Method of etching SiO2 and process of cleaning silicon wafers using dilute chemical etchants and a megasonic field

• Main Authors: MALIK, IGOR JAN, SHIVE, LARRY WAYNE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 26.05.1999
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; METALLURGY; MULTI-STEP PROCESSES FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLICMATERIAL INVOLVING AT LEAST ONE PROCESS PROVIDED FOR IN CLASSC23 AND AT LEAST ONEPROCESS COVERED BY SUBCLASS C21D OR C22F OR CLASS C25; NON-MECHANICAL REMOVAL OF METALLIC MATERIAL FROM SURFACE; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

Processes for cleaning a silicon body and for controllably decreasing the thickness of a silicon dioxide layer (25) overlying a silicon substrate (15) are disclosed. The processes comprise chemically etching a silicon dioxide layer (25) with a dilute etchant in the presence of a megasonic field. The...