nitride etch

# Nitride Etch

Nitride etching removes a specified silicon-nitride-based film while protecting selected neighboring materials.

## Follow the transitions

Each box marks a manufacturing purpose, not an executable recipe. Some integrations combine steps or move strip and clean operations. Endpoint, where used, must be qualified against feature clearing and underlayer loss.

## Integration context

SiN is used as a hard mask, spacer, barrier or stop layer. A directional plasma etch and an isotropic selective strip serve different purposes. Selectivity measured on a blanket film does not establish profile or damage control in a patterned feature.

## What to verify

Identify whether nitride must be removed everywhere or retained on sidewalls.

The illustrated sequence omits tool settings and integration-specific auxiliary steps. For AlCu, corrosion-control treatment must be coordinated with resist removal and atmospheric exposure. For gate and spacer modules, preserving a thin dielectric or exposed silicon is part of the clearing window, not an afterthought.

## Related terminology

nitride etch, SiN etch. Short abbreviations are local process vocabulary and can have other meanings; use the full module name when searching.

## Source and scope

[Selective nitride spacer etching](https://plasma.oxinst.com/assets/uploads/documents/3182_PT_Process_News_Mar2015_Low_res_Spreads.pdf). The diagram is an original teaching schematic. Layer choices and process families describe an example rather than a universal manufacturing recipe.