Selective metal/metal oxide etch process
10297465 ยท 2019-05-21
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
H01L29/66969
ELECTRICITY
H01L29/7869
ELECTRICITY
International classification
H01L29/00
ELECTRICITY
H01L29/66
ELECTRICITY
H01L21/44
ELECTRICITY
H01L29/786
ELECTRICITY
H01L21/3213
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
The present invention provides a process for selectively etching molybdenum or titanium relative to a oxide semiconductor film, including providing a substrate comprising a layer of oxide semiconductor and a layer comprising molybdenum or titanium on the layer of oxide semiconductor; preparing the substrate by applying a photoresist layer over the layer comprising molybdenum or titanium, and then patterning and developing the photoresist layer to form an exposed portion of the layer comprising molybdenum or titanium; providing a composition comprising ammonia or ammonium hydroxide, a quaternary ammonium hydroxide and a peroxide; and applying the composition to the exposed portion for a time sufficient to etch and remove the exposed portion of the layer comprising molybdenum or titanium, wherein the etching selectively removes the molybdenum or titanium relative to the oxide semiconductor.
Claims
1. A process for selectively etching molybdenum or titanium relative to a oxide semiconductor film, comprising: providing a substrate comprising a layer of oxide semiconductor and a layer comprising molybdenum or titanium on the layer of oxide semiconductor; preparing the substrate by applying a photoresist layer over the layer comprising molybdenum or titanium, and then patterning and developing the photoresist layer to form an exposed portion of the layer comprising molybdenum or titanium; providing a composition comprising ammonia or ammonium hydroxide, a quaternary ammonium hydroxide and a peroxide; and applying the composition to the exposed portion for a time sufficient to etch and remove the exposed portion of the layer comprising molybdenum or titanium, wherein the etching selectively removes the molybdenum or titanium relative to the oxide semiconductor, wherein the composition comprises: 3-10 wt. % ammonia; 0.01-0.5 M quaternary ammonium hydroxide; and 0.1-7 wt % hydrogen peroxide.
2. The process according to claim 1 wherein the selective etch removes substantially all of the exposed portion of the layer comprising molybdenum or titanium and substantially none of the layer of oxide semiconductor.
3. The process according to claim 1 wherein the selective etch exhibits a metal/oxide semiconductor selectivity of at least 6:1.
4. The process according to claim 1 wherein the oxide semiconductor comprises IGZO or ITZO.
5. The process according to claim 1 wherein the layer comprising molybdenum or titanium further comprises a layer of aluminum or a layer of copper on the layer of molybdenum or titanium on the layer of oxide semiconductor.
6. The process of claim 5, wherein the layer comprising molybdenum or titanium further comprises a second layer of molybdenum or titanium on the layer of aluminum or on the layer of copper, forming a Mo/Al/Mo sandwich, a Mo/Cu/Mo sandwich, a Ti/Al/Ti sandwich or a Ti/Cu/Ti sandwich.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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(5) It should be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the Figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements are exaggerated relative to each other for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the Figures to indicate corresponding or same elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(6) It should be appreciated that the process steps and structures described herein do not form a complete system or process flow for carrying out an etching process, such as would be used in manufacturing a semiconductor device or TFT display device. The present invention can be practiced in conjunction with fabrication techniques and apparatus currently used in the art, and only so much of the commonly practiced materials, apparatus and process steps are included as are necessary for an understanding of the present invention.
(7) Throughout the disclosure and claims, the numerical limits of the disclosed ranges and ratios may be combined, and all intervening values are deemed to be disclosed by the disclosure of the ranges. Furthermore, all numerical values are deemed to be preceded by the modifier Aabout@, whether or not this term is specifically stated. Throughout the disclosure and claims, any member of a group may be deleted from the group. Throughout the disclosure and claims, all possible combinations of the various disclosed elements may be combined, and all such combinations are deemed to be included within the scope of the present invention. Throughout the disclosure and claims, unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to a, an, and/or the may include one or more than one, and that reference to an item in the singular may also include the item in the plural. Throughout the disclosure and claims, unless otherwise specified all temperatures are measured in degrees Celsius, all processes are conducted at room or ambient temperature, all pressures are atmospheric.
(8) Certain of the embodiments of the invention briefly described in the foregoing Summary are described in more detail in the following written description so as to enable a person of skill in the art to make and use the invention.
(9) In the process according to the present invention, etching can be carried out to form a source and a drain from a metal layer or layers deposited directly on an IGZO layer or other transparent semiconductor oxide material, by selectively etching away the metal layer(s) without the need for an etch stop layer and without damage to the IGZO or other transparent semiconductor oxide layer. The metal layers include, for example, Mo/Cu/Mo, Mo/Al/Mo, Cu/Mo, Mo, Al/Mo, alloys of any of Mo, Cu and Al replacing any of the corresponding metals, and similar metals known in the art for use as source/drain conductors for TFTs.
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(16) Thus, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a process for selectively etching molybdenum or titanium relative to a oxide semiconductor film, including the steps of:
(17) providing a substrate 102 comprising a layer of oxide semiconductor 108 and a layer 110 comprising molybdenum or titanium on the channel layer 108 of oxide semiconductor;
(18) preparing the substrate by applying a photoresist layer 112 over the layer 110 comprising molybdenum or titanium, and then patterning and developing the photoresist layer 112 to form an exposed portion 110a of the layer 110 comprising molybdenum or titanium;
(19) providing a composition comprising ammonia or ammonium hydroxide, a quaternary ammonium hydroxide and a peroxide;
(20) applying the composition to the exposed portion 110a for a time sufficient to etch and remove the exposed portion 110a of the layer comprising molybdenum or titanium, wherein the etching selectively removes the molybdenum or titanium relative to the oxide semiconductor of the channel layer 108.
(21) In other embodiments, the present invention provides a process for forming a transistor 300, comprising:
(22) forming a channel layer 108 of a oxide semiconductor;
(23) depositing a source/drain layer 110 comprising molybdenum or titanium on the channel layer 108;
(24) applying a photoresist layer 112 over the layer 110 comprising molybdenum or titanium, and then patterning and developing the photoresist layer 110 to form an exposed portion 110a of the layer 110 comprising molybdenum or titanium;
(25) providing a composition comprising ammonia or ammonium hydroxide, a quaternary ammonium hydroxide and a peroxide;
(26) applying the composition to the exposed portion 110a for a time sufficient to etch and remove the exposed portion 110a of the layer 110 comprising molybdenum or titanium, wherein the etching selectively removes the molybdenum or titanium relative to the oxide semiconductor, to form a source 310s and a drain 310d for the transistor 300.
(27) In one embodiment, the selective etch removes substantially all of the exposed portion 110a of the layer 110 comprising molybdenum or titanium and substantially none of the layer 108 of oxide semiconductor.
(28) In one embodiment, the selective etch exhibits a metal/oxide semiconductor selectivity of at least 6:1. In another embodiment, the selective etch exhibits a metal/oxide semiconductor selectivity of at least 20:1. In another embodiment, the selective etch exhibits a metal/oxide semiconductor selectivity of at least 100:1. In another embodiment, the selective etch exhibits a metal/oxide semiconductor selectivity of at least 250:1. In another embodiment, the selective etch exhibits a metal/oxide semiconductor selectivity of at least 2500:1. In another embodiment, the selective etch exhibits a metal/oxide semiconductor selectivity of about 3000:1. Since the limits of the ranges and ratios may be combined, the foregoing includes, for example, a selectivity in the range from about 100:1 to about 3000:1, and similar combinations.
(29) In one embodiment, the composition comprises:
(30) 2-10 wt. % ammonia, and in one embodiment 1-10 wt. % ammonia;
(31) 0.01-0.5 M quaternary ammonium hydroxide; and
(32) 0.1-7 wt % hydrogen peroxide.
(33) In one embodiment, the composition comprises:
(34) 3-10 wt. % ammonia;
(35) 0.01-0.5 M quaternary ammonium hydroxide; and
(36) 0.1-7 wt % hydrogen peroxide.
(37) In one embodiment, the composition comprises:
(38) 6-8 wt. % ammonia;
(39) 0.05-0.2 M quaternary ammonium hydroxide; and
(40) 0.5-2 wt % hydrogen peroxide.
(41) In one embodiment, the composition comprises:
(42) 7 wt. % ammonia;
(43) 0.1 M quaternary ammonium hydroxide; and
(44) 1 wt % hydrogen peroxide.
(45) In one embodiment, the peroxide is present in less than a major amount, i.e., less than 50% of the added agents, excluding the solvent, e.g., water.
EXAMPLES
(46) In an initial set of tests, the comparative etch rate of Mo in various combinations of TMAH and ammonia in aqueous solutions containing 1 wt. % hydrogen peroxide are tested, and it is found that the rate of Mo etching is high at low concentrations of TMAH, and appears to be dependent upon the concentration of ammonia in the etching composition. In these tests, for the TMAH in Aqueous NH.sub.3 samples in Table 1, the etching times are 10, 20, 30 and 60 seconds and for the NH.sub.3 in Aqueous TMAH samples in Table 2, the etching times are 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 minutes in solution no. 6, and 10, 20, 30, 60 seconds and 2, 5 and 10 minutes in solution nos. 7-10.
(47) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 TMAH in Aqueous NH.sub.3 Ex. Mo etch No. TMAH (M) NH.sub.3 (wt. %) H.sub.2O.sub.2 (wt. %) pH rate (/min) 1 0 7 1 12 5853 2 0.001 7 1 12 5860 3 0.01 7 1 12.1 5831 4 0.1 7 1 13 5737 5 0.5 7 1 13.7 1556 5A 1.0 7 1 14 260
The optimum Mo etch composition is considered to be that in Example No. 4.
(48) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 NH.sub.3 in Aqueous TMAH Ex. Mo etch No. TMAH (M) NH.sub.3 (wt. %) H.sub.2O.sub.2 (wt. %) pH rate (/min) 6 0.5 0 1 13.7 179 7 0.5 1 1 13.7 294 8 0.5 2 1 13.7 464 9 0.5 4 1 13.7 768 10 0.5 7 1 13.7 1556
(49) In a second set of tests, the Mo/IGZO selectivity is determined in various combinations of TMAH and ammonia in aqueous solutions containing 1 wt. % hydrogen peroxide, as shown in the following Table 3. In these tests, it is found that the best selectivity is obtained with the same etchant as in Ex. No. 4, that the zero TMAH sample corresponds to Ex. No. 1, and that the 0.5 M TMAH sample corresponds to Ex. No. 6, respectively, in Table 1 above.
(50) TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Etch Selectivity Mo/IGZO IGZO Mo etch Etch NH.sub.3 H.sub.2O.sub.2 etch rate rate selectivity TMAH(M) (wt. %) (wt. %) pH (/min) (/min) IGZO:Mo 0 7 1 12 900 5853 1:6.5 0.1 7 1 13 2 5737 1:2870 0.5 0 1 13.7 3 190 1:63
(51) In a third set of tests, the effects of quaternary ammonium and ammonia on the Mo etch rate are determined. For these tests, a 200 nm thick layer of Mo is sputtered onto a silicon wafer, and the Mo etching is estimated by measuring sheet resistivity after etching at 40 C. (Table 4) and 20 C. (Tables 5 and 6). The following results are obtained, first using only aqueous ammonia and hydrogen peroxide, as shown in the following Tables 4 and 5, and then using aqueous TMAH and hydrogen peroxide, as shown in the following Table 6.
(52) TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Aqueous NH.sub.3 and Varied Peroxide at 40 C. Ex. Mo etch rate No. NH.sub.3 (wt. %) H.sub.2O.sub.2 (wt. %) H.sub.2O (wt. %) pH (/min) 11 7 1.5 91.5 11.93 >12000 12 7 10.0 83 11.93 >12000 13 7 5.0 88 11.93 >12000 14 7 1.0 92 11.93 >12000 15 7 0 93 11.93 0 16 TMAH 0 11.93 0
(53) As shown in Table 4, after just 10 seconds the sheet resistivity of the samples with H.sub.2O.sub.2 was in the order of 60 /sq, which corresponds to nearly completely etched layer. The solutions without H.sub.2O.sub.2 did not show variation of the sheet resistivity, therefore these layers are considered to not have been etched at all within the etching time.
(54) TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Aqueous NH.sub.3 with Varying Peroxide at 20 C. Ex. Mo etch rate No. NH.sub.3 (wt. %) H.sub.2O.sub.2 (wt. %) H.sub.2O (wt. %) pH (/min) 17 7 0 93 11.9 0 18 7 0.1 92.9 11.9 600 19 7 1.00 92 11.9 5660 20 7 5.00 88 11.9 >12000
(55) As shown in Table 5, at 20 C. the Mo etch rate can be determined qualitatively, except for the solution with 5 wt % H.sub.2O.sub.2 as the layer is completely etched after 10 seconds. The results show that increasing the H.sub.2O.sub.2 concentration increases the Mo etch rate, just as one would expect based on the increasing oxidizing strength when adding an oxidizing agent.
(56) TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Aqueous TMAH and Peroxide at 20 C. Mo etch rate Ex. No. TMAH (M) H.sub.2O.sub.2 (wt. %) pH (/min) 21 8.50E3 0 11.9 0 22 8.50E3 0.01 11.9 0 23 8.50E3 0.10 11.9 13.0 24 8.50E3 1.00 11.9 1350 25 8.50E3 5.00 3900
(57) The results in Table 6 show that increasing the H.sub.2O.sub.2 concentration increases the Mo etch rate, just as one would expect based on the increasing oxidizing strength when adding an oxidizing agent. Comparing the NH.sub.3 and TMAH solutions, the NH.sub.3 solutions have a higher Mo etch rate.
(58) In a fourth set of tests, a number of different quaternary ammonium hydroxides are tested to determine Mo etch rate at two different concentrations of the quaternary ammonium hydroxides. For these tests, a 200 nm thick layer of Mo is sputtered onto a silicon wafer, and the Mo etching is estimated by measuring sheet resistivity after etching at 20 C. The following results are obtained, as shown in Tables 7 and 8.
(59) TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Effect of Different Quaternary Ammoniums on Mo Etch Rate Quaternary QOH NH.sub.3 H.sub.2O.sub.2 Mo etch rate Ex. No. Ammonium (M) (wt. %) (wt. %) pH (/min) 26 TMAH 0.1 7 1 13 5737 27 TEAH 0.1 7 1 13 5760 28 DMDP 0.1 7 1 13 5580 29 BnTMAH 0.1 7 1 13 5601 30 AdamantylTMAH 0.1 7 1 13 5541 31 ETMAH 0.1 7 1 13 5416 TMAH = Tetremethylammonium hydroxide TEAH = Tetraethylammonium hydroxide DMDP = Dimethyldipropylamminium hydroxide BnTMAH = Benzyl trimethylammonium hydroxide AdamantylTMAH = Adamantyl trimethylammonium hydroxide ETMAH = Ethyltrimethylammonium hydroxide
(60) As shown in Table 7, at 0.1 M QOH, 7 wt. % NH.sub.3 and 1 wt. % H.sub.2O.sub.2 the Mo etch rate is not affected by the molecular structure of the quaternary ammonium cation, being high in all cases.
(61) TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Effect of Different Quaternary Ammoniums on Mo Etch Rate Ex. Quaternary QOH NH.sub.3 H.sub.2O.sub.2 Mo etch rate No. Ammonium (M) (wt. %) (wt. %) pH (/min) 32 TMAH 0.5 7 1 13.7 1556 33 TEAH 0.5 7 1 13.7 914 34 DMDP 0.5 7 1 13.7 462 35 BnTMAH 0.5 7 1 13.7 632 36 AdamantylTMAH 0.5 7 1 13.7 517 37 ETMAH 0.5 7 1 13.7 636
(62) As shown in Table 8, at 0.5 M QOH, 7 wt. % NH.sub.3 and 1 wt. % H.sub.2O.sub.2 the Mo etch rate is affected by the molecular structure of the quaternary ammonium cation.
(63) In a further set of tests, two additional quaternary ammonium hydroxides are tested in Mo etching, with varying concentrations of the hydroxide and ammonia. The results are shown in Table 9.
(64) TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 Effect of Different Quaternary Ammoniums and Different Ammonia Concentrations on Mo Etch Rate Quaternary QOH NH.sub.3 H.sub.2O.sub.2 Mo etch rate Ex. No. Ammonium (M) (wt. %) (wt. %) pH (/min) 38 Choline OH 0.1 7 1 13 5579 39 Choline OH 0.5 0 1 13.7 197 40 Choline OH 0.5 4 1 13.7 391 41 Choline OH 0.5 7 1 13.7 648 42 TBAH 0.1 7 1 13 5328 43 TBAH 0.5 0 1 13.7 65 44 TBAH 0.5 7 1 13.7 773 TBAH = tetrabutylammonium hydroxide Choline OH = trimethylethanolammonium hydroxide
(65) As shown in Table 9, the highest Mo etch rate is obtained with 0.1 M quaternary ammonium hydroxide, 7 wt % ammonia, and 1 wt % hydrogen peroxide. As observed with other tests, Mo etch rate is independent of the cation at these concentrations, but a higher concentration of the quaternary ammonium hydroxide or lower concentration of ammonia reduces the Mo etch rate.
(66) In another set of tests, the copper etch rate is determined using 0.1 M TMAH, 1 wt % hydrogen peroxide and either 0 or 7 wt % ammonia. The results obtained are shown in Table 10.
(67) TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 10 Cu Etch Rate Quaternary QOH NH.sub.3 H.sub.2O.sub.2 Cu etch rate Ex. No. Ammonium (M) (wt. %) (wt. %) pH (/min) 45 TMAH 0.1 0 1 13 0 46 TMAH 0.1 7 1 13 22600 47 TMAH 0.5 0 1 13.7 0 48 TMAH 0.5 7 1 13.7 22600
(68) As shown in Table 10, Cu etches extremely quickly with solutions that contain 7 wt. % NH.sub.3. The etch rate is so high that within a few seconds a 200 nm thick Cu layer is completely etched.
(69) In another set of tests, the aluminum etch rate is determined using 0.1 M TMAH, 1 wt % hydrogen peroxide and either 0 or 7 wt % ammonia. The results obtained are shown in Table 11.
(70) TABLE-US-00011 TABLE 11 Al Etch Rate Quaternary QOH NH.sub.3 H.sub.2O.sub.2 Al etch rate Ex. No. Ammonium (M) (wt. %) (wt. %) pH (/min) 49 TMAH 0.1 0 1 13 275 50 TMAH 0.1 7 1 13 315 51 TMAH 0.5 0 1 13.7 880 52 TMAH 0.5 7 1 13.7 880
(71) As shown in Table 11, the Al etch rate increases for etchants with a higher concentration of TMAH. At 0.1 M TMAH the addition of NH.sub.3 increases the etch rate, whereas at 0.5 M TMAH the Al etch rate is unaffected by the NH.sub.3 concentration. This appears to suggest that, at 0.5 M TMAH, the etch rate is reduction rate dependent and the oxidation rate does not limit the overall etch rate. At 0.1 M it appears to be exactly the opposite, where the addition of NH.sub.3, which is known to be a good complexing agent, might increase the oxidation rate and is therefore oxidation rate dependent.
(72) In another set of tests, the titanium etch rate is determined using 0 or 0.1 M TMAH, 16.67 or 6.67 wt % hydrogen peroxide and 6.44 wt % ammonia. The results obtained are shown in Table 12.
(73) TABLE-US-00012 TABLE 12 Ti Etch Rate Quaternary QOH NH.sub.3 H.sub.2O.sub.2 Ti etch rate Ex. No. Ammonium (M) (wt. %) (wt. %) pH (/min) 53 TMAH 0 6.44 16.67 11.9 495 54 TMAH 0 6.44 6.67 13 246 55 TMAH 0.1 6.44 6.67 13.7 256
(74) As shown in Table 12, the Ti etch rate is actually higher when no quaternary ammonium hydroxide is present with a high concentration of hydrogen peroxide, and when the hydrogen peroxide concentration is lower, the Ti etch rate is the same with our without the quaternary ammonium hydroxide. However, given that the presence of the quaternary ammonium hydroxide has shown a protective effect for the IGZO, it appears that Ti can be effectively and selectively etched away, and that the selectivity shown by the present invention can be obtained when etching and removing a Ti layer on IGZO.
(75) While the principles of the invention have been explained in relation to certain particular embodiments, which are provided for purposes of illustration, it is to be understood that various modifications thereof will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention disclosed herein is intended to cover such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims. The scope of the invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.