Patent ID: 6846746
Filing Date: 2005-01-25
Classification: B81B,B81C,H01L

Abstract:
1. A post-etch treatment method of smoothing a scalloped silicon trench sidewall after a deep trench etch process, wherein said method comprises exposing said silicon trench sidewall to a plasma generated from a fluorine-containing gas, at a process chamber pressure within the range of about 1 mTorr to about 30 mTorr, for a time period within the range of about 10 seconds to about 600 seconds, at a plasma density ranging from about 8×10 9 e − /cm 3 to about 3×10 11 e − /cm 3 , and wherein a substrate bias voltage within the range of about −10 V to about −40 V is applied during the performance of said post-etch treatment method, whereby an etched silicon sidewall exhibits reduced scalloping after performance of said post-etch treatment method when compared with said etched silicon sidewall scalloping prior to preformance of said post-etch treatment method.