Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition of Carbon Hard Mask

Abstract

In one or more embodiments, a method for depositing a carbon hard mask material by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) includes: heating a substrate contained in a process chamber to a temperature in a range from about 100° C. to about 700° C.; and generating a plasma with a power generator that emits an RF power greater than 3 kW. In some examples, the temperature is in a range from about 300° C. to about 700° C., and the RF power is greater than 3 kW to about 7 kW. The method also includes flowing a hydrocarbon precursor into the plasma in the process chamber and forming a carbon hard mask layer on the substrate at a rate greater than 5000 / min (such as up to about 10000 / min or faster).

Description

[0001] background

[0002] Description of Related Technology

[0003] In hard mask applications for semiconductor device manufacturing, carbon chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes are becoming more and more common. As semiconductor devices begin to require higher memory density and thicker multi-stack structures (such as 3D V-NAND, 3DReRAM), the ability to develop carbon hard mask films that can withstand long etching times becomes necessary. To achieve this goal, there are two methods: 1) increase the thickness of the deposited film to compensate for the longer etching time, and 2) develop a more etch-selective carbon hard mask at high temperature despite the low deposition rate. For both methods, the disadvantage is that the longer process time is caused by 1) thicker films and / or 2) slower deposition rates, thereby significantly reducing the throughput. Such a significant drop in throughput is not conducive to the manufacturer's cost of ownership, floor space and productivity. For conventional CVD systems, more tools may be required to match the throughput. However, due to limited floor space, the throughput needs to be increased. Additionally, current CVD processes have poor thickness margins (typically less than 2 μm) due to localized charge accumulation and inconsistent charge dissipation paths, leading in most cases to the potential risk of catastrophic failure due to instantaneous discharge at film thicknesses greater than 2 μm. Future devices with 96x or 128x ON stacks are not feasible due to extremely low estimated throughput (less than 50%) and increased failures due to inconsistent charge dissipation, limiting the scalability of high temperature carbon hardmasks.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for methods of depositing carbon hardmasks by CVD at greater thicknesses and reduced throughput relative to previous processes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] In order to be able to understand in detail the manner in which the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure are achieved, a more specific description of the present disclosure briefly summarized above may be obtained by reference to the embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings illustrate only exemplary embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope, as the present disclosure may allow other equally effective embodiments.

[0006] Figure 1 depicts a schematic diagram of a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system that may be used to deposit carbon hard mask layers and other materials as discussed and described in one or more embodiments herein; and

[0007] Figure 2 and Figure 3is a graph depicting delivered RF power, reflected RF power, and arc count data from an RF generator, as well as panel bias data when depositing a carbon hard mask during a PECVD process as discussed and described in one or more embodiments herein.

[0008] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitation. Summary of the invention

[0009] In one or more embodiments, a method for depositing a carbon hard mask material by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) includes: heating a substrate contained in a process chamber to a temperature in a range from about 100° C. to about 700° C.; and generating a plasma with a power generator that emits an RF power greater than 3 kW. In some examples, the temperature is in a range from about 300° C. to about 700° C., and the RF power is greater than 3 kW to about 7 kW. The method also includes flowing a hydrocarbon precursor into the plasma in the process chamber and at a power of greater than 100° C. to about 700° C. (such as up to about or faster) rate to form a carbon hard mask layer on the substrate.

[0010] In other embodiments, a method for depositing a carbon hard mask material by PECVD includes: heating a substrate contained in a process chamber to a temperature in a range from about 100° C. to about 700° C.; and generating a plasma with a power generator that generates an RF power greater than 3 kW. The method also includes flowing a hydrocarbon precursor and a dopant precursor into the plasma in the process chamber and at a rate greater than to about The carbon hard mask layer is formed on the substrate at a rate of . The dopant precursor may be or include, but is not limited to, one or more nitrogen-containing precursors, one or more sulfur-containing precursors, one or more boron-containing precursors, or any combination thereof. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] The embodiments discussed and described herein provide methods and systems for depositing a carbon material (such as a carbon hard mask layer) on a surface of a substrate. In one or more embodiments, a method for depositing a carbon hard mask material by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is provided and discussed below. One or more substrates may be positioned or otherwise disposed in a process chamber and heated to a predetermined process temperature.

[0012] One or more carrier gases and / or one or more reactive species gases are ignited by a power generator that emits RF power to form a plasma. During the deposition process in the process chamber, one or more hydrocarbon precursors and optionally one or more dopant precursors may be flowed or otherwise exposed to the plasma. Once activated by the plasma, the hydrocarbon precursors react, decompose, or chemically reduce to produce a carbon hard mask layer that is deposited or otherwise formed on the substrate. In alternative embodiments, one or more dopant precursors may be flowed or otherwise introduced into the process chamber, exposed to the plasma, and react, decompose, or chemically reduce to produce a doped carbon hard mask layer.

[0013] The carbon hard mask layer may be deposited or otherwise formed on any type of substrate, such as a silicon wafer. The substrate may include one or more devices disposed thereon. In one or more embodiments, the carbon hard mask layer is deposited or otherwise formed on one or more devices having a 32-bit architecture (32x ON), a 64-bit architecture (64x ON), a 96-bit architecture (96x ON), or a 128-bit architecture (128x ON).

[0014] In one or more embodiments, the plasma is ignited or otherwise generated from a power generator that emits an RF power of about 2.4 kW or more. For example, the RF power may be about 2.4 kW, about 2.5 kW, about 2.8 kW, about 3 kW, about 3.5 kW, about 4 kW, about 4.5 kW, about 5 kW, or about 5.5 kW to about 6 kW, about 6.5 kW, about 7 kW, about 8 kW, about 9 kW, about 10 kW, about 12 kW, about 15 kW, or more. In some examples, the RF power may be about 2.4 kW to about 15 kW, about 2.4 kW to about 12 kW, about 2.4 kW to about 10 kW, about 2.4 kW to about 7 kW, about 2.4 kW to about 5 kW, about 3 kW to about 15 kW, about 3 kW to about 12 kW, about 3 kW to about 10 kW, about 3 kW to about 7 kW, about 3 kW to about 5 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 12 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 10 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 7 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 5 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 4 kW, about 4 kW to about 12 kW, about 4 kW to about 10 kW, about 4 kW to about 7 kW, about 4 kW to about 5 kW, about 5 kW to about 12 kW, about 5 kW to about 10 kW, or about 5 kW to about 7 kW.

[0015] In other embodiments, the plasma is ignited or otherwise generated from a power generator that emits an RF power greater than 3 kW. For example, the RF power may be greater than 3 kW, such as about 3.5 kW, about 4 kW, about 4.5 kW, about 5 kW, or about 5.5 kW to about 6 kW, about 6.5 kW, about 7 kW, about 8 kW, about 9 kW, about 10 kW, about 12 kW, about 15 kW, or more. In some examples, the RF power may be greater than 3 kW to about 15 kW, greater than 3 kW to about 12 kW, greater than 3 kW to about 10 kW, greater than 3 kW to about 8 kW, greater than 3 kW to about 7 kW, greater than 3 kW to about 5 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 12 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 10 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 7 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 5 kW, about 4 kW to about 12 kW, about 4 kW to about 10 kW, about 4 kW to about 7 kW, about 4 kW to about 5 kW, about 4 kW to about 4.5 kW, about 5 kW to about 12 kW, about 5 kW to about 10 kW, or about 5 kW to about 7 kW.

[0016] The carbon hard mask layer is greater than is deposited or formed at a rate such as about about about about or about to about about about about about about about about about For example, the carbon hard mask layer is deposited or formed at a rate greater than to about Greater than to about Greater than to about Greater than to about Greater than to about about to about about to about about to about about to about about to about about to about about to about or about to about The rate at which a substance is deposited or formed.

[0017] The carbon hard mask layer is formed to a thickness greater than 2μm, greater than 2.2μm, greater than 2.5μm or greater than 2.7μm, such as about 2.8μm, about 3μm, about 3.5μm, about 4μm or about 5μm to about 5.5μm, about 6μm, about 7μm, about 8μm, about 9μm, about 10μm, about 12μm, about 15μm, about 18μm, about 20μm, about 25μm or thicker. For example, the carbon hard mask layer is formed to a thickness of greater than 2 μm to about 20 μm, greater than 2 μm to about 15 μm, greater than 2 μm to about 10 μm, greater than 2 μm to about 7 μm, greater than 2.5 μm to about 20 μm, greater than 2.5 μm to about 15 μm, greater than 2.5 μm to about 10 μm, greater than 2.5 μm to about 7 μm, greater than 3 μm to about 20 μm, greater than 3 μm to about 15 μm, greater than 3 μm to about 10 μm, or greater than 3 μm to about 7 μm.

[0018] The process temperature of the substrate may be about 100°C, about 150°C, about 200°C, about 250°C, or about 300°C to about 350°C, about 400°C, about 450°C, about 500°C, about 550°C, about 600°C, about 650°C, about 700°C, or greater. For example, the process temperature of the substrate may be about 100°C to about 700°C, about 100°C to about 650°C, about 100°C to about 600°C, about 100°C to about 500°C, about 100°C to about 400°C, about 300°C to about 700°C, about 300°C to about 650°C, about 300°C to about 600°C, about 300°C to about 550°C, about 300°C to about 500°C, about 500°C to about 700°C, about 500°C to about 650°C, about 500°C to about 600°C, about 500°C to about 550°C, or about 550°C to about 650°C.

[0019] The pressure in the process chamber may be about 1 Torr, about 2 Torr, about 3 Torr, about 4 Torr, or about 5 Torr to about 6 Torr, about 8 Torr, about 10 Torr, about 15 Torr, about 20 Torr, about 30 Torr, about 50 Torr, or more. For example, the pressure in the process chamber may be about 1 Torr to about 30 Torr, about 1 Torr to about 20 Torr, about 1 Torr to about 15 Torr, about 1 Torr to about 10 Torr, about 1 Torr to about 8 Torr, about 1 Torr to about 5 Torr, about 3 Torr to about 30 Torr, about 3 Torr to about 20 Torr, about 3 Torr to about 15 Torr, about 3 Torr to about 10 Torr, about 3 Torr to about 8 Torr, about 3 Torr to about 5 Torr, about 5 Torr to about 30 Torr, about 5 Torr to about 20 Torr, about 5 Torr to about 15 Torr, about 5 Torr to about 10 Torr, or about 5 Torr to about 8 Torr.

[0020] In one or more embodiments, one or more carrier gases and / or one or more reactive material gases flow into or are transferred into and pass through the plasma. The carrier gas and / or reactive material gas may be or include, but are not limited to, hydrogen, oxygen, argon, neon, helium, krypton, tetrafluoromethane, nitrogen, their free radicals, or any combination thereof. The flow rate of the carrier gas and / or reactive material gas may be about 100 sccm, about 500 sccm, about 1000 sccm, about 2000 sccm, about 3000 sccm, or about 4000 sccm to about 5000 sccm, about 6000 sccm, about 8000 sccm, about 10000 sccm, about 12000 sccm, about 15000 sccm, about 18000 sccm, about 20000 sccm, about 22000 sccm, about 25000 sccm or more. For example, the flow rate of the carrier gas and / or the reactive material gas may be about 100 sccm to about 25,000 sccm, about 1,000 sccm to about 23,000 sccm, about 1,000 sccm to about 20,000 sccm, about 1,000 sccm to about 15,000 sccm, about 1,000 sccm to about 10,000 sccm, about 1,000 sccm to about 5,000 sccm, about 2,000 sccm to about 20,000 sccm, about 2,000 sccm to about 15,000 sccm, about 2,000 sccm to about 10 ...0,000 sccm, about 2,000 sccm to about 15,000 sccm, about 2,000 sccm to about about 10,000 sccm, about 2,000 sccm to about 5,000 sccm, about 3,000 sccm to about 20,000 sccm, about 3,000 sccm to about 15,000 sccm, about 3,000 sccm to about 10,000 sccm, about 3,000 sccm to about 5,000 sccm, about 4,000 sccm to about 20,000 sccm, about 4,000 sccm to about 15,000 sccm, about 4,000 sccm to about 10,000 sccm, or about 4,000 sccm to about 5,000 sccm.

[0021] In one or more embodiments, the hydrocarbon precursor may be or include, but is not limited to, one or more C1-C8 alkyls, one or more C2-C8 olefins, one or more C2-C8 alkynes, one or more C1-C8 alcohols, one or more C1-C8 ethers, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the hydrocarbon precursor may be or include, but is not limited to, propylene, acetylene, ethylene, methane, propane, hexane, benzene, isoprene, butadiene, isomers thereof, or any combination thereof.

[0022] The flow rate of the hydrocarbon precursor may be about 100 sccm, about 200 sccm, about 300 sccm, about 500 sccm, about 800 sccm, or about 1000 sccm to about 1,500 sccm, about 2000 sccm, about 3000 sccm, about 4000 sccm, about 5000 sccm, or more. For example, the flow rate of the hydrocarbon precursor may be from about 100 sccm to about 5000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 4000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 3000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 2000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 1000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 500 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 5000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 4000 sccm, from about 20 0 sccm to about 3000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 2000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 1000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 500 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 5000 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 4000 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 3000 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 2000 sccm or from about 500 sccm to about 1000 sccm.

[0023] In an embodiment, a dopant precursor is used to produce a doped carbon hard mask material or layer, and the dopant precursor may be or include, but is not limited to, one or more nitrogen-containing precursors, sulfur-containing precursors, boron-containing precursors, or any combination thereof. The nitrogen-containing precursor may be or include, but is not limited to, pyrrole, pyridine, one or more aliphatic amines, one or more aromatic amines, one or more nitriles, their salts, or any combination thereof. The sulfur-containing precursor may be or include, but is not limited to, thiophene, carbon disulfide, one or more thiols, their salts, or any combination thereof. The boron-containing precursor may be or include, but is not limited to, one or more of diborane, triborane, trialkylborane (e.g., triethylborane), triallylborane, or any combination thereof.

[0024] The flow rate of the dopant precursor may be from about 100 sccm, about 200 sccm, about 300 sccm, about 500 sccm, about 800 sccm, or about 1000 sccm to about 1500 sccm, about 2000 sccm, about 3000 sccm, about 4000 sccm, about 5000 sccm, or more. For example, the flow rate of the dopant precursor may be from about 100 sccm to about 5000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 4000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 3000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 2000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 1000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 500 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 5000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 4000 sccm, from about 2 00 sccm to about 3000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 2000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 1000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 500 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 5000 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 4000 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 3000 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 2000 sccm, or from about 500 sccm to about 1000 sccm.

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a PECVD system 100 that may be used to deposit carbon hard mask layers and other materials is depicted.

[0026] The PECVD system 100 includes a process chamber 102 that contains a substrate support 104.

[0027] The substrate support 104 may include one or more heaters for regulating and controlling the temperature of the substrate support 104 and any substrate disposed thereon.

[0028] The PECVD system 100 also includes an RF power generator 112 powered by the AC power box 110. The RF power generator 112 is coupled to and in fluid communication with a dual matcher 116 via an HN cable 114. In one or more examples, the RF power generator 112 is rated to emit an RF power greater than 3 kW, such as about 5 kW, about 7 kW, about 10 kW, or more. Similarly, the power of the HN cable 114 can also be rated to handle the specified RF power emitted from the RF generator 112. The dual matcher 116 is coupled to and in fluid communication with an RF strip 118.

[0029] The PECVD system 100 also includes a gas box 120, a block plate 122, and a face plate 124. The face plate 124 further includes one or more thermal heaters 126 connected to a face plate RF filter 128 and an AC power box 130. The lower portion of the PECVD system 100 includes an RF filter 132 powered by an AC power box 134 and an RF strip 136 connected to an electrostatic chuck (ESC) 140, and an ESC filter 142 between the RF filter and the RF strip.

[0030] Figure 2 is a graph depicting delivered RF power, reflected RF power and arc count data from an RF generator, and panel bias data, which shows that a carbon hard mask is deposited to approximately The stability of the PECVD process with a thickness of about 3.5 μm.

[0031] Figure 3 is a graph depicting delivered RF power, reflected RF power and arc count data from an RF generator, and panel bias data, which shows that a carbon hard mask is deposited to approximately The stability of the PECVD process with a thickness of about 3.5 μm.

[0032] In some embodiments, a high temperature (greater than 600°C) carbon CVD process may be used in hard mask patterning for semiconductor device manufacturing because of its high etch selectivity (greater than 1.5 times) compared to conventional plasma enhanced CVD (PECVD) carbon processes (about 480°C) while maintaining a defect rate of about 0.3% to about 0.5% caused by plasma instability. Due to the high etch selectivity, current device nodes (64x ON) only require less than 2 μm of high temperature carbon film as sufficient thickness. However, as next generation devices require thicker multi-stack structures (e.g., 96x ON, 128x ON), the ability to deposit thicker carbon hard masks is required. However, in current high temperature PECVD carbon processes, the throughput is reduced to less than 50% due to a 2x greater deposition rate. In addition, current processes have poor thickness margins (generally less than 2 μm) due to local charge accumulation and inconsistent charge dissipation paths, which in most cases cause potential risks of catastrophic failures due to instantaneous discharge when the film thickness is greater than 2 μm. Due to extremely low estimated throughput (less than 50%), and increased failures due to inconsistent charge dissipation, previously known processes are not feasible for future devices with 96x or 128x ON stacks, thereby limiting the scalability of high temperature carbon hardmasks.

[0033] Embodiments of the present disclosure may also relate to any one or more of the following paragraphs:

[0034] 1. A method comprising: heating a substrate contained in a process chamber to a temperature in a range from about 100° C. to about 700° C.; generating a plasma with a power generator that generates an RF power greater than 3 kW; flowing a hydrocarbon precursor into the plasma in the process chamber; and A carbon hard mask layer is formed on the substrate at a rate of.

[0035] 2. A method comprising: heating a substrate contained in a process chamber to a temperature in a range from about 300° C. to about 700° C.; generating a plasma with a power generator that generates an RF power of greater than 3 kW to about 7 kW; flowing a hydrocarbon precursor into the plasma in the process chamber; and to about A carbon hard mask layer is formed on the substrate at a rate of.

[0036] 3. A method comprising: heating a substrate contained in a process chamber to a temperature in a range from about 100° C. to about 700° C.; generating a plasma with a power generator that generates an RF power greater than 3 kW; flowing a hydrocarbon precursor into the plasma in the process chamber; flowing a dopant precursor into the plasma in the process chamber, wherein the dopant precursor comprises a nitrogen-containing precursor, a sulfur-containing precursor, a boron-containing precursor, or any combination thereof; and to about A carbon hard mask layer is formed on the substrate at a rate of.

[0037] 4. The method according to any of paragraphs 1 to 3, wherein the RF power is greater than 3 kW to about 7 kW.

[0038] 5. A method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, wherein the to about A carbon hard mask layer is formed on the substrate at a rate of.

[0039] 6. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 5, wherein the RF power is greater than 3 kW to about 5 kW, and wherein the RF power is greater than to about A carbon hard mask layer is formed on the substrate at a rate of.

[0040] 7. The method of any of paragraphs 1 to 6, wherein the carbon hard mask layer is formed to a thickness of greater than 2.5 μm to about 10 μm.

[0041] 8. The method of any of paragraphs 1 to 7, further comprising flowing a carrier gas into the process chamber, wherein the carrier gas comprises argon, helium, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, free radicals thereof, or any combination thereof.

[0042] 9. The method according to any of paragraphs 1 to 8, wherein the hydrocarbon precursor comprises a C1-C8 alkyl, a C2-C8 olefin, a C2-C8 alkyne, or any combination thereof.

[0043] 10. The method according to any of paragraphs 1 to 9, wherein the hydrocarbon precursor comprises propylene, acetylene, ethylene, methane, propane, hexane, benzene, isoprene, butadiene, isomers thereof, or any combination thereof.

[0044] 11. The method of any of paragraphs 1 to 10, further comprising flowing a dopant precursor into the plasma within the process chamber, wherein the dopant precursor comprises a nitrogen-containing precursor, a sulfur-containing precursor, a boron-containing precursor, or any combination thereof.

[0045] 12. The method of paragraph 11, wherein the dopant precursor comprises a nitrogen-containing precursor, and wherein the nitrogen-containing precursor comprises pyrrole, pyridine, an aliphatic amine, an aromatic amine, a nitrile, a salt thereof, or any combination thereof.

[0046] 13. The method of paragraph 11, wherein the dopant precursor comprises a sulfur-containing precursor, and wherein the sulfur-containing precursor comprises thiophene, carbon disulfide, a thiol, a salt thereof, or any combination thereof.

[0047] 14. The method of paragraph 11, wherein the dopant precursor comprises a boron-containing precursor, and wherein the boron-containing precursor comprises diborane, triborane, trialkylborane, triallylborane, or any combination thereof.

[0048] 15. The method of any of paragraphs 1 to 14, wherein the process chamber is at a pressure in a range from about 3 Torr to about 20 Torr, and a temperature in a range from about 500°C to about 700°C.

[0049] 16. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 15, wherein the carbon hard mask layer is formed on a device having a 96-bit architecture or a 128-bit architecture.

[0050] 17. A composition, article, material, substrate, layer or film produced by the method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 16.

[0051] Although the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments may be envisioned without departing from the basic scope of the present disclosure, and the scope of the embodiments is determined by the appended claims. All documents described herein are incorporated herein by reference, including any priority documents and / or test procedures that are not inconsistent with this document. It is clear from the foregoing general description and specific embodiments that, although the form of the present disclosure has been shown and described, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure thereby. Similarly, for U.S. legal purposes, the term "comprising" is considered to be synonymous with the term "including". Similarly, whenever a transition phrase "comprising" is added in front of a composition, an element, or a group of elements, it should be understood that it is also envisioned to add a transition phrase "essentially consisting of...", "consisting of...", "selected from a group consisting of..." or "is" in front of the same composition or the same group of elements to describe the composition, element, or multiple elements, and vice versa.

[0052] Certain embodiments and features have been described using a set of numerical upper limits and a set of numerical lower limits. It should be understood that, unless otherwise indicated, ranges including combinations of any two values ​​are contemplated, such as any combination of lower limits with any upper limits, any combination of two lower limits, and / or any combination of two upper limits. Certain lower limits, upper limits, and ranges appear in one or more of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: heating a substrate contained within a process chamber to a temperature in a range from 100° C. to 700° C.; generating the plasma with a power generator that produces an RF power greater than 3 kW; flowing a hydrocarbon precursor into the plasma within the process chamber; and Greater than A carbon hard mask layer is formed on the substrate at a rate of , wherein the carbon hard mask layer is formed to a thickness in a range from 2.5 μm to 10 μm.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the RF power is in the range from 3 kW to 7 kW.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein to The carbon hard mask layer is formed on the substrate at a rate within a range of . 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon hard mask layer is formed to a thickness ranging from 2.5 μm to 7 μm.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising flowing a carrier gas into the process chamber, wherein the carrier gas comprises argon, helium, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, free radicals thereof, or any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon precursor comprises a C1-C8 alkyl, a C2-C8 olefin, a C2-C8 alkyne, or any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon precursor comprises propylene, acetylene, ethylene, methane, propane, hexane, benzene, isoprene, butadiene, isomers thereof, or any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising flowing a dopant precursor into the plasma within the process chamber, wherein the dopant precursor comprises a nitrogen-containing precursor, a sulfur-containing precursor, a boron-containing precursor, or any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the dopant precursor comprises a nitrogen-containing precursor, and wherein the nitrogen-containing precursor comprises pyrrole, pyridine, an aliphatic amine, an aromatic amine, a nitrile, a salt thereof, or any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the dopant precursor comprises a sulfur-containing precursor, and wherein the sulfur-containing precursor comprises thiophene, carbon disulfide, a thiol, a salt thereof, or any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the dopant precursor comprises a boron-containing precursor, and wherein the boron-containing precursor comprises diborane, triborane, trialkylborane, triallylborane, or any combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the process chamber is at a pressure in a range from 3 Torr to 20 Torr, and the temperature of the substrate contained within the process chamber is in a range from 500°C to 700°C.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the carbon hard mask layer is formed on the substrate including a device having a 96-bit architecture or a 128-bit architecture.

14. A method comprising: heating a substrate contained within a process chamber to a temperature in a range from 300° C. to 700° C.; generating a plasma with a power generator emitting RF power in a range from 3 kW to 7 kW; flowing a hydrocarbon precursor into the plasma within the process chamber; as well as From to A carbon hard mask layer is formed on the substrate at a rate within a range of , wherein the carbon hard mask layer is formed to a thickness within a range from 2.5 μm to 10 μm.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the RF power is in the range of from 3 kW to 5 kW, and wherein the carbon hard mask layer is formed at a power of from to is formed on the substrate at a rate within a range of. 16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the carbon hard mask layer is formed to a thickness ranging from 2.5 μm to 7 μm.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the hydrocarbon precursor comprises a C1-C8 alkyl, a C2-C8 olefin, a C2-C8 alkyne, or any combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the process chamber is at a pressure in a range from 3 Torr to 20 Torr, and the temperature of the substrate contained within the process chamber is in a range from 500°C to 700°C.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the carbon hard mask layer is formed on a substrate including a device having a 96-bit architecture or a 128-bit architecture.

20. A method comprising: heating a substrate contained within a process chamber to a temperature in a range from 100° C. to 700° C.; generating the plasma with a power generator that produces an RF power greater than 3 kW; flowing a hydrocarbon precursor into the plasma within the process chamber; flowing a dopant precursor into the plasma within the process chamber, wherein the dopant precursor comprises a nitrogen-containing precursor, a sulfur-containing precursor, a boron-containing precursor, or any combination thereof; and From to A carbon hard mask layer is formed on the substrate at a rate within a range of , wherein the carbon hard mask layer is formed to a thickness within a range from 2.5 μm to 10 μm.

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