Multi-chamber reactor for selective deposition of silicon nitride and method of use thereof

Abstract

Methods and systems for depositing silicon using a multi-chamber reactor are disclosed. Exemplary methods include performing one or more deposition cycles and performing a processing, etching, and / or curing process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to methods of depositing materials and structures including the deposited materials. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to methods of forming structures including deposited silicon nitride and structures including such materials. Background Art

[0002] Silicon nitride films are used in a variety of applications. For example, silicon nitride films can be used to form insulating regions, etch stop regions, anti-etch protection regions, etc. on structures formed during the formation of electronic devices.

[0003] To form regions or features including silicon nitride, a silicon nitride film is typically deposited onto the surface of a substrate. The deposited film is then patterned using, for example, photolithography, and then etched to remove some of the silicon nitride, thereby forming the desired features or regions including the remaining silicon nitride material. As device feature sizes continue to decrease, it becomes increasingly difficult to pattern and etch silicon nitride films to form features or regions of patterned silicon nitride of a desired size, particularly when it is desired to selectively deposit silicon nitride within vias or trenches on the surface of a substrate. In addition, the photolithography and etching steps increase the costs associated with device fabrication and increase the time required to fabricate the device.

[0004] Recently, techniques have been developed to selectively form silicon nitride on a portion of a substrate surface. Such techniques typically involve chemically modifying the surface prior to deposition. While these techniques may work well in certain applications, they may introduce undesirable contamination onto the substrate surface. Such processes may also increase the complexity of the process of forming the structure. Furthermore, such processes may be relatively time consuming, thereby increasing the costs associated with such processes. Therefore, there is a need for improved methods for forming structures comprising silicon nitride.

[0005] Any discussion set forth in this section, including discussion of problems and solutions, has been included in the present disclosure merely to provide context for the present disclosure. Such discussion should not be construed as an admission that any or all information was known at the time the present invention was made, or constitutes prior art. Summary of the invention

[0006] Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods that can be used to selectively deposit or form silicon nitride on a substrate surface. Although the manner in which various embodiments of the present disclosure address the shortcomings of existing methods will be discussed in more detail below, in general, various embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved reactor systems for selectively depositing silicon nitride and improved methods for selectively forming silicon nitride on a surface or material on a substrate. As explained in more detail below, the use of a multi-chamber reactor system and corresponding methods can reduce contamination associated with silicon nitride deposition, can provide deposited silicon nitride having desired properties, and / or can increase the yield associated with (e.g., selective) deposition of silicon nitride having desired properties and / or characteristics.

[0007] According to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, a multi-chamber reactor system includes: a first reaction chamber configured to deposit silicon nitride on a substrate surface to form deposited silicon nitride; a second reaction chamber configured to process the deposited silicon nitride; and a controller configured to provide a substrate in the first reaction chamber, perform a deposition cycle in the first reaction chamber, move the substrate to the second reaction chamber, and perform a treatment process in the second reaction chamber. The deposition cycle may include pulsing a silicon precursor from a silicon precursor source to the first reaction chamber, providing a nitrogen-containing reactant from a nitrogen-containing reactant source to the first reaction chamber, and providing a deposition plasma power to form an active species from the nitrogen-containing reactant. The treatment process may include providing a hydrogen-containing reactant from a hydrogen reactant source to the second reaction chamber, and providing a treatment plasma power to form an active species from the hydrogen-containing reactant. The multi-chamber reactor system can be used to selectively deposit silicon nitride on a surface. The selective deposition can be topological, so that the silicon nitride is selectively deposited in a feature such as a groove. Additionally or alternatively, the selective deposition can be material-based, so that the silicon nitride is selectively deposited on the first material relative to the second material. According to examples of these embodiments, the controller is configured to perform multiple deposition cycles in the first reaction chamber before moving the substrate to the second reaction chamber. The controller may be further configured to move the substrate from the second reaction chamber to the first reaction chamber—for example, for another deposition cycle. The multi-chamber reactor system may also include a third reaction chamber configured to deposit additional silicon nitride on the surface of the processed silicon nitride and a fourth reaction chamber configured to process the additional silicon nitride. In this case, the controller may be configured to move the substrate from the first reaction chamber to the second reaction chamber, from the second reaction chamber to the third reaction chamber, and from the third reaction chamber to the fourth reaction chamber to form selectively deposited silicon nitride. Alternatively, the controller may be configured to move the substrate between the first and second reaction chambers and / or between the third and fourth reaction chambers to repeat the deposition and processing steps described herein. Two or more (e.g., four) reaction chambers may form part of a processing module.

[0008] According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for depositing silicon nitride is provided. The exemplary method includes providing a substrate in a first reaction chamber, depositing silicon nitride on a substrate surface in the first reaction chamber to form deposited silicon nitride, moving the substrate to a second reaction chamber, and processing the deposited silicon nitride in the second reaction chamber to form processed silicon nitride. The first reaction chamber and the second reaction chamber may form part of a module. According to examples of these embodiments, the processing step includes selectively removing the deposited silicon nitride. According to further examples, during one or more cycles including the steps of depositing silicon nitride and processing the deposited silicon nitride, a nitrogen-containing reactant is continuously supplied. In some cases, silicon nitride may be conformally deposited. In some cases, the deposited silicon is initially flowable.

[0009] According to further embodiments of the present disclosure, a multi-chamber reactor system includes a first reaction chamber configured to deposit silicon nitride on a substrate surface to form conformally deposited silicon nitride, a second reaction chamber configured to topologically selectively etch the conformally deposited silicon nitride, and a controller. The configurations of the first reaction chamber and the second reaction chamber may be substantially the same. According to examples of these embodiments, the controller is configured to provide a substrate in the first reaction chamber, perform a deposition cycle in the first reaction chamber, move the substrate to the second reaction chamber, and perform a topologically selective etching process in the second reaction chamber. The deposition cycle may include pulsing a silicon precursor from a silicon precursor source to the first reaction chamber, providing a nitrogen-containing reactant to the first reaction chamber from a nitrogen-containing reactant source, and providing a deposition plasma power to form an active species from the nitrogen-containing reactant. According to further examples, the topologically selective etching process includes providing a hydrogen-containing and / or fluorine reactant from a hydrogen and / or fluorine reactant source, and providing an etching plasma power to form an active species from the hydrogen-containing and / or fluorine reactant. In some cases, the active species include fluorine radicals and hydrogen radicals. The multi-chamber reactor system may include a third and a fourth reaction chamber, wherein the third and fourth reaction chambers are respectively the same or similar to the first and second reaction chambers. The controller may be configured to move the substrate between the first and second reaction chambers and / or between the first, second, third, and fourth reaction chambers.

[0010] According to a further example of the present disclosure, a multi-chamber reactor system includes a first reaction chamber configured to deposit silicon nitride on a substrate surface to form deposited silicon nitride, a second reaction chamber configured to solidify the deposited silicon nitride, and a controller. The controller can be configured to perform a deposition cycle in the first reaction chamber, move the substrate to the second reaction chamber, and perform a solidification process in the second reaction chamber. According to examples of these embodiments, the multi-chamber reactor system includes a third reaction chamber configured to perform an etching process. Alternatively, in some cases, the etching process can be performed in the second reaction chamber.

[0011] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for depositing silicon nitride includes providing a substrate in a first reaction chamber, depositing silicon nitride on a surface of the substrate in the first reaction chamber to form deposited silicon nitride, moving the substrate to a second reaction chamber, curing the deposited silicon nitride in the second reaction chamber to form cured silicon nitride, and etching a portion of the cured silicon nitride to form selectively deposited silicon nitride. According to examples of these embodiments, the etching step is performed in the second reaction chamber. According to a further example, the etching step is performed in a third reaction chamber. According to a further example, during the step of depositing silicon nitride, the temperature in the first reaction chamber is less than 75°C or between 200°C and 450°C. Additionally or alternatively, during the step of curing silicon nitride, the temperature in the second reaction chamber is greater than 450°C, 500°C, 525°C, or 550°C.

[0012] According to additional embodiments of the present disclosure, a structure is provided. The structure may include a substrate and a silicon nitride layer, the substrate including a surface including a first material and a second material, the silicon nitride layer being selectively formed on the first material relative to the second material. The silicon nitride layer may be formed using the methods described herein. Additionally or alternatively, the structure may include silicon nitride selectively formed within a feature on the substrate, such as within a gap, a via, a trench, etc.

[0013] These and other embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of certain embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures.The invention is not limited to any particular embodiment disclosed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] A more complete understanding of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be obtained by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in conjunction with the following illustrative drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 A multi-chamber reactor system in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0016] Figure 2 A method in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0017] Figure 3 A timing sequence is shown in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 4 and Figure 5 The structure according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0019] Figure 6 Another multi-chamber reactor system in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0020] Figure 7Another method in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0021] Figure 8 , 9 , 10 and 13 show structures according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] Fig.11 Another multi-chamber reactor system in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0023] Fig.12 Another method in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0024] Fig.14 A reaction chamber suitable for use according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0025] It should be understood that the elements in the drawings are shown for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the size of some elements in the drawings may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve the understanding of the illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Although certain embodiments and examples are disclosed below, it should be understood that the invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments and / or uses of the invention and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the disclosed invention should not be limited by the specifically disclosed embodiments described below.

[0027] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved systems and methods for selectively depositing silicon nitride on a substrate surface. Exemplary systems and methods may be used to selectively deposit silicon nitride on a first material relative to a second material without employing in-situ or ex-situ surface treatments prior to depositing the silicon nitride. In addition, exemplary systems and methods may be used to deposit and process silicon nitride in a single processing module—e.g., without exposing the substrate to ambient conditions. Thus, any surface contamination resulting from performing pre-deposition treatments and / or exposure to ambient conditions may be mitigated or avoided. In addition, the methods described herein may be used to selectively deposit silicon nitride in a relatively cost-effective and simple manner.

[0028] In the present disclosure, gas can include materials that are gaseous at normal temperature and pressure (NTP), evaporated solids and / or evaporated liquids, and can be composed of a single gas or a gas mixture according to the circumstances. Gases other than process gases, i.e. gases introduced without passing through a gas distribution assembly, a multi-port injection system, other gas distribution devices, etc., can be used, for example, to seal reaction spaces, and can include sealing gases, such as rare gases. In some cases, the term precursor can refer to a compound that participates in a chemical reaction that produces another compound, particularly a compound that constitutes a membrane matrix or a membrane main skeleton. In some cases, the term reactant can be used interchangeably with the term precursor. The term inert gas can refer to a gas that does not participate in a chemical reaction and / or does not become a part of a membrane matrix to a perceptible degree. Exemplary inert gases include He, Ar, H2, N2 (e.g., when not activated by plasma) and any combination thereof.

[0029] As used herein, the term "substrate" may refer to any one or more underlying materials that may be used to form or on which a device, circuit, or film may be formed. The substrate may include a bulk material, such as silicon (e.g., single crystal silicon), and may include one or more layers covering the bulk material. In addition, the substrate may include various topological structures, such as grooves, lines, etc. formed in or on at least a portion of the substrate layer. For example, the substrate may include a surface comprising a first material and a second material, as described in more detail below.

[0030] As used herein, the term film and / or layer can refer to any continuous or discontinuous structure and material, such as a material deposited by the method disclosed herein. For example, the film and / or layer can include a two-dimensional material, a three-dimensional material, nanoparticles or even part or all of a molecular layer or part or all of an atomic layer or atom and / or molecular clusters. The film or layer can include a material or layer with pinholes, which can be at least partially continuous. Alternatively, the film or layer can be composed entirely of isolated islands.

[0031] As used herein, the term "cyclic deposition" may refer to a process that includes sequentially introducing precursors and / or reactants into a reaction chamber and / or sequential plasma power pulses to deposit a layer on a substrate. Cyclic deposition processes include process technologies such as atomic layer deposition (ALD), cyclic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD), and plasma enhanced ALD and CCVD.

[0032] As used herein, the term cyclic chemical vapor deposition may refer to any process in which a substrate is sequentially exposed to two or more volatile precursors / reactants, which react and / or decompose on the substrate to produce the desired deposition.

[0033] A layer comprising silicon nitride (SiN) may include, consist essentially of, or consist of a silicon nitride material. Films composed of silicon nitride may contain acceptable amounts of impurities, such as carbon, chlorine or other halogens, and / or hydrogen, which may originate from one or more precursors used to deposit the silicon nitride layer. As used herein, SiN or silicon nitride refers to a compound comprising silicon and nitrogen. SiN may be represented by SiN x , where x varies from, for example, about 0.5 to about 2.0, where some Si-N bonds are formed. In some cases, x can vary from about 0.9 to about 1.7, from about 1.0 to about 1.5, or from about 1.2 to about 1.4. In some embodiments, silicon nitride is formed where Si has an oxidation state of +IV, and the amount of nitride in the material can vary. Silicon nitride can include silicon carbon nitride (SiCN), which includes silicon carbon and nitrogen.

[0034] As used herein, a structure may include a substrate as described herein. A structure may include one or more layers, such as one or more layers formed according to the methods described herein, overlying a substrate.

[0035] In addition, in the present disclosure, any two numbers of a variable may constitute a feasible range for the variable, and any range indicated may or may not include endpoints. In addition, any values ​​of the indicated variables (regardless of whether they are expressed as "about") may refer to exact values ​​or approximate values, and include equivalents, and may refer to average values, intermediate values, representative values, multiple values, etc. In addition, in the present disclosure, the terms "including", "consisting of", "having" in some embodiments may independently refer to generally or broadly including, including, substantially consisting of, or consisting of. It should be understood that when a composition, method, device, etc. is referred to as including certain features, this means that it includes those features and does not necessarily exclude the presence of other features as long as they do not make the claim infeasible. Nevertheless, the term includes or includes or has the meaning of including consisting of, that is, when the composition, method, device, etc. in question only includes the listed features, components and / or steps, and does not include any other features, components, steps, etc., and includes substantially consisting of.

[0036] In this disclosure, any defined meaning does not necessarily exclude the ordinary and customary meaning in some embodiments.

[0037] Turning now to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 A multi-chamber reactor system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In the illustrated example, the multi-chamber reactor system 100 includes a first reaction chamber RC1, a second reaction chamber RC2, a third reaction chamber RC3, and a fourth reaction chamber RC4. The configuration of RC1-RC4 can vary depending on the desired process. Fig.14 Exemplary reaction chambers suitable for use as one or more of RC1-RC4 are described in further detail.

[0038] According to an example of the present disclosure, at least one of RC1-RC4 is configured to deposit silicon nitride on the surface of the substrate to form deposited silicon nitride. For example, RC1 and RC3 may be configured to deposit silicon nitride on the surface of the substrate.

[0039] According to a further example of the present disclosure, at least one of RC1-RC4 is configured to process deposited silicon nitride. For example, RC2 and / or RC4 may be configured to process deposited silicon nitride.

[0040] The multi-chamber reactor system 100 may also include a substrate handler SH configured to move substrates between two or more RC1-RC4 reaction chambers. For example, the substrate handler SH (and the controller 114) may be configured to move substrates between RC1, RC2, RC3, and RC4, and optionally repeat. In these cases, the third reaction chamber RC3 may be configured to deposit additional silicon nitride on the surface of the processed silicon nitride, and RC4 may be configured to process additional silicon nitride. Additionally or alternatively, the substrate handler SH (and the controller 114) may move substrates between RC1 and RC2 and repeat and / or move substrates between RC3 and RC4 and repeat.

[0041] The multi-chamber reactor system 100 may also include silicon precursor sources 102, 104 coupled to, for example, RC1 and / or RC2. Each silicon precursor source 102, 104 includes a container and a silicon precursor therein. Exemplary suitable silicon precursors are described below. Although shown separately, the silicon precursor sources 102, 104 may be a single precursor source.

[0042] The multi-chamber reactor system 100 may also include nitrogen-containing reactant sources 106, 108 coupled to one or more reaction chambers RC1, RC2. The nitrogen-containing reactant sources 106, 108 may be a single source or multiple sources coupled to one or more of RC1-RC4. Each nitrogen-containing reactant source 106, 108 includes a container and a nitrogen-containing reactant. Exemplary nitrogen-containing reactants are also described below.

[0043] The multi-chamber reactor system 100 may also include one or more process reactant sources 110, 112. The process reactant sources 110, 112 may include containers and process reactants therein. Exemplary process reactants include hydrogen-containing reactants, such as hydrogen (H2), hydrogen-containing halides, NH3, and mixtures of any combination of N2 / Ar / He-H2.

[0044] The controller 114 can be configured to move the substrate within the multi-chamber reactor system 100 and implement the deposition and treatment processes described herein. For example, the controller 114 can be configured to provide a substrate within a first reaction chamber, perform a deposition cycle in the first reaction chamber, move the substrate to a second reaction chamber, and perform a treatment process in the second reaction chamber. As a specific example, the controller 114 can be configured to perform a deposition cycle in the first reaction chamber, wherein the deposition cycle includes pulsing a silicon precursor from a silicon precursor source 102 to the first reaction chamber RC1, providing a nitrogen-containing reactant to the first reaction chamber RC1 from a nitrogen-containing reactant source 106, and providing a deposition plasma power to form an active substance from the nitrogen-containing reactant. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 114 can be configured to perform a treatment process in the second reaction chamber RC2, wherein the treatment process includes providing a hydrogen-containing reactant to the second reaction chamber RC2 from a hydrogen / treatment reactant source 110, and providing a treatment plasma power to form an active substance from the hydrogen-containing reactant. According to examples of these embodiments, the controller 114 is configured to perform a plurality of deposition cycles (e.g., between about 1 and about 500 times or between about 1 and about 300 times) in the first reaction chamber RC1 before moving the substrate to the second reaction chamber RC2. In some cases, the controller is also configured to move the substrate from the second reaction chamber RC2 to the first reaction chamber RC1.

[0045] According to a further example of the present disclosure, the controller 114 is further configured to increase the flow of the hydrogen-containing reactant after the substrate is located in the second reaction chamber. The controller 114 may be further configured to reduce the flow of the hydrogen-containing reactant before removing the substrate from the second reaction chamber. One or both of the rates of change may be relatively constant.

[0046] Figure 2 A method 200 of depositing silicon nitride according to an additional embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The method 200 may be used to selectively deposit silicon nitride on a first material on a substrate surface relative to a second material on the substrate surface.

[0047] The selective deposition processes described herein may include depositing a greater amount of material on a first material relative to a second material on the surface of the substrate. For example, a selective process may result in a greater amount of silicon nitride being formed on the first material relative to any silicon nitride formed on the second material. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the selectivity of a process may be expressed as a ratio of the amount of material (e.g., layer thickness) deposited on the first material relative to the amount of material (e.g., layer thickness) formed on the combination of the first and second materials. For example, if 10 nm of silicon nitride is deposited on the first material and 1 nm of silicon nitride is deposited on the second material, the selective deposition process would be considered to have a selectivity of 91%. In some embodiments, the selectivity of the methods disclosed herein is greater than 50%, greater than 75%, greater than 80%, greater than 90%, greater than 95%, greater than 98%, greater than 99%, or even about 100%.

[0048] Method 200 includes the steps of providing a substrate in a reaction chamber (step 202), depositing silicon nitride on a surface of the substrate in a first reaction chamber to form deposited silicon nitride (step 204), moving the substrate to a second reaction chamber (step 206), and processing the deposited silicon nitride in the second reaction chamber to form processed silicon nitride (step 208).

[0049] During step 202, a substrate is provided into a reaction chamber of a reactor. Optionally, the reactor including the reaction chamber may be provided with a heater to activate the reaction by raising the temperature of one or more of the substrate and / or the reactants / precursors.

[0050] During step 202, the substrate may reach the temperature and pressure required for step 204. For example, the temperature within the reaction chamber (e.g., the temperature of the substrate or substrate support) may be between about 100° C. and about 600° C. or between about 300° C. and about 550° C. The pressure within the reaction chamber may be between about 0.5 and about 50 Torr or between about 1 and about 30 Torr.

[0051] As described above, the substrate provided during step 202 includes a surface comprising a first material and a second material. The first material may include, for example, silicon or a nitride, such as silicon nitride. The second material may include an oxide, such as a metal oxide or silicon oxide or a metal. For example, the second material may include a metal oxide, such as a transition metal oxide, such as hafnium oxide.

[0052] During step 204, one or more deposition cycles are performed to (eg, selectively) deposit silicon nitride on the substrate surface. In some cases, the deposited silicon nitride is initially flowable.

[0053] Figure 3An exemplary sequence 300 suitable for or as step 204 is shown. Sequence 300 includes deposition cycles m, processing cycles n, and total cycles p. As shown, each deposition cycle m may include pulsing or providing a silicon precursor to a reaction chamber during a precursor pulse period (step 302), providing a reactant gas to the reaction chamber (step 304), and providing deposition plasma power to form reactive species from the reactant gas during a deposition plasma period (step 306).

[0054] During step 302, a silicon precursor is pulsed into the reaction chamber. Exemplary silicon precursors suitable for use with step 302 / 204 include silicon precursors that preferentially react with OH end groups on the substrate surface. Such silicon precursors include silanes, silylamines, and aminosilanes. Specific examples include silane (SiH4), disilane (Si2H6), trisilane (Si3H8), tetrasilane (Si4H 10 ), N(Si2H5)3, trimethylsilylamine N(SiH3)3, N(SiMe3)(SiHMeNMe2)2, 2,2-dimethylsilyltrisilane (Si(SiH3)4), trimethylaminosilane (SiH(NMe2)3), bis(diethylamino)silane (SiH2(NEt2)2)(BEDAS), bis(tert-butylamino)silane (SiH2(NHtBu)2)(BTBAS), diisopropylamino)silane (SiH3(NiPr2))(DIPAS), wherein Me represents methyl, Et represents ethyl, tBu represents tert-butyl, and iPr represents isopropyl. Alternatively, some precursors may preferentially react with activated sites comprising -NH terminal bonds. Exemplary precursors that react with such activated sites include halogenated silicon compounds, such as silicon compounds comprising one or more of Cl and I. Specific examples include trichlorodisilane (Si2Cl3H3), pentachlorodisilane (Si2Cl5H), hexachlorodisilane (Si2Cl6), octachlorotrisilane (Si3Cl8), dechlorosilane (SiCl2H2), dimethyldichlorosilane (SiCl2Me2), tetrachlorosilane (SiCl4), tetraiodosilane (SiI4), triiodosilane (SiI3H), and deiodosilane (SiI2H2).

[0055] During step 302, the flow rate of silicon precursor to the reaction chamber along with the carrier gas may be about 200 to about 10,000 or about 2,000 to about 4,000 sccm. The duration of the silicon precursor pulse may be between about 0.01 to 60 seconds, 0.1 to 60 seconds, and 0.1 to 20 seconds.

[0056] A nitrogen-containing reactant is provided to the reaction chamber during step 304. Exemplary nitrogen-containing reactants include one or more of nitrogen (N2), NH3, N2-H2, etc., alone or in any combination with one or more of argon (Ar), helium (He), etc.

[0057] During step 304, the flow rate of nitrogen-containing reactant to the reaction chamber can be about 1,000 to about 50,000 or about 10,000 to about 30,000 sccm. The duration of the reactant pulse can be between about 1 and about 30 seconds, or between about 2 and about 10 seconds, and / or can be continuous through one or more deposition cycles and / or through one or more deposition and treatment cycles p as shown.

[0058] During step 306, a deposition plasma power is provided within a deposition plasma cycle to form active species from the reactant gas. The deposition plasma power may have a frequency between about 100 kHz and about 60 MHz and / or between about 12 MHz and about 14 MHz. For a 300 mm diameter substrate, the deposition plasma power may have a power between about 10 and about 2000 W or between about 100 and about 900 W, or about 30 W to about 500 W, or for substrates of different cross-sectional sizes, particularly for CCP processes, with similar power densities. For IPC processes, the power level may be higher. The duration of step 306 may be between about 0.05 seconds and about 60 seconds, or between about 0.5 seconds and about 30 seconds.

[0059] During the transition period—i.e., the period after one or more m deposition cycles of step 204 and before the processing of step 108—one or more gas flow rates and / or chamber pressure may be adjusted for subsequent steps. Additionally or alternatively, during the transition period, the pressure within the chamber may be reduced. Further additionally or alternatively, during the transition period, the flow rate of the process gas to the chamber may be increased.

[0060] Reference again Figure 2 Once the desired amount of silicon nitride has been (e.g., selectively) deposited, the substrate is moved to a second reaction chamber (e.g., RC2) during step 206. As described above, the substrate may be moved between reaction chambers using a substrate handler SH and / or controller 114. The reaction chambers (e.g., RC1-RC4 as described above) may form part of a module.

[0061] During step 208, a treatment process is performed. The treatment process includes treating the deposited silicon nitride in the second reaction chamber to form treated silicon nitride. According to examples of these embodiments, step 208 of the treatment includes selectively removing the deposited silicon nitride.

[0062] Reference Figure 3Following the sequence 300 , the exemplary process step 208 includes providing a process gas to the reaction chamber (step 308 ) and providing a process plasma power during a process plasma cycle to form reactive species from the process gas (step 310 ).

[0063] During step 208, the temperature within the reaction chamber (e.g., the temperature of the susceptor within the reaction chamber) can be as described above in connection with step 202 or higher, such as about 50° C. to about 600° C., about 200° C. to about 450° C., or about 400° C. to about 550° C. During step 208, the pressure within the reaction chamber can be between about 1 Torr and about 30 Torr, or between about 2.6 Torr and about 15 Torr.

[0064] According to an example of the present disclosure, during the execution of the one or more deposition cycles (step 204), the pressure in the reaction chamber is greater than the pressure in the reaction chamber during the execution of the treatment process (step 208). For example, during the execution of the one or more deposition cycles, the pressure in the reaction chamber may be at least 2.5 or 10 times the pressure in the reaction chamber during the execution of the treatment process.

[0065] The process gas used during step 208 / 308 may include a hydrogen-containing reactant. Exemplary hydrogen-containing reactants are as described above. During the execution of process step 208 / 308, the flow rate of the process gas may be between about 0.1slm and about 2slm, or between about 0.5slm and about 1slm. As shown, timing 300 may include increasing (e.g., at a controlled and / or substantially constant rate) and / or reducing flow. Increasing may occur after step 206 is completed, and reducing steps may occur before the substrate is transferred from RC2 to, for example, RC1, RC3, or another position.

[0066] During step 310, a treatment plasma power is provided during a treatment plasma cycle to form active species from the treatment gas. The treatment plasma power may have a frequency between about 100 kHz and about 60 MHz and / or between about 12 MHz and about 14 MHz. For a 300 mm diameter substrate, the treatment plasma power may have a power between about 10 and about 2000 W, or between about 100 and about 900 W, or about 600 W, or similar power density for substrates of different cross-sectional sizes. The duration of step 118 may be between about 0.05 seconds and about 300 seconds, or between about 0.5 seconds and about 60 seconds. According to an example of the present disclosure, the deposition plasma power provided during step 306 is greater than the treatment plasma power provided during step 310. According to a further example, the duration of the deposition plasma cycle is less than the duration of the treatment plasma cycle. For example, the deposition plasma cycle may be less than 50%, less than 25%, less than 20%, or less than 16% of the duration of the treatment plasma cycle.

[0067] like Figure 2 As shown, steps 204-208 may be repeated multiple times to selectively deposit silicon nitride on the first material relative to the second material. In addition, as described above, step 204 may be repeated multiple times before proceeding to step 206 or 208.

[0068] Figure 4 A structure 400 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The structure 400 includes a substrate 402, which includes a first material 404 and a second material 406. As shown, the first material 404 and the second material 406 are formed on a surface of the substrate 402. Although shown as a horizontal surface, the substrate surface may additionally or alternatively include a vertical surface, and the first material 404 and the second material 406 may be vertically oriented relative to each other.

[0069] Substrate 402 may include any suitable material, such as semiconductor materials and materials commonly used to form semiconductor devices. For example, substrate 402 may be or include silicon, other Group IV semiconductor materials, Group III-V semiconductors, and / or Group II-VI semiconductors.

[0070] The first material 404 may include any of the first materials mentioned above. For example, the first material 404 may include a silicon-containing material, such as silicon or silicon nitride. Similarly, the second material 406 may include any of the second materials mentioned herein. For example, the second material 406 may include a metal or an oxide, such as an elemental metal or alloy, a metal oxide (e.g., HfO2, ZrO2, etc.), or silicon oxide (which may include carbon and / or nitrogen).

[0071] Structure 400 also includes silicon nitride 408 that has been selectively deposited on (e.g., in direct contact with) first material 404 relative to silicon nitride 408 deposited on (e.g., in direct contact with) second material 406 using methods and / or systems described herein. In the example shown, the selectivity is not 100%, but a certain amount of silicon nitride 408 can be formed on second material 406. In other cases, the selectivity can be 100% or as described above.

[0072] Figure 5 Structure 500 is shown after structure 400 has been exposed to a process as described herein. As shown, structure 500 includes less, such as trace or unmeasurable amounts, of silicon nitride on second material 406 and includes remaining / processed silicon nitride 502 on first material 404.

[0073] Figure 6Another multi-chamber reactor system 600 according to an example of the present disclosure is shown. The multi-chamber reactor system 600 can be similar to the multi-chamber reactor system 100 described above, except that the multi-chamber reactor system 600 includes at least one reaction chamber configured to perform an etching step.

[0074] In the illustrated example, the multi-chamber reactor system 600 includes four reaction chambers RC1-RC4 and a substrate handler SH. The substrate handler SH may be as described above. The reaction chambers RC1-RC4 may be combined with the above Figure 1 RC1-RC4 described are the same or similar.

[0075] The multi-chamber reactor system 600 can be used to deposit silicon nitride, for example, to fill grooves on a substrate surface. According to an example of the illustrated embodiment, the multi-chamber reactor system 600 includes one or more reaction chambers RC1-RC4 configured to deposit silicon nitride on a substrate surface to form conformally deposited silicon nitride, and one reaction chamber configured to topologically selectively etch the conformally deposited silicon nitride. For example, RC1 and RC3 can be configured for deposition of silicon nitride, while RC2 and RC4 can be configured for selective etching. The use of the multi-chamber reactor system 600 allows for seamless filling of high aspect ratio features (e.g., grooves having an aspect ratio of 0.5 or greater or between 0.5 and 20).

[0076] The multi-chamber reactor system 600 may also include precursor sources 602, 604 and / or reactant sources 606, 608 coupled to one or more reaction chambers (e.g., RC1 and RC3). Precursor sources 602, 604 may be silicon precursor sources as described above. Similarly, reactant sources 606, 608 may be nitrogen-containing reactant sources as described above.

[0077] The multi-chamber reactor system 600 may also include etching sources 610, 612. Although illustrated as a single source, the etching sources 610, 612 may include more than one compound in one or more containers. According to an example of the present disclosure, the etching sources 610, 612 include hydrogen and halogen compounds, which may include one or more compounds. For example, the etching sources 610, 612 may include a container and one or more of CxFy, NF3 contained in one or more containers.

[0078] As shown, the multi-chamber reactor system 600 may also include one or more (e.g., two) remote plasma units 616, 618. The remote plasma units may be configured to provide free radicals derived from one or more etchants. As a specific example, the remote plasma units 616, 618 may form hydrogen and halogen (e.g., fluorine) free radicals from one or more etchants. Additionally or alternatively, the reaction chamber configured to topologically selectively etch conformally deposited silicon nitride may include a direct plasma device, such as the following in conjunction with Fig.14described.

[0079] According to other examples of the present disclosure, the controller 614 is configured to provide a substrate in a first reaction chamber (e.g., using a substrate handler SH), perform a deposition cycle in the first reaction chamber (e.g., RC1), move the substrate to a second reaction chamber (e.g., RC2), and perform a topological selective etching process in the second reaction chamber. According to further exemplary embodiments, one or more of RC2, RC3, and / or RC4 may be used to perform the processing steps as described herein.

[0080] For example, the controller 614 can be configured to pulse a silicon precursor from a silicon precursor source to the first reaction chamber, provide a nitrogen-containing reactant from a nitrogen-containing reactant source to the first reaction chamber, and provide a deposition plasma power to form an active species from the nitrogen-containing reactant, as described above. In the example shown, such a process can be performed in RC1 and / or RC3.

[0081] The topologically selective etching process may be performed by, for example, providing hydrogen and / or fluorine containing reactants from a hydrogen and / or fluorine reactant source, and providing etching plasma power to form active species from the hydrogen and / or fluorine containing reactants.

[0082] According to various examples of these embodiments, a reaction chamber configured to perform a deposition cycle in a first reaction chamber can be operated at a relatively low temperature, such as a temperature of about 200°C to about 450°C for ALD, or a temperature of about 40°C to about 150°C for flowable deposition. In this case, the reaction chamber can include, for example, an aluminum susceptor. According to further examples, a reaction chamber configured to perform a topologically selective etching process can be configured to operate at a relatively high temperature, such as a temperature of about 50°C to about 200°C or about 150°C to about 450°C. In some cases, the reaction chambers can be configured to be substantially identical so that all reaction chambers of the multi-chamber reactor system 600 can operate at a maximum temperature.

[0083] Figure 7 A method 700 for depositing silicon nitride according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The method 700 includes the following steps: providing a substrate (e.g., substrate 802) in a reaction chamber (e.g., in RC1 or RC3) (step 702), depositing conformal silicon nitride (step 704), moving the substrate to another reaction chamber (e.g., RC2 or RC4) (step 706), and topologically selectively etching silicon nitride (step 708). As shown, the method 700 may also optionally include a processing step.

[0084] Step 702 may be the same or similar to step 202 described above. For example, step 702 may include using a substrate transporter SH to transfer a substrate 802 (eg, Figure 8Step 702 may also include bringing the reaction chamber (eg, RC1) to a temperature and pressure as described above in connection with step 202. As shown, substrate 802 may include features 803, such as grooves.

[0085] Once the reaction chamber is at the desired temperature and pressure, silicon nitride 804 may be deposited (eg, conformally) during step 704 —eg, as described above in connection with step 204 .

[0086] Once the desired amount of silicon nitride has been deposited, during step 706, the substrate is moved to another reaction chamber (e.g., RC2) to perform a topologically selective etching process 708. During step 708, silicon nitride is topologically selectively removed near the top of the feature relative to the bottom of the feature—e.g., to form topologically selectively etched silicon nitride 806. The topologically selective etching step 708 may include heating the substrate to a temperature as described above in conjunction with the topologically selective etching step. The topologically selective etching step 708 may include forming active species containing fluorine radicals and / or hydrogen radicals using direct and / or remote plasma equipment. During step 708, the pressure in the reaction chamber may be between about 4 and about 50 Pa or between about 40 and about 400 Pa. The duration of step 708 may be between about 1 and about 60 seconds, or between about 5 and about 20 seconds.

[0087] As further shown, after one or more cycles of steps 704-708 have been completed, the silicon nitride may be processed during step 710. Such processing may occur in one or more RC1-RC4 or another reaction chamber. Step 710 may be combined with the above Figure 2 Step 208 described is the same or similar.

[0088] Steps 704 - 708 and / or steps 704 - 710 may be repeated until feature 803 is filled with silicon nitride 808 , which may or may not be processed.

[0089] Fig. 9 A scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) image of a structure formed using method 700 is shown. As shown, the deposited silicon nitride may be conformally deposited. The conformally deposited silicon nitride may begin to form seams where the silicon nitride layers meet within the features / recesses. After the etching step, the silicon nitride is preferentially etched near the top of the feature relative to the bottom of the feature, thereby allowing for void-free and seamless fill of the feature.

[0090] Fig.107 shows a STEM image of a structure formed using method 700 with process step 710. In particular, process step 710 is performed using fluorine and hydrogen radicals (e.g., generated by an etchant such as the etchants described above, and using a remote plasma), and process step 710 is performed as described above in conjunction with Figure 3 and 7 Execute as described.

[0091] Fig.11 Another multi-chamber reactor system 1100 according to an example of the present disclosure is shown. The multi-chamber reactor system 1100 can be similar to the multi-chamber reactor systems 100, 600 described above, except that the multi-chamber reactor system 1100 includes a reaction chamber configured to solidify deposited silicon nitride.

[0092] According to an example of the present disclosure, the multi-chamber reactor system 1100 includes a first reaction chamber RC1 configured to deposit silicon nitride on a substrate surface to form deposited silicon nitride, a second reaction chamber RC2 configured to solidify the deposited silicon nitride, and a controller. In the illustrated example, the multi-chamber reactor system 1100 also includes a third reaction chamber RC3 and a fourth reaction chamber RC4. RC3 may be the same or similar to RC1 and may be connected to a shared reactant and / or precursor source. RC2 and RC4 may be the same or similar and may be connected to a shared etchant and / or other gas source. The multi-chamber reactor system 1100 also includes a substrate carrier SH, which may be the same or similar to that described above in conjunction with other multi-chamber reactor systems described herein, and operate as described above.

[0093] According to an example of the present disclosure, RC1 is configured to deposit flowable silicon nitride. During the deposition of flowable silicon nitride, the temperature within RC1 can be less than 100° C. or less than 75° C. RC1 can be coupled to a silicon precursor source 1102, such as the silicon precursor source described above. RC1 can also be coupled to a reactant source 1106, such as the nitrogen-containing reactant source described above. RC3 can similarly be coupled to a precursor source 1104 and a reactant source 1108, which can be the same as or include the same precursors or reactants as the precursor source 1102 and the reactant source 1106.

[0094] According to further examples, the temperature in RC2 is higher than the temperature in RC1. For example, the temperature in RC2 may be greater than 125° C., greater than 150° C., or greater than 550° C. Operating different reaction chambers of a process module at different temperatures allows for desired processing conditions while reducing temperature ramp-up and / or ramp-down times.

[0095] In some configurations, one of the reaction chambers, such as RC4, can be configured to perform topological selective etching as described herein. In the illustrated example, RC2 and / or RC4 can be connected to etchant sources 1110, 1112. In addition or alternatively, one or more of RC2, RC4 can be configured to perform a curing step. An exemplary curing step can be or include one or more of the following: plasma curing (e.g., H2, H2-He / Ar / N2, gas excited by a plasma with a power of up to 600W for up to 60 seconds), vacuum ultraviolet radiation curing, ultraviolet radiation and / or heating (e.g., temperatures above 450°C, 500°C, 525°C or 550°C or other curing temperatures mentioned herein). Curing equipment and / or sources 1116, 1118 can be connected to RC2 and / or RC4 and / or at least partially integrated with them.

[0096] According to an example of the present disclosure, the controller 1114 may be configured to perform deposition, curing, and etching processes. For example, the controller 1114 may be configured to cause the substrate carrier SH to provide a substrate in the first reaction chamber RC1, perform a deposition cycle in the first reaction chamber RC1, move the substrate to the second reaction chamber RC2 using the substrate carrier SH, and perform a curing process in the second reaction chamber RC2.

[0097] The deposition cycle performed in RC1 can be combined with the above Figure 1 and Figure 6 The silicon nitride deposition process described herein is the same or similar. For example, the deposition cycle may include pulsing a silicon precursor from a silicon precursor source into the first reaction chamber RC1, providing a nitrogen-containing reactant from a nitrogen-containing reactant source to the first reaction chamber RC1, and providing a deposition plasma power to form an active species from the nitrogen-containing reactant to form (e.g., flowable) deposited silicon nitride.

[0098] Next, the controller 1114 may move the substrate to RC2 and perform a curing process. As described above, the curing process may include one or more of vacuum ultraviolet radiation, ultraviolet radiation, plasma, and heating, which may be performed in, for example, RC2 and / or RC4.

[0099] Next, the controller 1114 may cause an etching process to be performed. The etching process may be performed, for example, in RC2 and / or RC4. In some cases, the etching process may be performed in the first reaction chamber RC3. The etching process may be combined with the above Figure 6 described.

[0100] Fig.12 A method 1200 of depositing silicon nitride according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The method 1200 can be performed, for example, using the multi-chamber reactor system 1100.

[0101] As shown, method 1200 includes providing a substrate (1202) in a first reaction chamber, depositing (e.g., flowable) silicon nitride on a surface of the substrate in the first reaction chamber to form deposited silicon nitride, moving the substrate to a second reaction chamber, curing the deposited silicon nitride in the second reaction chamber to form cured silicon nitride, and etching a portion of the cured silicon nitride. These steps can be repeated multiple times to fill features on the surface of the substrate, such as grooves. Method 1200 can be used to fill grooves from the bottom up, provide bottom refill, or provide bottom fill only.

[0102] As described above, in some cases, the etching step and the curing step can be performed in the same reaction chamber (e.g., RC2). In other cases, the etching step is performed in the third reaction chamber RC3. As described above, the processing module can include RC1-RC4. In this case, the fourth reaction chamber RC4 can be used for deposition, etching, or curing as described herein.

[0103] Steps 1202-1206 and 1210 may be the same or similar to steps 202-208 (or 202-206 and 708) described above. Curing step 1208 may be as described above. According to an example of the present disclosure, step 1204 includes depositing an initially flowable silicon nitride.

[0104] Fig.13 A structure 1302 is shown, including a substrate 1304 having a feature 1306 (e.g., a recess) therein, and initially flowable silicon nitride 1308 deposited within the feature 1306. As shown, after the silicon nitride deposition, the substrate 1304 is moved to another reaction chamber (e.g., RC2), and a curing step is performed to form a structure 1314 including the substrate 1304 and the cured silicon nitride 1310. The curing step can be or include any of the curing processes described above.

[0105] Then, in the same reaction chamber or another reaction chamber, a portion of the (cured) silicon nitride is etched to form structure 1316 , which includes substrate 1304 and remaining silicon nitride 1312 .

[0106] Now go to Fig.14 , shows a reactor system 1400 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Reactor system 1400 can be used to perform one or more steps or sub-steps described herein, and / or form one or more device structures or parts thereof described herein.

[0107] Reactor system 1400 includes a pair of conductive plate electrodes 1414, 1418 parallel and facing each other in interior 1401 (reaction zone) of reaction chamber 1402. Plasma can be ignited in reaction chamber 1402 by applying plasma power, such as from plasma power source 1408, to one electrode (e.g., electrode 1418) and electrically grounding the other electrode (e.g., electrode 1414). Temperature regulator 1403 can be disposed in lower platform 1414 (lower electrode), and the temperature of substrate 1422 placed thereon can be maintained at a desired temperature, such as the above-mentioned temperature. Electrode 1418 can be used as a gas distribution device, such as a shower plate or showerhead. Precursor gas, reactant gas, carrier gas or inert gas (if any), etc. can be introduced into reaction chamber 1402 using one or more gas pipelines (e.g., reactant gas pipeline 1404 and precursor gas pipeline 1406 connected to reactant source and precursor source, respectively). For example, inert gases and reactants (e.g., as described above) can be introduced into reaction chamber 1402 using line 1404, and / or precursors and carrier gases (e.g., inert gases as described above) can be introduced into reaction chamber 1402 using line 1406. Although two inlet gas lines 1404, 1406 are shown, reactor system 1400 can include any suitable number of gas lines.

[0108] In the reaction chamber 1402, a circular duct 1420 having an exhaust line 1421 may be provided, through which the gas in the interior 1401 of the reaction chamber 1402 may be exhausted to the exhaust source 1410. In addition, the transfer chamber 1423 may be provided with a sealing gas line 1429 to introduce the sealing gas into the interior 1401 of the reaction chamber 1402 via the interior (transfer zone) of the transfer chamber 1423, wherein a partition plate 1425 for separating the reaction zone 1401 and the transfer chamber 1423 may be provided (a gate valve is omitted in the figure, through which the substrate is transferred to or removed from the transfer chamber 1423). The transfer chamber 1423 may also be provided with an exhaust line 1427 connected to the exhaust source 1410. In some embodiments, the continuous flow of the carrier gas to the reaction chamber 1402 may be achieved using a flow-through system (FPS).

[0109] Reactor system 1400 may include one or more controllers 1412, which are programmed or otherwise configured to implement one or more method steps described herein. Controller 1412 is connected to various power supplies, heating systems, pumps, robots, and gas flow controllers or valves of the reactor, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, controller 1412 can be configured to control the flow of precursors, reactants, and inert gases into at least one of the one or more reaction chambers to form a layer on the substrate surface. Controller 1412 can be further configured to provide power to form a plasma—for example, within reaction chamber 1402. Controller 1412 can be similarly configured to perform additional or alternative steps as described herein. For example, controller 1412 can be configured to perform the steps of processing deposition materials, etching and / or curing as described above.

[0110] Controller 1412 may include electronic circuitry and software to selectively operate valves, manifolds, heaters, pumps, and other components included in system 1400. Such circuitry and components are used to introduce precursors, reactants, and purge gases from respective sources. Controller 1412 may control the timing of gas pulse sequences, the temperature of the substrate and / or reaction chamber, the pressure within the reaction chamber, and various other operations to provide proper operation of system 1400.

[0111] The controller 1412 may include control software to electrically or pneumatically control valves to control the flow of precursors, reactants, and / or purge gases into and out of the reaction chamber 1402. The controller 1412 may include modules, such as software or hardware components, such as FPGAs or ASICs, that perform certain tasks. The modules may advantageously be configured to reside on an addressable storage medium of the control system and configured to perform one or more processes.

[0112] In some embodiments, a dual chamber reactor (two portions or compartments for processing a substrate positioned close to each other) may be used, wherein reactant gases and noble gases may be supplied through shared lines, while precursor gases are supplied through non-shared lines.

[0113] During operation of system 1400, a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is transferred from, for example, substrate handling area 1423 to reaction zone 1401. Once the substrate is transferred to reaction zone 1401, one or more gases, such as precursors, reactants, carrier gases, and / or purge gases, are introduced into reaction chamber 1402.

[0114] The exemplary embodiments disclosed above do not limit the scope of the present invention, as these embodiments are merely examples of embodiments of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Any equivalent embodiments are within the scope of the present invention. In fact, various modifications of the present disclosure, such as alternative useful combinations of the described elements, in addition to those shown and described herein, will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. Such modifications and embodiments are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A multi-chamber reactor system comprising: a first reaction chamber configured to deposit silicon nitride on a surface of a substrate to form deposited silicon nitride; a second reaction chamber configured to process the deposited silicon nitride; as well as A controller configured to: Providing a substrate in a first reaction chamber; A deposition cycle is performed in the first reaction chamber, the deposition cycle comprising: pulsing a silicon precursor from a silicon precursor source into the first reaction chamber; providing a nitrogen-containing reactant from a nitrogen-containing reactant source to the first reaction chamber; and providing deposition plasma power to form reactive species from nitrogen-containing reactants; moving the substrate to a second reaction chamber; and A process is performed in the second reaction chamber, the process comprising: providing a hydrogen-containing reactant from a hydrogen reactant source to the second reaction chamber; and Process plasma power is provided to form reactive species from the hydrogen-containing reactants.

2. The multi-chamber reactor system according to claim 1, wherein: The controller is configured to perform a plurality of deposition cycles in the first reaction chamber before moving the substrate to the second reaction chamber.

3. The multi-chamber reactor system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The controller is further configured to move the substrate from the second reaction chamber to the first reaction chamber.

4. The multi-chamber reactor system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a third reaction chamber configured to deposit additional silicon nitride on a surface of the treated silicon nitride; as well as A fourth reaction chamber is configured to process additional silicon nitride.

5. The multi-chamber reactor system according to claim 4, wherein: The controller is configured to move the substrate from the first reaction chamber to the second reaction chamber, from the second reaction chamber to the third reaction chamber, and from the third reaction chamber to the fourth reaction chamber.

6. The multi-chamber reactor system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The controller is also configured to increase the flow rate of the hydrogen-containing reactant after the substrate is positioned within the second reaction chamber.

7. The multi-chamber reactor system according to claim 6, wherein: The controller is also configured to reduce the flow rate of the hydrogen-containing reactant before removing the substrate from the second reaction chamber.

8. A method for depositing silicon nitride, the method comprising: Providing a substrate in a first reaction chamber; depositing silicon nitride on a surface of a substrate in a first reaction chamber to form deposited silicon nitride; as well as processing the deposited silicon nitride in a second reaction chamber to form processed silicon nitride, The processing steps include selectively removing the deposited silicon nitride and moving the substrate to a second reaction chamber, and Therein, the first reaction chamber and the second reaction chamber form part of a module.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The nitrogen-containing reactant is continuously supplied during one or more cycles including the steps of depositing silicon nitride and treating the deposited silicon nitride.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein: The deposited silicon nitride is initially flowable.

11. A multi-chamber reactor system comprising: a first reaction chamber configured to deposit silicon nitride on a surface of a substrate to form conformally deposited silicon nitride; a second reaction chamber configured to topologically selectively etch the conformally deposited silicon nitride; as well as A controller configured to: Providing a substrate in a first reaction chamber; A deposition cycle is performed in the first reaction chamber, the deposition cycle comprising: pulsing a silicon precursor from a silicon precursor source into the first reaction chamber; providing a nitrogen-containing reactant from a nitrogen-containing reactant source to the first reaction chamber; and providing deposition plasma power to form reactive species from nitrogen-containing reactants; moving the substrate to a second reaction chamber; and A topology selective etching process is performed in the second reaction chamber, the topology selective etching process comprising: providing a hydrogen and / or fluorine containing reactant from a hydrogen and / or fluorine reactant source; and Etching plasma power is provided to form active species from the hydrogen and / or fluorine containing reactants.

12. The multi-chamber reactor system according to claim 11, wherein: The active species include fluorine radicals and hydrogen radicals.

13. A multi-chamber reactor system comprising: a first reaction chamber configured to deposit silicon nitride on a surface of a substrate to form deposited silicon nitride; a second reaction chamber configured to cure the deposited silicon nitride; as well as A controller configured to: Providing a substrate in a first reaction chamber; A deposition cycle is performed in the first reaction chamber, the deposition cycle comprising: pulsing a silicon precursor from a silicon precursor source into the first reaction chamber; providing a nitrogen-containing reactant from a nitrogen-containing reactant source to the first reaction chamber; and providing deposition plasma power to form reactive species from nitrogen-containing reactants; moving the substrate to a second reaction chamber; A curing process is performed in the second reaction chamber, the curing process comprising: providing one or more of vacuum ultraviolet radiation, ultraviolet radiation, plasma, and heating; and An etching process is performed.

14. The multi-chamber reactor system of claim 13, further comprising a third reaction chamber configured to perform the etching process.

15. The multi-chamber reactor system according to claim 13, wherein: The etching process is performed in the second reaction chamber.

16. A method for depositing silicon nitride, the method comprising: Providing a substrate in a first reaction chamber; depositing silicon nitride on a surface of a substrate in a first reaction chamber to form deposited silicon nitride; moving the substrate to a second reaction chamber; curing the deposited silicon nitride in the second reaction chamber to form cured silicon nitride; as well as Etching a portion of the solidified silicon nitride, Therein, the first reaction chamber and the second reaction chamber form part of a module.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: The etching step is performed in the second reaction chamber.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein: The etching step is performed in the third reaction chamber.

19. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein: During the step of depositing silicon nitride, the temperature in the first reaction chamber is lower than 75°C.

20. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein: During the step of curing silicon nitride, the temperature within the second reaction chamber is above 550°C.

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