Atomic layer deposition method and system of deposition process

Abstract

According to an example, an improved plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition method includes performing a plurality of first deposition cycles of a deposition process on a substrate, and performing a plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle after performing the plurality of first deposition cycles. The plasma strengthened layer deposition cycle includes a plasma treatment process. The plurality of first layer deposition cycles does not include a plasma treatment process.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of a patent application with an application date of April 28, 2017, application number 201710293262.5, and invention name “Improved plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition method”. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a method for performing plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition, and more particularly to an improved method for performing plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition for improving the problem of charge accumulation on a wafer by selectively performing a plasma treatment process in the process. Background Art

[0003] In the semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry, technological advances in integrated circuit materials and design have resulted in generations of integrated circuits, each of which is smaller and more complex than the previous generation. In the course of integrated circuit evolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has continued to increase, while geometric size (i.e., the smallest component (or line) that can be manufactured using a process) has decreased. Such a size reduction process generally provides the advantages of increased production efficiency and reduced associated costs. However, size reduction also increases the complexity of integrated circuit processing and manufacturing.

[0004] Semiconductor device manufacturing includes many different processes. One of the processes is the atomic layer deposition process (ALD). The atomic layer deposition process involves sequentially and staggeredly applying different materials in a deposition chamber to form a thin film on a substrate. In particular, the atomic layer deposition process involves several cycles. Each cycle includes a deposition process and a purge process. The deposition process in a series of cycles alternates between different materials to be deposited. For example, to form a silicon nitride layer, the cyclic deposition process can alternately deposit silicon and nitrogen. The purge process of each cycle is used to remove materials from the deposition chamber before the next cycle is performed.

[0005] One type of atomic layer deposition is the Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition Process (PEALD), where each cycle includes a plasma treatment process followed by a post-plasma purge process. The plasma treatment process provides many advantages to improve the quality of atomic layer deposition. However, the plasma treatment process can increase the charge in the wafer. Excessive charge on the wafer may have a negative impact on subsequent process operations. Summary of the invention

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an atomic layer deposition method, including performing a layer deposition cycle on a substrate and performing a plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle, wherein the layer deposition cycle includes performing a first deposition process and performing a first post-deposition purge process. During the first deposition process, successive cycles alternately replace different precursor gases into a chamber of a machine, and the different precursor gases are not in the chamber at the same time. The plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle includes performing a second deposition process, performing a second post-deposition purge process, performing a plasma treatment process, and performing a post-treatment purge process to form a film having a thickness of 30 nanometers to 50 nanometers on the substrate.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an atomic layer deposition method, including performing a first layer deposition cycle and performing a second layer deposition cycle. The first layer deposition cycle includes performing a first deposition process, performing a first post-deposition purge process, performing a first plasma treatment process, and performing a first post-treatment purge process for a first processing time. During the first deposition process, different precursor gases are alternately replaced in a chamber of the machine in successive cycles, and the different precursor gases are not in the chamber at the same time. The second layer deposition cycle includes performing a second deposition process, performing a second post-deposition purge process, performing a second plasma treatment process, and performing a second post-treatment purge process for a second processing time to form a film having a thickness of 30 nanometers to 50 nanometers.

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a system for a deposition process, including a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition manufacturing machine and a control system. The control system is connected to the plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition manufacturing, wherein the control system includes a processor and a memory, the memory having machine-readable instructions, wherein when the processor executes the machine-readable instructions, the plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition manufacturing machine performs the following operations. A first deposition process is performed, wherein during the first deposition process, different types of precursor gases are replaced in a chamber of the machine in a continuous cycle, and the different types of precursor gases are not in the chamber at the same time. A first post-deposition purge process is performed, and a plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle is performed, wherein the plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle includes performing a second deposition process, performing a second post-deposition purge process, performing a plasma treatment process, and performing a post-treatment purge process to form a film with a thickness of 30 nanometers to 50 nanometers. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The present disclosure can be more easily understood by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is emphasized that, in accordance with standard practice in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale and are only for illustration purposes. In fact, for the sake of clarity of discussion, the dimensions of various features may be arbitrarily enlarged or reduced.

[0010] Figures 1A to 1DA schematic diagram of various operations in a layer deposition cycle according to an example of the principles described in the present disclosure;

[0011] Figure 2A is a flow chart illustrating a layer deposition cycle for changing a plasma treatment process used according to an example of the principles described in the present disclosure;

[0012] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of multiple series of layer deposition cycles of varying plasma treatment processes according to an example of the principles described herein;

[0013] Figure 3 is a flow chart of a layer deposition cycle for varying the plasma treatment process time used according to an example of the principles described in the present disclosure;

[0014] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of multiple series of layer deposition cycles with varying plasma treatment process times according to an example of the principles described herein;

[0015] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a layer deposition cycle with varying plasma treatment processes and plasma treatment process times according to an example of the principles of the present disclosure; and

[0016] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a system for performing a cyclic variation of a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process according to an example of the principles described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or illustrations for realizing the different features of the present disclosure. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the disclosure of the present disclosure. Of course, these are merely illustrative and are not intended to be limiting. For example, in the following description, it is described that forming a first feature above or on a second feature may include an embodiment in which the first and second features form direct contact, and may also include an embodiment in which an additional feature may form the formation of the first feature between the first and second features, so that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat element symbols and / or letters in various illustrations. This repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity, and does not itself determine the relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations discussed.

[0018] Additionally, spatially relative terms, such as "below," "below," "below," "above," "above," etc., may be used herein to simply describe the relationship of an element or feature to another element(s) or feature(s) as shown in the figures. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the element or step in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The elements may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations), and the relative spatial descriptions used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

[0019] As previously mentioned, the plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process may cause excessive charges on the wafer. Excessive charges may have a negative impact on subsequent process operations. To address the above problems, the present disclosure provides a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition method that reduces the charge remaining on the wafer. In one example, instead of performing a plasma treatment process in each cycle, a plasma treatment process is not performed in each process. For example, the plasma treatment process may be performed only in 50 cycles out of 800 cycles. Additionally or selectively, in some examples, a post-plasma treatment purification operation may be further performed in some cycles.

[0020] Figures 1A to 1D 1 is a schematic diagram of various operations in a layer deposition cycle. Each cycle of the plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process forms a single monolayer 104 on the substrate 102. The monolayer 104 can be, for example, a thin film formed using one of two materials on the substrate. For example, in the case where a silicon nitride film is to be formed, the monolayer can be nitrogen.

[0021] Figure 1A A deposition process 108 is shown for depositing a single monolayer 104 on a substrate 102. The substrate 102 may be, for example, a silicon substrate. In some examples, the substrate may include other components of an integrated circuit. For example, the thin film deposition may be deposited on transistor components such as source / drain regions or gate components. The thin film may be used for many purposes, such as a hard mask in a lithography process.

[0022] For each deposition process, the substrate 102 is exposed to a precursor gas. The gas includes the material to be deposited. For example, if nitrogen is to be deposited on the surface of the substrate 102, the precursor gas includes nitrogen. The deposition process is continued until all reaction sites on the substrate are consumed. Thus, only a single monolayer is formed. Each successive cycle uses two different precursor gases to alternately replace two different materials to be deposited. Thus, the two different precursor gases are not in the same chamber at the same time. Each monolayer 104 may have about The deposition process 108 may be applied for a period of time less than 1 second. In one example, the deposition process 108 may be applied for about 0.3 seconds.

[0023] Figure 1B A post-deposition purge process 110 is shown. The post-deposition purge process is to remove extraneous precursor gases from the chamber. Because each layer deposition cycle alternates between different deposition materials, the precursor gases of each cycle of the deposition process 108 are removed before the subsequent cycle. In some examples, the post-deposition purge process 110 may be applied for about 1 second.

[0024] Figure 1C 1 is a schematic diagram of a plasma treatment process 112. The plasma treatment process 112 involves applying a magnetic field to guide charged ions on the surface of the substrate. The plasma treatment process 112 can help densify the deposited monolayer 104 and increase the quality of the deposition process. The plasma treatment process 112 can be applied for a time of about 3 to 4 seconds. In one example, the plasma treatment process is applied for about 3.3 seconds.

[0025] Figure 1D 1 is a schematic diagram of a post-treatment purge process 114. The post-treatment purge process is to remove ionized gases from the chamber before the next layer deposition cycle. The post-treatment purge process may sometimes be applied for about 0.3 seconds. In some cases, the post-treatment purge process may be applied for a duration of about 2 to 5 seconds.

[0026] As will be described in detail below, some layer deposition cycles may include a plasma treatment process 112 and a post-treatment purge process 114. However, some layer deposition cycles may not include the above processes. In addition, different layer deposition cycles may be applied with a post-treatment purge process having an extended duration.

[0027] Figure 2A A flow chart 200 is shown illustrating variations in cycles of a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process. In the present example, there are two different types of cycles. The first type of cycle may be considered a layer deposition cycle 202. The second type of cycle may be considered a plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle 208.

[0028] The layer deposition cycle 202 includes a deposition process 204 and a post-deposition purge process 206. As described above, during the deposition process 204, a precursor gas is introduced into a chamber of a machine performing a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process. The precursor gas includes one of at least two different materials used to form a thin film during the deposition process. For example, if a silicon nitride film is to be formed, the precursor gas will contain nitrogen or silicon, but not both. Subsequent cycles will alternate between different types of precursor gases. During the post-deposition purge process 206, the precursor gas provided by the aforementioned deposition process is purged from the chamber.

[0029] The plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle 208 includes a deposition process 210, a post-deposition purge process 212, a plasma treatment process 214, and a post-treatment purge process 216. The deposition process 210 of the plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle 208 may be similar to the deposition process 204 of the layer deposition cycle 202. Likewise, the post-deposition purge process 212 of the plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle 208 may be similar to the post-deposition purge process 206 of the layer deposition cycle 202.

[0030] As described above, the plasma treatment process 214 includes introducing a gas containing charged ions into the chamber. A magnetic field is then applied to direct the ions toward the substrate. The plasma treatment process can help densify the material deposited on the wafer and can also allow the deposition process to be performed at a lower temperature.

[0031] Before the next layer deposition cycle is performed, a post-treatment purge process 216 removes ionized gases from the chamber. The post-deposition purge process 216 may sometimes be applied for about 0.3 seconds. In some cases, the post-deposition purge process 216 may be applied for less than 1 second. Switching the magnetic field on and off during multiple cycles may generate charges on the wafer.

[0032] Figure 2B 2, and 230, and a series of plasma enhanced layer deposition cycles 208, respectively, are shown in a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process 220. In some examples, the plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process 220 is designed to produce a thin film of a material such as silicon nitride having a thickness of 30 nanometers to 50 nanometers. In some examples, each layer deposition cycle 202 deposits a layer having a thickness of about 10 nanometers. Therefore, in the deposition process 220, the total number of cycles may be about 600 to 1000.

[0033] In the present example, a first series 222 of layer deposition cycles 202 are performed. After the first series 222 of layer deposition cycles 202 are performed, a first series 224 of plasma enhanced layer deposition cycles 208 are performed. Each series of plasma enhanced layer deposition cycles 208 may include one or more cycles. The above process may be repeated. Specifically, a second series 226 of layer deposition cycles 202 may be performed, and then a second series 228 of plasma enhanced layer deposition cycles 208 may be performed. This process may continue until an nth series 230 of layer deposition processes 202 are performed and an nth series 232 of plasma enhanced layer deposition cycles 208 are performed.

[0034] The number of layer deposition cycles 202 performed in a particular series 222, 226, and 230 is determined based on a predefined thickness formed by the layer deposition cycles 202 in the particular series 222, 226, and 230. For example, the layer deposition cycles 202 in the first series 222 may be sufficient to form a layer having a thickness of 1 nanometer to 4 nanometers. In some examples, the number of layer deposition cycles 202 in the first series 222 may be sufficient to form a layer having a thickness of 2 nanometers to 3 nanometers. Other ranges of thicknesses are also contemplated.

[0035] In some examples, the number of layer deposition cycles 202 performed in a particular series 222, 226, and 230 can be determined according to a predefined number of cycles. For example, the layer deposition cycles 202 in a series can be performed for 20 to 80 cycles. In some examples, the layer deposition cycles 202 in a series can be performed for 40 to 60 cycles. Other numbers of cycles are also contemplated.

[0036] In some examples, the number of layer deposition cycles 202 in each series 222, 226, and 230 can be similar in the overall deposition process 220. For example, each series of layer deposition processes 202 can include 40 cycles. In some examples, the layer deposition cycles in the series 222, 226, and 230 can have different numbers of cycles in the overall deposition process 220. For example, the first series 222 of layer deposition cycles 202 can include 30 cycles, and the second series 226 of layer deposition cycles 202 can include 45 cycles. In other words, the plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle 208 can be performed anywhere in the entire series of cycles of a particular deposition process 220.

[0037] In some examples, the series of plasma enhanced layer deposition cycles 224, 228, and 232 may have only a single plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle 208. However, in some examples, the series of plasma enhanced layer deposition cycles 224, 228, and 232 may include multiple cycles. For example, instead of a single plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle 208 between the first series 222 and the second series 226, there may be three plasma enhanced layer deposition cycles 208 between the first series 222 and the second series 226. Other numbers of plasma enhanced layer deposition cycles 208 are also contemplated. In some examples, the plasma enhanced layer deposition cycles 208 in the series 224, 228, and 232 may include different numbers of cycles. For example, the first series of plasma enhanced layer deposition cycles 224 may include two plasma enhanced layer deposition cycles 208, and the second series of plasma enhanced layer deposition cycles 228 may include four plasma enhanced layer deposition cycles 208. In some examples, a ratio of a total number of layer deposition cycles of the deposition process to a total number of plasma enhanced layer deposition cycles of the deposition process is in a range of 20:1 to 5:1.

[0038] Figure 3 3 is a flow chart 300 illustrating various cyclic variations of a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process. According to the present example, there is a first layer deposition cycle 302 and a second layer deposition cycle 312. The first layer deposition cycle 302 includes a deposition process 304, a post-deposition purge process 306, a plasma treatment process 308, and a post-treatment purge process 310. The post-treatment purge process 310 is applied for a first duration.

[0039] Similar to the deposition operation described above, deposition process 304 includes introducing a precursor gas into a chamber of a machine for performing a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process. The precursor gas includes one of at least two different materials used to form a thin film during the deposition process. For example, if a silicon nitride film is to be formed, the precursor gas will include nitrogen or silicon, but not both. Subsequent cycles will alternate between different types of precursor gases. During a post-deposition purge process 306, the precursor gas provided by the above-mentioned deposition process is purged from the chamber.

[0040] Similar to the purge process described above, purge process 306 removes excess precursor gas from the chamber. Because each layer deposition cycle alternates between different deposition materials, the precursor gas of each deposition cycle is removed before the next cycle. In some examples, the post-deposition purge process may be applied for about 1 second.

[0041] Similar to the aforementioned plasma treatment process, the plasma treatment process 308 introduces a gas containing charged ions into the chamber. Then, a magnetic field is applied to guide the ions toward the substrate. The plasma treatment process can help densify the material deposited on the wafer and can also allow the deposition process to be performed at a lower temperature.

[0042] Similar to the above-described post-processing purge process, the post-processing purge process 310 removes ionized gas from the chamber before the next layer deposition cycle is performed. The post-processing purge process 310 can be applied for a first duration. In one example, the first duration can be less than 1 second. In some examples, the first duration can be less than 0.5 seconds. In some examples, the first duration can be about 0.3 seconds.

[0043] The second layer deposition cycle 312 includes a deposition process 314, a post-deposition purge process 316, a plasma treatment process 318, and a post-treatment purge process 320. The post-treatment purge process 320 is performed for a second duration. The second duration is longer than the first duration. In one embodiment, the second layer deposition cycle 312 can be considered a charge relief layer deposition cycle.

[0044] Similar to the deposition operation described above, deposition process 314 includes introducing a precursor gas into a chamber of a machine for performing a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process. The precursor gas includes one of at least two different materials used to form a thin film during the deposition process. For example, if a silicon nitride film is to be formed, the precursor gas will include nitrogen or silicon, but not both. Subsequent cycles will alternate between different types of precursor gases. During a post-deposition purge process, the precursor gas provided by the above-mentioned deposition process is purged from the chamber.

[0045] Similar to the purge process described above, purge process 316 removes excess precursor gas from the chamber. Because each layer deposition cycle alternates between different deposition materials, the precursor gas of each deposition cycle is removed before the next cycle. In some examples, the post-deposition purge process may be applied for about 1 second.

[0046] Similar to the plasma treatment process described above, the plasma treatment process 318 introduces a gas containing charged ions into the chamber. A magnetic field is then applied to direct the ions toward the substrate. The plasma treatment process can help densify the material deposited on the wafer and can also allow the deposition process to be performed at a lower temperature.

[0047] Similar to the above-mentioned post-processing purge process, the post-processing purge process 320 removes the ionized gas from the chamber before the next layer deposition cycle is performed. The post-processing purge process 320 can be applied for a second duration, and the second duration is longer than the first duration. In one example, the second duration can be greater than 1 second. In some examples, the second duration can be greater than 2 seconds. In some examples, the second duration can be about 2 seconds to 5 seconds. By occasionally extending the time of the post-processing purge process, the charge on the wafer after the overall deposition process can be reduced. Therefore, higher device quality and better production capacity can be achieved.

[0048] Figure 4 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating various cyclic variations of a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process 400. In some examples, the plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process 400 is designed to produce a thin film of a material such as silicon nitride. The thin film has a thickness of 30 nanometers to 50 nanometers. In some examples, each layer deposition cycle 302 deposits a layer having a thickness of about Therefore, in the deposition process 400, the total number of cycles may be about 600 to 1000.

[0049] In the present example, a first series 402 of first seed layer deposition cycles 302 is performed. After the first series 402 of first seed layer deposition cycles 302 is performed, a second series 404 of second seed layer deposition cycles 312 is performed. The above process can be repeated. Specifically, a second series 406 of first seed layer deposition cycles 302 can be performed, and then a second series 408 of second seed layer deposition cycles 312 can be performed. This process can continue until an nth series 410 of first seed layer deposition cycles 302 and an nth series 412 of second seed layer deposition cycles 312 are performed.

[0050] The number of first layer deposition cycles 302 performed in a particular series 402, 406, and 410 is determined based on a predefined thickness formed by the first layer deposition cycles 302 in the particular series 402, 406, and 410. For example, the first layer deposition cycles 302 in the first series 402 may be sufficient to form a layer having a thickness of 1 nanometer to 4 nanometers. In some examples, the number of first layer deposition cycles 302 in the first series 402 may be sufficient to form a layer having a thickness of 2 nanometers to 3 nanometers. Other ranges of thicknesses are also contemplated.

[0051] In some examples, the number of first layer deposition cycles 302 performed in a particular series 402, 406, and 410 can be determined according to a predefined number of cycles. For example, the first layer deposition cycles 302 in the series 402, 406, and 410 can be performed for 20 to 80 cycles. In some examples, the first layer deposition cycles 302 in the series 402, 406, and 410 can be performed for 40 to 60 cycles. In some examples, the series 402, 406, and 410 can have a smaller number of cycles, such as 4, 10, or 16 cycles. Other numbers of cycles are also contemplated.

[0052] In some examples, the number of first layer deposition cycles 302 in each series 402, 406, and 410 can be similar in the overall deposition process 400. For example, each series of first layer deposition cycles 302 can include 40 cycles. In some examples, the first layer deposition cycles 302 in the series 402, 406, and 410 can have different numbers of cycles in the overall deposition process 400. For example, the first layer deposition cycles 302 of the first series 402 can include 30 cycles, and the first layer deposition cycles 302 of the second series 406 can include 45 cycles. In other words, the second layer deposition cycles 312 of the series 404, 408, and 412 can be performed anywhere in the entire series of cycles of a particular deposition process 400. In some examples, the number of second layer deposition cycles 312 of a particular deposition process can be one of 50, 100, or 200.

[0053] In some examples, the series 404, 408, and 412 may have only a single second layer deposition cycle 312. However, in some examples, the second layer deposition cycles 312 of the series 404, 408, and 412 may include multiple cycles. For example: instead of a single second layer deposition cycle 312 in the first series 404, the second series 408 may have 3 second layer deposition cycles 312. Other numbers of second layer deposition cycles 312 are also contemplated. In some examples, the second layer deposition cycles 312 in the series 404, 408, and 412 may include different numbers of cycles. For example: the second layer deposition cycles 312 of the first series 404 may include 2 second layer deposition cycles 312, and the second series 408 may include 1 second layer deposition cycle 312.

[0054] Figure 5 Schematic diagrams showing layer deposition processes using different plasma treatments and plasma treatment times. In this example, a particular deposition process 500 has three different types of layer deposition cycles. Specifically, a first type 502 of layer deposition cycles includes a deposition process and a post-deposition purge process. Therefore, the first type 502 of layer deposition cycles does not include a plasma treatment process.

[0055] The second 504-layer deposition cycle includes a deposition process, a post-deposition purge process, a plasma treatment process, and a post-plasma purge process (or a post-treatment purge process). The post-plasma purge process of the second 504-layer deposition cycle is applied for a first duration. The first duration may be about 0.3 seconds. In some examples, the first duration may be 0.1 seconds to 1 second.

[0056] The third 506-layer deposition cycle includes a deposition process, a post-deposition purge process, a plasma treatment process, and a post-plasma purge process (or post-treatment purge process). The post-plasma purge process of the third 506-layer deposition cycle is applied for a second duration. The second duration is longer than the first duration. In some examples, the second duration can be greater than 1 second. In some examples, the second duration can be greater than 2 seconds. In some examples, the second duration can be 2 seconds to 5 seconds.

[0057] In some examples, the deposition process is performed by interleaving a series of second 504 and third 506 layer deposition cycles with a series of first 502 layer deposition cycles between each series of second 504 and third 506 cycles, as shown. However, other sequences are also contemplated.

[0058] Figure 66 is a schematic diagram of a system 600 for performing a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process with multiple cycles. According to the current example, the system 600 includes a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process machine 601 and a control system 612. The plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process machine 601 includes a deposition chamber 610, a wafer stage 604, and a plasma machine 608.

[0059] The deposition chamber 610 is a space designed to house the wafer stage 604 and the plasma machine 608. The deposition chamber 610 may be in fluid communication with a gas source to provide various precursor gases of the above-mentioned deposition process into the chamber 610. The deposition chamber 610 may also be in fluid communication with a negative pressure or vacuum to purge gases from the chamber as described in the above-mentioned purge process.

[0060] Wafer stage 604 is designed to hold and stabilize wafer 606 during the manufacturing process. Wafer 606 can be robotically placed on wafer stage 604 before the deposition process, and can be robotically removed after the deposition process. Plasma treatment machine 608 can be used to provide an electric field to guide ions in the ionized gas on wafer 606.

[0061] The control system 612 controls and directs the fabrication machine to start and stop various processes included in the plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process. The control system 612 includes a processor 614 and a memory 616. The memory 616 includes machine-readable instructions, and when the processor 614 executes the above-mentioned machine-readable instructions, the control system 612 transmits a command signal to the fabrication machine 601. The command signal can instruct the fabrication machine to perform the above-mentioned various deposition processes and cycles.

[0062] According to one example, a process includes performing a plurality of first deposition cycles of a deposition process on a substrate, and performing a plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle after performing the plurality of first deposition cycles. The plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle includes a plasma treatment process. The plurality of first layer deposition cycles are performed without the plasma treatment process.

[0063] According to the above example, the method further includes performing a plurality of second layer deposition cycles after performing the plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle, wherein the second layer deposition cycle does not include a plasma treatment process.

[0064] According to the above example, the plurality of first layer deposition cycles include 20 to 80 cycles.

[0065] According to the above example, the above multiple first layer deposition cycles form a film having a thickness of 1 nm to 4 nm.

[0066] According to the above example, the ratio of the total number of the first layer deposition cycles of the deposition process to the total number of the plasma enhanced deposition cycles of the deposition process is 20:1 to 5:1.

[0067] According to the above example, one of the plurality of first layer deposition cycles includes depositing a material on a substrate and performing a chamber purge process.

[0068] According to the above example, after a certain number of cycles, a layer deposition cycle with an extended purge process time is performed.

[0069] According to the above example, the extended purification process time is substantially 2 seconds to 5 seconds, and the non-extended time is less than 1 second.

[0070] According to the above example, the aforementioned specific number is one of 2, 5 and 10.

[0071] According to the above example, the plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle includes depositing a material on a substrate, performing a first chamber purge process, performing a plasma treatment process, and performing a second chamber purge process.

[0072] According to one example, a deposition process includes performing a plurality of first plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition cycles on a substrate, the plurality of first plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition cycles including performing a purge process for a first duration, and performing a charge release layer deposition cycle and a post plasma treatment purge process for a second duration after performing the plurality of first plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition processes, wherein the second duration is longer than the first duration.

[0073] According to the above example, the first duration is substantially 0.3 seconds, and the second duration is substantially 2 seconds to 5 seconds.

[0074] According to the above example, the total number of charge release layer deposition cycles in the above deposition process is one of 50, 100 and 200.

[0075] According to the above example, each of the plurality of first plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition cycles further comprises depositing a material on the substrate, and performing the purge process after depositing the material.

[0076] According to the above example, the charge release layer deposition cycle further includes depositing material on the substrate before performing a plasma treatment process and performing a post-deposition purge process.

[0077] According to the above example, the first plurality of plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition cycles includes 20 to 80 cycles.

[0078] According to the above example, a plurality of first plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition cycles form a thin film having a thickness of 1 nm to 4 nm.

[0079] The system includes a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition manufacturing machine and a control system connected to the manufacturing machine. The control system includes a processor and a memory, and the memory has machine-readable instructions. When the processor executes the above machine-readable instructions, the plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition manufacturing machine performs a plurality of first plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition cycles on the substrate, and after the first plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition cycles, performs a plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle including a plasma treatment process. Performing a plurality of first plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition cycles does not include a plasma treatment process.

[0080] According to the above example, for each of the first plurality of PEAD cycles, the control system further causes the PEAD tool to perform the following operations: depositing a material on the substrate and performing a purge process.

[0081] According to the above example, after a certain number of layer deposition cycles, the plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition tool is further subjected to a cycle with an extended purge process time.

[0082] The foregoing summarizes the features of multiple embodiments so that those with ordinary knowledge in the art can further understand the aspects of the present disclosure. Those with ordinary knowledge in the art should be able to easily use the present disclosure as a basis to design or modify other processes and structures to perform the same purposes and / or achieve the same advantages of the embodiments described herein. Those with ordinary knowledge in the art should also understand that the above-mentioned equivalent structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and they can be modified, replaced or substituted without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An atomic layer deposition method, characterized in that: Include: A layer deposition cycle is performed on a substrate, wherein the layer deposition cycle comprises: Performing a first deposition process, wherein during the first deposition process, different precursor gases are replaced in a chamber of a machine in a cyclic and staggered manner, and the different precursor gases are not in the chamber at the same time; and performing a first post-deposition purge process; and A plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle is performed, wherein the plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle comprises: performing a second deposition process; performing a second post-deposition cleaning process; performing a plasma treatment process; and A post-treatment purification process is performed to form a film having a thickness of 30 nm to 50 nm on the substrate.

2. The atomic layer deposition method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plasma treatment process includes introducing a gas containing charged ions into the chamber.

3. The atomic layer deposition method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The plasma treatment process includes applying a magnetic field to direct the charged ions toward the substrate.

4. The atomic layer deposition method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first post-deposition purge process was applied for 1 second.

5. An atomic layer deposition method, characterized in that: Include: Performing a first layer deposition cycle, wherein the first layer deposition cycle comprises: Performing a first deposition process, wherein during the first deposition process, different precursor gases are replaced in a chamber of a machine in a cyclic and staggered manner, and the different precursor gases are not in the chamber at the same time; performing a first post-deposition cleaning process; performing a first plasma treatment process; and Performing a first post-treatment purification process for a first treatment time; and Performing a second layer deposition cycle, wherein the second layer deposition cycle comprises: performing a second deposition process; performing a second post-deposition cleaning process; performing a second plasma treatment process; and A second post-treatment clean process is performed for a second treatment time to form a film having a thickness of 30 nm to 50 nm.

6. The atomic layer deposition method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first processing time is less than 1 second.

7. The atomic layer deposition method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first processing time is less than 0.5 seconds.

8. The atomic layer deposition method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first processing time is 0.3 seconds.

9. A system for a deposition process, characterized in that: include: A plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition manufacturing machine; as well as A control system in communication with the plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition process, wherein the control system comprises: A processor; as well as A memory having machine-readable instructions, wherein when the processor executes the machine-readable instructions, the plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition manufacturing machine performs the following operations: Performing a first deposition process, wherein during the first deposition process, different precursor gases are replaced in a chamber of a machine in a cyclic and staggered manner, and the different precursor gases are not in the chamber at the same time; performing a first post-deposition purge process; and A plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle is performed, wherein the plasma enhanced layer deposition cycle comprises: performing a second deposition process; performing a second post-deposition cleaning process; performing a plasma treatment process; and A post-treatment cleaning process is performed to form a film having a thickness of 30 nm to 50 nm.

10. The deposition process system according to claim 9, characterized in that: The first deposition process does not include a plasma treatment.

Images