The authors have investigated the dry etch mechanisms of complex poly-Si∕ Ti N∕ Hf O 2
gate stacks and the issues that are correlated with the introduction of a thin metal layer in the …

To minimize leakage currents resulting from the thinning of the insulator in the gate stack of
field effect transistors, high-dielectric constant (high-k⁠) metal oxides, and HfO 2 in …

Reduced etching rates of advanced metal gates (TaN, TiN, and HfN) using Si O 2∕ Si 3 N 4
hard masks are observed in Cl 2 plasma. Si and O released from hard masks react with …

Plasma–surface interactions occurring during overetch of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si)
gate etching with high-density HBr/O 2 plasmas have been investigated by x-ray …

With the introduction of new materials in the CMOS gate stacks, such as metal and high-k
materials, plasma etching has to address new challenges. The authors present a study …

The authors have investigated the etch chamber recovery after TiN, TaN, and Hf O 2 metal
gate etching processes. The deposits formed on the reactor walls after etching these …

The dry etching characteristics of the TaN/HfO 2 gate stack structure using Cl 2/Ar, Cl 2/SF
6/Ar and Cl 2/SF 6/O 2/Ar inductively coupled plasmas (ICPs) were investigated and the etch …

We have investigated etching of deep (∼ 10 μm) submicron diameter holes with high aspect
ratios (> 10) using plasmas maintained in mixtures of SF 6 and O 2 gases. The etching …

Plasma etching of W in a poly-Si∕ Ti N∕ W∕ Hf O 2 gate stack is investigated in Cl 2∕ O 2
based plasmas. Preliminary studies have illustrated the issues induced with the introduction …

Plasma–surface interactions during etching of polysilicon gates in high-density HBr-based
plasmas have been investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission …