High Boron Content Hard Mask Materials

Abstract

An exemplary method may include delivering a boron-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The method may also include forming a plasma from the boron-containing precursor in a processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The method may further include depositing a boron-containing material on a substrate disposed in a processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The boron-containing material may include greater than 50% boron. In some embodiments, the boron-containing material may consist essentially entirely of boron. In some embodiments, the method may further include delivering at least one of a germanium-containing precursor, an oxygen-containing precursor, a silicon-containing precursor, a phosphorus-containing precursor, a carbon-containing precursor, and / or a nitrogen-containing precursor to a processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The boron-containing material may further include at least one of germanium, oxygen, silicon, phosphorus, carbon, and / or nitrogen.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 703,248, filed on December 4, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The present technology relates to semiconductor processing and materials. More particularly, the present technology relates to high boron content hard mask materials and processes involving high boron content hard mask materials. Background Art

[0004] Integrated circuits are made possible by processes that produce intricately patterned layers of material on substrate surfaces. Producing patterned material on substrates requires controlled methods of forming and removing exposed material. Therefore, there is a need for materials and processes that can be used to facilitate the formation and removal of exposed material to produce patterned features and structures. These and other needs are addressed by the present technology. Summary of the invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present technology may include a method for forming a hard mask. In some embodiments, an exemplary method may include: delivering a boron-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The method may also include: forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber from the boron-containing precursor. The method may further include: depositing a boron-containing material on a substrate disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The boron-containing material may include greater than 50% boron.

[0006] In some embodiments, the boron-containing material may include substantially all boron. In some embodiments, the boron-containing material may include only boron and hydrogen. In some embodiments, the boron-containing material may not include silicon.

[0007] In some embodiments, the method may further include: delivering a germanium-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. Forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber may further include: forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber from the germanium-containing precursor. The boron-containing material may further include less than 20% germanium.

[0008] In some embodiments, the method may further include: delivering an oxygen-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. Forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber may further include: forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber from the oxygen-containing precursor. The boron-containing material may further include less than 20% oxygen. In some embodiments, the boron-containing material may be characterized by an extinction coefficient of less than 0.3.

[0009] In some embodiments, the method may further include: delivering a silicon-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. Forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber may further include: forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber from the silicon-containing precursor. The boron-containing material may further include less than 5% silicon.

[0010] In some embodiments, the method may further include: delivering a carbon-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. Forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber may further include: forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber from the carbon-containing precursor. The boron-containing material may further include less than 10% carbon.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method may further include: delivering a nitrogen-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. Forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber may further include: forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber from the nitrogen-containing precursor. The boron-containing material may further include less than 10% nitrogen.

[0012] In some embodiments, the method may further include: delivering a phosphorus-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. Forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber may further include: forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber from the phosphorus-containing precursor. The boron-containing material may further include less than 10% phosphorus.

[0013] In some embodiments, the boron-containing precursor may be a first precursor. The method may further include: delivering a second precursor to a processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The second precursor may include at least one of a germanium-containing precursor, an oxygen-containing precursor, a silicon-containing precursor, a carbon-containing precursor, a nitrogen-containing precursor, or a phosphorus-containing precursor. Forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber may further include: forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber from the second precursor. The boron-containing material may further include less than 20% or less than 10% germanium, oxygen, silicon, carbon, nitrogen, or phosphorus.

[0014] In some embodiments, the boron-containing material may have an etch selectivity of greater than 1.5:1 relative to amorphous silicon. In some embodiments, the boron-containing material may have an etch selectivity of greater than 1.5:1 relative to a silicon-doped boron hard mask material that may include about 30% silicon and about 65% boron. In some embodiments, the boron-containing material may have an etch selectivity of greater than or about The boron-containing material is deposited at a deposition rate of 100 Å / min. In some embodiments, the temperature within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber may be maintained between about 400° C. and about 550° C.

[0015] In some embodiments, the method may further include: delivering a precursor containing nitrogen and hydrogen to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. In some embodiments, the method may further include: forming a plasma from the precursor containing nitrogen and hydrogen. The method may further include: treating the boron-containing material with the plasma formed from the precursor containing nitrogen and hydrogen. In some embodiments, the method may further include: heating the boron-containing material to a temperature ranging between about 500° C. and about 650° C. for a time period between about 1 second and about 60 minutes.

[0016] In some embodiments, another exemplary method may include: delivering a boron-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The method may also include: forming a plasma from the boron-containing precursor within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The method may further include: depositing a boron-containing material on a substrate disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The boron-containing material may include greater than 50% boron. The boron-containing material may be configured to be etched to form a high aspect ratio feature.

[0017] In some embodiments, the method may further include: delivering a germanium-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. Forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber may further include: forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber from the germanium-containing precursor. The boron-containing material may further include less than 20% germanium.

[0018] In some embodiments, the method may further include: delivering an oxygen-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. Forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber may further include: forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber from the oxygen-containing precursor. The boron-containing material may further include less than 20% oxygen.

[0019] The present technology can provide many benefits over conventional systems and techniques. For example, the present technology can provide hard mask materials that can provide improved etch selectivity and reduced extinction coefficients, which can facilitate lithography and etching processes. In addition, the present technology can improve the mechanical properties of the formed hard mask while allowing high deposition rates. Therefore, the present technology can not only improve the properties of the deposited hard mask, but also improve production efficiency. These and other embodiments and their many advantages and features can be described in more detail in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the disclosed technology may be realized by reference to the remainder of the specification and the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary processing chamber according to some embodiments of the present technology is shown.

[0022] Figure 2 Exemplary operations in a method of processing a semiconductor substrate according to some embodiments of the present technology are shown.

[0023] FIG. 3A to FIG. 3D Schematically shows that some embodiments of the present technology can be used Figure 2 The operations shown in FIG. 1 are used to process an exemplary semiconductor structure.

[0024] Some of the drawings are included as schematic diagrams. It should be understood that the drawings are for illustration purposes only and should not be considered to be drawn to scale unless specifically noted as being drawn to scale. Additionally, as schematic diagrams, the drawings are provided to aid understanding and may not include all aspects or information as compared to actual representations and may include exaggerated material for illustration purposes.

[0025] In the accompanying drawings, similar components and / or features may have the same reference numerals. In addition, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference numeral with a letter that distinguishes between similar components. If only the first reference numeral is used in the specification, the description applies to any similar components having the same first reference numeral, regardless of the letter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] During semiconductor processing, various deposition and etching operations may be used to create structures on a substrate. Mask materials (including hard mask materials) may be used to allow materials to be selectively etched to create features across a substrate. For example, thermally produced amorphous silicon hard masks have been used to facilitate semiconductor manufacturing. However, due to the relatively low etching selectivity provided by thermally produced amorphous silicon, thermally produced amorphous silicon hard masks may be relatively thick. As the feature size of semiconductor devices continues to decrease, increased film thickness (such as the thickness of a hard mask formed by amorphous silicon) may lead to other processing challenges. For example, increasing the thickness of the hard mask film may require etching features with a high aspect ratio, which may result in uneven etching from top to bottom. In addition, the increased hard mask film thickness may also cause the hard mask to be less transparent, which may be characterized by a relatively high extinction coefficient. A hard mask with a relatively high extinction coefficient may pose challenges to the alignment between structures produced via different patterning, etching and / or deposition processes.

[0027] The present technology solves these and other problems by providing various high boron content materials that can improve etch selectivity, reduce extinction coefficients, increase deposition rates, and / or provide other benefits by incorporating high levels of boron into the hard mask. The present technology can further improve various properties of the hard mask by doping the high boron content hard mask material with various elements, thereby facilitating the use of the hard mask material in various applications, including one time cylinder storage (OCS) etching for DRAM manufacturing that can perform deep and narrow etching through the hard mask. After describing the general aspects of a chamber according to an embodiment of the present technology that can perform the plasma processing operations discussed below, specific methods and component configurations can be discussed. It should be understood that the present technology is not intended to be limited to the specific films and processes discussed, as the described techniques can be used to improve many film formation processes and can be applied to a variety of processing chambers and operations.

[0028] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an exemplary processing chamber 100 according to some embodiments of the present technology is shown. The accompanying figures may show an overview of a system that incorporates one or more aspects of the present technology and / or that may perform one or more operations according to embodiments of the present technology. Additional details of the chamber 100 or the methods performed may be further described below. According to some embodiments of the present technology, the chamber 100 may be used to form a film layer, although it should be understood that the method may be similarly performed in any chamber in which film formation may occur. The processing chamber 100 may include a chamber body 102, a substrate support 104 disposed inside the chamber body 102, and a lid assembly 106 coupled to the chamber body 102 and enclosing the substrate support 104 in a processing volume 120. The substrate 103 may be provided to the processing volume 120 through an opening 126, which may typically be sealed using a slit valve or door for processing. During processing, the substrate 103 may be located on a surface 105 of the substrate support. As indicated by arrow 145, the substrate support 104 may be rotated along an axis 147, where the shaft 144 of the substrate support 104 may be located. Alternatively, the substrate support 104 may be lifted for rotation as needed during the deposition process.

[0029] The plasma profile modulator 111 may be disposed in the processing chamber 100 to control the plasma distribution across the substrate 103 disposed on the substrate support 104. The plasma profile modulator 111 may include a first electrode 108, which may be disposed adjacent to the chamber body 102 and may separate the chamber body 102 from other components of the lid assembly 106. The first electrode 108 may be part of the lid assembly 106, or may be a separate sidewall electrode. The first electrode 108 may be an annular or ring-shaped member, and may be an annular electrode. The first electrode 108 may be a continuous ring around the circumference of the processing chamber 100 and around the processing volume 120, or may be discontinuous at selected locations if desired. The first electrode 108 may also be a perforated electrode, such as a perforated ring or mesh electrode, or may be a plate-shaped electrode, such as, for example, a secondary gas distributor.

[0030] One or more isolators 110a, 110b (which may be a dielectric material, such as a ceramic or a metal oxide, for example, aluminum oxide and / or aluminum nitride) may contact the first electrode 108 and electrically and thermally isolate the first electrode 108 from the gas distributor 112 and from the chamber body 102. The gas distributor 112 may define an aperture 118 for dispensing process precursors into the processing volume 120. The gas distributor 112 may be coupled to a first electrical power source 142, such as an RF generator, an RF power source, a DC power source, a pulsed DC power source, a pulsed RF power source, or any other power source that may be coupled to the processing chamber. In some embodiments, the RF generator may include a capacitively coupled plasma source. In some embodiments, the RF generator may include an inductively coupled plasma source. In some embodiments, the first electrical power source 142 may be an RF power source.

[0031] The gas distributor 112 may be a conductive gas distributor or a non-conductive gas distributor. The gas distributor 112 may also be formed of conductive and non-conductive components. For example, the body of the gas distributor 112 may be conductive, while the panel of the gas distributor 112 may be non-conductive. In some embodiments, the gas distributor 112 may be formed of conductive and non-conductive components. Figure 1 The first electrical power source 142 is shown to provide power, or the gas distributor 112 may be coupled to ground.

[0032] The first electrode 108 may be coupled to a first tuning circuit 128 that may control a ground path of the processing chamber 100. The first tuning circuit 128 may include a first electronic sensor 130 and a first electronic controller 134. The first electronic controller 134 may be or include a variable capacitor or other circuit element. The first tuning circuit 128 may be or include one or more inductors 132. The first tuning circuit 128 may be any circuit that achieves a variable or controllable impedance under plasma conditions present in the processing volume 120 during processing. In some embodiments, as shown, the first tuning circuit 128 may include a first circuit branch and a second circuit branch coupled in parallel between ground and the first electronic sensor 130. The first circuit branch may include a first inductor 132A. The second circuit branch may include a second inductor 132B coupled in series with the first electronic controller 134. The second inductor 132B may be disposed between the first electronic controller 134 and a node connecting both the first circuit branch and the second circuit branch to the first electronic sensor 130. The first electronic sensor 130 may be a voltage or current sensor, and may be coupled to a first electronic controller 134 , which may provide a degree of closed loop control of the plasma conditions inside the processing volume 120 .

[0033] The second electrode 122 may be coupled to the substrate support 104. The second electrode 122 may be embedded within the substrate support 104 or coupled to a surface of the substrate support 104. The second electrode 122 may be a plate, a plate with holes, a mesh, a wire mesh, or any other distributed conductive element arrangement. The second electrode 122 may be a tuning electrode and may be coupled to the second tuning circuit 136 through a conduit 146, such as a cable having a selected resistance (such as 50 ohms) disposed in the shaft 144 of the substrate support 104. The second tuning circuit 136 may have a second electronic sensor 138 and a second electronic controller 140, which may be a second variable capacitor. The second electronic sensor 138 may be a voltage or current sensor and may be coupled to the second electronic controller 140 to provide further control of the plasma conditions in the processing volume 120.

[0034] The third electrode 124 (which may be a bias electrode and / or an electrostatic chuck electrode) may be coupled to the substrate support 104. The third electrode may be coupled to a second electrical power source 150 through a filter 148, which may be an impedance matching circuit. The second electrical power source 150 may be DC electrical power, pulsed DC electrical power, RF bias electrical power, pulsed RF power, or bias power, or a combination of these or other power sources. In some embodiments, the second electrical power source 150 may be RF bias power.

[0035] Figure 1The lid assembly 106 and substrate support 104 of the present invention can be used with any processing chamber used for plasma or thermal processing. In operation, the processing chamber 100 can provide real-time control of plasma conditions in the processing volume 120. The substrate 103 can be placed on the substrate support 104, and the processing gas can be flowed through the lid assembly 106 using the inlet 114 according to any desired flow schedule. The gas can exit the processing chamber 100 through the outlet 152. Electrical power can be coupled to the gas distributor 112 to generate a plasma in the processing volume 120. In some embodiments, the substrate can be electrically biased using the third electrode 124.

[0036] Once the plasma in the processing volume 120 is ignited, a potential difference may be established between the plasma and the first electrode 108. A potential difference may also be established between the plasma and the second electrode 122. The electronic controllers 134, 140 may then be used to adjust the flow properties of the ground path represented by the two tuning circuits 128 and 136. Set points may be delivered to the first tuning circuit 128 and the second tuning circuit 136 to provide independent control of the deposition rate and plasma density uniformity from center to edge. In embodiments where both electronic controllers may be variable capacitors, the electronic sensors may adjust the variable capacitors to independently maximize the deposition rate and minimize thickness non-uniformity.

[0037] Each of the tuning circuits 128, 136 may have a variable impedance that can be adjusted using the corresponding electronic controller 134, 140. In the case where the electronic controllers 134, 140 are variable capacitors, the capacitance range of each variable capacitor and the inductance of the first inductor 132A and the second inductor 132B may be selected to provide an impedance range. This range may depend on the frequency and voltage characteristics of the plasma, which may have a minimum value within the capacitance range of each variable capacitor. Therefore, when the capacitance of the first electronic controller 134 is at a minimum or maximum, the impedance of the first tuning circuit 128 may be high, resulting in a plasma shape with minimal aerial or lateral coverage above the substrate support. When the capacitance of the first electronic controller 134 approaches a value that minimizes the impedance of the first tuning circuit 128, the aerial coverage of the plasma may increase to a maximum, effectively covering the entire working area of ​​the substrate support 104. As the capacitance of the first electronic controller 134 deviates from the minimum impedance setting, the plasma shape may shrink from the chamber wall and the aerial coverage of the substrate support may decrease. The second electronic controller 140 may have a similar effect (increasing and decreasing the plasma's air coverage above the substrate support) as the capacitance of the second electronic controller 140 may be varied.

[0038] The electronic sensors 130, 138 may be used to tune the respective circuits 128, 136 in a closed loop. Depending on the type of sensor used, a set point for current or voltage may be installed in each sensor, and the sensors may be equipped with control software that determines adjustments to each respective electronic controller 134, 140 to minimize deviations from the set point. Thus, the plasma shape may be selected and dynamically controlled during processing. It should be understood that while the foregoing discussion is based on electronic controllers 134, 140 that may be variable capacitors, any electronic component with an adjustable characteristic may be used to provide an adjustable impedance for the tuning circuits 128 and 136.

[0039] Figure 2 Exemplary operations in a method 200 for processing a semiconductor substrate according to some embodiments of the present technology are shown. The method may be performed in a variety of processing chambers (including the processing chamber 100 described above). The method 200 may include a number of optional operations that may or may not be specifically related to some embodiments of the method according to the present technology. For example, many operations are described in order to provide a greater range of configurations, but are not critical to the technology or may be performed by alternative methods that will be readily understood. The method 200 may describe FIG. 3A to FIG. 3D The operations schematically shown in FIG. 2 will be described in conjunction with the operations of method 200. FIG. 3A to FIG. 3D It should be understood that the drawings show only partial schematic diagrams and that the substrate may contain any number of additional materials and features having the various characteristics and aspects shown in the drawings.

[0040] The method 200 may include additional operations prior to the start of the listed operations. For example, the additional processing operations may include forming structures on the semiconductor substrate, and forming the structures may include both forming and removing materials. The previous processing operations may be performed in the chamber in which the method 200 may be performed, or the processing may be performed in one or more other processing chambers before the substrate is transferred to the semiconductor processing chamber in which the method 200 may be performed. Regardless, the method 200 may optionally include transporting the semiconductor substrate to a processing area of ​​a semiconductor processing chamber (such as the processing chamber 100 described above, or other chambers that may include the components described above). The substrate may be deposited on a substrate support, which may be a pedestal (such as the substrate support 104), and may reside in a processing area of ​​the chamber (such as the processing volume 120 described above). Figure 3A An exemplary substrate 305 is shown in FIG. The substrate 305 may include a nitride, an oxide, a carbide, or any other film or layer that may be used in semiconductor processing. Figure 3A Only a single layer is shown, and substrate 305 may include one or more additional layers.

[0041] In some embodiments, the substrate 305 may be pre-treated. For example, at operation 205, a hydrogen and nitrogen containing precursor (such as ammonia) and / or a combination of a nitrogen containing precursor (such as dinitrogen) and a hydrogen containing precursor (such as diatomic hydrogen) may be flowed into a processing region of a processing chamber to form a plasma to pre-treat the substrate 305. Such pre-treatment may improve adhesion of a subsequently deposited hard mask to the substrate 305. Without wishing to be bound by a particular theory, the improved adhesion may be achieved in part due to implanting nitrogen or a nitride (such as silicon nitride) that may be formed from nitrogen and the substrate material into the substrate 305. The implanted nitrogen and / or the formed nitride may change the lattice constant of the substrate 305 to be closer to the lattice constant of the hard mask material to be deposited (such as a boron-containing hard mask material). The improved lattice match may improve adhesion of the hard mask material to the substrate 305. The improved adhesion may also be achieved in part due to the hydrogen terminated surface (such as a hydrogen terminated silicon surface) that may be formed. Improved adhesion can reduce or eliminate delamination or cracking of the deposited hardmask during subsequent heating of the hardmask, as will be discussed in more detail below.Once the pretreatment is complete, the processing area can be purged to remove any residual hydrogen and nitrogen containing precursors, nitrogen containing precursors, and / or hydrogen containing precursors.

[0042] At operation 210, a first precursor, such as a boron-containing precursor, may be delivered to a processing region of a processing chamber. Depending on the application, in some embodiments, method 200 may further include, at operation 215, delivering a second precursor to a processing region of the processing chamber. For example, in some embodiments, a hard mask containing germanium and boron may be suitable for certain applications. Therefore, at operation 215, a germanium-containing precursor may be delivered to a processing region of the chamber. In some embodiments, a hard mask containing oxygen and boron may be suitable for certain applications. Therefore, at operation 215, an oxygen-containing precursor may be delivered to a processing region of the processing chamber. In some embodiments, a hard mask containing silicon and boron may be suitable for certain applications. Therefore, at operation 215, a silicon-containing precursor may be delivered to a processing region of the chamber. In some embodiments, a hard mask containing carbon and boron may be suitable for certain applications. Therefore, at operation 215, a carbon-containing precursor may be delivered to a processing region of the chamber. In some embodiments, a hard mask containing nitrogen and boron may be suitable for certain applications. Thus, at operation 215, a nitrogen-containing precursor may be delivered to a processing region of the chamber. In some embodiments, a hard mask containing phosphorus and boron may be suitable for certain applications. Thus, at operation 215, a phosphorus-containing precursor may be delivered to a processing region of the chamber.

[0043] Depending on the particular application, various other precursors may be delivered to the processing region to form a hard mask having an appropriate elemental composition. In some embodiments, operation 215 may be omitted. Thus, the hard mask formed may not include silicon, germanium, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, or phosphorus. The hard mask formed may be substantially entirely composed of boron, but may be doped with a small amount of hydrogen, as will be discussed below. Although the elemental composition of the hard mask may vary depending on the application, the hard masks described herein may generally include a high content of boron, for example, greater than 50%, greater than or about 55%, greater than or about 60%, greater than or about 65%, greater than or about 70%, greater than or about 75%, greater than or about 80%, greater than or about 85%, greater than or about 90%, greater than or about 95%, greater than or about 96%, greater than or about 97%, greater than or about 98%, greater than or about 99%, or greater. Increased optical transparency can be achieved by increasing the boron content (e.g., increasing the boron content to greater than 50%), which can be characterized by a reduced extinction coefficient, an increased deposition rate, an increased etch selectivity, and / or other improved hard mask properties. When the boron content is less than 50%, one or more of the above properties of the hard mask, such as high optical transparency, low extinction coefficient, high deposition rate, high etch selectivity, etc., may not be achieved.

[0044] In some embodiments, one or more of the precursors may be diluted by a diluent gas to achieve different doping levels of various elements in the hard mask. In some embodiments, the diluent gas may include a hydrogen-containing diluent gas, such as diatomic hydrogen. The diluent gas may be mixed with one or more of the precursors to adjust the concentration of one or more of the precursors delivered to the processing chamber. Therefore, various doping of each element in the hard mask can be achieved for different applications. In some embodiments, before the precursors are delivered to the processing chamber to reach the desired concentration or doping of boron, germanium, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and / or phosphorus in the hard mask, the diluent gas may be mixed with one or more of a boron-containing precursor, a germanium-containing precursor, an oxygen-containing precursor, a carbon-containing precursor, a nitrogen-containing precursor and / or a phosphorus-containing precursor. In some embodiments, the diluent gas may flow into the processing region of the processing chamber alone without mixing with one or more precursors. By mixing the dilution gas with one or more of the precursors prior to delivery into the processing chamber and / or delivering the dilution gas separately into the processing chamber, the flow rates of the various precursors and / or dilution gases can be controlled to limit changes in the overall flow rate and / or to limit disturbances to the deposition conditions inside the processing chamber to improve film quality.

[0045] In some embodiments, plasma enhanced deposition, such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, may be performed in some embodiments of the present technology. For example, at operation 220, all of the delivered precursors may be used to form a plasma in a processing region of a processing chamber, which may promote material reaction and deposition. In some embodiments, a plasma of an inert gas (such as argon, helium, or other inert gas) may be formed in the processing region before delivering one or more precursors at operations 210, 215. Thus, when the precursors may be delivered to the processing region, the precursors may be excited by the plasma to promote reaction and deposition processes. When the precursors may be excited first, forming an inert gas plasma before delivering the precursors may provide better control of the plasma power, and thus may improve the quality of the deposited hard mask.

[0046] At operation 225, a hard mask layer 310 may be deposited on the substrate 305, such as Figure 3B As shown. Depending on the delivered precursors, the hard mask layer 310 may include or be doped with one or more of boron, germanium, oxygen, silicon, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and / or hydrogen. In some embodiments, the hard mask layer 310 may include substantially only boron. For example, the hard mask layer 310 may include at least 80% boron. In some embodiments, the amount of boron included or doped in the hard mask layer 310 may be greater than or about 80%, greater than or about 82%, greater than or about 84%, greater than or about 86%, greater than or about 88%, greater than or about 90%, greater than or about 92%, greater than or about 94%, greater than or about 96%, greater than or about 98%, greater than or about 99% boron, or greater. In some embodiments, the hard mask layer 310 may include 100% boron. As will be discussed further below, among other things, increased boron content or doping with boron may increase the etch selectivity of the hard mask layer 310.

[0047] In some embodiments, the hard mask layer 310 may include germanium and boron. The hard mask layer 310 may include more boron content than germanium, and thus the hard mask may also be referred to as a germanium-doped germanium boron hard mask. Depending on the application, the hard mask layer 310 may include no more than 20% germanium. In some embodiments, the amount of germanium included or doped in the hard mask layer 310 may be less than or about 20%, less than or about 18%, less than or about 16%, less than or about 14%, less than or about 12%, less than or about 10%, less than or about 9%, less than or about 8%, less than or about 7%, less than or about 6%, less than or about 5%, less than or about 4%, less than or about 3%, less than or about 2%, less than or about 1%, or less. In some embodiments, the amount of boron included or doped in the hard mask layer 310, which may include both germanium and boron, may be at least 80%, and may be greater than or about 80%, greater than or about 82%, greater than or about 84%, greater than or about 86%, greater than or about 88%, greater than or about 90%, greater than or about 91%, greater than or about 92%, greater than or about 93%, greater than or about 94%, greater than or about 95%, greater than or about 96%, greater than or about 97%, greater than or about 98%, greater than or about 99%, or greater. As will be discussed further below, by doping with germanium, improved etching selectivity, further reduced extinction coefficient, and / or other advantages of the hard mask layer 310 may be obtained.

[0048] In some embodiments, the hard mask layer 310 may include oxygen and boron. The hard mask layer 310 may include more boron content than oxygen, and thus the hard mask may also be referred to as an oxygen-doped boron hard mask. Depending on the application, the hard mask layer 310 may include no more than 20% oxygen. In some embodiments, the amount of oxygen included or doped in the hard mask layer 310 may be less than or about 20%, less than or about 18%, less than or about 16%, less than or about 14%, less than or about 12%, less than or about 10%, less than or about 9%, less than or about 8%, less than or about 7%, less than or about 6%, less than or about 5%, less than or about 4%, less than or about 3%, less than or about 2%, less than or about 1%, or less. In some embodiments, the amount of boron included or incorporated into the hard mask layer 310, which may include both oxygen and boron, may be at least 80%, and may be greater than or about 80%, greater than or about 82%, greater than or about 84%, greater than or about 86%, greater than or about 88%, greater than or about 90%, greater than or about 91%, greater than or about 92%, greater than or about 93%, greater than or about 94%, greater than or about 95%, greater than or about 96%, greater than or about 97%, greater than or about 98%, greater than or about 99%, or greater. As will be discussed further below, among other things, incorporating oxygen into a high boron content hard mask material may further reduce the extinction coefficient.

[0049] In some embodiments, the hard mask layer 310 may include silicon and boron. The hard mask layer 310 may include a much greater boron content than silicon, and the hard mask may also be referred to as a high boron content hard mask doped with silicon. Depending on the application, the hard mask layer 310 may include no more than 5% silicon. In some embodiments, the amount of silicon included or incorporated into the hard mask layer 310 may be less than or about 5%, less than or about 4.5%, less than or about 4%, less than or about 3.5%, less than or about 3%, less than or about 2.5%, less than or about 2%, less than or about 1.5%, less than or about 1%, less than or about 0.75%, less than or about 0.5%, less than or about 0.25%, or less. In some embodiments, the amount of boron included or incorporated into the silicon-doped high-boron content hard mask layer 310 may be at least 80%, and may be greater than or about 80%, greater than or about 82%, greater than or about 84%, greater than or about 86%, greater than or about 88%, greater than or about 90%, greater than or about 91%, greater than or about 92%, greater than or about 93%, greater than or about 94%, greater than or about 95%, greater than or about 96%, greater than or about 97%, greater than or about 98%, greater than or about 99%, or more. The remainder of the hard mask layer 310 may include a small amount of hydrogen.

[0050] In some embodiments, the hard mask layer 310 may include carbon and boron. The hard mask layer 310 may include more boron content than carbon, and thus the hard mask may also be referred to as a carbon-doped boron hard mask. Depending on the application, the hard mask layer 310 may include no more than 10% carbon. In some embodiments, the amount of carbon included or incorporated into the hard mask layer 310 may be less than or about 10%, less than or about 9%, less than or about 8%, less than or about 7%, less than or about 6%, less than or about 5%, less than or about 4%, less than or about 3%, less than or about 2%, less than or about 1%, or less. In some embodiments, the amount of boron included or incorporated in the hard mask layer 310, which may include both carbon and boron, may be at least 80%, and may be greater than or about 80%, greater than or about 82%, greater than or about 84%, greater than or about 86%, greater than or about 88%, greater than or about 90%, greater than or about 91%, greater than or about 92%, greater than or about 93%, greater than or about 94%, greater than or about 95%, greater than or about 96%, greater than or about 97%, greater than or about 98%, greater than or about 99%, or more. The remainder of the hard mask layer 310 may include a small amount of hydrogen.

[0051] In some embodiments, the hard mask layer 310 may include nitrogen and boron. The hard mask layer 310 may include a higher boron content than nitrogen, and thus the hard mask may also be referred to as a nitrogen-doped boron hard mask. Depending on the application, the hard mask layer 310 may include no more than 10% nitrogen. In some embodiments, the amount of nitrogen included or incorporated into the hard mask layer 310 may be less than or about 10%, less than or about 9%, less than or about 8%, less than or about 7%, less than or about 6%, less than or about 5%, less than or about 4%, less than or about 3%, less than or about 2%, less than or about 1%, or less. In some embodiments, the amount of boron included or doped in the hard mask layer 310, which may include both nitrogen and boron, may be at least 80%, and may be greater than or about 80%, greater than or about 82%, greater than or about 84%, greater than or about 86%, greater than or about 88%, greater than or about 90%, greater than or about 91%, greater than or about 92%, greater than or about 93%, greater than or about 94%, greater than or about 95%, greater than or about 96%, greater than or about 97%, greater than or about 98%, greater than or about 99%, or more. The remainder of the hard mask layer 310 may include a small amount of hydrogen.

[0052] In some embodiments, the hard mask layer 310 may include phosphorus and boron. The hard mask layer 310 may include a higher boron content than phosphorus, and thus the hard mask may also be referred to as a phosphorus-doped boron hard mask. Depending on the application, the hard mask layer 310 may include no more than 10% phosphorus. In some embodiments, the amount of phosphorus included or incorporated into the hard mask layer 310 may be less than or about 10%, less than or about 9%, less than or about 8%, less than or about 7%, less than or about 6%, less than or about 5%, less than or about 4%, less than or about 3%, less than or about 2%, less than or about 1%, or less. In some embodiments, the amount of boron included or doped in the hard mask layer 310, which may include both phosphorus and boron, may be at least 80%, and may be greater than or about 80%, greater than or about 82%, greater than or about 84%, greater than or about 86%, greater than or about 88%, greater than or about 90%, greater than or about 91%, greater than or about 92%, greater than or about 93%, greater than or about 94%, greater than or about 95%, greater than or about 96%, greater than or about 97%, greater than or about 98%, greater than or about 99%, or more. The remainder of the hard mask layer 310 may include a small amount of hydrogen.

[0053] In some embodiments, when hydrogen may be used as a diluent gas, the hard mask layer 310 may further include a relatively small amount of hydrogen, for example, no more than 20% hydrogen. In some embodiments, the amount of hydrogen included or incorporated into the hard mask layer 310 may be less than or about 20%, less than or about 18%, less than or about 16%, less than or about 14%, less than or about 12%, less than or about 10%, less than or about 9%, less than or about 8%, less than or about 7%, less than or about 6%, less than or about 5%, less than or about 4%, less than or about 3%, less than or about 2%, less than or about 1%, less than or about 0.8%, less than or about 0.6%, less than or about 0.4%, less than or about 0.2%, less than or about 0.1%, or less. In some embodiments, the hard mask layer 310 may not include hydrogen.

[0054] In some embodiments, an optional or additional heating operation 230 may be performed. In some embodiments, the heating operation 230 may be performed to reduce the hydrogen content in the deposited hard mask. In some embodiments, the deposited hard mask may be subjected to higher temperatures and therefore heated during subsequent operations for other processing requirements (such as deposition and / or etching operations to form structures on the substrate 305). As discussed above, in some embodiments, before depositing the hard mask layer 310, a pre-treatment operation (such as the pre-treatment operation 205 discussed above) may be performed to improve adhesion between the hard mask layer 310 and the substrate 305. By performing the pre-treatment operation, delamination or cracking may be prevented during subsequent heating or when the hard mask layer may be subjected to relatively high temperatures. Depending on the application, the substrate 305 (including the hard mask layer 310) may be heated to greater than or about 500°C, greater than or about 550°C, greater than or about 600°C, greater than or about 650°C, or greater. The hard mask layer 310 may be heated for a period of time between about 1 second and about 60 minutes, between about 10 seconds and about 30 minutes, between about 30 seconds and about 10 minutes, or between about 1 minute and about 5 minutes. In some embodiments, the hard mask layer 310 may be heated for a period of time between about 5 minutes and about 55 minutes, between about 10 minutes and about 50 minutes, between about 15 minutes and about 45 minutes, between about 20 minutes and about 40 minutes, or between about 25 minutes and about 35 minutes. A hard mask layer 310 having one or more elemental compositions described herein may not exhibit crack lines in the deposited hard mask layer, and / or no delamination may be observed after the heating operation is completed. For example, when a hard mask containing substantially pure boron may be heated at about 600° C. for a period of time of about 30 minutes, no delamination or crack lines may be observed in the deposited hard mask layer. Thus, the hard mask layer 310 described herein may exhibit good thermal stability and provide good adhesion, which may be beneficial when the substrate 305 may be subsequently heated during various other processing operations.

[0055] In some embodiments, the method 200 may optionally or additionally include, at operation 235, forming an etch pattern 315 (such as a Figure 3C ), and etching the hard mask layer 310 to produce a hole 320 (such as Figure 3D ). In some embodiments, the etching pattern 315 may be subsequently removed, and the etched hard mask layer 310 may be used to etch one or more layers on the substrate 305 below the hard mask layer 310. Figure 3D Only one hole 320 is shown in FIG. 3 , however, more than one hole 320 may be etched in the hard mask layer 310 depending on the application, and in some embodiments, similar to Figure 3D In the etched holes 320 shown in FIG. , there may be tens, hundreds, or thousands of holes. The etched holes may be characterized by a very high aspect ratio or a ratio of height to width, for example, greater than or about 10:1. In some embodiments, the aspect ratio of the etched holes may be greater than or about 20:1, greater than or about 50:1, greater than or about 75:1, greater than or about 100:1, or even greater.

[0056] Conventional hard mask materials, such as amorphous silicon, have difficulty achieving uniform etching from the top to the bottom of the etched hole due to the relatively low etch selectivity provided by the conventional hard mask materials. The hard mask materials described herein exhibit higher etch selectivity than conventional hard mask materials and thus can allow for uniform etching from the top to the bottom. For example, the various hard mask materials described herein can have an etch selectivity relative to amorphous silicon that can be greater than or about 1.5:1, greater than or about 2:1, greater than or about 2.5:1, greater than or about 3:1, greater than or about 3.5:1, greater than or about 4:1, greater than or about 4.5:1, greater than or about 5:1, or greater.

[0057] In addition, the inventors have observed that further improvements in the etch selectivity of the hardmask can be achieved by increasing the boron content and / or doping the boron with appropriate dopants such as germanium, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, etc., as described herein. When compared to a silicon-doped boron hardmask material having about 30% silicon and 65% boron (which may be referred to as a 30% silicon-doped 65% boron hardmask material), in some embodiments, the various hardmasks described herein can have an etch selectivity greater than 1:1 relative to the 30% silicon-doped 65% boron hardmask material, for example, greater than or about 1.1:1, greater than or about 1.2:1, greater than or about 1.3:1, greater than or about 1.4:1, greater than or about 1.5:1, greater than or about 1.6:1, greater than or about 1.7:1, greater than or about 1.8:1, greater than or about 1.9:1, greater than or about 2:1, or greater in various embodiments. It is noted that although the 30% silicon doped 65% boron hard mask material is compared to other hard mask materials described herein, the 30% silicon doped 65% boron hard mask material is also an embodiment of a high boron content hard mask described herein. The comparison is only discussed here to aid understanding.

[0058] In some embodiments, when the hardmask material may contain a high boron content of at least 80% boron and less than 5% silicon (such as any of the silicon-doped high boron content hardmask materials described above), the hardmask material may have an etch selectivity of greater than or about 1.4:1, greater than or about 1.5:1, greater than or about 1.6:1, greater than or about 1.7:1, or more relative to a 30% silicon-doped 65% boron hardmask material. When the hardmask material may contain a high boron content or may consist essentially entirely of boron (such as any of the high boron content hardmask materials described above, for example, at least 80% boron doped with a small amount of hydrogen but no silicon), the hardmask material may have an etch selectivity of greater than or about 1.5:1, greater than or about 1.6:1, greater than or about 1.7:1, greater than or about 1.8:1, greater than or about 1.9:1, greater than or about 2:1, or more relative to a 30% silicon-doped 65% boron hardmask material. When the hard mask material may contain germanium doped boron (such as any of the germanium doped boron materials described above), the germanium doped boron hard mask material may have an etch selectivity of greater than or about 1.5:1, greater than or about 1.6:1, greater than or about 1.7:1, greater than or about 1.8:1, or greater relative to a 30% silicon doped 65% boron hard mask material. When the hard mask material may contain oxygen doped boron (such as any of the oxygen doped boron materials described above), the oxygen doped boron hard mask material may have an etch selectivity of greater than or about 1.2:1, greater than or about 1.3:1, greater than or about 1.4:1, greater than or about 1.5:1, or greater relative to a 30% silicon doped 65% boron hard mask material. When the hard mask material may contain carbon doped boron (such as any of the carbon doped boron materials described above), the carbon doped boron hard mask material may have an etch selectivity of greater than or about 1:1, greater than or about 1.1:1, greater than or about 1.2:1, greater than or about 1.3:1, greater than or about 1.4:1, greater than or about 1.5:1, or more relative to a 30% silicon doped 65% boron hard mask material. When the hard mask material may contain nitrogen doped boron (such as any of the nitrogen doped boron materials described above), the nitrogen doped boron hard mask material may have an etch selectivity of greater than or about 1:1, greater than or about 1.1:1, greater than or about 1.2:1, greater than or about 1.3:1, greater than or about 1.4:1, greater than or about 1.5:1, or more relative to a 30% silicon doped 65% boron hard mask material. When the hard mask material may contain phosphorus-doped boron (such as any of the phosphorus-doped boron materials described above), the phosphorus-doped boron hard mask material may have an etch selectivity of greater than or about 1:1, greater than or about 1.1:1, greater than or about 1.2:1, greater than or about 1.3:1, greater than or about 1.4:1, greater than or about 1.5:1, or greater, relative to a 30% silicon-doped 65% boron hard mask material.

[0059] The improved etch selectivity exhibited by various high boron content hard mask materials may allow for the use of thinner hard mask layers 310 as compared to conventional hard mask materials. For example, in order to effectively perform various etching processes for processing substrate 305, a hard mask layer formed from amorphous silicon may need to have a much greater thickness than a hard mask layer 310 formed from various hard mask materials described herein. To perform similar etching processes, the thickness of the hard mask layer 310 described herein may be less than 50%, less than 40%, less than 30% of the thickness of a hard mask layer formed from amorphous silicon. Depending on the application, the thickness of the hard mask layer 310 described herein may be less than or about 100% thick. Less than or approximately Less than or approximately Less than or approximately Less than or approximately Less than or approximately Less than or approximately Less than or approximately or smaller.

[0060] In addition, the hard mask layer 310 formed due to the various hard mask materials described herein may allow for a much lower extinction coefficient to be obtained. The reduced extinction coefficient may increase the transparency of the hard mask layer 310, which may facilitate substrate alignment during various etching and / or deposition processes. In some embodiments, the hard mask layer 310 may have an extinction coefficient of less than 0.3, less than 0.25, less than 0.2, or less at 633 nm. For example, when the hard mask layer 310 may include oxygen-doped boron, the extinction coefficient of the hard mask layer 310 may be less than 0.2, less than 0.19, less than 0.18, less than 0.17, less than 0.16, less than 0.15, less than 0.14, less than 0.13, less than 0.12, less than 0.11, or less. In some embodiments, further reduced extinction coefficients (e.g., less than 0.1) may be achieved by increasing the incorporation of oxygen in the hard mask layer 310, such as up to 20% oxygen. Increased oxygen content may also allow for higher deposition rates, which may improve process throughput. However, increased oxygen content may result in reduced etch selectivity. Therefore, depending on the application, the oxygen content may be adjusted to achieve reduced extinction coefficient, increased etch selectivity, or a balance of the two.

[0061] The various hard mask materials described herein may also allow for a higher deposition rate to form the hard mask layer 310 than the deposition rate provided by conventional hard mask materials such as amorphous silicon. For example, the various hard mask materials described herein may be greater than or about / minute, greater than or about / minute, greater than or about / minute, greater than or about or greater. In contrast, amorphous silicon can only be deposited at a rate of about The deposition rate was 2.13 W / min.

[0062] The various hard mask materials described herein may further provide good mechanical properties, such as high modulus and / or high hardness. For example, a 30% silicon doped 65% boron hard mask material may be characterized by a modulus relative to hardness value or E / H value of about 210 / 22 GPa. When the boron content may be increased to at least 80% (such as at least 90%) and the silicon content may be limited to less than 5% (such as less than 3%), the silicon doped high boron content hard mask material may be characterized by an E / H value of about 252 / 25 GPa or greater. When the hard mask material may contain essentially only boron (e.g., at least 90% or at least 95% boron with a small amount of hydrogen but no silicon), the hard mask material may be characterized by an E / H value of about 260 / 26 GPa or greater. When the hard mask material may be germanium doped and may include a high boron content (e.g., at least 80% boron, such as greater than 85% boron), the hard mask material may be characterized by an E / H value of 267 / 27 GPa or greater.

[0063] In some of the hardmasks formed from some of the hardmask materials described herein, there may be a tensile stress of about 500 MPa to about 700 MPa (e.g., between about 550 MPa and about 650 MPa). Compressive stress may be present in hardmasks formed from conventional hardmask materials. The tensile stress in the hardmasks formed from the hardmask materials described herein may be reduced by increasing plasma power during deposition and / or relaxing via annealing (such as the heating operation 230 discussed above) after deposition.

[0064] The present technology may use any number of precursors to form a high boron content hard mask. For example, the boron-containing precursor used herein may include borane (such as borane, diborane or other multi-center bonded boron materials) and any other boron-containing material that can be used to produce a high boron content hard mask. The germanium-containing precursor used herein may include any germanium-containing material, such as germane. The oxygen-containing precursor may include ozone, diatomic oxygen, carbon oxides (such as carbon dioxide), nitrogen oxides (such as nitrous oxide) or other oxygen-containing materials. The silicon-containing precursor used herein may include any silicon-containing material, such as silane, disilane and other silicon-containing materials. The carbon-containing precursor used herein may include any carbon-containing material (such as hydrocarbons (e.g., alkanes, olefins, halogenated olefins, alkynes, aromatic hydrocarbons)) or other carbon-containing materials. The nitrogen-containing precursor may include any nitrogen-containing material, such as ammonia, pyridine, aliphatic amines, amines, nitrile or other nitrogen-containing materials. The phosphorus-containing precursor may include any phosphorus-containing material, such as phosphine.

[0065] Processing conditions may also affect the properties and / or quality of the hard mask. For example, in some embodiments, when depositing the hard mask layer, the substrate may be maintained at a temperature greater than or about 400°C, and may be maintained at a temperature greater than or about 420°C, greater than or about 440°C, greater than or about 460°C, greater than or about 480°C, greater than or about 500°C, greater than or about 520°C, greater than or about 540°C, greater than or about 550°C, or higher. The inventors have observed that, although stress and / or extinction coefficient may also increase, an increased deposition rate may be achieved with increased deposition temperature. Therefore, the deposition temperature may be selected to achieve a higher deposition rate, a lower extinction coefficient, a lower stress level, or a balance between the above. In some embodiments, when depositing the hard mask layer, the substrate may be heated to about 480°C to achieve a high deposition rate while maintaining the extinction coefficient and / or stress in the deposited layer at a relatively low level.

[0066] In some embodiments, a capacitively coupled plasma source may be used to generate the plasma. The process pressure may be maintained at less than or about 20 Torr, less than or about 15 Torr, less than or about 10 Torr, less than or about 9 Torr, less than or about 8 Torr, less than or about 10 Torr, less than or about 7 Torr, less than or about 6 Torr, less than or about 5 Torr, less than or about 4 Torr, less than or about 3 Torr, less than or about 2 Torr, or less during hard mask deposition. The plasma power during hard mask deposition may be maintained between about 100 W and 3000 W, and in various embodiments may be maintained between about 200 W and about 2000 W, between about 300 W and about 1000 W, between about 400 W and about 700 W, or between about 500 W and about 600 W.

[0067] In some embodiments, an inductively coupled plasma source may be used to generate the plasma. The process pressure during hard mask deposition may be maintained between about 1 millitorr and about 200 millitorr. In some embodiments, the process pressure may be maintained at less than or about 200 millitorr, less than or about 150 millitorr, less than or about 100 millitorr, less than or about 90 millitorr, less than or about 80 millitorr, less than or about 70 millitorr, less than or about 60 millitorr, less than or about 50 millitorr, less than or about 40 millitorr, less than or about 30 millitorr, less than or about 20 millitorr, less than or about 10 millitorr, less than or about 9 millitorr, less than or about 8 millitorr, less than or about 7 millitorr, less than or about 6 millitorr, less than or about 5 millitorr, less than or about 4 millitorr, less than or about 3 millitorr, less than or about 2 millitorr, or less. The plasma power during hard mask deposition may be maintained between about 1 kW and about 20 kW, and in various embodiments between about 1 kW and about 18 kW, between about 2 kW and about 15 kW, between about 3 kW and about 12 kW, or between about 5 kW and about 10 kW.

[0068] To etch the hard mask layer 310, various etching chemistries may be utilized. For example, a fluorine-containing precursor and an oxygen-containing precursor may flow into a processing region of a processing chamber to form a plasma to etch the hard mask layer 310. The fluorine-containing precursor may include a fluorocarbon or other fluorine-containing precursor. The oxygen-containing precursor may include oxygen, ozone, or other oxygen-containing precursors. The fluorine-containing precursor and the oxygen-containing precursor are described only as examples, and various other etching chemistries may be utilized depending on the hard mask material and the material to be etched or retained relative to the hard mask material. In addition, although a plasma dry etching process is described herein as an example, the hard mask material described herein may also be removed or etched using any suitable wet etching process.

[0069] In the foregoing description, for the purpose of explanation, many details have been set forth in order to provide an understanding of various embodiments of the present technology. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that certain embodiments may be implemented without some of these details or with other details.

[0070] Several embodiments have been disclosed, and those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalent elements may be used without departing from the spirit of the embodiments. In addition, in order to avoid unnecessary confusion of the present technology, many well-known processes and elements are not described. Therefore, the above description should not be considered to limit the scope of the present technology. In addition, the method or process may be described as sequential or stepwise, but it should be understood that the operations may be performed simultaneously or in an order different from the order listed.

[0071] Where a range of values ​​is provided, it is understood that, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, each intermediate value (to the smallest fraction of the lower limit unit) between the upper and lower limits of that range is also specifically disclosed. Any narrower range between any declared value or undeclared intermediate value in the declared range and any other declared or intermediate value in that declared range is contemplated. The upper and lower limits of those smaller ranges may be independently included or excluded in the range, and under any explicitly excluded limitations in the declared range, each range included by either, neither, or both of the upper and lower limits in the smaller range is also contemplated within the present technology. Where a declared range includes one or both of the upper and lower limits, a range excluding either or both of those included upper and lower limits is also contemplated.

[0072] As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a precursor" includes a plurality of such precursors and reference to "a layer" includes reference to one or more layers and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art, and so forth.

[0073] In addition, when used in this specification and the appended claims, the words “comprise(s)”, “comprising”, “contain(s)”, “containing”, “include(s)” and “including” are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, components or operations, but they do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, components, operations, acts or groups.

Claims

1. A method comprising: delivering a boron-containing precursor and a germanium-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber; forming a plasma from the boron-containing precursor and the germanium-containing precursor in the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber; as well as A boron-containing material is deposited on a substrate disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the boron-containing material includes greater than 50% boron, and wherein the boron-containing material includes less than 20% germanium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the boron-containing precursor comprises only boron and hydrogen.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: delivering an oxygen-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein: Forming the plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber further comprises: forming the plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber from the oxygen-containing precursor; and The boron-containing material further comprises less than 20% oxygen.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: delivering a silicon-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein: Forming the plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber further comprises: forming the plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber from the silicon-containing precursor; and The boron-containing material further comprises less than 5% silicon.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the boron-containing precursor is a first precursor, the method further comprising: delivering a second precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein: The second precursor includes at least one of a carbon-containing precursor, a nitrogen-containing precursor, or a phosphorus-containing precursor; Forming the plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber further comprises: forming the plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber from the second precursor; and The boron-containing material further comprises less than 10% carbon, nitrogen or phosphorus. The method of claim 1 , wherein the boron-containing material does not include silicon.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the boron-containing material is characterized by an extinction coefficient of less than 0.

3.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the boron-containing material has an etch selectivity greater than 1.5:1 relative to amorphous silicon.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the boron-containing material has an etch selectivity greater than 1.5:1 relative to a silicon-doped boron hard mask material comprising 30% silicon and 65% boron.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the The boron-containing material is deposited at a deposition rate of 1:1 / min.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein a temperature within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber is maintained between 400°C and 550°C.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: delivering a precursor comprising nitrogen and hydrogen into the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber; forming a plasma from the precursor comprising nitrogen and hydrogen; as well as The substrate is treated with the plasma formed from the precursor containing nitrogen and hydrogen.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The boron-containing material is heated to a temperature ranging between 500° C. and 650° C. for a period of time between 1 second and 60 minutes.

14. A method comprising: delivering a boron-containing precursor and an oxygen-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber; forming a plasma from the boron-containing precursor and the oxygen-containing precursor in the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber; as well as A boron-containing material is deposited on a substrate disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the boron-containing material includes greater than 50% boron, and wherein the boron-containing material includes less than 20% and greater than 10% oxygen.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the boron-containing material consists essentially entirely of boron.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the boron-containing material does not include silicon.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising: delivering a germanium-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein: Forming the plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber further comprises: forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber from the germanium-containing precursor; and The boron-containing material further comprises less than 20% germanium.

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