Tin oxide films in semiconductor device manufacturing

1. A method of processing a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising:

(a) providing a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of protruding features, the protruding features having horizontal surfaces and sidewalls;

(b) forming a tin oxide layer on the horizontal surfaces and the sidewalls of the protruding features;

(c) forming a passivation layer over the tin oxide layer at the sidewalls of the protruding features, such that gaps between adjacent protruding features remain unfilled after formation of the passivation layer; and

(d) after the passivation layer is formed, etching and completely removing tin oxide from the horizontal surfaces of the protruding features and thereby exposing a material of the protruding features, without completely removing tin oxide residing at the sidewalls of the protruding features.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material of the protruding features exposed in (d) is selected from the group consisting of a silicon-containing material, a carbon-containing material, and a metal oxide.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein (d) comprises etching the tin oxide using a hydrogen-based etch chemistry that results in a formation of a tin hydride.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein (d) comprises etching the tin oxide using a hydrogen-based etch chemistry, by contacting the semiconductor substrate with a plasma-activated hydrogen-containing reactant selected from the group consisting of H 2 , HBr, NH 3 , H 2 O, a hydrocarbon, and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein (d) comprises etching tin oxide using a chlorine-based etch chemistry that comprises exposing the semiconductor substrate to a plasma-activated chlorine-containing reactant selected from the group consisting of Cl 2 , BCl 3 , and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material of the protruding features exposed in (d) is selected from the group consisting of SiO 2 , SiN, SiOC, SiC, SiCN, SiCNO, and SiOC, and wherein (d) comprises etching tin oxide using a hydrogen-based etch chemistry that results in a formation of a tin hydride.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protruding features are silicon oxide covered silicon protruding features and wherein (d) comprises etching tin oxide using a hydrogen-based etch chemistry that results in a formation of a tin hydride, and exposing the silicon oxide material.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protruding features are carbon protruding features or photoresist protruding features.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protruding features are metal oxide protruding features selected from the group consisting of TaO, TiO, WO, ZrO, and HfO.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the passivation layer over the tin oxide layer at the sidewalls of the protruding features comprises depositing a passivation material over both the horizontal surfaces and the sidewalls of the protruding features, followed by removal of the passivation material from the horizontal surfaces of the protruding features.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the passivation layer over the tin oxide layer at the sidewalls of the protruding features comprises depositing a silicon-containing passivation material over both the horizontal surfaces and the sidewalls of the protruding features, followed by removal of the silicon-containing passivation material from the horizontal surfaces of the protruding features using a fluorocarbon-based etch chemistry.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the passivation layer over the tin oxide layer at the sidewalls of the protruding features comprises depositing a carbon-containing passivation material over both the horizontal surfaces and the sidewalls of the protruding features, followed by removal of the carbon-containing passivation material from the horizontal surfaces.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the passivation layer over the tin oxide layer at the sidewalls of the protruding features comprises converting an outer portion of the tin oxide layer to a tin-containing passivation material selected from the group consisting of SnN, SnBr, SnF.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the passivation layer over the tin oxide layer at the sidewalls of the protruding features comprises converting an outer portion of the tin oxide layer to tin nitride by contacting the substrate with a nitrogen-containing reactant in a plasma.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein (d) comprises etching the tin oxide layer using a plasma formed in a gas comprising Cl 2 and BCl 3 , followed by etching the tin oxide layer with a plasma formed in an H 2 -containing gas.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor substrate provided in (a) further comprises an exposed material selected from the group consisting of silicon oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, and tungsten oxide between the protruding features.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the protruding features after (d) without completely removing the tin oxide layer that resided at the sidewalls of the protruding features, thereby forming tin oxide spacers.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tin oxide layer is deposited conformally to a thickness of between about 5-30 nm.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the passivation layer has a thickness of 1-5 nm.

20. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

applying photoresist to the substrate;

exposing the photoresist to light;

patterning the photoresist and transferring the pattern to the substrate;

and selectively removing the photoresist from the substrate.