There is provided an etching method, including: loading a substrate having a metallic film formed on the substrate into a processing container; and subsequently, oxidizing and etching the metallic film by setting an internal pressure of the processing container to a pressure higher than 2.40×10.sup.4 Pa and supplying an oxidizing gas for oxidizing the metallic film and an etching gas comprising β-diketone into the processing container.

In described embodiments, methods for selective etching (thermal etching) of metals, especially molybdenum- and tungsten-containing materials, and titanium nitride, using thionyl chloride (SOCl.sub.2) as an etching gas at low temperatures and low pressure without a need of plasma, for device manufacturing processes and for process chamber cleanings are disclosed. Methods for cleaning reaction product deposits from interior surface of a reactor chamber or from a substrate within said reaction chamber using thionyl chloride (SOCl.sub.2) at low temperatures and low pressure without a need of plasma are also disclosed. An additional co-reactant such as hydrogen may be used in combination with thionyl chloride. The processes are carried out in temperature ranging from approximately 150° C. to approximately 600° C., pressure under<100 Torr without the need of a plasma-activation.

The present application relates to the technical field of manufacturing semiconductor, and in particular to a method of manufacturing semiconductor structure and a semiconductor structure. The method of manufacturing semiconductor structure includes: forming a conductive layer on a substrate, and removing part of the conductive layer to form a contact structure composed of a plurality of contact pads; where each of the contact pads is electrically connected to a transistor structure on the substrate; and, after the contact pads are formed, removing residual core on top ends of the contact pads away from the substrate by dry etching.

Methods for evaluating synergy of modification and removal operations for a wide variety of materials to determine process conditions for self-limiting etching by atomic layer etching are provided herein. Methods include determining the surface binding energy of the material, selecting a modification gas for the material where process conditions for modifying a surface of the material generate energy less than the modification energy and greater than the desorption energy, selecting a removal gas where process conditions for removing the modified surface generate energy greater than the desorption energy to remove the modified surface but less than the surface binding energy of the material to prevent sputtering, and calculating synergy to maximize the process window for atomic layer etching.

Methods for processing a workpiece are provided. The workpiece can include a ruthenium layer and a copper layer. In one example implementation, a method for processing a workpiece can include supporting a workpiece on a workpiece support. The method can include performing an ozone etch process on the workpiece to at least a portion of the ruthenium layer. The method can also include performing a hydrogen radical treatment process on a workpiece to remove at least a portion of an oxide layer on the copper layer.

Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor and a hydrogen-containing precursor into a remote plasma region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The hydrogen-containing precursor may be flowed at a flow rate of at least 2:1 relative to the flow rate of the fluorine-containing precursor. The methods may include forming a plasma of the fluorine-containing precursor and the hydrogen-containing precursor to produce plasma effluents. The methods may include flowing the plasma effluents into a substrate processing region housing a substrate. The substrate may include an exposed region of a tantalum or titanium material and an exposed region of a silicon-containing material or a metal. The methods may include contacting the substrate with the plasma effluents. The methods may include removing the tantalum or titanium material selectively to the silicon-containing material or the metal.

An etching method includes: providing, in a chamber, a substrate including a structure including a first film selected from a molybdenum film and a tungsten film; performing a first etching on the first film by supplying an oxidation gas and a first gas selected from a MoF.sub.6 gas and a WF.sub.6 gas into the chamber; when a pore present inside the first film is exposed by the first etching, filling the pore with one of molybdenum and tungsten by stopping the first etching and supplying a reduction gas and a second gas selected the MoF.sub.6 gas and the WF.sub.6 gas into the chamber; and performing a second etching on a filling layer formed in the filling and the first film by supplying the oxidation gas and a third gas selected from the MoF.sub.6 gas and the WF.sub.6 gas into the chamber.

According to one aspect of the technique of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including: (a) providing a semiconductor processing apparatus including a substrate process chamber, a coil and a substrate support; (b) placing a target substrate with a concave structure of a silicon film on a substrate support, wherein a deteriorated layer is formed on an inner surface of the concave structure by deterioration of a surface layer of the silicon film due to an etching process; (c) supplying an oxygen-containing gas into the substrate process chamber; (d) applying a high frequency power to the coil to generate plasma of the oxygen-containing gas; and (e) oxidizing, by the plasma, a surface of the silicon film exposed in the concave structure wherein the deteriorated layer is formed on the surface.

Methods for the atomic layer etch (ALE) of tungsten or other metal layers are disclosed that use in part sequential oxidation and reduction of tungsten/metal layers to achieve target etch parameters. For one embodiment, a metal layer is first oxidized to form a metal oxide layer and an underlying metal layer. The metal oxide layer is then reduced to form a surface metal layer and an underlying metal oxide layer. The surface metal layer is then removed to leave the underlying metal oxide layer and the underlying metal layer. Further, the oxidizing, reducing, and removing processes can be repeated to achieve a target etch depth. In addition, a target etch rate can also achieved for each process cycle of oxidizing, reducing, and removing.

Methods for processing a workpiece are provided. The workpiece can include a ruthenium layer and a copper layer. In one example implementation, a method for processing a workpiece can include supporting a workpiece on a workpiece support. The method can include performing an ozone etch process on the workpiece to at least a portion of the ruthenium layer. The method can also include performing a hydrogen radical treatment process on a workpiece to remove at least a portion of an oxide layer on the copper layer.