Fluid-kinetics enhanced selective etching process of NiPt film by piranha chemistry in silicide formation for complementary metal oxide semiconductor fabrication

NiPtSi is a prime candidate for the complementary metal-oxide- semiconductors CMOS self-aligned silicidation process beyond the 22 nm node. The formation of NiPt silicide in smaller geometries demands more Platinum (Pt) additive to control the silicide quality and a more capable NiPt selective etching process to remove surface residual metals for complementing the formation of silicide. Both higher Pt selective etch rate and lower surface material loss are desired in NiPt selective etching process. High temperature (> 150°C) sulfuric acid base piranha chemistry in fresh dispensing on wafer can etch Pt with less damage to the exposed wafer surface. By using (1) a larger mass-to-charge density Pt redox reaction zone in the electrochemistry spectrum of the Pt redox behavior, (2) stronger chemical fluid kinetics and (3) intensified voltammetric cycles, the Pt selective removal rate can be boosted. Two types of wet chemical processors are used to examine the fluid-chemical kinetics effect on the Pt selective etching rate. It is shown that higher chemical flow rates and stronger fluid-kinetics can enhance the Pt transport behavior. The collateral wafer surface material loss rate also increases by higher chemical flow rates, but the amount of total material loss actually reduces due to a greater reduction in the required process time. The fluid-kinetics enhanced selective etching process can cover a wider range of NiPt film conditions (5% Pt, up to 200 Å, 10% Pt up to 180 Å).