carbon-containing layer on a sidewall of the opening, by supplying, onto the substrate, plasma generated from a processing gas containing a carbon-containing gas, a metal halide gas, and a halogen scavenging gas that scavenges halogen.

A plasma etching apparatus includes a first RF power supply unit configured to apply a first RF power for plasma generation to a first electrode or a second electrode disposed opposite to each other in a process container configured to be vacuum-exhausted, a second RF power supply unit configured to apply a second RF power for ion attraction to the second electrode, and a controller configured to control the second RF power supply unit. The second RF power supply unit includes a second RF power supply and a second matching unit. The controller is preset to control the second RF power supply unit to operate in a power modulation mode that executes power modulation in predetermined cycles between a first power and a second power, while controlling the second matching unit to switch a matching operation in synchronism with the power modulation.

A plasma processing method includes: (a) providing a substrate on a substrate support in a chamber; (b) supplying a coolant to control a temperature of the substrate support; (c) supplying a processing gas into the chamber; and (d) in a state where (b) is being performed, generating plasma from the processing gas in the chamber by a source RF signal, and supplying a bias signal to etch the carbon-containing film. In (d), the coolant of (b) is set such that the substrate or the substrate support reaches a target temperature of ?70? C. to 100? C. during plasma etching, the source RF signal in (d) is an RF signal having a power of 2 kW or more, and the bias signal in (d) is a bias RF signal having a power of 2 kW or more or a bias DC signal including a voltage pulse of 2 kV or more.

A method for etching a silicon oxide film at a high selection ratio with respect to a silicon nitride film while a high etching rate of the silicon oxide film is balanced with a low etching rate of the silicon nitride film. The etching processing method is a dry etching processing method for etching a film without using plasma by supplying gas into a process chamber, the film having a side wall of a groove or a hole constituted by respective end parts of laminated film layers formed on a wafer, the laminated film layers including silicon oxide films each sandwiched between silicon nitride films, and in which the silicon oxide films are etched laterally from the end parts with the wafer being set to a low temperature equal to or less than (0.040x?42.0)? C. when a partial pressure of hydrogen fluoride gas is taken as x (Pa).

An object of the present invention is to provide a highly controllable plasma processing method capable of selectively removing a metal-containing layer. In the plasma processing method for plasma etching a metal-containing film formed on a formed pattern and covered with a carbon-containing film, after the carbon-containing film is removed, the metal-containing film is removed by etching with radicals generated from plasma.

A plasma processing method apparatus for accurately estimating the amount of lateral etching and determining an end point based on the estimated amount of etching, including: a first step of irradiating the wafer with light; a second step of receiving light reflected from the wafer at a plurality of predetermined times during the plasma process on the wafer; a third step of performing signal processing on light amount data on each of a plurality of wavelengths of the light thus received; a fourth step of determining the amount of etching in the wafer during the plasma process by use of processed data subjected to the signal processing; and a fifth step of determining an end point of the plasma process based on the amount of etching.