Using plasma

A process for etching aluminum wherein a masked layer of aluminum, supported on a substrate, is exposed to a plasma formed by imposing an RF voltage across at least two spaced electrodes in an ambient including a gas selected from the group consisting of CCl.sub.4, Cl.sub.2, Br.sub.2, HCl. The resultant...     

An etching device uses a gas activated by a plasma for etching a semiconductor element. The apparatus includes object feeding and etching chambers formed on the opposite sides of an airtight flat chamber and a support plate rotatably mounted in the flat chamber to bring the semiconductor element from...     

Process and apparatus for carrying out a reaction, such as etching aluminum, in the glow discharge of a gas plasma. The plasma is formed between a pair of closely spaced electrodes, and a distributed impedance is provided in series with the plasma to assure uniform distribution of the ionizing current...     

A continuous gas plasma etching apparatus comprising a reaction chamber having an inlet means and an outlet means, an activation portion disposed at a distance from said reaction chamber, a distributor means for uniformly supplying said reaction chamber with an activated gas produced in said activation...     

A gas etching apparatus comprising an etching gas-producing chamber; means for introducing into said chamber a mixture of a gas containing fluorine atoms and a gas containing oxygen atoms; means for activating the gas mixture received in the etching gas-producing chamber; an etching chamber provided...     

High density fine-line integrated structure fabrication is expedited by use of plasma etching systems which assure straight vertical walls (absence of undercutting). Critical to the sytems is choice of appropriate plasma chemistry. Appropriate systems are characterized by inclusion of recombination centers,...     

Multilayer printed wiring boards are conventionally laminated using epoxy adhesives. When the boards are drilled, a residual smear often remains within the drilled holes. This smear prevents proper through plating of the holes and the layers are left without some of the intended interconnections. In...     

A radio frequency and a static electric field are superposedly applied to a low pressure gas to generate a gaseous plasma and to drive ions of selected polarity in a predetermined direction. The processing chamber is pre-evacuated to a sufficiently high vacuum, and an etching gas is introduced into the...     

After exposure to radiation photoresist may be developed by a dry process using a gas plasma, preferably an oxygen plasma. The process can be used for chemical milling, photolithography, printed circuit board and photomask manufacture and it is particularly advantageous in the manufacture of semiconductors....     

A "planar" type plasma-etching apparatus wherein one electrode is a metallic mesh electrode, while the other electrode is a metallic plate electrode, and wherein a work piece is placed outside the mesh electrode. This apparatus has the advantage that a work piece having a large area can be etched uniformly...     

End point detection in developing photoresist is accomplished by monitoring the output of a photodetector and sensing a plateau in the output.

An etching device uses a gas activated by a plasma for etching semiconductor elements. The apparatus includes etching chamber in which semiconductor elements are horizontally held by a supporting plate or conveyer and etched. The etching gas introduced from the upper side of the semiconductor element...     

A high-throughput apparatus for sputter etching or reactive sputter etching of wafers comprises a large-area electrode centrally disposed within a relatively small-area cylindrical electrode. Wafers to be etched are mounted on the inside surface of the cylindrical electrode. A source of a-c power is...     

A magnetic layer for storing information in the form of a fixed, two-dimensional array of magnetic domains. The magnetic layer can be magnetized in either of two opposite directions normal to the plane of the layer. The walls of the domains are fixed by local gradients in the value and direction of the...     

Multilayer printed wiring boards are conventionally laminated using epoxy adhesives. When the boards are drilled, a residual smear often remains within the drilled holes. This smear prevents proper through plating of the holes and the layers are left without some of the intended interconnections. In...     

A uniform plasma etching system includes a plasma reaction chamber with a source of reactive gas communicating therewith and an RF generator connected to individual electrodes located in the plasma chamber, the electrodes arranged for defining separate part cells and separate plasma generating chambers...     

A plasma-polymerized film formed on the surface of a substrate is found to be suitable for subsequent use in electron-beam lithography and the film exposed to a beam of electrons is then developed to provide it with the predetermined pattern. These steps of plasma polymerization, electron-beam exposure...     

The resistance of a resist of plasma etching is enhanced by first cross-linking the resist and then contacting it with an aqueous solution of NaOH or KOH. The process is useful to form microcircuits having increased density of geometry.

A plasma etching device having a quartz cylinder surrounded by RF energized electrodes or coils, contains a slotted aluminum tube into which wafers for etching are supported and processed. Each of the slots of the aluminum tube is provided with a shield extending longitudinally of the slot to intercept...     

Exposed patterns in phenol-formaldehyde Novolak resin/diazo ketone resist layers are developed in an oxygen plasma by treating the resist layers, prior to development, with a magnesium salt. This produces a negative pattern. Positive patterns are produced by combining the process with decarboxylation...     

This invention relates to a pattern-forming process using a radiation sensitive chalcogenide layer composed of a laminate of amorphous chalcogenide layer (2) and thin silver layer (3), and discloses a pattern-forming process characterized by etching out an amorphous chalcogenide layer (22) not doped...     

A plasma processing chamber incorporating parallel plate electrodes whose separation may be mechanically adjusted from the outside thereof. The chamber includes a sealable assembly including an electrode housing and a reaction chamber body. The body includes an aperture to receive a planar surfaced terminal...     

A parallel-plate type gas plasma etching apparatus for etching a workpiece having a multilayer structure having a high etch rate ratio. A pair of parallel-plate electrodes are disposed in a reactor. A workpiece to be etched is disposed upon one of the electrodes. The reactor is held at a predetermined...     

A planar electrode (17) having a plurality of concentric channels (34-34) therein through which coolant fluid passes to cool the electrode during a plasma etching process. The coolant is directed through at least two of the adjacent channels in opposite directions with the inputs (31) and outputs (32)...     

The admission of a gas to a reaction chamber which has been previously evacuated is followed by its excitation by either a high-frequency electrostatic field or an electromagnetic field, formed by capacitor plates or a coil, respectively, which envelops the outer wall of the reaction chamber. A perforated...     

An improved method of etching a silver-doped germanium selenide resist film utilizing as the etchant gas sulfur hexafluoride.

A radio frequency and a static electric field are superposedly applied to a low pressure gas to generate a gaseous plasma and to drive ions of selected polarity in a predetermined direction. The processing chamber is pre-evacuated to a sufficiently high vacuum, and an etching gas is introduced into the...     

A method of improving the uniformity and line-width control in the plasma etching of aluminum and its alloys by adding to the etchant gas an effective amount of a gaseous hydrocarbon which will polymerize under glow discharge conditions.

Dry plasma etching of a plurality of planar thin-film semiconductor wafers is effected simultaneously and uniformly in a relatively small chamber enveloping a vertically-stacked array of laminar electrode sub-assemblies each of which includes a pair of oppositely-excited electrode plates tightly sandwiching...     

An improved sputter etching apparatus for etching a substrate with a reactive gas. The improvement in the apparatus comprises utilizing a cryogenic pump as the vacuum means to evacuate the plasma chamber. The improved apparatus of the invention is particularly useful for the reactive sputter etching...     

A method of producing a composite material in which a reinforcing material (eg as fibres) is embedded in a matrix material is characterized in that the reinforcement material comprises a polymer material having a draw ratio of at least 12:1 which is plama treated, prior to incorporation in the matrix,...     

A dry-etching method for working SiO.sub.2, phospho-silicate glass, Si, Mo, W, Cr, TiW, Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 or the like by the use of a glow discharge plasma involves the steps of introducing He, Ar, N.sub.2, O.sub.2 or a mixed gas thereof into a reaction chamber from the outside; and effecting the plasma...     

Novel copolymers comprising a compound containing an acrylate moiety and a silicon-containing oxime ester of methacrylic acid having the formula ##STR1## are positive resist recording media which can be dry developed.

Disclosed ia a plasma etching apparatus in which an etching chamber accomodates a pair of parallel flat plate electrodes facing each other. The etching chamber is also provided with a device for applying high frequency power to one of the electrodes and a system for introducing a reactive gas. An after-treatment...     

A process for selectively etching an aluminum-containing coating in preference to a masking material on a surface of the aluminum-containing coating by positioning a patterned masking material on the aluminum-containing coating in a radio frequency plasma etching chamber and introducing an etchant gas...     

At least three spring-mounted members disposed around the periphery of an aperture in a wafer-mounting plate are arranged to engage and securely hold edge portions of a semiconductor wafer to be processed. When the spring-mounted members are actuated toward the front side of the plate, a wafer can be...     

A programmable memory element for a programmable read only memory. The programmable memory element includes a Nichrome fusible link with a first metallization layer formed in contact with the Nichrome fusible link. An insulating layer is formed over the first metallization layer and over a portion of...     

A method for determining the optimum time at which a plasma etching operation should be terminated. The optical emission intensity (S.sub.1) of the plasma in a narrow band centered about a predetermined spectral line, indicative of the gas phase concentration of a plasma etch product or reactant species....     

A process for selectively etching an aluminum-containing coating in preference to a masking material on a surface of the aluminum-containing coating by positioning a patterned masking material on the aluminum-containing coating in a radio frequency plasma etching chamber and introducing an etchant gas...     

An improved reactive ion plasma etching apparatus having an improved electrode, for holding the product, such as a semiconductor wafer, to be etched, provided with a plurality of apertures into which different tailored product holders are inserted so as to alter the plasma over each holder and provide...     

This ion beam system provides an ion beam pattern which is produced without the need for a mask. A programmable grid is used in combination with an ion beam source, where the apertures of the programmable grid can have electrical potentials associated therewith which either extract ions or impede the...     

A planarizing process for producing a passivation or insulating layer immediately underlying an upper metallized layer on the surface of an integrated circuit having very large radius of curvature steps, thus providing a reliable base for the metallized layer. The process is comprised of the steps of...     

A treatment device utilizing plasma performs treatment by exposing a material to be treated to a plasma atmosphere formed by converting at least either one of fluorine and a fluorine compound into gas plasma, and said device comprises a structural member for forming the space for maintaining said plasma...     

A method is provided for anisotropically etching organic material to reduce mask undercutting. The layer of organic material to be patterned, with an overlying patterning mask is provided on a substrate. The substrate with the layer of organic material on it is placed on the powered electrode within...     

An improved etchant gas composition for the plasma etching of a layer of aluminum or its alloys on a substrate is provided. The etchant composition comprises boron trichloride, nitrogen and a halogenated fluorocarbon. In addition to providing an efficient, anisotropic etch, the subject etchant compositions...     

The specification describes a process for treating patterned VLSI lithographic masks to retain their shape during processing of VLSI wafers. The process avoids the common postbake treatment which tends to cause sagging of the sidewalls of the mask. Retention of vertical sidewalls on the mask edges has...     

An etching device is disclosed which comprises a high frequency generator and a reactor in close proximity to each other. The reactor has a plasma zone and a processing zone which open directly into each other. The device is advantageous for chemical dry etching in that a short distance between plasma...     

Methods of fabrication of spatial light modulators with deflectable beams by plasma etching after dicing of a substrate into chips, each of the chips an SLM, is disclosed. Also, various architectures available with such plasma etching process are disclosed and include metal cloverleafs for substrate...     

A method for plasma etching of TiO.sub.2, using a mixture of oxygen and a fluorine-bearing species, preferably CF.sub.4. This mixture gives good selectivity over aluminum and photoresist, and approximately unity selectivity over silica or silicon nitride. Use of a chlorine-containing species is also...     

Plasma processing is accomplished with an improved single electrode reactor apparatus. High and low frequency power supplies are coupled to the single electrode to provide increased process flexibility, control and residue removal. A multi-stage passive filter network is disclosed which performs the...     

A procedure for cleaning drilled holes in laminated workpieces such as printed electric circuit boards includes the steps of coating a cutting instrument, such as a drill bit, with a liquid tracer prior to a cutting or drilling operation. During the cutting or drilling operation, the liquid tracer becomes...     

A method of preparing the surface of molded mineral-filled nylon to receive an adherent electrodeposited metal coating comprising the steps of: exposing the surface to a plasma glow discharge; vacuum depositing a film of chromium or titanium onto the plasma-treated surface; vacuum depositing a nickel...     

The present invention relates to detectors used in X-ray tomographic imaging. The invention describes a xenon ionization detector having individual detector elements spaced 1.5 mil apart, thus providing high resolution. In one embodiment, a procedure is described for reducing a spurious electric current...     

Edge termination of monolithic capacitors having thin electrode layers bonded in dielectric resin is accomplished by ashing away some resin to expose electrode edge surfaces, plating the edge surfaces by vapor deposition, and depositing a conductive layer on the coating by electroless plating, schooping...     

A microminiature resonant hollow beam sensor is manufactured by micromachining and microfabrication techniques. Specifically, a sensor is formed by etching troughs in a pair of silicon substrates, joining the substrates face-to-face, and etching away unwanted material to free the resonant hollow beam...     

The surface of a substrate is roughened by providing a substrate which comprises a resinous material and an inorganic particulate material; and etching a surface of the substrate to selectively etch the resinous material and thereby produce the roughened surface.

A relatively small amount of high frequency RF power is mixed with a predominantly low frequency RF power to provide an improved etch rate uniformity of a semiconductor wafer in a low frequency plasma etching system.

Multilayer photoresist recording media containing an absorptive layer are improved by forming the absorptive layer from a composition comprising PMMA or a copolymer of methylmethacrylate and methacrylic acid, certain dyes such as hydroxyazobenzoic acid or Sudan Orange G and a suitable solvent. The dyes...     

A process for making at least a single-faced, write and/or read optical disk having a sub-layer with a smooth or high-resolution featured surface and the opaque, substantially flat substrate includes the steps of interjecting between the opaque, substantially flat substrate and a transparent, highly...     

The present disclosure relates to a process for fabricating glass tooling with a featured surface. The method entails the steps of coating a polished surface of a glass blank with a continuous metal coating. A photoresist is applied, exposed, and developed in a desired pattern. Uncovered metal is etched...     

A plasma gun is described which is capable of creating and directing a plasma towards a neutralizing plate. The plate is comprised of a material which is chemically inert, metallic, and whose atoms are substantially heavier than the atoms of the plasma gas. The plasma, upon impacting the neutralizing...     

The present invention provides a structure and method for fabricating that structure which provides increased capacitance over the prior art while occupying a minimum of surface area of the integrated circuit. The present invention accomplishes this by interleaving multiple capacitor plates to provide...     

Disclosed is a process for reducing lithographic image size for integrated circuit manufacture. A mask of photosensitive material having an opening of a minimum size dictated by the limits of lithography is formed on a substrate. Reduction in the image size is achieved by establishing sidewalls to the...     

A method for structuring silicon carbide by photolithography and plasma etching wherein a substrate of silicon carbide is covered on a flat side with a structured silicon layer, and the plasma etching is then carried out with a gaseous mixture of a halogenated hydrocarbon and oxygen, the oxygen being...     

An apparatus for surface treatment, especially for etching and/or coating workpieces by ion bombardment is described. This apparatus comprises at least one ionization chamber having at least one hot cathode, gas atoms being introduced into this chamber for the low-voltage arc-discharge between the ionization...     

A method of reproducing sub-micron images in a first imaging layer. A second imaging layer is deposited on an etch-stop film formed on the first layer, and the second imaging layer is exposed to an E-beam at low dose. The resulting standing wave exposure pattern is converted into a corresponding topology...     

A method of wetting and coating various metals, which have been mechanically polished and chemically cleaned and etched, includes plasma cleaning and etching the metal and delivering mercury or other liquid metals through the plasma to the surface of the metal to be wetted. Tungsten, molybdenum, steels...     

Novel optical waveguides and methods for their fabrication are provided. The waveguides are made from polydiacetylene materials. The waveguides are made by a bilayer process wherein a film made from a soluble polydiacetylene material is applied to a substrate and a silicon-containing imaging layer is...     

A magnetic field enhanced single wafer plasma etch reactor is disclosed. The features of the reactor include an electrically-controlled stepped magnetic field for providing high rate uniform etching at high pressures; temperature controlled reactor surfaces including heated anode surfaces (walls and...     

An improved method producing a lithium niobate waveguide device is described, and comprises; (i) providing an optical waveguide path on a lithium niobate substrate; (ii) depositing a layer of dielectric material on the substrate; (iii) depositing a layer of conducting material on the dielectric layer;...     

A process for etching silicon nitride which utilizes free radicals from a remote plasma generated using a fluorine containing gas; and hydrogen; to produce an etch which is selective to selected materials, for example, silicon and silicon dioxide.

The invention provides a method for forming a photoresist mask on a substrate resistant to reticulation during plasma etching. The method comprises the steps of forming an imaged and developed photoresist coating over an integrated circuit substrate where the photoresist contains an essentially unreacted...     

A method for removing nitride coatings from metal tooling and mold surfaces without damaging the underlying base metal includes placing the nitride coated metal surface into a plasma reactor and subjecting it to a gaseous plasma comprising a reactive fluorine species. The reactive fluorine species may...     

A process for developing a photolithographic pattern on the surface of an exposed workpiece in a process chamber; disposing the workpiece in a process chamber; heating the workpiece and introducing a silylating agent to the process chamber and to a face of the workpiece to be processed; generating activated...     

An etching device comprising a housing in which etching process is carried out, an electrode system having lower and upper electrodes opposed to each other used to generate plasma between these electrodes, while a semiconductor wafer is being placed on the lower electrode, a lifter system to move the...     

A processing apparatus and method for anisotropically etching thin film metal (e.g. tungsten) under plasma bombardment conditions by using a feed gas mixture which includes a fluorine source (such as SF.sub.6) plus a bromine source (such as HBr), plus a very weak oxygen source (e.g. carbon monoxide)....     

A reactive ion etching apparatus includes first and second reactive chambers in a single buffer room. First and second stages are placed in front of corresponding reactive chambers. The centers of the reactive chambers and stages form a square. A first transfer arm transfers a wafer between the first...     

A mounting surface of an electrode for mounting an object to be processed thereon is projected to be a curved surface identical to a curved surface obtained by deforming the object to be processed by a uniform load, and etching of the object to be processed is performed. Etching of the object to be processed...     

A method for producing high resolution patterned resist images having excellent etch resistance and superior thermal and dimensional stability comprises the steps of: (a) forming a planarizing layer resistant to silicon uptake on a substrate; (b) providing a positive-working photoresist composition containing...     

Integral sharp tips on thin film cantilevers are produced by forming a rectangular silicon post on a (100) silicon wafer. Etching the top of the post leaves sharp silicon tips at the corners of what remains of the silicon post. A silicon dioxide cantilever with an integral tip is thermally grown over...     

An etching plasma containing a reactive fluorine-containing gas and atoms or ions of a heavy metal is particularly useful in a method of removing material from a substrate by reactive ion etching.

This invention is concerned with the method and apparatus for forming a pattern on a substrate. More specifically, it is intended to remove the fringe of the film thinly attached at the sides of the film formed at the time of forming by CVD method and thereby to make a film of high quality. In this invention,...     

This invention relates to a method for manufacturing a highly reliable stress detector. Conventionally, a step of bonding and securing magnetic elements (4) to a driven shaft (1) receiving a stress was needed, so that a high technique was needed to secure the magnetic elements (4) uniformly at the entire...     

In manufacturing a photomask, a molybdenum silicide film is formed on the main surface of a quartz substrate. A resist film having a pattern is, then, formed on the molybdenum silicide film. Thereafter, the molybdenum silicide film is etched using the resist film as a mask. The etching is effected in...     

In the production of micron-size pyramid emitters for field emission devices, very sharp emitter points are achieved by providing a layer of suitable metal, metal compound or semiconductor, forming masking pads over the required emitter positions, etching the layer so that column-like structures are...     

A field emission device which may be used, for example, as a surge arrester, comprises two electrode structures each comprising a substrate from which project tapered electrically-conductive emitter bodies. The structures are bonded together, face-to-face, so that the emitters all project into a sealed...     

A process for stripping an organic material, which comprises forming gases including a gas containing oxygen and a gas containing a halogen into plasma in a plasma chamber, and supplying an active species of the halogen in the gas formed plasma to a reaction chamber to strip the organic material in the...     

Increased etching rates are obtained by plasma etching wherein the power is applied in a cyclical or oscillating mode.

Reactive ion plasma etching apparatus and method are based upon the discovery of enhanced uniformity of etching at low workpiece temperatures. With cooling to sufficiently low temperatures, spontaneous etching is inhibited and etching uniformity is controlled not by gas flow and pressure but rather by...     

A method of providing and developing a resist on a substrate for constructing integrated circuit (IC) chips includes the following steps: of depositing a thin film of amorphous silicon or hydrogenated amorphous silicon on the substrate and exposing portions of the amorphous silicon to low-energy oxygen...     

A one component resist material useful for deep ultraviolet, x-ray, and electron radiation has been found. Such material involves a substituent that is sensitive to acid and a moiety in the chain which both induces scission and provides an acid functionally upon such scission.

An apparatus is disclosed for abrading contaminants from the surface of a workpiece using plasma glow discharge. The workpieces are positioned in a low pressure chamber with an ionizable gas. A pair of spaced, conductive, interfacing panels form electrodes mounted within the chamber and defining a three-dimensional...     

A novel method of producing individualized labels using a non-contacting spark-discharge or plasma-discharge recording apparatus. The apparatus is used to image recording constructions that comprise a conductive background layer, an underlying image layer contrasting in tonality and/or color to the background...     

Plasma etching device and process in which a chamber is divided into two regions by a perforated screen. Objects to be etched are placed in one region, and a plasma is formed in the other region. Etching occurs in the first region, and structure is included for heating the etched objects in the first...     

Plural plasma etching vessels and a wafer queuing station are arrayed about a closed pentagonal locus with a wafer transfer arm therewithin all in a controlled vacuum environment. Wafers are movable within the controlled environment between the several plasma vessels and the wafer queuing station without...     

A dry etching apparatus includes a discharge room in which a gas plasma is created by a discharge, an ejection nozzle for ejecting the plasma gas, a first vacuum room into which the plasma gas is introduced through the ejecting nozzle by supersonic expansion of the plasma gas, and a second vacuum room...     

Increased etching rates are obtained by plasma etching wherein the power is applied in a cyclical or oscillating mode.

A semiconductor wafer processing station comprising a plasma etching unit, a wet processing spin-spray unit, a robotic wafer transfer arm, and a central control computer all contained in a single housing. The apparatus is designed to perform manufacturing tasks especially related to photoresist processing:...     

Cleaning a device to make a film made from carbon or containing carbon as a main ingredient is carried out by etching the interior of a deposition chamber where the film is formed, with an etching gas in a plasma state selected from the group of hydrogen, oxygen, and a gaseous fluoride, and then cleaning...     

Hydrogen Plasma surface passivation of III-V Semiconductors is critically dependent on exposure time and pressure because of competition between plasma passivation and damage. Proper control of pressure according to the invention yields reproducible and stable passivation. Improved passivation is obtained...