Patent ID: 8809194

Claim:
A method for performing a spacer etch process, comprising: conformally applying a spacer material over a gate structure on a substrate; and performing a spacer etch process sequence to partially remove said spacer material from said gate structure and said substrate, while retaining a sidewall spacer positioned along a sidewall of said gate structure, said spacer etch process sequence comprising: depositing a SiOCl-containing layer on an exposed surface of said spacer material to form a spacer protection layer; performing one or more etching processes to selectively and anisotropically remove said spacer protection layer and said spacer material from a capping region of said gate structure and from a substrate region on said substrate adjacent a base of said gate structure to leave behind said sidewall spacer on said sidewall of said gate structure; and selectively removing any residual portion of said spacer protection layer from said sidewall of said gate structure.