Mechanism study of H2-plasma assisted Si3N4 layered etch

The cyclic two-step process, comprised of energetic H2 plasma followed by HF wet clean or in situ NF3 plasma, demonstrates Si3N4 layer-by-layer removal capability exceeding 10 nm per cycle, surpassing typical atomic layer etch methods by an order of magnitude. In this paper, we investigated the surface reaction mechanisms via first principle density functional theory simulations and surface analysis. The results unveiled that energetic H2 plasma, in the first step, selectively removes nitrogen (N) in preference to silicon (Si), generating ammonia (NHx) and transforming Si3N4 into SiON upon exposure to air, which becomes removable by HF wet clean in the second step. For the second step employing in situ NF3 plasma, it further leverages H-passivated surfaces to enhance NF3 dissociation and provide alternative reaction pathways to yield volatile byproducts such as SiHF3 and SiFx, thereby significantly improving nitride removal efficiency.