Patent ID: 7217652

Claim:
A process for making a semiconductor structure comprising: depositing a conductive layer upon a substrate comprising a silicon oxide-silicon nitride-silicon oxide (ONO) layer; depositing a conductive adhesive layer comprising polysilicon between said substrate and said conductive layer, wherein said conductive adhesive layer has a minimum thickness required to provide adhesion between said substrate and said conductive layer for a robust structure that can withstand subsequent processing, wherein said conductive adhesive layer has a thickness that is greater than 10 and less than or equal to 100 angstroms; and etching a portion of said conductive layer and a portion of said conductive adhesive layer utilizing a plasma without sacrificing said substrate, wherein said plasma comprises an etchant, wherein said etchant comprises chlorine and oxygen, wherein said plasma is ionized and sustained by a first RF source, and wherein said plasma is accelerated by a second RF source, wherein said etching is conducted at a pressure of between 2 mTorr and 4 mTorr, wherein a selectivity of said etching obviates a need for an adhesive layer of greater than 100 angstrom thickness, and wherein said process yields a semiconductor structure comprising a lower electrical resistance and a shorter vertical profile than a semiconductor structure comprising a conductive adhesive layer of greater than 100 angstrom thickness.