Patent ID: 9741585
Date: 2017-08-22
CPC Classifications: H01J,H01L

Claim:
1. A method for removing polymer, the method comprising: performing a first etch selectively into a semiconductor workpiece to form a fin protruding upward from a base of the semiconductor workpiece, wherein the first etch results in a polymer by-product layer lining the fin; applying an aqueous solution to the semiconductor workpiece with the polymer by-product layer arranged thereon, wherein the aqueous solution comprises an energy receiver configured to generate reactive radicals in response to energy; applying energy to the aqueous solution to generate the reactive radicals in the aqueous solution and to remove the polymer by-product layer; forming a photoresist layer masking a gate region of the fin; implanting ions into regions of the fin unmasked by the photoresist layer to define a pair of source/drain regions in the fin, wherein implanting the ions results in an additional polymer by-product layer on the photoresist layer; applying a fluid with reactive radicals to the additional polymer by-product layer to remove the additional polymer by-product layer; and after removing the additional polymer by-product layer, forming a gate electrode straddling the gate region of the fin.