Semiconductor structure formation

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, and methods related to semiconductor structure formation are described. Example apparatus include a structural material for a semiconductor device. The structural material includes an orthosilicate-derived oligomer having a plurality of oxygen (O) atoms and chemical bonds, each of the plurality of oxygen (O) atoms being chemically bonded to one of a corresponding number of silicon (Si) atoms, the chemical bonds being formed between an element from Group 13 of the periodic table (e.g., B, Al, Ga, In, and Tl) and the plurality of O atoms of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer. The chemical bonds cross-link the chains of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer to increase the mechanical strength of the structural material relative to the structural material formed without the chemical bonds cross-linking the chains, and having other benefits described herein.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to semiconductor devices and methods, and more particularly to semiconductor structure formation. Background Art

[0002] Memory devices are typically provided as internal, semiconductor, integrated circuits in computers or other electronic devices. There are many different types of memory, including random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM), magnetic random access memory (MRAM), resistive random access memory (ReRAM), and flash memory (e.g., NAND, NOR, etc.). Certain types of memory devices may be non-volatile memories. For example, ReRAM, NAND, and three-dimensional crosspoint ("3D crosspoint") non-volatile memories can be used for a wide range of electronic applications requiring high memory density, high reliability, and low power consumption. Volatile memory cells (e.g., DRAM cells) require power to maintain their stored data state (e.g., to compensate for charge loss via a refresh process), in contrast to non-volatile memory cells (e.g., flash memory cells) that maintain their storage state without power. However, various volatile memory cells (e.g., DRAM cells) can operate (e.g., program, read, erase, etc.) faster than various nonvolatile memory cells (e.g., flash memory cells). Memory functions, support, and / or isolation of other semiconductor device components can be provided by various structural materials. Summary of the invention

[0003] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an apparatus for forming a semiconductor structure, comprising: a structural material, the structural material being used for a semiconductor device, the structural material comprising: an orthosilicate-derived oligomer, the orthosilicate-derived oligomer having a plurality of oxygen (O) atoms, each of the plurality of oxygen (O) atoms being chemically bonded to one of a corresponding number of silicon (Si) atoms; and a chemical bond formed between an element from Group 13 of the periodic table and the plurality of O atoms of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer; wherein the chemical bonds cross-link chains of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer to increase the mechanical strength of the structural material relative to a structural material formed without the chemical bonds cross-linking the chains.

[0004] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for forming a semiconductor structure, comprising: exposing a structural material for a semiconductor device to an element from Group 13 of the periodic table, wherein the structural material 105 comprises an orthosilicate-derived oligomer having a plurality of oxygen (O) atoms, each of which is chemically bonded to one of a corresponding number of silicon (Si) atoms; forming chemical bonds between the element and the plurality of O atoms of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer as a result of movement of the element through a surface of the structural material; cross-linking chains of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer to a depth of movement below the surface; and increasing the mechanical strength of the structural material to the depth of the cross-linking relative to a structural material formed without cross-linking.

[0005] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system for semiconductor structure formation, comprising: a processing device configured to enable material to move into and out of a chamber for processing a semiconductor device; and a controller configured to receive instructions from a host and, based on the instructions, direct the processing device to: tunably expose a structural material of the semiconductor device to a gaseous element, wherein the structural material comprises a selectable orthosilicate-derived oligomer having a plurality of oxygen (O) atoms, each of which is chemically bonded to one of a corresponding number of silicon (Si) atoms, and wherein the element may be selected from Group 13 of the periodic table; tunably form chemical bonds between the plurality of atoms of the selected element and the corresponding number of O atoms of the selected orthosilicate-derived oligomer to crosslink chains of the selected orthosilicate-derived oligomer to a selectable depth of diffusion of atoms of the selected element through a surface of the structural material and into the structural material; and tunably increase the mechanical strength of the structural material to a depth selected for diffusion relative to a structural material formed without exposure to the selectable element. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 Depicted are specific points in an example semiconductor fabrication sequence using chains of orthosilicate-derived oligomers to form structural materials according to several embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0007] Figure 2 Depicted are specific points in an example semiconductor manufacturing sequence for forming chemical bonds to crosslink chains of orthosilicate-derived oligomers in a structural material, according to several embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0008] Figure 3 Porosity in the surface of a structural material of a semiconductor device is depicted as a defect to be overcome according to several embodiments.

[0009] Figure 4 Scratches on the surface of a structural material of a semiconductor device are depicted as defects to be overcome according to several embodiments, the scratches being caused by slurry particles or residues and deposition on the surface.

[0010] Figure 5 is a flow chart of an example method for fabricating a semiconductor structure according to several embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 6 is a functional block diagram of a system for implementation of an example semiconductor manufacturing process according to several embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 7 is a functional block diagram of a computing system including at least one memory system according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] The present disclosure includes systems, apparatus and methods related to semiconductor structure formation. Example apparatus includes a structural material for a semiconductor device. The structural material includes an orthosilicate-derived oligomer having a plurality of oxygen (O) atoms and chemical bonds, each of the plurality of oxygen (O) atoms being chemically bonded to one of a corresponding number of silicon (Si) atoms, and the chemical bonds being formed between an element of Group 13 of the periodic table and the number of O atoms of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer. The chemical bonds cross-link the chains of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer to increase the mechanical strength of the structural material relative to the structural material formed without the chemical bonds cross-linking the chains, and having other benefits described herein.

[0014] In several example embodiments, the oligomer derived from orthosilicate described herein can be a spin-on dielectric (SOD) material and / or spin-on glass (SOG) material in the trench isolation region between the conductive materials of semiconductor devices, and / or can be a metal pre-dielectric (PMD) material for combining with a Si-containing substrate to isolate a Si-containing substrate from metal contaminants during processing, and other possible uses. These SOD materials, SOG materials, and / or PMD materials can be processed after being applied to the expected semiconductor structure to compensate for (e.g., overcome) the potential conditions (e.g., problems) of these materials. Examples of these conditions can be low mechanical strength (e.g., determined by low Young's modulus values) and / or low adhesion to maintain the integrity of its surface (e.g., to reduce the possibility of pore formation and / or the unexpected removal of these materials during processing). These conditions can be generated by materials formed by oligomers and / or polymers that are initially randomly oriented relative to each other and / or do not combine with each other (e.g., amorphous formation).

[0015] Examples of previous methods that attempt to overcome such potential conditions (e.g., by increasing the mechanical strength of the material) include treating the previously formed material with thermal, photochemical, and plasma techniques. Examples of thermal techniques may include furnace densification and / or annealing. However, such thermal techniques may involve raising the temperature of the semiconductor device (e.g., including associated structural materials) to a temperature that exceeds the heat capacity, such that the function of the semiconductor device may be impaired (e.g., reduced) and / or the performance of the thermal technique may persist for several hours to a day.

[0016] The example of photochemical technology is the ultraviolet (UV) light curing that can be carried out on organosilicate material (for example, the layer or film formed by this material).As described herein, organosilicate material is intended to represent the oligomer derived from orthosilicate wherein Si atom can be covalently bonded to one or more hydrocarbon and / or oxyhydrocarbon organic side groups.However, the UV photon used to carry out this UV curing can destroy the bond between Si atom and carbon (C) atom and / or can destroy the bond between O atom and hydrogen (H) atom (for example, in hydroxyl (-OH) group).An unexpected result of this UV curing can be to release organic by-products by destroying the Si-C bond of organic side groups, which may be trapped in the hole of for example SOD material and / or may cause unexpected problems in downstream processing.In addition, UV curing does not promote the sufficient crosslinking of the chain of oligomer derived from orthosilicate to increase the mechanical strength of structural materials as described herein.

[0017] One example of a plasma technique is plasma densification, in which helium, nitrogen or oxygen plasma can be used. However, such plasma densification techniques are not suitable for increasing the mechanical strength of the structural materials as described herein because they do not selectively promote crosslinking of the chains of the organosilicate material. In addition, exposing the organosilicate material to such a plasma may destroy Si-C, C-C and / or C-H bonds (e.g., volatilizing C in the form of gaseous CO and / or CO2), thereby degrading the molecular structure of the organosilicate material and / or the intended function of the structural material.

[0018] Compared to the aforementioned methods, the present disclosure describes processing using gaseous elements of the periodic table Group 13, which in several embodiments can be performed under near ambient conditions to provide high-yield, low-cost processing relative to the aforementioned methods. The Group 13 elements referred to herein refer to at least one of boron (B), aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), and thallium (Tl). The Group 13 elements in a gaseous state refer to molecules (e.g., hydrides) including Group 13 elements, such as B in BH3 or B in the B2H6 dimer of BH3, Al in AlH3, Ga in GH3, In in InH3, and Tl in TlH3. In several embodiments, elements from Group 13 can include their coordination complexes (e.g., XH3→MH3, where X=nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), etc., and M=In, Tl, etc.) and / or can include hydrazine (e.g., N2H4) ligands. Performing under near ambient conditions means that the process can be performed at about 40 degrees Celsius (°C) under high nitrogen conditions (e.g., in combination with Figure 6 The processing technique is performed by using 80-100% N2 gas in chamber 662 of processing equipment 661 shown and described. The movement (e.g., diffusion) of the Group 13 element in a gaseous state (e.g., as a normal gas or as a plasma) into the SOD structural material (for convenience, it is subsequently referred to as including SOG material) and / or PMD structural material can provide several benefits relative to previous methods.

[0019] For example, as described herein, treatment with a gaseous element from Group 13 can cause (e.g., induce) chemical bonds to form between atoms of the element and several (e.g., two) O atoms of an orthosilicate-derived oligomer to crosslink chains (e.g., two chains) of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer, thereby increasing the mechanical strength of the structural material relative to a structural material formed without chemical bonds crosslinking the chains. The increased mechanical strength can increase the hardness of the exposed surface of the structural material, so that the exposed surface has increased resistance and / or reduced sensitivity to the possibility of unintentional removal of material from the exposed surface due to processing on or on the surface (e.g., by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP)). The increased hardness of the structural material and / or the reduced removal of the structural material from the exposed surface can reduce the possibility of defects forming in (e.g., on and through) the exposed surface. For example, the increased hardness can increase surface adhesion to maintain the integrity of the surface during processing, thereby reducing the unintended removal of material, which may cause scratches on the surface and / or pores on and through the surface as the initiation or deterioration of potential defects. Reduced removal of structural material from exposed surfaces can reduce the likelihood of unintended scratching of the surface due to slurry residue (eg, deposition of removed material can cause scratches and / or can become embedded particles on the surface and become potential defects).

[0020] In several embodiments, the chemical bonds of the chains of cross-linked SOD and / or PMD materials can be used as a process to reduce the porosity on and through the exposed surface by three-dimensionally (3D) cross-linking the chains to reduce the diameter and / or depth of the holes in the structural material (e.g., substantially blocking). Further benefits of the movement of elements through the surface of the structural material can include, but are not limited to, removing water (H2O) molecules and / or halide contaminants during processing to reduce the possibility of unintended effects on semiconductor devices.

[0021] In the following detailed description of the present disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part of the present disclosure and in which is shown by way of illustration how one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments of the present invention, and it is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that process, electrical and / or structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0022] The drawings herein follow a numbering convention in which the first digit or digits correspond to the figure number of the drawing and the remaining digits identify the element or component in the drawing. In some examples, multiple similar but functionally and / or structurally distinguishable elements or components in the same drawing or in different drawings may be referred to by the same element number (e.g., Figure 2 212-1 and 212-2) are referenced sequentially.

[0023] Figure 1 Depicted is a particular point in an example semiconductor fabrication sequence 100 using chains of orthosilicate-derived oligomers to form a structural material 105 , according to several embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 1An orthosilicate monomer 101 is depicted, which in several embodiments can be used to form a structural material 105. The orthosilicate monomer 101 can be used as an anion or group having a tetrahedral shape, in which one Si atom is surrounded by four O atoms. The orthosilicate monomer 101 can be used as an inorganic compound, in which one or more O atoms can be connected to or substituted by an atom or atom group that does not include C (e.g., ionically bonded and / or covalently bonded). One or more O atoms can be connected to or substituted by a C-atom-containing group (e.g., an alkyl, aryl, and / or alkoxy group) in an organic compound. An example of this organic alkyl compound is tetramethylsilane (Si(CH3)4), and an example of this organic alkoxide compound is tetraethylsilane (Si(OC2H5)4, otherwise known as (TEOS)), although the embodiments are not limited to these examples. In some organo-orthosilicate compounds (e.g., TEOS, etc.), each O atom connected to a Si atom can be formally neutral and can be coupled to a central Si atom by a single covalent bond and / or coupled to a peripheral O, C, H, and / or metal atom by another single covalent bond. The coupled atom group including the peripheral O, C, H, and / or metal atoms is represented by the indicator "R" in the portion of the manufacturing sequence 100, as shown in 102 and 103.

[0025] Next, as shown in the manufacturing sequence 100, an orthosilicate monomer 101 can be included in a chain 102 of orthosilicate monomers. An example of this chain 102 is represented by a plurality of (n) Si atoms coupled to and / or sharing a bond with at least one O atom. In several embodiments, each Si atom of the chain 102 can be coupled to an R group. Among other possible embodiments, one end of the chain 102 can have a corresponding Si atom coupled to an H atom, while the other end of the chain 102 can have a corresponding Si atom coupled to a hydroxyl -OH group.

[0026] Next, as shown in the manufacturing sequence 100, a plurality of chains (e.g., two of the chains 102, as shown by way of example) can be coupled to form an orthosilicate derived oligomer 103. This orthosilicate derived oligomer 103 can be formed by exposing the chains 102 to suitable conditions (e.g., a particular temperature, pressure, gas, acid and / or base, etc., in a chamber 662 of a processing apparatus 661). In several embodiments, the chains 102 (collectively or individually referred to as chains 102) of the orthosilicate derived oligomer 103 can include coupled groups R that render each chain inorganic or organic or render some chains inorganic and some chains organic. Figure 1As shown, the plurality of coupling groups R and their positions may be different in each chain, and the atomic composition of different coupling groups R may be different. The molecular formula of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 103 may have a plurality of O atoms 104, each of which is chemically bonded to one of the corresponding plurality of Si atoms at at least one end of at least one chain 102 of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 103. The O atoms 104 may be used to couple (e.g., covalently bond) a plurality of orthosilicate-derived oligomers 103 (e.g., as combined Figure 2 shown and described).

[0027] For ease and clarity of explanation, Figure 1 The orthosilicate-derived oligomer 103 shown in FIG. 1 includes a first O atom 104-1 coupled to a corresponding Si atom at the end of the first chain and a second O atom 104-2 coupled to a corresponding Si atom at the end of the second chain. However, in several embodiments, each of the orthosilicate-derived oligomers 103 may have any number of O atoms coupled to corresponding Si atoms at either or both ends of at least one chain, and the at least one chain may be used to bond (e.g., bond) within the same orthosilicate-derived oligomer 103 and / or between any number of different orthosilicate-derived oligomers 103. Figure 2 The O atoms 104-1 and 104-2 that can be used to crosslink the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 103 can correspond to Figure 2 The hydroxyl-OH group 212 - 1 and the hydroxyl-OH group 212 - 2 are shown in FIG.

[0028] Next, as shown in the manufacturing sequence 100, a plurality of separated orthosilicate-derived oligomers 106 (e.g., shown in an embodiment intended as a 3D representation rather than a formula representation) may be used to begin forming a structural material 105 for a semiconductor device. As described herein, in several embodiments, the plurality of orthosilicate-derived oligomers 106 of the structural material 105 may be or may include one or more silanes, silanols, and / or other orthosilicate-derived oligomers. The structural material 105 formed from the orthosilicate-derived oligomers 106 may be used as a SOD material used in trench isolation regions between conductive materials of a semiconductor device and / or may be a PMD material for use in conjunction with a Si-containing substrate to isolate the substrate from metal contaminants during processing (e.g., CMP), among other possible uses.

[0029] The structural material 105 formed from the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 106 can have a lower surface 107, which can be formed above (e.g., on) a substrate material (not shown). The structural material 105 can also have an upper surface 108, which can be exposed to allow atoms of the element to move through the surface 108 and into the structural material 105. Figure 2 As shown and described elsewhere herein, atoms of an element may be used to crosslink orthosilicate-derived oligomer chains of structural material 105 to a depth 109 (eg, a tunably selected depth) that moves below upper surface 108 .

[0030] Figure 2 Depicted is a particular point in an example semiconductor manufacturing sequence 210 for forming a chain of chemical bonds to crosslink orthosilicate-derived oligomers in the structural material 105 in accordance with several embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2 Two chains of an example orthosilicate-derived oligomer 211 are shown, which are bound Figure 1 The orthosilicate derived oligomer 103 is shown and described in simplified form. Each of the two chains may have an O atom at the end of the chain (e.g., Figure 1 104-1 and 104-2 in FIG. 104).

[0031] Figure 2 It is depicted that, in several embodiments, O atom 104-1 can couple with an H atom to form a hydroxyl-OH group 212-1 at the end of a first chain and O atom 104-2 can couple with an H atom to form another hydroxyl-OH group 212-2 at the end of a second chain. As described herein, atoms of an element from Group 13 of the periodic table (e.g., a compound including atoms of the element) can move through an exposed surface of an orthosilicate-derived oligomer 211 and into the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 211 to enable, for example, two chains of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 211 to be chemically cross-linked. Although for clarity, Figure 2 The cross-linking of two chains of the same orthosilicate-derived oligomer 211 is shown, but the embodiments are not intended to be so limited, as any number of chains of the same orthosilicate-derived oligomer and / or different orthosilicate-derived oligomers may be cross-linked as described herein. Movement (e.g., diffusion) of elemental atoms across and into the exposed surface of the structural material 105 (including the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 211) may be a factor in the bonding process. Figure 6 The process is performed and / or controlled in chamber 662 of processing equipment 661 shown and described.

[0032] The selection of compounds including atoms of a Group 13 element may be based on the ability of the particular compound and / or atom to chemically react with the hydroxyl groups 212 (collectively or individually referred to as hydroxyl groups 212) to crosslink the chains of the orthosilicate-derived oligomers 211. Under suitable conditions (e.g., near ambient conditions, as described herein), the hydroxyl groups of the compound including several atoms of the selected element may chemically react with the hydroxyl groups 212 at the ends of the chains of the orthosilicate-derived oligomers 211 to chemically couple (e.g., by releasing H2O molecules to form covalent bonds) the compound and the orthosilicate-derived oligomers 211. When the compound is a hydroxide having two or more such hydroxyl groups, a corresponding number of covalent bonds may be formed to crosslink the chains of one or more orthosilicate-derived oligomers 211. The ability (e.g., rate) of the compound to diffuse into and / or through the orthosilicate-derived oligomers 211 of the structural material 105 relative to other potential compounds may also be considered in the selection.

[0033] The elements in Group 13 can be referred to as the "boron group" because boron (B) is the element at the top of the periodic table. The rest of the boron group includes aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), and thallium (Tl). The boron group also includes niobium (Nh), which is an unstable radioactive element. The elements in the boron group all have the characteristic of having three valence electrons.

[0034] For the sake of clarity, Figure 2 The manufacturing sequence 210 in is shown as using B as an element selected from the boron group, although any one or a combination of two or more of the elements in group 13 may be used in the hydroxide compound to crosslink the chains of one or more orthosilicate-derived oligomers 211. Thus, in Figure 2 Boron hydroxide 214-2 is shown as a compound used in the chemical reaction with the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 211. Boron hydroxide 214-2 is shown as a compound B(OH)3, which includes three hydroxyl groups bonded to B, which match the three valence electrons of B.

[0035] As shown, the hydroxyl group 212-1 at the first chain end of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 211 can react with the first hydroxyl group 213-1 of the boron hydroxide 214-2, and the second hydroxyl group 212-2 at the second chain end can react with the second hydroxyl group 213-2 of the boron hydroxide 214-2 to crosslink the chain. In several embodiments, the third hydroxyl group 213-3 of the boron hydroxide 214-2 can be used to crosslink the end of the chain of another orthosilicate-derived oligomer (not shown) to the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 211 (for example, to increase the mechanical strength of the structural material 105 formed by multiple orthosilicate-derived oligomers). In several embodiments, each of the hydroxyl group 213-1, the hydroxyl group 213-2, and the hydroxyl group 213-3 can form a chemical bond and crosslink with three different orthosilicate-derived oligomers 211.

[0036] Boron hydroxide 214-2 is an intermediate reaction product that can be formed by the reaction of boron hydride (BH3) or diborane (B2H6) gas with H2O. In several embodiments, diborane can be stored in association with processing equipment 661 (e.g., under pressure in N2 and / or H2 gas) for use in chamber 662. Gaseous diborane can be stored relative to a specific concentration of N2 and / or H2 gas (e.g., in a range of about 1% to 10%). Manufacturing sequence 210 can include preparing 214-1 boron hydroxide 214-2 from a precursor compound. In several embodiments, the precursor compound can be diborane (B2H6) having two B atoms in a ring structure containing four terminal and two bridging H atoms. Similar ring structures can be formed using Al in dialazone (Al2H6), Ga in dialazone (Ga2H6), In in diinane (In2H6), and Tl in dithiane (Tl2H6), which can be used as precursor compounds to form corresponding trihydrides. The manufacturing sequence 210 can include the reaction of B2H6 with H2O to produce the preparation 214-1 of two molecules of B(OH)3 hydroxide compound, which in addition to six H2 gas molecules can also provide boron hydroxide 214-2 for crosslinking the chains of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 211.

[0037] Manufacturing sequence 210 shows that the reaction between boron hydroxide 214-2 and orthosilicate-derived oligomer 211 can produce cross-linked orthosilicate-derived oligomer 215 and two H2O molecules. Cross-linked orthosilicate-derived oligomer 215 can have a first chain 216-1 and a second chain 216-2, where the first chain 216-1 ends with an O atom 217-1 and the second chain 216-2 ends with an O atom 217-2. Both O atoms 217-1 and O atoms 217-2 are shown as chemically bonded (e.g., by covalent bonds) to B atoms 218, which are contributed by boron hydroxide 214-2 to cross-link 219 chains 216 (collectively or individually referred to as chains 216). O atoms 217-1 and O atoms 217-2 at the ends of respective chains 216-1 and 216-2 can correspond to the bonded Figure 1 O atoms 104-1, O atoms 104-2 (collectively or individually referred to as O atoms 104) are shown and described. Alternatively, O atoms 217-1, O atoms 217-2 may be contributed by hydroxyl groups 213-1, hydroxyl groups 213-2 of boron hydroxide 214-2, or some of O atoms 217-1, O atoms 217-2 (collectively or individually referred to as O atoms 217) may be derived from orthosilicate-derived oligomers 211 and some may be derived from boron hydroxide 214-2.

[0038] For clarity, the cross-linked orthosilicate-derived oligomer 215 is shown as being produced from a single orthosilicate-derived oligomer 211. However, in several embodiments, multiple orthosilicate-derived oligomers may be cross-linked to form a larger cross-linked orthosilicate-derived oligomer 215 (e.g., using the third hydroxyl group 213-3 of the boron hydroxide 214-2). Such a cross-linked orthosilicate-derived oligomer 215 may be used as the structural material 105 described herein.

[0039] Therefore, if combined with Figure 1 and 2 As shown and described, in several embodiments, a structural material 105 for a semiconductor device may include an orthosilicate-derived oligomer 103 having a plurality of O atoms 104, each of which is chemically bonded to one (e.g., only one) of a corresponding number of Si atoms. Chemical bonds may be formed between an element 218 of Group 13 of the periodic table and the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 103, the plurality of O atoms 104 of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 211. The chemical bonds may cross-link 219 the chains 216 of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 215 to increase the mechanical strength of the structural material 105 relative to a structural material without the chemical bond cross-link chain formation, and have other benefits described herein.

[0040] In some embodiments, the chains 102 of the orthosilicate derived oligomers 103 may have, in addition to the O atoms 104, bonds to H atoms and / or metal atoms (e.g., by bonding Figure 1 Alternatively or additionally, the several chains 102 of the orthosilicate derived oligomer 103 may be organic oligomers having Si atoms bonded to C atoms (also represented by R groups) in addition to O atoms 104. In several embodiments, the organic oligomer may be a silsesquioxane based oligomer having Si atoms bonded to alkyl (C n H 2n +1) groups, aryl (aromatic hydrocarbon) groups and / or alkoxy (aryl groups bonded singly to O) groups.

[0041] The element of group 13 may be a single atom of the element. The chemical bond formed between the element 218 and the plurality of O atoms 217 may be a covalent bond formed by replacing the H atom of the hydroxyl group of each of the two chains 216 of the cross-linked orthosilicate-derived oligomer 215 with the element. In several embodiments, the element 218 may be B derived from a B hydroxide (B(OH)3) 214-2, which chemically cross-links 219 the hydroxyl group 212 of each of the two chains 216 of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 211 to produce the cross-linked orthosilicate-derived oligomer 215. Alternatively or additionally, the element 218 may be selected from at least one of Al, Ga, In and / or Tl, the Al, Ga, In and / or Tl being derived from the corresponding hydroxide of the hydroxyl group 212 of each of the two chains 216 of the cross-linked orthosilicate-derived oligomer 215 chemically cross-linked 219. The group 13 element 218 may be provided by a corresponding hydride and / or derivative comprising the element. In several embodiments, the Group 13 element 218 may be included in a trihydride, such as B in BH3 or B in the B2H6 dimer of BH3, Al in AlH3, Ga in GH3, In in InH3, and Tl in TlH3. In several embodiments, elements from Group 13 may also be included in their coordination complexes (e.g., XH3→MH3, where X=N, P, etc., and M=In, Tl, etc.) and / or in appropriate molecules including hydrazine ligands. The chemical bond crosslinks 219 thus formed may increase the mechanical strength of the structural material 105 from a range of about 4 gigapascals (GPa) to about 9 GPa based on Young's modulus to a range of about 20 GPa to about 60 GPa, increasing the mechanical strength by at least five times.

[0042] In several embodiments, the orthosilicate-derived oligomer 103 (e.g., before its cross-linking chain) can be a SOD material used to form a structural material 105 in a trench isolation region between conductive materials of a semiconductor device and / or a SOD material used in trenches between memory arrays (e.g., as shown at 777 and in combination with Figure 7 As described). In inorganic embodiments and / or organic embodiments, orthosilicate-derived oligomers 103 may be used to form SOD materials having a low dielectric constant (k) value relative to k=3.9 of silicon dioxide (SiO2). In organic embodiments, orthosilicate-derived oligomers 103 may be formed using silsesquioxane-based oligomers used as SOD materials. Organic SOD materials formed from silsesquioxane-based oligomers may have a k value lower than (less than) 3.9 (e.g., depending on the composition of several R groups). Alternatively, organic SOD materials formed from silsesquioxane-based oligomers may have a k value greater than 3.9 (e.g., depending on the composition of several R groups).

[0043] In several embodiments, the cross-linked orthosilicate-derived oligomer 215 can be a PMD material used to form a structural material 105 associated with a Si-containing substrate. Chemical bonds can cross-link 219 chains 216 of the PMD material to reduce the porosity of the PMD material surface 108. The reduced porosity can promote the formation of the PMD material as a structural barrier that isolates the Si-containing substrate from metal contaminants during processing (e.g., CMP) of the semiconductor device.

[0044] Crosslinked orthosilicate derived oligomers and uses thereof are described herein by examples related to the formation of SOD materials and PMD materials. However, in addition to other benefits described herein, this crosslinked orthosilicate derived oligomer is intended to be used in any semiconductor device suitable for increasing mechanical strength and / or reducing porosity.

[0045] Figure 3 Porosity in the surface of a structural material of a semiconductor device as a defect 320 to be overcome according to several embodiments is shown. The structural materials used to form the semiconductor device may have varying degrees of porosity, either inherently and / or acquired during processing. Acquired porosity may result, for example, from deposition (e.g., spin coating) of orthosilicate-derived oligomers into trenches having a high aspect ratio, as well as from other causes during processing. Porosity as a defect 320 is herein intended to mean porosity that penetrates through the surface of the structural material (e.g., as Figure 1 ) and extends to a depth within the structural material (e.g., as shown in 108 in FIG. Figure 1The cavity may be surrounded by a wall of structural material to the depth of the pore. This defect 320 may be, for example, a combination of Figure 1 Porosity in a plurality of isolated (eg, amorphous) orthosilicate-derived oligomers 106 is shown and described.

[0046] Increased levels of such defects 320 may result in corresponding levels of porosity that gradually weaken the mechanical strength of the structural material and / or enable the facilitation of unintended permeation of gaseous and / or solid contaminants into and through the structural material (e.g., which may affect the functionality and / or operable life of associated semiconductor devices), among other potentially unintended effects. Crosslinking of orthosilicate-derived oligomers in the structural materials described herein provides a technique for at least partially overcoming the defects 320 caused by porosity.

[0047] The structural material (e.g., organic SOD material) may have a level of this defect 320 associated with a varying C content in different types of organic SOD materials. Different types of oligomers based on silsesquioxane may be used as organic SOD materials, wherein the level of C content may be affected (e.g., determined) by changing the composition of several R groups, and the porosity level of the spin-coated (e.g., amorphous) oligomer based on silsesquioxane may be associated with the level of C content. For example, the type of organic oligomer based on silsesquioxane used for SOD materials may include a first type SOD with a C content of about 10-15% by weight, a second type SOD with a C content of about 20-35% by weight, and a third type SOD with a C content of about 40-60% by weight, and other possible types. The porosity level of these types of SOD materials increases accordingly with C content, so that the third type of SOD may have a percentage porosity of about 20% (e.g., as determined by a combination of the surface area and volume of the cavity depth in the third type of SOD material contributing to the defect 320).

[0048] For example, Figure 3The image on the left in the middle may represent a portion of the surface area 321 of the first type 322 of the silsesquioxane-based organic oligomer, and the image on the right may represent a portion of the surface area 321 of the third type 325 of the silsesquioxane-based organic oligomer before cross-linking the amorphous organic oligomer. The defects 320 of the first type 322 with a lower C content may be smaller than the defects 320 of the second type 325, which is at least partially based on the fewer number of pores 323 per surface area and / or the reduced average diameter 324 of the pores relative to the second type 325. The defects 320 of the second type 325 with a higher C content may be larger than the defects 320 of the first type 322, which is at least partially based on the greater number of pores 326 per surface area and / or the increased average diameter 327 of the pores relative to the first type 322, as well as potential overlap of some pores.

[0049] An orthosilicate-derived oligomer (e.g., a silsesquioxane-based organic oligomer) of a structural material may be formed over (e.g., on) a surface of a semiconductor device. After the orthosilicate-derived oligomer is formed (e.g., deposited, spin-coated, etc.) on the surface, the defect 320 may be at least partially overcome (e.g., significantly reduced or eliminated) by exposing the structural material to a gaseous Group 13 element to reduce the porosity (e.g., corresponding to a porosity percentage) of a surface region 321 of the structural material by crosslinking each O atom that is chemically bonded to one (e.g., only one) of a corresponding number of Si atoms in pores 323, pores 326 through the surface region 321.

[0050] Thus, cross-linking O atoms as described herein can help (e.g., cause) a reduction in diameter 324, diameter 327, and / or depth 109 (e.g., substantially blocked) of pores 323, pores 326 in the structural material by the 3D cross-linked chains. Substantially blocking pores 323, pores 326 can provide several benefits. Examples of such benefits include reducing the potential input of contaminant materials (e.g., in the form of gas, liquid, and / or solid) through the pores into the structural material and / or into associated components of the semiconductor device, and reducing the potential output of materials through the pores of the structural material and / or from associated components of the semiconductor device. Substantially blocking pores 323, pores 326 can help (e.g., cause) extend the usable time (e.g., functional and / or operational lifetime) of the semiconductor device by reducing the potential input and / or potential output of unintended materials through the pores.

[0051] Figure 4Scratches on the surface of a semiconductor device structural material are depicted as defects 430 to be overcome according to several embodiments, the scratches being caused by slurry particles or residues and deposition on the surface. The orthosilicate-derived oligomers of the structural material may be further processed (e.g., before depositing a plurality of separate orthosilicate-derived oligomers 106 for bonding). Figure 1 This processing may include, for example, removing the surface of the structural material (e.g., Figure 1 107 and 108 in the figure) to remove at least a portion of the orthosilicate-derived oligomers and / or to remove another material (not shown) formed above (e.g., on) the surface of the structural material. The removal of these materials can be achieved by performing various CMP and / or etching techniques, as well as other suitable techniques.

[0052] However, removal of these materials by performing these techniques may result in (e.g., cause) various defects 430 on and / or in the surface of the structural material. Defects 430 resulting from the removal may include, for example, scratches on the surface of the structural material, as shown in the left scanning electron microscope (SEM) image at 432, and / or deposition of slurry residues with particles that may be embedded on or in the surface, as shown in the right SEM image at 434. Another potential defect is that a portion of the surface and underlying structural material greater than the scratch (not shown) may be inadvertently removed (e.g., due to weak adhesion and / or weak cohesion of deposited amorphous orthosilicate-derived oligomers), as well as other possible defects that may result from the removal of these materials.

[0053] Scratches that result in the unintended formation of shallow grooves in the surface and / or unintended removal of larger portions of the surface and underlying structural material may result in (e.g., cause) similar bonding Figure 3 The undesired effects of those related to porosity described, and other possible undesired effects. The slurry residue particles extending from the surface of the structural material may cause (for example, cause) the undesired impact (for example, caused by the electrical failure (short circuit) of SOD material and / or PMD material and other possible undesired impacts) on the functionality and / or operable life of semiconductor devices. The crosslinking of the oligomer derived from the orthosilicate in the structural material described herein provides a technology for at least partially overcoming defect 430 by the mechanical strength increased, and the defect 430 is caused by removing the structural material, and the mechanical strength of the increase can increase the resistance to the undesired removal of the structural material. The resistance to undesired removal increased can cause the amount of slurry residue and / or particles that may cause defects (for example, by deposition) on the structural material to reduce.

[0054] Thus, after forming the structural material over (e.g., on) the surface of the semiconductor device, the structural material can be exposed to a gaseous element from Group 13. A portion of the structural material can subsequently be removed from the semiconductor device. Since the mechanical strength of the structural material is increased during the removal of the portion of the structural material (e.g., by increasing the hardness against unintended removal of the structural material and / or reducing unintended deposition of the structural material), the likelihood of defects 430 on or in the surface of the remaining structural material is reduced.

[0055] In several embodiments, a portion of the structural material may be removed from the semiconductor device, and the remaining structural material may be subsequently exposed to a gaseous element from Group 13. O atoms chemically bonded to one of the corresponding number of Si atoms exposed by the removal of the portion of the structural material may then be crosslinked to reduce defects in the surface area of ​​the remaining structural material caused by the removal of the portion of the structural material. For example, O atoms coupled to Si atoms at the ends of a plurality of orthosilicate-derived oligomers exposed by unintended scratching and / or removal of a portion of the structural material may then be 3D crosslinked to at least partially overcome (e.g., fill) the defects.

[0056] Figure 5 5 is a flow chart of an example method 550 for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to several embodiments of the present disclosure. Unless explicitly stated, the elements of the methods described herein are not limited to a specific order or sequence. In addition, several method embodiments or elements thereof described herein can be performed at the same or substantially the same time point.

[0057] At block 551, method 550 may include exposing a structural material for a semiconductor device to an element from Group 13 of the periodic table, wherein the structural material comprises an orthosilicate-derived oligomer having a plurality of O atoms, each of which is chemically bonded to one of a corresponding number of Si atoms (e.g., as bonded to Figure 1 and 2 At block 552, method 550 may include forming chemical bonds between the element and several O atoms of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer due to movement of the element across the surface of the structural material (e.g., also as described in conjunction with Figure 1 and 2 At block 553, method 550 may include crosslinking chains of orthosilicate-derived oligomers to a depth of migration below the surface (e.g., as also described in conjunction with Figure 1 and 2 At block 555, method 550 may include increasing the mechanical strength of the structural material to the depth of the crosslinks relative to the structural material without the crosslinks formed (e.g., as also described in conjunction with Figure 1 and 2 as described with respect to structural features and manufacturing sequence).

[0058] In several embodiments, method 550 may further include increasing mechanical strength by converting the plurality of orthosilicate-derived oligomers from an amorphous structural material to a semi-crystalline structural material. The plurality of orthosilicate-derived oligomers are exposed to an element from Group 13 (e.g., in combination with Figure 6 The formation of covalent chemical bonds formed by the elements (under selected conditions in chamber 662 of process apparatus 661 shown and described) results in (e.g., causes) a semi-crystalline state of a plurality of orthosilicate-derived oligomers. In several embodiments, the selected conditions may include exposing the structural material to the elements and forming chemical bonds between the elements and a plurality of O atoms at a temperature in the range of about 40° C. to about 280° C. to match the thermal tolerance of the semiconductor device. Temperatures within the range are significantly lower than temperatures used in processing with various thermal, photochemical, and plasma techniques, which may not match the thermal tolerance.

[0059] In some embodiments, method 550 may further include forming a structural material on the surface of the semiconductor device and exposing the structural material to a gaseous element (e.g., a combination of Figure 1 and 2 As described with respect to structural features and fabrication sequences). Thus, crosslinking via chemical bonds increases the mechanical strength by at least a factor of 5 from a post-formation (e.g., deposition by spin coating) range of about 4 GPa to about 9 GPa based on Young's modulus to a post-crosslinking range of 30 to 60 GPa.

[0060] In several embodiments, method 550 may further include: during processing of the semiconductor device, moving several atoms of the element through the surface of the structural material, and using the several atoms of the element to remove H2O molecules and / or halide contaminants (e.g., fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), etc., ions and / or molecules). Such removal can reduce (e.g., prevent) exposure of components of the semiconductor device to H2O and / or halides to reduce the possibility of unintended effects on the semiconductor device.

[0061] The method of the present disclosure can be used to form a semiconductor device (for example, in combination with Figure 7 In various embodiments, a portion of a semiconductor device may include a first memory device or a second memory device, wherein the first memory device includes at least one volatile memory cell and the second memory device includes at least one non-volatile memory cell (e.g., in combination with Figure 7 1 and 776-N).

[0062] Figure 6 is a functional block diagram of a system 660 for implementation of an example semiconductor manufacturing process, according to several embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 6 A diagram of a semiconductor manufacturing process (eg, incorporating Figure 1 and 2 Example processing equipment 661 of manufacturing sequence 100 and manufacturing sequence 210 is shown and described.

[0063] The processing equipment 661 may include a chamber 662 to enclose a plurality of semiconductor devices (eg, semiconductor devices formed thereon) configured to Figure 7 664, or a wafer of the memory device 776 or array 777 shown, for forming (e.g., deposition), gas exposure (e.g., exposure to a compound including an element selected from Group 13), and / or removal (e.g., CMP and / or etching) operations. In several embodiments, chamber 662 can be further enclosed with carrier 663 to hold a single semiconductor wafer 664 or a batch of semiconductor wafers 664. Processing equipment 661 can include and / or be associated with tools, including, for example, a pump 665 unit and a purge 666 unit, which are configured to enable material to move into and out of the chamber to process semiconductor devices by introducing and removing appropriate chemicals at each point in the semiconductor manufacturing sequence, as described herein. Processing equipment 661 can further include a temperature control unit 667, which is configured to maintain chamber 662 at an appropriate temperature at each point in the manufacturing sequence. The system 660 may include several chambers 662, each chamber 662 being configured to perform specific processing in a gaseous state (e.g., exposure to specific atoms, molecules and / or compounds), wet and / or dry etching processing, and / or deposition processing (e.g., spin-on deposition), etc. during a manufacturing sequence.

[0064] The system 660 may further include a controller 668. The controller 668 may include a processor for implementing instructions received from a host (e.g., as shown at 771 and in conjunction with Figure 7 ) or is associated with the circuit and / or program described in the instructions, and instructs the processing equipment 661 to perform corresponding operations based on the instructions. Although an example of a host is shown at 771, the embodiment is not limited to coupling to Figure 7Memory system 772 is shown. Instructions can be sent to controller 668 of process equipment 661 via host interface 773. Instructions can be based at least in part on scaled preferences (e.g., in digitally and / or structurally defined gradients) stored by host 771, provided via input from another storage system (not shown), and / or provided via input from a user (e.g., a human operator), among other possibilities. Controller 668 can be configured to enable input of instructions and scaled preferences to define CDs for fabrication of semiconductor structures to be implemented by process equipment 661.

[0065] In several embodiments, the controller 668 may be configured to use hardware as a control circuit. This control circuit may be, for example, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) having logic for controlling a manufacturing process, sequence, and / or method. For example, the controller 668 may be configured to receive instructions and direct operations to perform such as in conjunction with Figures 1 to 5 A semiconductor structure manufacturing process, sequence and / or method is described.

[0066] Thus, the controller 668 can instruct the processing device 661 to tunably perform a number of operations. In several embodiments, the tunability of the operations can be based on the input of specific scaled preferences (e.g., exposure time, mass flow rate, concentration, physical size, etc.) and / or different options (e.g., for compounds containing gaseous atoms of various elements selected from Group 13) stored by and received from the host. The specific scaled preferences and / or different options can be selectively input by a user (e.g., a human operator) through a user interface connected to the host.

[0067] Processing equipment 661 may be directed to tunably form structural materials of semiconductor device 772 (e.g., as shown at 105 and combined with Figure 1 and described elsewhere herein) are exposed to gaseous elements (e.g., as shown at 218 and 214-2, respectively, and in combination Figure 2 and described elsewhere herein). The structural material may include an optional orthosilicate-derived oligomer (e.g., selected from inorganic and / or organic orthosilicate-derived oligomers described herein), the optional orthosilicate-derived oligomer having a plurality of O atoms, each of which is chemically bonded to one (e.g., only one) of a corresponding number of Si atoms. The element may be selected from Group 13 of the Periodic Table of Elements.

[0068] The processing device 661 can also be directed to tunably form chemical bonds (e.g., to a selected depth) between a number of atoms of a selected element and a corresponding number of O atoms of a selected orthosilicate-derived oligomer. The controller 668 can be further configured to implement instructions to tunably control the formation of chemical bonds of the selected element by the processing device 661 at a selectable temperature in the range of about 40° C. to about 280° C.

[0069] Chemical bonds may be formed to crosslink 219 chains 216 of selected orthosilicate derived oligomers to a selectable depth of diffusion of atoms of the selected element across the surface of the structural material and into the structural material (e.g., as shown at 109 and in conjunction with Figure 1 and described elsewhere herein). The processing device 661 can also be directed to tunably increase the mechanical strength of the structural material to a depth selected relative to the diffusion of the structural material formed without exposure to the selectable element.

[0070] The controller 668 can also be configured to implement instructions to tunably control the formation of chemical bonds of the selected element to the selected depth. In several embodiments, the formation of chemical bonds to the selected depth can be based on a combination of an optional time of exposure to the selected element in a single chamber 662 and an optional mass flow rate (e.g., standard cubic centimeters per minute (sccm)) of the selected element in the gaseous state. Alternatively, the formation of chemical bonds to the selected depth can be based on a combination of an optional number of movement cycles of the selected element in the gaseous state entering and leaving several chambers 662 of the processing equipment 661 and an optional mass flow rate of the selected element in the several chambers. For example, in order to enable atoms of the selected element to diffuse through the surface of the structural material and enter the structural material to reach the selected depth, in addition to other possibilities of exposure to the selected element, more than one movement cycle of the selected element in the gaseous state entering and leaving the single chamber 662 can also be performed, or the structural material can be moved sequentially into multiple chambers 662, and a single movement cycle of the selected element in the gaseous state entering and leaving the single chamber 662 can be performed in each chamber 662.

[0071] The controller 668 can be further configured to implement instructions for using B as the selected element. B can be derived from gaseous B2H6 converted by exposure to H2O into B(OH)3 molecules that are enabled to form chemical bonds. Gaseous B2H6 can be obtained from an instruction-based source, and the controller 668 can indicate the appropriate volume, concentration and / or exposure time of B2H6 to be input into the chamber 662 and / or removed from the chamber 662. In this way, the mass flow rate of intermediate reaction product molecules that move B2H6 into the chamber to be converted into B(OH)3 can be selectively adjusted so that a selected diffusion depth and the resulting crosslinking of at least two chains of the selected orthosilicate-derived oligomer can be achieved through chemical bonding with the B atoms.

[0072] The controller 668 may be further configured to implement instructions to selectively use a silsesquioxane-based organic oligomer as the orthosilicate-derived oligomer. The silsesquioxane-based organic oligomer may be selected such that the Si atoms are bonded to a specific mixture of alkyl, aryl, and / or alkoxy groups in addition to being bonded to O atoms to produce a desired weight percentage of C in the silsesquioxane-based organic oligomer for use as a spin-on dielectric (SOD).

[0073] The host 771 can be configured to generate instructions related to the movement of materials into and out of the chamber 662 to form a semiconductor device. The interface 773 can be coupled to the host 771 and can be configured to enable input of instructions to be implemented by the controller 668 of the processing equipment 661 based at least in part on the performance of the method of the present disclosure. The instructions can be based at least in part on the scaled preferences to define the critical dimensions of the semiconductor device, which determine the final physical and chemical structure of at least one of the trench isolation regions between the conductive material, the SOD material, and the PMD blocking material.

[0074] Figure 7 7 is a functional block diagram of a computing system 770 including at least one memory system 772 (eg, a semiconductor device) according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The memory system 772 may be, for example, a solid state drive (SSD).

[0075] exist Figure 7In the illustrated embodiment, the memory system 772 includes a memory interface 774, a plurality of memory devices 776-1, ..., 776-N, and a controller 775 selectively coupled to the memory interface 774 and the memory devices 776-1, ..., 776-N. The memory interface 774 can be used to transfer information between the memory system 772 and another device (e.g., a host 771). The host 771 may include a processor (not shown). As used herein, a "processor" may be a plurality of processors, such as a parallel processing system, a plurality of coprocessors, and the like. An example host may include or be implemented in a laptop computer, a personal computer, a digital camera, a digital recording device and playback device, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a memory card reader, an interface hub, and the like. This host 771 may be used in conjunction with, for example, a processor as shown at 661. Figure 6 The processing equipment described is associated with manufacturing operations performed on semiconductor devices and / or SSDs.

[0076] In several embodiments, host 771 can be associated with (e.g., include or be coupled to) host interface 773. Host interface 773 can enable input of scaled preferences (e.g., in digital and / or structurally defined gradients) to define, for example, critical dimensions (CDs) of final structures or intermediate structures of memory devices (e.g., as shown at 776) and / or memory cell arrays (e.g., as shown at 777) formed thereon to be determined by combining Figure 6 The scaled preferences may be provided to the host interface 773 via input of a number of preferences stored by the host 771, input of preferences from another storage system (not shown), and / or input of preferences by a user (e.g., a human operator).

[0077] The memory interface 774 may be in the form of a standardized physical interface. For example, when the memory system 772 is used for information (e.g., data) storage in the computing system 770, the memory interface 774 may be a serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) interface, a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) interface, or a universal serial bus (USB) interface, as well as other physical connectors and / or interfaces. However, in general, the memory interface 774 may provide an interface for transferring control, addresses, information, scaled preferences, and / or other signals (e.g., via the host interface 773) between the controller 775 of the memory system 772 and the host 771.

[0078] Controller 775 may include, for example, firmware and / or control circuitry (e.g., hardware). Controller 775 may be operably coupled to and / or included on the same physical device (e.g., die) as one or more of memory devices 776-1, ..., 776-N. For example, controller 775 may be or may include an ASIC as hardware operably coupled to a circuit (e.g., printed circuit board) including memory interface 774 and memory devices 776-1, ..., 776-N. Alternatively, controller 775 may be included on a separate physical device (e.g., die) that is communicatively coupled to a physical device (e.g., die) that includes one or more of memory devices 776-1, ..., 776-N.

[0079] The controller 775 can communicate with the memory devices 776-1, ..., 776-N to direct operations of sensing (e.g., reading), programming (e.g., writing), and / or erasing information, as well as other functions and / or operations for managing memory cells. The controller 775 can have circuits including several integrated circuits and / or discrete components. In several embodiments, the circuits in the controller 775 can include control circuits for controlling access across the memory devices 776-1, ..., 776-N and / or circuits for providing a translation layer between the host 771 and the memory system 772.

[0080] The memory devices 776-1, ..., 776-N may include, for example, several memory arrays 777 (e.g., volatile and / or non-volatile memory cell arrays). For example, the memory devices 776-1, ..., 776-N may include memory cell arrays, such as a portion of an example memory device configured to include a sense line contact. At least one array includes transistors having a gate structure formed according to the embodiments disclosed herein. As will be appreciated, the memory cells in the memory arrays 777 of the memory devices 776-1, ..., 776-N may be in a RAM architecture (e.g., DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, FeRAM, MRAM, ReRAM, etc.), a flash memory architecture (e.g., NAND, NOR, etc.), a 3DRAM and / or flash memory cell architecture, or some other memory array architecture including pillars and adjacent trenches.

[0081] The memory device 776 may be formed on the same die. The memory device (e.g., memory device 776-1) may include one or more memory cell arrays 777 formed on the die. The memory device may include sensing circuits 778 and control circuits 779 associated with one or more arrays 777 formed on a die or portion thereof. The sensing circuits 778 may be used to determine (sense) a specific data value (e.g., 0 or 1) stored at a specific memory cell in a row of the array 777. The control circuits 779 may be used to direct the sensing circuits 778 to sense a specific data value in response to a command from the host 771 and / or the host interface 773, as well as to direct the storage, erasure, etc. of the data value. The commands may be sent directly to the control circuits 779 via the memory interface 774, or sent to the control circuits 779 via the controller 775.

[0082] Figure 7 The illustrated embodiment may include additional circuitry that is not illustrated so as not to obscure the embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the memory device 776 may include address circuitry to latch address signals provided on the I / O connector through the I / O circuitry. The address signals may be received and decoded by the row decoder and the column decoder to access the memory array 777. It should be appreciated that the number of address input connectors may depend on the density and / or architecture of the memory device 776 and / or the memory array 777.

[0083] In the above detailed description of the present disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part of the present disclosure and in which is shown by way of illustration how one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments of the present invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that process, electrical and / or structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0084] It should be understood that the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, not for limitation. As used herein, the singular forms of "a", "an" and "said" include singular and plural referents, unless the context otherwise clearly indicates, such as "several", "at least one" and "one or more" (for example, several R groups may refer to one or more R groups), and "multiple" is intended to refer to more than one of these things. In addition, the words "can" and "may" used throughout this application are in a permissive sense (i.e., with the possibility, being able to), rather than in a mandatory sense (i.e., must). The term "includes" and its derivatives refer to "including but not limited to". The terms "coupled" and "coupled" mean directly or indirectly physically connected, and unless otherwise specified, may include wireless connections for accessing and / or moving (transmission) instructions (e.g., control signals, address signals, etc.) and data, as applicable to the context.

[0085] Although example embodiments are illustrated and described herein that include various combinations and configurations of semiconductor materials, substrate materials, structural materials, orthosilicate-derived oligomers, dielectric materials, etching techniques, CMP techniques, deposition techniques (e.g., spin-on deposition techniques, etc.), techniques for forming, storing, accessing, and / or using compounds including elements selected from Group 13, techniques for exposing materials to a gaseous state, diffusing gaseous materials, and removing gaseous materials, techniques for controlling and determining the diffusion depth of gaseous materials and / or the resulting crosslinking in orthosilicate-derived oligomers, techniques for determining the mechanical strength of structural materials, techniques for determining the porosity and defect levels of structural materials, memory devices, memory cells and trenches, and other materials and / or components associated with semiconductor structure formation, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to those combinations explicitly listed herein. In addition to the semiconductor materials, substrate materials, structural materials, orthosilicate-derived oligomers, dielectric materials, etching techniques, CMP techniques, deposition techniques, techniques for forming, storing, accessing and / or using compounds including elements selected from Group 13, techniques for exposing gaseous materials, diffusing gaseous materials and removing gaseous materials, techniques for controlling and determining the diffusion depth of gaseous materials and / or the resulting crosslinking in orthosilicate-derived oligomers, and techniques for determining the mechanical strength of structural materials disclosed herein, other combinations and configurations of techniques for determining porosity and defectivity levels of structural materials, memory devices, memory cells and trenches associated with semiconductor structure formation are also expressly included within the scope of the present invention.

[0086] Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that arrangements calculated to achieve the same results may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. The present disclosure is intended to cover modifications or variations of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the above description is made in an illustrative manner and not in a restrictive manner. For example, for clarity, the following are shown. Figure 1-5 The proportions of the elements shown in the drawings and may not be drawn to scale. By reading the above description, the combination of the above embodiments and other embodiments not specifically described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The scope of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure includes other applications in which the above structures and processing are used. Therefore, the scope of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure should be determined with reference to the attached claims and the full scope of equivalents given by these claims.

[0087] In the foregoing detailed description, some features are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purposes of this disclosure. This method of disclosure should not be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the disclosed embodiments of the present disclosure must use more features than those expressly recited in each claim. On the contrary, as reflected in the following claims, the subject matter of the invention lies in less than all the features of a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the appended claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for forming a semiconductor structure, comprising: A structural material (105), the structural material (105) being used in a semiconductor device, the structural material (105) comprising: An orthosilicate-derived oligomer (103, 211), the orthosilicate-derived oligomer (103, 211) having a plurality of oxygen O atoms (104, 217), each of the plurality of oxygen O atoms being chemically bonded to one of a corresponding number of silicon Si atoms; as well as a chemical bond formed between an element from Group 13 of the Periodic Table of Elements and the plurality of O atoms (104, 217) of the orthosilicate derived oligomer (103, 211); wherein chemical bonds cross-link the chains (102) of the orthosilicate derived oligomers (103, 211) to increase the mechanical strength of the structural material relative to the structural material (105) formed without the chemical bonds cross-linking the chains (102).

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the element from Group 13 is a single atom of the element.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the orthosilicate-derived oligomer is an inorganic oligomer having, in addition to the O atoms, the Si atoms bonded to hydrogen H atoms and / or metal atoms.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the orthosilicate-derived oligomer is an organic oligomer having, in addition to the O atoms, the Si atoms bonded to carbon (C) atoms.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the orthosilicate-derived oligomer is a silsesquioxane-based organic oligomer having the Si atoms, in addition to the O atoms, bonded to alkyl, aryl and / or alkoxy groups.

6. The device of any one of claims 1 or 3 to 5, wherein the orthosilicate derived oligomer is a spin-on dielectric SOD material having a low dielectric constant k relative to silicon dioxide SiO2.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 or 3 to 5, wherein: The orthosilicate-derived oligomer is a pre-metal dielectric PMD material used in conjunction with Si-containing substrates; The chemical bonds cross-link the chains of the PMD material to reduce the porosity of the surface of the PMD material; as well as The reduced porosity facilitates the formation of a barrier layer of PMD material that isolates the Si-containing substrate from metallic contaminants during processing of the semiconductor device.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the chemical bond formed between the element and the plurality of O atoms is a covalent bond formed by substituting the element for a hydrogen H atom of a hydroxyl -OH group (212) from each of the two chains (102) of the orthosilicate derived oligomer.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 or 3 to 5, wherein: The orthosilicate-derived oligomer is formed using a silsesquioxane-based organic oligomer to be used as a spin-on dielectric SOD material; as well as The chemical bond crosslinking increases the mechanical strength of the structural material from a range of 4 GPa to 9 GPa based on Young's modulus to a range of 20 to 60 GPa, such that the mechanical strength is increased by at least five times.

10. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the element from group 13 is boron B derived from B hydroxide B(OH)3 (214), which chemically crosslinks the hydroxyl -OH groups (212) of each of the two chains (102) of the orthosilicate derived oligomer.

11. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the element from group 13 is selected from at least one of aluminum Al, gallium Ga, indium In and thallium Tl, the aluminum Al, gallium Ga, indium In and thallium Tl being derived from the corresponding hydroxide of the hydroxyl -OH group (212) of each of the two chains (102) chemically cross-linking the orthosilicate derived oligomer.

12. A method for forming a semiconductor structure, comprising: exposing a structural material (105) for a semiconductor device to an element from Group 13 of the periodic table, wherein the structural material (105) comprises an orthosilicate-derived oligomer (103, 211), the orthosilicate-derived oligomer (103, 211) having a plurality of oxygen (O) atoms (104, 217), each of the plurality of oxygen (O) atoms being chemically bonded to one of a corresponding number of silicon (Si) atoms; forming chemical bonds between the element and the plurality of O atoms (104, 217) of the orthosilicate-derived oligomer (103, 211) as a result of movement of the element across the surface of the structural material (105); cross-linking the chains (102) of the orthosilicate derived oligomers (103, 211) to the moved depth (109) below the surface; and The mechanical strength of the structural material (105) is increased to the depth (109) of the cross-links relative to the structural material formed in the absence of the cross-links.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein increasing the mechanical strength comprises converting a plurality of the orthosilicate-derived oligomers from an amorphous structural material to a semi-crystalline structural material using covalent chemical bonds generated by exposure to the element from Group 13.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising: forming the structural material over a surface of the semiconductor device; exposing the structural material to the element in a gaseous state; subsequently removing a portion of the structural material from the semiconductor device; and Since the mechanical strength of the structural material is increased during the removal of the portion of the structural material, potential surface defects of the remaining structural material are reduced (320, 430).

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: forming the structural material over a surface of the semiconductor device; and The structural material is exposed to the element in a gaseous state to reduce the porosity of the surface region of the structural material by cross-linking the O atoms chemically bonded to one of the corresponding number of Si atoms in the pores (323, 326) passing through the surface region.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: reducing the diameter (324, 327) and the depth of the pores in the structural material by three-dimensionally cross-linking the chains; reducing the potential entry of contaminant materials through the pores into the structural material and into associated components of the semiconductor device; reducing potential output of said apertures through said structural material and materials from associated components of said semiconductor device; as well as The usable time of the semiconductor device is extended by reducing the potential input and the potential output of material through the pores.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising: moving atoms of the element across the surface of the structural material; and The atoms of the element are used to remove water H2O molecules and halide contaminants during processing of the semiconductor device to reduce the possibility of unintended effects on the semiconductor device.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising exposing the structural material to the element at a selectable temperature in a range from 40 degrees Celsius to 280 degrees Celsius and forming the chemical bonds between the element and the plurality of O atoms so as to match a thermal tolerance of the semiconductor device.

19. A semiconductor device formed by the method according to claim 12, wherein a portion of the semiconductor device comprises a first memory device or a second memory device, the first memory device comprises at least one volatile memory cell, and the second memory device comprises at least one nonvolatile memory cell.

20. A system for forming a semiconductor structure, comprising: a processing apparatus (661) configured to enable movement of material into and out of a chamber (662) for processing semiconductor devices; and A controller (668) configured to receive instructions from a host and direct the processing device (661) based on the instructions: tunably exposing a structural material (105) of the semiconductor device to a gaseous element, wherein the structural material (105) comprises a selectable orthosilicate-derived oligomer (103, 211), the orthosilicate-derived oligomer (103, 211) having a plurality of oxygen (O) atoms (104, 217), each of the plurality of oxygen (O) atoms being chemically bonded to one of a corresponding number of silicon (Si) atoms, and wherein the element is selected from Group 13 of the Periodic Table of Elements; tunably forming chemical bonds between a selected number of atoms of said element and a corresponding number of said O atoms (104, 217) of said selected orthosilicate derived oligomer (103, 211) to crosslink chains of said selected orthosilicate derived oligomer (103, 211) to a selectable depth (109) of diffusion of said atoms of said selected element through the surface of said structural material (105) and into said structural material (105); and The mechanical strength of the structural material (105) is tunably increased relative to the structural material formed without exposure to the selectable element to the depth (109) selected for the diffusion.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein: The controller is further configured to implement the instructions to tunably control the formation of the chemical bonds of the selected element to the selected depth; Wherein formation of the chemical bond to the selected depth is based on a combination of a selectable time of exposure to the selected element in the chamber and a selectable mass flow rate of the selected element in the gaseous state.

22. A system according to any one of claims 20 to 21, wherein: The controller is further configured to implement the instructions to tunably control the formation of the chemical bonds of the selected element to the selected depth; Wherein the formation of the chemical bonds to the selected depth is based on a combination of a selectable number of movement cycles of the selected element in the gaseous state into and out of several chambers of the processing equipment and a selectable mass flow rate of the selected element in the several chambers.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the controller is further configured to implement the instructions to: Using boron B as the selected element, wherein the B is derived from the conversion of the gaseous diborane B2H6 by exposure to water H2O into boron hydroxide B(OH)3(214) molecules which are enabled to form the chemical bonds; and The mass flow rate of B2H6 moving into the chamber is selectively adjusted to enable a selected diffusion depth and resulting cross-linking of the two chains of a selected orthosilicate-derived oligomer through chemical bonding with the B atoms.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the controller is further configured to implement the instructions to: Optionally, a silsesquioxane-based organic oligomer is used as the orthosilicate-derived oligomer; The silsesquioxane-based organic oligomer is selected so that the Si atoms are bonded to a specific mixture of alkyl, aryl and / or alkoxy groups in addition to the O atoms to produce a desired weight percentage of carbon C in the silsesquioxane-based organic oligomer used as a spin-on dielectric SOD.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the system further comprises: a host computer configured to generate the instructions related to movement of the material into and out of the chamber to form the semiconductor device; as well as an interface coupled to the host computer and configured to enable input of the instructions to be implemented by the processing equipment; Wherein the instructions are based at least in part on scaled preferences to define critical dimensions of the semiconductor device, the critical dimensions determining the final physical and chemical structure of at least one of the trench isolation regions between the conductive material, the spin-on dielectric SOD, and the pre-metal dielectric PMD blocking material.

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