Highly selective silicon oxide etching method

A process for selectively removing a porous silicon oxide layer from a substrate having a portion thereon with an exposed dense silicon oxide which is to be retained on the substrate, the porous silicon oxide layer containing absorbed moisture therein, the process comprising :    introducing the substrate to a flowing anhydrous gaseous environment consisting of anhydrous inert gas;    adding anhydrous hydrogen fluoride gas to the gaseous environment for a pulse time which is at most only slightly longer than that required to initiate etching of the dense silicon oxide;    flushing the gaseous environment with anhydrous inert gas for a time sufficient to remove said hydrogen fluoride and water vapor generated by the etching of the porous oxide; and,    repeating said adding and flushing steps until said porous oxide layer has been removed. The process has particular application in manufacturing of capacitors on microelectronic devices for etching out BP TEOS or other such doped porous oxides contained within an open polysilicon structure built on a portion of a blanket layer of dense silicon oxide, such as TEOS. The process permits extremely highly selective removal of porous silicon oxides, especially doped oxides, relative to dense silicon oxides in a gentle manner. In particular, the process provides selectivity for removal of BP TEOS over removal of TEOS of greater than 50:1 based upon oxide layer thickness removed.