| 摘要 |
A method for forming a patterned hard mask layer. There is first provided a substrate. There is then formed over the substrate a blanket hard mask layer formed of a hard mask material susceptible to etching within a first plasma etch method, where the first plasma etch method employs a first etchant gas composition which upon plasma activation forms an active fluorine containing etchant species. There is then formed over the blanket hard mask layer a patterned photoresist layer. There is then etched, while employing the first plasma etch method in conjunction with the patterned photoresist layer as a first etch mask layer, the blanket hard mask layer to form a patterned hard mask layer which defines a first aperture. The first plasma etch method also forms at the bottom of the first aperture defined by the patterned hard mask layer a residue. Finally, there is then etched, while employing a second etch method, the residue from the bottom of the first aperture. The patterned hard mask layer may then be employed for forming within a microelectronic layer, such as a semiconductor substrate, formed beneath the microelectronic layer, an aperture, such as an isolation trench, while employing a third plasma etch method. There may then be formed within the aperture a planarized aperture fill layer, such as a planarized trench isolation region, with enhanced planarity.
|
