SEMICONDUCTOR ELEMENT CLEANING SOLUTION THAT SUPPRESSES DAMAGE TO TUNGSTEN-CONTAINING MATERIALS, AND METHOD FOR CLEANING SEMICONDUCTOR ELEMENT USING SAME
20170278701 · 2017-09-28
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
G03F7/425
PHYSICS
C11D3/30
CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
H01L21/304
ELECTRICITY
C22C38/12
CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
International classification
H01L21/02
ELECTRICITY
C11D11/00
CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
H01L21/304
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cleaning solution which removes a photoresist on a surface of a semiconductor element having a low dielectric constant film (a low-k film) and a material that contains 10 atom % or more of tungsten, wherein the cleaning solution contains 0.001-5 mass % of an alkaline earth metal compound, 0.1-30 mass % of an inorganic alkali and/or an organic alkali, and water.
Claims
1. A cleaning solution which removes a photoresist on a surface of a semiconductor element having a low dielectric constant film (a low-k film) and a material that contains 10 atomic % or more of tungsten, wherein the cleaning solution comprises: 0.001 to 5% by mass of an alkaline earth metal compound; 0.1 to 30% by mass of an inorganic alkali, an organic alkali, or both; and water.
2. The cleaning solution according to claim 1, wherein a pH value of the cleaning solution is 10 to 14.
3. The cleaning solution according to claim 1, wherein the material that contains 10 atomic % or more of tungsten is at least one substance selected from the group consisting of tungsten oxide, tungsten nitride, tungsten and tungsten silicide.
4. The cleaning solution according to claim 1, wherein the alkaline earth metal compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of a calcium compound, a strontium compound and a barium compound.
5. The cleaning solution according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning solution comprises at least one inorganic alkali selected from the group consisting of lithium hydroxide, lithium carbonate, lithium hydrogen carbonate, lithium acetate, sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium acetate, potassium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, potassium hydrogen carbonate, potassium acetate, cesium hydroxide, cesium carbonate, cesium hydrogen carbonate, cesium acetate and ammonia, and wherein the organic alkali is at least one substance selected from the group consisting of tetramethylammonium hydroxide, tetraethylammonium hydroxide, tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, choline, methylamine, dimethylamine, trimethylamine, ethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine, propylamine, dipropylamine, butylamine, dibutylamine, pentylamine, hexylamine, heptylamine, octylamine, ethanolamine, 2-methyl ethanol amine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine and 1-amino-2-propanol.
6. The cleaning solution according to claim 1, which does not substantially contain a peroxide, a perchloric acid or a perchlorate.
7. A cleaning method, comprising removing a photoresist on a surface of a semiconductor element having a low dielectric constant film (a low-k film) and a material that contains 10 atomic % or more of tungsten, with the cleaning solution of claim 1.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0040]
EMBODIMENTS FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0041] The cleaning solution of the present invention is used in the cleaning process in the production of a semiconductor element, and in this case, a photoresist can be cleaned/removed at a quite satisfactory level, and it is possible to suppress damage to a low-k film and a tungsten-containing material.
[0042] The tungsten-containing material included in the semiconductor element to which the cleaning solution of the present invention is applied is a material containing 10 atomic % or more of tungsten, and the atomic composition percentage of tungsten is preferably 15 atomic % or more, more preferably 20 atomic % or more, even more preferably 25 atomic % or more, and particularly preferably 30 atomic % or more. Specific examples of the tungsten-containing material include tungsten oxide, tungsten nitride, tungsten and tungsten silicide, and preferred are tungsten oxide, tungsten nitride and tungsten. However, the tungsten-containing material is not limited thereto as long as it is a material containing 10 atomic % or more of tungsten.
[0043] In the present invention, the content of tungsten can be examined by measuring the constituent ratio of tungsten atoms in the targeted tungsten-containing material according to the ion sputtering method of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The vicinity of the surface of the tungsten-containing material is oxidized, and therefore the constituent ratio of oxygen atoms therein may be higher than that in the inner part of the material. For this reason, the surface of the tungsten-containing material is etched by ion sputtering until the constituent ratio of tungsten atoms and oxygen atoms becomes constant, thereby measuring the constituent ratio of tungsten atoms in the inner portion of the tungsten-containing material exposed by ion sputtering. As a measurement apparatus, a fully automatic XPS analyzer K-Alpha (manufactured by Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.) can be used.
[0044] The concentration of the alkaline earth metal compound contained in the cleaning solution of the present invention is 0.001 to 5% by mass, preferably 0.005 to 3% by mass, even more preferably 0.01 to 1% by mass, and particularly preferably 0.05 to 0.8% by mass. When the concentration is within the above-described range, corrosion of the tungsten-containing material can be effectively prevented. When the concentration exceeds 5% by mass, photoresist removability may be reduced.
[0045] The present inventors found for the first time that the alkaline earth metal compound contained in the cleaning solution exerts anticorrosive effects on the tungsten-containing material. The mechanism thereof has not been elucidated, but it is considered that the alkaline earth metal compound adsorbs to the surface of tungsten, thereby preventing corrosion of tungsten caused by an alkali contained in the cleaning solution.
[0046] Specific examples of the alkaline earth metal compound include a calcium compound, a strontium compound and a barium compound. More specific examples thereof include, but are not limited to, barium nitrate, barium hydroxide, barium chloride, barium acetate, barium oxide, barium bromide, barium carbonate, barium fluoride, barium iodide, barium sulfate, barium phosphate, calcium nitrate, calcium chloride, calcium acetate, calcium hydroxide, calcium bromide, calcium carbonate, calcium fluoride, calcium iodide, calcium sulfate, calcium phosphate, strontium carbonate, strontium chloride, strontium acetate, strontium hydroxide, strontium bromide, strontium fluoride, strontium iodide, strontium sulfate and strontium phosphate.
[0047] Among them, barium nitrate, barium hydroxide, barium chloride, barium acetate, barium oxide, barium bromide, barium carbonate, barium fluoride, barium iodide, barium sulfate, barium phosphate, calcium nitrate and strontium chloride are preferred.
[0048] These alkaline earth metal compounds may be used solely, or two or more of them may be used in combination.
[0049] The concentration of the inorganic alkali and/or the organic alkali contained in the cleaning solution of the present invention (when both of them are used, the total thereof) is 0.1 to 30% by mass, preferably 0.5 to 25% by mass, more preferably 1 to 20% by mass, and particularly preferably 2 to 15% by mass. When the concentration is within the above-described range, corrosion of the tungsten-containing material can be effectively prevented. When the concentration exceeds 30% by mass, the low-k film may be damaged.
[0050] Examples of the inorganic alkali to be used in the present invention include, but are not limited to, lithium hydroxide, lithium carbonate, lithium hydrogen carbonate, lithium acetate, sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium acetate, potassium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, potassium hydrogen carbonate, potassium acetate, cesium hydroxide, cesium carbonate, cesium hydrogen carbonate, cesium acetate and ammonia.
[0051] Among them, potassium hydroxide and ammonia are preferred.
[0052] Meanwhile, examples of the organic alkali include, but are not limited to, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, tetraethyl ammonium hydroxide, tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, choline, methylamine, dimethylamine, trimethylamine, ethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine, propylamine, dipropylamine, butylamine, dibutylamine, pentylamine, hexylamine, heptylamine, octylamine, ethanolamine, 2-methylethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine and 1-amino-2-propanol.
[0053] Among them, tetramethylammonium hydroxide and triethylamine are preferred.
[0054] These alkalis may be used solely, or two or more of them may be used in combination.
[0055] The water contained in the cleaning solution of the present invention is preferably water from which metal ions, organic impurities, particles, etc. have been removed by distillation, ion exchange treatment, filtering treatment, adsorption treatment or the like, and pure water and ultrapure water are particularly preferred. Further, the concentration of water in the cleaning solution is preferably 40% by mass or more, more preferably 50% by mass or more, and even more preferably 60% by mass or more. In this regard, the concentration of water means the remaining portion of the cleaning solution from which agents are excluded.
[0056] The pH value of the cleaning solution of the present invention is preferably 10 to 14, more preferably 11 to 14, even more preferably 11.4 to 14, and particularly preferably 12 to 14. When the pH value is within the above-described range, damage to the tungsten-containing material can be effectively suppressed, and the photoresist on the surface of the product to be treated can be selectively removed.
[0057] The cleaning solution of the present invention substantially does not contain a peroxide, a perchloric acid or a perchlorate. The word “substantially” as used herein means that the total amount of the peroxide, the perchloric acid and the perchlorate is less than 1% by mass. In one embodiment, the cleaning solution of the present invention does not contain the peroxide, the perchloric acid or the perchlorate at all. Specific examples of the peroxide include hydrogen peroxide, urea peroxide, m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, peracetic acid, di-tert-butyl peroxide, benzoyl peroxide, acetone peroxide, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, hexamethylene triperoxide, cumene hydroperoxide, lithium peroxide, potassium peroxide, sodium peroxide, rubidium peroxide, cesium peroxide, beryllium peroxide, magnesium peroxide, calcium peroxide, strontium peroxide, barium peroxide, zinc peroxide, cadmium peroxide and copper peroxide. Meanwhile, specific examples of the perchloric acid and the perchlorate include perchloric acid, ammonium perchlorate, potassium perchlorate, calcium perchlorate, magnesium perchlorate, silver perchlorate, sodium perchlorate, barium perchlorate, lithium perchlorate, zinc perchlorate, acetylcholine perchlorate, lead perchlorate, rubidium perchlorate, cesium perchlorate, cadmium perchlorate, iron perchlorate, aluminium perchlorate, strontium perchlorate, tetrabutylammonium perchlorate, lanthanum perchlorate, indium perchlorate and tetra-n-hexyl ammonium perchlorate.
[0058] In the cleaning solution of the present invention, an additive which is conventionally used in semiconductor cleaning solutions may be blended within a range in which the purpose of the present invention is not impaired. For example, as the additive, an oxidant other than the peroxide described above, an acid, a metal anticorrosive, a water-soluble organic solvent, a fluorine compound, a reducing agent, a chelating agent, a surfactant, a defoaming agent, etc. may be added.
[0059] The temperature at which the cleaning solution of the present invention is used is 10 to 85° C., preferably 30 to 70° C., and may be appropriately selected depending on etching conditions and a semiconductor element to be used.
[0060] With the cleaning method of the present invention, ultrasonic may be used in combination according to need.
[0061] The time for use of the cleaning solution of the present invention is 0.1 to 120 minutes, preferably 1 to 60 minutes, and may be appropriately selected depending on etching conditions and a semiconductor element to be used.
[0062] As a rinse liquid to be used after use of the cleaning solution of the present invention, an organic solvent such as alcohol can be used, but it is sufficient to just rinse the semiconductor element with water.
[0063] As a general low-k film, a hydroxysilsesquioxane (HSQ)-based or methylsilsesquioxane (MSQ)-based OCD (trade name, manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd.), a carbon-doped silicon oxide (SiOC)-based Black Diamond (trade name, manufactured by Applied Materials), Aurora (trade name, manufactured by ASM International), Coral (trade name, manufactured by Novellus Systems) and an inorganic Orion (trade name, manufactured by Trikon Technologies) can be used, but the low-k film is not limited thereto.
EXAMPLES
[0064] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on Examples and Comparative Examples, but the present invention is not limited by the Examples.
SEM Observation:
[0065] Observation of conditions before and after the cleaning/removal treatment of the semiconductor element was carried out using the below-described SEM (scanning electron microscope) apparatus (100,000×).
[0066] Measurement apparatus: ultra-high resolution field-emission scanning electron microscope SU9000 manufactured by Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
Judgment:
[0067] The judgment after cleaning/removal was made after SEM observation based on the below-described criteria.
I. Removal State of Photoresist
[0068] E: The photoresist was completely removed.
[0069] G: The photoresist was almost removed.
[0070] P: The photoresist was insufficiently removed.
[0071] E and G are regarded as acceptable.
II. Damage to Tungsten-Containing Material
[0072] E: The tungsten-containing material showed no change compared to that prior to cleaning.
[0073] G: The tungsten-containing material showed slight change compared to that prior to cleaning.
[0074] P: The tungsten-containing material showed change in its shape.
[0075] E and G are regarded as acceptable.
III. Damage to Low-k Film
[0076] E: The low-k film showed no change compared to that prior to cleaning.
[0077] G: The low-k film showed slight change compared to that prior to cleaning.
[0078] P: The low-k film showed change in its shape.
[0079] F: The low-k film showed significant change in its shape.
[0080] E and G are regarded as acceptable.
Examples 1-10
[0081] A semiconductor element having a wiring structure whose cross-sectional surface is as shown in
[0082] The content of tungsten was measured according to the ion sputtering method of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as described above. In each case, as a measurement apparatus, a fully automatic XPS analyzer K-Alpha (manufactured by Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.) was used.
[0083] It is understood that in Examples 1-10 to which the cleaning solution of the present invention shown in Table 2 was applied, damage to the tungsten-containing material 1 and the low-k film 2 was prevented while the photoresist 3 was completely removed.
Comparative Examples 1-5
[0084] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Examples 6 and 7 (the Invention Described in Patent Document 1)
[0085] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Example 8 (the Invention Described in Patent Document 2)
[0086] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Example 9 (the Invention Described in Patent Document 3)
[0087] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Examples 10 and 11 (the Invention Described in Patent Document 4)
[0088] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Example 12 (the Invention Described in Patent Document 5)
[0089] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Example 13 (the Invention Described in Patent Document 6)
[0090] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Example 14 (the Invention Described in Patent Document 7)
[0091] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Examples 15 and 16 (the Invention Described in Patent Document 8)
[0092] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Examples 17 and 18 (the Invention Described in Patent Document 9)
[0093] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Example 19 (the Invention Described in Patent Document 10)
[0094] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Example 20 (the Invention Described in Patent Document 11)
[0095] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Example 21 (the Invention Described in Patent Document 12)
[0096] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Example 22 (the Invention Described in Patent Document 13)
[0097] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Example 23 (the Inventions Described in Patent Documents 14 and 15)
[0098] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Example 24 (the Invention Described in Patent Document 16)
[0099] The semiconductor element shown in
Comparative Example 25
[0100] The semiconductor element shown in
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Alkaline earth Alkali metal compound Water Concen- Concen- Concen- tration tration tration Cleaning % by % by % by solution pH Type mass Type mass mass 1A 13.3 KOH 1 Ba(NO.sub.3).sub.2 0.1 98.9 1B 11.4 NH.sub.3 1 Ba(NO.sub.3).sub.2 0.2 98.8 1C 14 TMAH 20 Ba(NO.sub.3).sub.2 0.1 79.9 1D 12.4 TEA 10 Ba(NO.sub.3).sub.2 0.2 89.8 1E 14 TMAH 20 Ba(NO.sub.3).sub.2 0.01 79.99 1F 13.3 KOH 1 Ba(OH).sub.2 0.1 98.9 1G 13.3 KOH 1 BaCl.sub.2 0.1 98.9 1H 13.1 KOH 1 Ca(NO.sub.3).sub.2 0.7 98.3 1I 13.3 KOH 1 SrCl.sub.2 1 98 KOH: potassium hydroxide NH.sub.3: ammonia TMAH: tetramethylammonium hydroxide TEA: triethylamine Ba(NO.sub.3).sub.2: barium nitrate Ba(OH).sub.2: barium hydroxide BaCl.sub.2: barium chloride Ca(NO.sub.3).sub.2: calcium nitrate SrCl.sub.2: strontium chloride
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Temper- Immer- Dam- Dam- Exam- Cleaning ature sion time Removal age age ples solution ° C. min state I II III 1 1A 60 30 E E E 2 1B 50 60 E E E 3 1C 70 40 E E G 4 1C 70 1 E E E 5 1D 70 20 E G E 6 1E 30 60 E E G 7 1F 60 30 E G G 8 1G 60 30 E E G 9 1H 60 30 E E E 10 1I 60 30 E G G Removal state I: removal state of photoresist 3 Damage II: damage to tungsten-based material 1 Damage III: damage to low-k film 2
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Alkaline earth Alkali metal compound Water Concen- Concen- Concen- tration tration tration Cleaning % by % by % by solution pH Type mass Type mass mass 2A 13.3 KOH 1 — — 99 2B 11.4 NH.sub.3 1 — — 99 2C 14 TMAH 20 — — 80 KOH: potassium hydroxide NH.sub.3: ammonia TMAH: tetramethylammonium hydroxide TEA: triethylamine
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Cleaning solution Composition of cleaning solution (concentration: % by mass) 2E KOH: 0.005%, TMAH: 10%, DGME: 50%, pyrazole: 0.1%, water: 38.895% 2F benzotriazol: 0.1%, 1,2,4-triazole: 0.1%, ammonium fluoride: 5%, boric acid: 1%, water: 93.8% 2G ammonium fluoride: 0.25%, gluconic acid: 0.06%, water: 99.69% 2H phosphoric acid: 1.35%, hydrochloric acid: 1%, TMAH: 5%, sodium lauryl diaminoethyl glycinate: 0.01%, water: 92.64% 2I hydrogen peroxide: 5%, aminotriazole: 0.01%, water: 94.99% 2J hydrogen peroxide: 15%, benzyltrimethylaninionium hy- droxide: 0.2%, Ethoquad O/12: 0.001%, water: 84.799% 2K octylamine: 1.9%, hydroxylamine sulfate: 6%, TMAH: 4.9%, formic acid: 2%, 2-methyl-4-pentanediol: 8%, water: 77.2% 2L N,N-diethylhydroxylamine: 20%, hydroxylamine: 2%, DMSO: 53%, catechol: 10%, water: 15% 2M TMAH: 10%, KOH: 0.02%, 2-phenyl-4-methylimidazole: 2%, DGME: 20%, water: 67.98% 2N hydrogen peroxide: 14%, hydrofluoric acid: 0.3%, DGME: 58.4%, vinylimidazole: 1%, water: 26.3% 2O hydrofluoric acid: 0.3%, DGME: 60%, 2-ethyl-4-methyl- imidazole: 1%, water: 38.7% 2P hydrofluoric acid: 0.1%, aminopropyltrimethoxysilane: 0.1%, benzotriazol: 0.1%, ethanol: 1%, acetic acid: 1%, water: 97.7% 2Q hydroxylamine sulfate: 2%, TMAH: 3.4%, citric acid: 2%, sorbitol: 0.5%, water: 92.1% 2R ammonium acetate: 5%, glycine: 0.8%, ammonia: 0.18%, DMSO: 3.6%, water: 90.42% 2S TMAH: 3.35%, CyDTA: 0.11%, hydrogen peroxide: 1.64%, hexafluorosilicic acid: 0.23%, water: 94.67% 2T KOH: 1%, hexafluorosilicic acid: 0.5%, water: 98.5% KOH: potassium hydroxide TMAH: tetramethylammonium hydroxide DGME: diethylene glycol monomethyl ether Ethoquad O/12: [oleylbis(2-hydroxyethyl)methylammonium-bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide] (manufactured by Lion Corporation) DMSO: dimethyl sulfoxide CyDTA: trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid monohydrate
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Compar- ative Temper- Immer- Dam- Dam- Exam- Cleaning ature sion time Removal age age ples solution ° C. min state I II III 1 2A 60 30 E P E 2 2B 50 60 E P E 3 2C 70 40 E P G 4 30 60 E P G 5 2D 70 20 E P E 6 2E 50 20 E P F 7 25 0.5 P E P 8 2F 50 6 P E F 9 2G 25 1 P E F 10 2H 60 6 E E P 11 60 4 P E P 12 2I 25 5 P P E 13 2J 40 10 P P E 14 2K 70 15 P E P 15 2L 50 1 E E P 16 50 0.2 P E P 17 2M 50 10 E P F 18 30 1 P E P 19 2N 60 10 P P F 20 2O 60 10 P E F 21 2P 50 10 P E F 22 2Q 70 30 P P E 23 2R 30 10 P E F 24 2S 40 0.5 P P F 25 2T 60 30 E P F Removal state I: removal state of photoresist 3 Damage II: damage to tungsten-based material 1 Damage III: damage to low-k film 2
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0101] When using the cleaning solution and the cleaning method of the present invention, in the process for manufacturing the semiconductor element, damage to the tungsten-containing material and the low-k film can be suppressed, the photoresist on the surface of the product to be treated can be removed, the semiconductor element having high precision and high quality can be produced with a high yield, and therefore these are industrially useful.
EXPLANATIONS OF LETTERS OR NUMERALS
[0102] 1: tungsten-containing material [0103] 2: interlayer dielectric film (low-k film) [0104] 3: photoresist