SiO2 etch characteristics and environmental impact of Ar/C3F6O chemistry

Perfluorocarbon gases are commonly used for nanoscale etching in semiconductor processing; however, they have the disadvantages of a long lifetime and inducing global warming effects when released into the atmosphere. In this study, the SiO2 etch characteristics and global warming effects of C3F6O gas chemistry, which has a low global warming potential, were compared with those of C4F8 chemistry, which is commonly used in semiconductor processing. Using Ar/C3F6O, the SiO2 etch rate was higher and the etch selectivity of SiO2 over the amorphous carbon hardmask layer was lower than the etch rate and etch selectivity using Ar/C4F8/O2, with all other etch conditions the same. Furthermore, using Ar/C3F6O exhibited more anisotropic SiO2 etch profiles by suppressing the bowing, narrowing, and necking effects compared to the etch profiles using Ar/C4F8/O2. The global warming effects were evaluated by calculating the million metric ton carbon equivalents (MMTCEs) from the volumetric concentrations of the emitted by-product species and process gases, and the results showed that, in the optimized conditions, Ar/C3F6O exhibited a lower environmental impact with an MMTCE of <24% than that of Ar/C4F8/O2. Therefore, it is suggested that the Ar/C3F6O gas mixture is a potential replacement for Ar/C4F8/O2 because of its lower MMTCE and acceptable SiO2 etch characteristics.