Methods of selectively etching silicon relative to silicon germanium are described. The methods include a remote plasma etch using plasma effluents formed from a fluorine-containing precursor and a hydrogen-containing precursor. Plasma effluents from the remote plasma are flowed into a substrate processing region where the plasma effluents react with the silicon. The plasmas effluents react with exposed surfaces and selectively remove silicon while very slowly removing other exposed materials. The methods are useful for removing Si.sub.(1-X)Ge.sub.X faster than Si.sub.(1-Y)Ge.sub.Y, for X<Y. In some embodiments, the silicon germanium etch selectivity results partly from the presence of an ion suppression element positioned between the remote plasma and the substrate processing region.

A method for performing an etch process on a substrate includes applying a bias signal and a source signal to an electrode of a plasma processing system. The bias signal and the source signal are pulsed RF signals that together define a repeated pulsed RF cycle, wherein each pulsed RF cycle sequentially includes a first state, a second state, a third state, and a fourth state. The power level of the bias signal in the first state is greater than in the third state, which is greater than in the second state, which is greater than in the fourth state. The power level of the source signal in the first state is greater than in the third state, which is greater than in the second state, which is greater than in the fourth state.

A dry etching apparatus for performing dry etching in manufacture of a set of touch screen panels on a mother substrate, including a chamber, an upper electrode in the chamber at an upper portion thereof, the upper electrode configured to apply a high-frequency power source (RF) to the interior of the chamber, a lower electrode in the chamber at a lower portion thereof, the lower electrode configured to apply the high-frequency power source to the interior of the chamber, a gas injection port configured to inject a compound mixture gas into the chamber, an exhaust port configured to exhaust a reactive gas produced in the interior of the chamber, and a shadow mask disposed above a location on the lower electrode for the mother substrate for the touch screen panels, the shadow mask having a plurality of exposure windows respectively corresponding to a plurality of exposure portions to be formed.

A method for multi-state pulsing to achieve a balance between bow control and mask selectivity is described. The method includes generating a primary radio frequency (RF) signal. The primary RF signal pulses among three states including a first state, a second state, and a third state. The method further includes generating a secondary RF signal. The secondary RF signal pulses among the three states. During the first state, the primary RF signal has a power level that is greater than a power level of the secondary RF signal. Also, during the second state, the secondary RF signal has a power level that is greater than a power level of the primary RF signal. During the third state, power levels of the primary and secondary RF signals are approximately equal.

In a plasma processing apparatus disclosed, a controller performs repetition of a cycle. The cycle includes supplying a pulse of a source high-frequency power from a high-frequency power supply for generating plasma from gas in a chamber, and supplying a pulse of an electric bias to a substrate support from a bias power supply. The pulse of the electric bias includes a direct current voltage pulse periodically generated at a bias frequency of 1 MHz or less. A repetition frequency of the cycle is 5 kHz or more. A start timing of the pulse of the electric bias is simultaneous with or earlier than a stop timing of the pulse of the source high-frequency power. A stop timing of the pulse of the electric bias is later than the stop timing of the pulse of the source high-frequency power.

A plasma processing method includes: (a) mounting a substrate including a first mask layer, which is a removal target, formed on a first layer with a metal-containing layer that is included therein to be partially exposed, on a stage disposed inside a processing container of the plasma processing apparatus; (b) supplying a process gas containing one or more of fluorocarbon gas and hydrofluorocarbon gas into the processing container; (c) supplying a first radio-frequency power that forms a plasma from the process gas into the processing container; (d) supplying a second radio-frequency power having a frequency lower than a frequency of the first radio-frequency power to the stage after a predetermined time is elapsed from stop of the first radio-frequency power; and (e) repeating (c) and (d).

A method of processing a substrate that includes: flowing dioxygen (O.sub.2) and an adsorbate precursor into a plasma processing chamber that is configured to hold the substrate including an organic layer and a patterned etch mask; sustaining an oxygen-rich plasma while flowing the O.sub.2 and the adsorbate precursor, oxygen species from the O.sub.2 and the adsorbate precursor reacting under the oxygen-rich plasma to form an adsorbate; and exposing the substrate to the oxygen-rich plasma to form a recess in the organic layer, where the adsorbate forms a sidewall passivation layer in the recess.

There is provided a method of processing a substrate comprising an ONO stack in which a silicon oxide layer and a silicon nitride layer are stacked alternately and repeatedly on the substrate. The method includes: (a) primarily dry-etching silicon nitride layers of the ONO stack; (b) producing oxygen radicals and processing silicon oxide layers of the ONO stack with the oxygen radicals; and (c) secondarily dry-etching the silicon nitride layers of the ONO stack.

The present invention relates to a plasma chamber for wafer etching and a wafer etching method using the plasma chamber, wherein the plasma chamber includes: a housing having a reaction space therein to etch a wafer through plasma; a base plate provided inside the housing and on which the wafer is seated; and a pressure adjusting unit for adjusting the pressure inside the housing, wherein the pressure adjusting unit adjusts the pressure inside the housing to 50-150 mTorr. The wafer etching method using the plasma chamber of the present invention comprises: a pressure adjustment step of adjusting the pressure inside the housing to 50-150 mTorr through the pressure adjusting unit; a source power adjustment step of adjusting a source power of the plasma source to 300-1000 W through the plasma source.

A method for performing an etch process on a substrate in a plasma processing system, including: applying source RF power and bias RF power to an electrode; wherein the source RF power and the bias RF power are pulsed signals that together define a plurality of multi-state pulsed RF cycles, each cycle having a first state, second state, and third state; wherein the first state is defined by the source RF power having a first source RF power level and the bias RF power having a first bias RF power level; wherein the second state is defined by the source RF power and the bias RF power having substantially zero power levels; wherein the third state is defined by the source RF power having a second source RF power level less than the first source RF power level, and the bias RF power having a substantially zero power level.