IP Library Granted Patent US 12685053
Granted Patent B2
US 12685053 · App. 18/367,721 · Granted Jul 14, 2026

Plasma processing method

Inventors: Yohei Ishii (Hillsboro, OR); Kathryn Maier (Hillsboro, OR); Lucas Kovatch (Hillsboro, OR); Makoto Miura (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Corporation
H10P50/267H01J37/3244H01J2237/334
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12685053
App. No.
18/367,721
Granted
Jul 14, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A plasma processing method of etching a ruthenium-containing film using a first etching process (S 01 ) and a subsequent second etching process (S 02 ). S 02 comprises a first step (S 11 ) where a modified layer is formed on the surface of the ruthenium-containing film using a halogen element-containing plasma, and a following second step (S 12 ) to desorb the modified layer using a plasma generated with an oxygen element-containing gas; S 11 and S 12 are repeated alternately.

Claims (12)

1 . A processing method of performing plasma etching on a ruthenium-containing film on a substrate, the method comprising:

a first etching process of plasma etching the ruthenium-containing film, and

a subsequent second etching process of plasma etching the ruthenium-containing film,

wherein the second etching process comprises a first step that forms a modified layer on a surface of the ruthenium-containing film using plasma generated with a halogen element-containing gas, and a second step of desorbing the modified layer using plasma generated with an oxygen element-containing gas, and

wherein the first step and second step of the second etching process alternately repeat, and

wherein no radio frequency power is supplied to a sample stage where the substrate is placed during an entirety of the second step of the second etching process.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the plasma in the first etching process is generated with a mixture of a halogen element-containing gas and an oxygen element-containing gas.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first etching process has a third step that forms a modified layer on a surface of the ruthenium-containing film using plasma generated with a halogen element-containing gas and a fourth step of desorbing the modified layer using plasma generated with an oxygen element-containing gas; the third step and the fourth step repeat alternately.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second etching process starts from the first step.

5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the halogen element-containing gas is chlorine gas, and the oxygen element-containing gas is oxygen gas.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the ruthenium-containing film is a ruthenium film, the ruthenium film is formed over a silicon oxide film, and a silicon nitride film is formed over the ruthenium film.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate to be processed has a Fin FET structure, and the ruthenium-containing film is buried between fins.