Patent ID: 6958297

Claim:
A plasma etching method comprising: forming a patterned organic masking layer outwardly of a feature layer to be etched, the patterned organic masking layer having at least one feature pattern having a minimum feature dimension of less than or equal to 0.3 micron, the feature layer having a thickness; plasma etching the at least one feature pattern into the feature layer using the organic masking layer as a mask, the plasma etching comprising at least one etching segment where at least 30% of the thickness of the feature layer is etched using an etching gas comprising CH 2 F 2 at greater than or equal to 70% concentration by volume as compared to all carbon, hydrogen and halogen containing gas compounds in the etching gas effective to produce at least that portion of the one feature pattern in the feature layer formed during the one etching segment to have a sidewall taper, if any, of less than or equal to 5° and an organic masking layer top outer surface roughness proximate the feature pattern at a conclusion of the one etching segment which is characterizable by an average value less than 100 Angstroms as is determinable by scanning electron microscopy as an average maximum size of all surface discernible objects of the patterned masking layer as measured and averaged along any 0.3 micron length of top outer surface from the one feature pattern; and the plasma etching comprising another etching segment conducted after the one etching segment using an etching gas comprising CH 2 F 2 and CHF 3 , with the CHF 3 being present at greater than 30% by volume of a total of the CH 2 F 2 and CHF3 etching gases during the another etching segment.