Methods for fabricating semiconductor devices

1. A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprising:

forming a conductive layer;

depositing an interlayer dielectric layer on the conductive layer;

forming an anti-reflective coating layer on the interlayer dielectric layer;

forming a photoresist pattern on the anti-reflective coating layer;

dry-etching the anti-reflective coating layer and the interlayer dielectric layer in an etching chamber using the photoresist pattern as a mask to expose a predetermined portion of the conductive layer;

weakening a coherence of a residual layer by performing an Ar plasma treatment using a sputtering effect of the Ar plasma ions in the etching chamber to affect the residual layer deposited during the dry-etching of the anti-reflective coating layer and the interlayer dielectric layer; and

performing a fluoric based plasma treatment comprising C x F x plasma to remove the weakened residual layer, wherein the weakened residual layer is removed by the chemical reaction of an electron with a radical of the C x F x plasma.

2. A method as defined by claim 1 , further comprising forming a via hole for a dual damascene structure in the interlayer dielectric layer.

3. A method as defined by claim 2 , wherein dry-etching the anti-reflective coating layer and the interlayer dielectric layer forms a trench for the dual damascene structure.

4. A method as defined by claim 1 , wherein the Ar plasma treatment and the fluoric based plasma treatment comprise adding O 2 .

5. A method as defined by claim 1 , further comprising removing the photoresist pattern.

6. A method as defined by claim 5 , wherein the residual layer is removed before the photoresist pattern is removed.

7. A method as defined by claim 5 , wherein the residual layer is removed after the photoresist pattern is removed.

8. A method as defined in claim 5 , wherein removing the photoresist pattern is performed in the etching chamber.

9. A method as defined by claim 1 , wherein no wet cleaning is performed to remove the residual layer.

10. The method as defined by claim 1 , wherein the interlayer dielectric layer is etched using the C x F x plasma.

11. A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprising:

depositing an interlayer dielectric layer on a conductive layer;

forming an anti-reflective coating layer on the interlayer dielectric layer;

forming a photoresist pattern on the anti-reflective coating layer;

dry-etching the anti-reflective coating layer and the interlayer dielectric layer in an etching chamber using the photoresist pattern as a mask to expose a predetermined portion of the conductive layer;

without removing the exposed conductive layer from the etching chamber, weakening a coherence of a residual layer by performing an Ar plasma treatment using a sputtering effect of the Ar plasma ions in the etching chamber to affect the residual layer deposited during the dry-etching of the anti-reflective coating layer and the interlayer dielectric layer;

and performing a fluoric based plasma treatment comprising C x F x plasma to remove the weakened residual layer, wherein the weakened residual layer is removed by the chemical reaction of an electron with a radical of the C x F x plasma.

12. The method as defined by claim 11 , wherein the Ar plasma treatment and the fluoric based plasma treatment comprise adding O 2 .

13. The method as defined by claim 11 , wherein the interlayer dielectric layer is etched using the C x F x plasma.