A plasma processing method executed by a plasma processing apparatus includes steps of an opening formation, a first film formation, a second film formation, and an etching. In the opening formation, the plasma processing apparatus performs etching on a substrate including a base layer and a first layer formed on the base layer so as to form an opening in the first layer. When determined that the opening satisfies a predetermined condition, in the first film formation, the plasma processing apparatus forms an inhibitor on a bottom surface of the opening so as to form a first film to which a predetermined gas species is not adsorbed. After the formation of the first film, the plasma processing apparatus forms a second film on the side wall of the opening in the second film formation. The plasma processing apparatus also performs etching in the opening in the etching.

A plasma processing apparatus which forms a first film on a pattern formed on a substrate having dense and coarse areas, and then performs sputtering or etching on the first film.

Disclosed herein is a high throughput method for providing directional protection to a three dimensional feature on a substrate by forming a multi-layer amorphous carbon-containing coating with tunable conformality thereon. Forming the multi-layer amorphous carbon-containing coating with tunable conformality includes depositing a base layer onto a horizontal surface of the three dimensional features, and a second layer over the base layer and onto a first portion of a vertical or inclined surface of the three dimensional feature. The base layer includes a first material with a first sticking coefficient and the second layer includes a second material with a second sticking coefficient that is smaller than the first sticking coefficient. The first material includes no fluorine or less fluorine than the second material. Also disclosed herein is a method of manufacturing a three dimensional device as well as three dimensional devices.

In a method, a mask is formed on a microstructure over a substrate. The mask includes a first pattern over a first region of the microstructure and a second pattern over a second region of the microstructure. A first etching process is performed to etch the microstructure by providing an etching gas and applying a first bias voltage to the substrate according to the first and second patterns of the mask. A protective layer is subsequently formed by providing a deposition gas and applying a second bias voltage to the substrate to cover the first pattern of the mask. A second etching process is performed to transfer the second pattern of the mask further into the second region of the microstructure. The deposition gas has a higher carbon to fluorine ratio than the etching gas, and the second bias voltage is smaller than the first bias voltage.

A semiconductor device includes a substrate having a semiconductor fin. A gate structure is over the semiconductor fin, in which the gate structure has a tapered profile and comprises a gate dielectric. A work function metal layer is over the gate dielectric, and a filling metal is over the work function metal layer. A gate spacer is along a sidewall of the gate structure, in which the work function metal layer is in contact with the gate dielectric and a top portion of the gate spacer. An epitaxy structure is over the semiconductor fin.

An interconnect structure includes a metal interconnect layer, a dielectric layer on the metal interconnect layer, a fluorocarbon layer on the dielectric layer, a metal interconnect extending through the fluorocarbon layer and the dielectric layer to the metal interconnect layer. The metal interconnect includes a first portion extending through the fluorocarbon layer and into an upper portion of the dielectric layer and a second portion below the first portion and extending through a lower portion of the dielectric layer to the metal interconnect layer.

The present invention provides a plasma processing method or a plasma processing method, which allows the evenness of etching amounts to increase and the yield of processing to improve.

A method for etching a tungsten film includes: a first step of depositing a fluorocarbon layer and forming an intermediate layer that contains tungsten and fluorine and is self-limiting between the fluorocarbon layer and the tungsten film by supplying plasma of an organic gas containing fluorine to a base material having the tungsten film over at least a part of the surface; and a second step of removing the fluorocarbon layer and the intermediate layer by using plasma of an oxygen gas.

A plasma processing method performed using a plasma processing apparatus includes a first step of forming a first film on a pattern formed on a substrate and having dense and coarse areas, and a second step of performing sputtering or etching on the first film.

A metal complex is disclosed. In an embodiment a metal complex includes at least one metal atom M and at least one ligand L attached to the metal atom M, wherein the ligand L has the following structure:

##STR00001## wherein E.sup.1 and E.sup.2 are oxygen, wherein the substituent R.sup.1 is selected from the group consisting of branched or unbranched, fluorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons with 1 to 10 C atoms, wherein n=1 to 5, wherein the substituent R.sup.2 is selected from the group consisting of branched or unbranched aliphatic hydrocarbons with 1 to 10 C atoms, aryl and heteroaryl, wherein m>0 to at most 5−n, and wherein the metal M is a main group metal of groups 13 to 15 of the periodic table of elements.

Methods for processing a substrate are provided. The method includes receiving a substrate. The substrate has a front side surface, a backside surface, and a side edge surface. The method also includes coating the front side surface, the backside surface and the side edge surface with a self-assembled monolayer and exposing an area of interest with actinic radiation. The actinic radiation causes a de-protection reaction within the self-assembled monolayer within the central region. The method also includes removing the self-assembled monolayer from the area of interest while the self-assembled monolayer remains on remaining surfaces of the substrate.