Patent ID: 8202803

Claim:
A method of preparing an insulating film on a substrate, comprising: disposing a substrate having an insulation layer and a cap layer overlying said insulation layer in a treatment system, wherein a pattern has been transferred to said cap layer and said insulation layer in order to form a feature through said cap layer and within said insulation layer, and wherein a surface layer of said insulation layer has been exposed to an etching plasma during said pattern transfer to said insulation layer; filling said feature in said insulation layer with organic material prior to metalizing said feature; following said filling said feature in said insulation layer with organic material, removing said cap layer using a dry non-plasma etching process, wherein said dry non-plasma etching process comprises: exposing at least a portion of said cap layer to a process gas comprising HF or NH 3 or a combination thereof in order to chemically alter said cap layer, and thermally treating said chemically altered portion of said cap layer in order to desorb said chemically altered surface portion of said cap layer; removing said organic material following said performing said dry non-plasma etching process on said cap layer; performing another dry non-plasma etching process on said insulation layer to remove at least a portion of said exposed surface layer of said insulation layer by: exposing said exposed surface layer of said insulation layer to a process gas comprising HF or NH 3 or a combination thereof in order to chemically alter said exposed surface layer of said insulation layer, and thermally treating said chemically altered exposed surface layer of said insulation layer in order to desorb said chemically altered surface layer.