HF vapor phase cleaning and oxide etching

摘要

HF vapor processes are provided for etching oxide on a semiconductor substrate, cleaning a substrate, or cleaning a metal structure on a substrate. In the processes, a semiconductor substrate to be cleaned or having oxide to be etched is exposed to anhydrous hydrofluoric acid vapor and water vapor at a substrate temperature greater than about 40° C. Control of substrate temperature, hydrofluoric acid vapor pressure and water vapor pressure inhibits formation of liquid on the substrate and forms on the substrate a sub-monolayer of etch reactant and product molecules by adsorption of etch reactant and product molecules at less than about 95% of oxide adsorption sites.