Conventional techniques to remove carbon-containing films from substrates typically utilize an oxygen-containing plasma (e.g., O2, CO2, or the like) or a pure hydrogen plasma (e.g., H2). However, the inventors have observed that utilizing an oxygen containing plasma causes oxidation and, therefore, an undesirable thickening, of layers underlying the hard mask. Such thickening of the underlying layers may affect the performance of a finished device and/or prevent a desired effective oxide thickness (EOT) from being achieved. Moreover, the inventors have further observed that, when utilizing a pure hydrogen plasma to remove the hard mask, the presence of hydrogen ions in the plasma may cause damage to the underlying layers, further negatively affecting the performance of the finished device.
Thus, the inventors have provided a method for removing an carbon-containing films.