Layer by layer etching of LaAlSiOx

In order to fabricate a gate transistor with high-k oxide materials, removal of high-k oxide films after gate electrode etching is necessary for the formation of ohmic contacts on source and drain regions. It is crucial that the removal process of high-k oxide film by dry etching is highly selective to and low in damage to the Si substrate in order to avoid the degradation of device performances. Sasaki et al. have achieved a high LaAlSiOx-to-Si selectivity of 6.7 using C4F8/Ar/H2 plasma [1]. A sequential layer by layer etching could realize low damage etching, similar to atomic layer etching. Therefore, a sequential LaAlSiOx etching process using a H2 surface modification step followed by a removal step using C4F8/Ar plasma is investigated. The etched amount of LaAlSiOx by the C4F8/Ar plasma step doubles with H2 modification. It is confirmed that when the C4F8/Ar plasma treatment time is sufficient to remove the surface modification layer, a self-limiting reaction is realized. Furthermore, it is confirmed that the etched amount per step can be controlled by control of the ion energy of H2 plasma. \\[4pt] [1] T. Sasaki, K. Matsuda, M. Omura, I. Sakai, and H. Hayashi: Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 54 (2015) 06GB03.