Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of carbon hard masks

Abstract

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

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the application with the filing date of March 21, 2019, application number 201980028076.6, and title "Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition of Carbon Hard Masks". Background

[0003] Description of Related Art

[0004] In hard mask applications for semiconductor device manufacturing, carbon chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes are becoming increasingly common. As semiconductor devices begin to require higher memory densities and thicker multi-stack structures (such as 3D V-NAND, 3D ReRAM), the ability to develop carbon hard mask films that can withstand long etch times has become necessary. To achieve this goal, there are two methods: 1) increasing the deposited film thickness to compensate for longer etch times, and 2) developing more etch-selective carbon hard masks at high temperatures despite low deposition rates. For both methods, the disadvantage is longer process times due to 1) thicker films and / or 2) slower deposition rates, thereby significantly reducing throughput. Such a significant decrease in throughput is detrimental to the manufacturer's cost of ownership, floor space, and productivity. For conventional CVD systems, more tools may be required to match throughput. However, due to limited floor space, increased throughput is needed. Additionally, current CVD processes have poor thickness margins (generally less than 2 μm) due to local charge accumulation and inconsistent charge dissipation paths, thereby posing a potential risk of catastrophic failure due to immediate discharge when the film thickness is greater than 2 μm in most cases. Due to extremely low estimated throughput (less than 50%) and increased failures due to inconsistent charge dissipation, future devices with 96x or 128x ON stacks are not feasible, thus limiting the scalability of high-temperature carbon hard masks.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for a method of depositing carbon hard masks by CVD with greater thickness and reduced throughput relative to prior processes. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] In order to understand in detail the manner in which the above-described features of the present disclosure can be obtained, a more specific description of the present disclosure briefly outlined above can be obtained by reference to the embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings only illustrate exemplary embodiments and should not be considered as limiting the scope, since the present disclosure may permit other equivalent embodiments.

[0007] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition system that can be used to deposit carbon hard mask layers and other materials as discussed and described in one or more embodiments herein is depicted; and

[0008] Figure 2 and Figure 3 is a graph depicting the delivered RF power, reflected RF power, and arc count data from an RF generator and panel bias data during deposition of a carbon hard mask in a PECVD process, as discussed and described in one or more embodiments herein.

[0009] For ease of understanding, wherever possible, the same reference numerals have been used to denote identical elements common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated into other embodiments without further recitation. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] In one or more embodiments, a method for depositing a carbon hard mask material by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) includes: heating a substrate housed within a process chamber to a temperature in a range from about 100 °C to about 700 °C; and generating a plasma with a power generator emitting an RF power greater than 3 kW. In some examples, the temperature is in a range from about 300 °C to about 700 °C, and the RF power is greater than 3 kW to about 7 kW. The method further includes flowing a hydrocarbon precursor into the plasma within the process chamber and forming a carbon hard mask layer on the substrate at a rate greater than (such as up to about or faster).

[0011] In other embodiments, a method for depositing a carbon hard mask material by PECVD includes: heating a substrate housed within a process chamber to a temperature in a range from about 100 °C to about 700 °C; and generating a plasma with a power generator emitting an RF power greater than 3 kW. The method further includes flowing a hydrocarbon precursor and a dopant precursor into the plasma within the process chamber and forming a carbon hard mask layer on the substrate at a rate greater than to about . The dopant precursor may be or include but is not limited to one or more nitrogen-containing precursors, one or more sulfur-containing precursors, one or more boron-containing precursors, or any combination thereof. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] The embodiments discussed and described herein provide methods and systems for depositing a carbon material (such as a carbon hard mask layer) on a surface of a substrate. In one or more embodiments, a method for depositing a carbon hard mask material by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is provided and discussed below. One or more substrates may be positioned or otherwise disposed within a process chamber and heated to a predetermined process temperature.

[0013] One or more carrier gases and / or one or more reactive species gases are ignited by a power generator emitting RF power to form a plasma. During a deposition process in a process chamber, one or more hydrocarbon precursors and optionally one or more dopant precursors may flow through or otherwise be exposed to the plasma. Once activated by the plasma, the hydrocarbon precursors react, decompose, or chemically reduce to produce a carbon hard mask layer that is deposited or otherwise formed on a substrate. In an alternative embodiment, one or more dopant precursors may flow or otherwise be introduced into the process chamber, exposed to the plasma, and react, decompose, or chemically reduce to produce a doped carbon hard mask layer.

[0014] The carbon hard mask layer may be deposited or otherwise formed on any type of substrate (such as a silicon wafer). The substrate may include one or more devices disposed thereon. In one or more embodiments, the carbon hard mask layer is deposited or otherwise formed on one or more devices having a 32-bit architecture (32x ON), a 64-bit architecture (64x ON), a 96-bit architecture (96x ON), or a 128-bit architecture (128x ON).

[0015] In one or more embodiments, the plasma is ignited or otherwise generated from a power generator emitting about 2.4 kW or greater of RF power. For example, the RF power may be about 2.4 kW, about 2.5 kW, about 2.8 kW, about 3 kW, about 3.5 kW, about 4 kW, about 4.5 kW, about 5 kW, or about 5.5 kW to about 6 kW, about 6.5 kW, about 7 kW, about 8 kW, about 9 kW, about 10 kW, about 12 kW, about 15 kW, or greater. In some examples, the RF power may be about 2.4 kW to about 15 kW, about 2.4 kW to about 12 kW, about 2.4 kW to about 10 kW, about 2.4 kW to about 7 kW, about 2.4 kW to about 5 kW, about 3 kW to about 15 kW, about 3 kW to about 12 kW, about 3 kW to about 10 kW, about 3 kW to about 7 kW, about 3 kW to about 5 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 12 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 10 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 7 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 5 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 4 kW, about 4 kW to about 12 kW, about 4 kW to about 10 kW, about 4 kW to about 7 kW, about 4 kW to about 5 kW, about 5 kW to about 12 kW, about 5 kW to about 10 kW, or about 5 kW to about 7 kW.

[0016] In other embodiments, a plasma is ignited or otherwise generated from a power generator that emits an RF power greater than 3 kW. For example, the RF power can be greater than 3 kW, such as about 3.5 kW, about 4 kW, about 4.5 kW, about 5 kW, or about 5.5 kW to about 6 kW, about 6.5 kW, about 7 kW, about 8 kW, about 9 kW, about 10 kW, about 12 kW, about 15 kW, or greater. In some examples, the RF power can be greater than 3 kW to about 15 kW, greater than 3 kW to about 12 kW, greater than 3 kW to about 10 kW, greater than 3 kW to about 8 kW, greater than 3 kW to about 7 kW, greater than 3 kW to about 5 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 12 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 10 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 7 kW, about 3.5 kW to about 5 kW, about 4 kW to about 12 kW, about 4 kW to about 10 kW, about 4 kW to about 7 kW, about 4 kW to about 5 kW, about 4 kW to about 4.5 kW, about 5 kW to about 12 kW, about 5 kW to about 10 kW, or about 5 kW to about 7 kW.

[0017] The carbon hard mask layer is deposited or formed at a rate greater than , such as at about about about about or about to about about about about about about about about about or greater. For example, the carbon hard mask layer is deposited or formed at a rate greater than to about greater than to about greater than to about greater than to about greater than to about about to about about to about about to about about to about about to about about to about about to about or about to about at a rate of deposition or formation.

[0018] The carbon hard mask layer is formed to a thickness greater than 2 μm, greater than 2.2 μm, greater than 2.5 μm, or greater than 2.7 μm, such as a thickness of about 2.8 μm, about 3 μm, about 3.5 μm, about 4 μm, or about 5 μm to about 5.5 μm, about 6 μm, about 7 μm, about 8 μm, about 9 μm, about 10 μm, about 12 μm, about 15 μm, about 18 μm, about 20 μm, about 25 μm, or thicker. For example, the carbon hard mask layer is formed to a thickness greater than 2 μm to about 20 μm, greater than 2 μm to about 15 μm, greater than 2 μm to about 10 μm, greater than 2 μm to about 7 μm, greater than 2.5 μm to about 20 μm, greater than 2.5 μm to about 15 μm, greater than 2.5 μm to about 10 μm, greater than 2.5 μm to about 7 μm, greater than 3 μm to about 20 μm, greater than 3 μm to about 15 μm, greater than 3 μm to about 10 μm, or greater than 3 μm to about 7 μm.

[0019] The process temperature of the substrate can be about 100 °C, about 150 °C, about 200 °C, about 250 °C, or about 300 °C to about 350 °C, about 400 °C, about 450 °C, about 500 °C, about 550 °C, about 600 °C, about 650 °C, about 700 °C, or greater. For example, the process temperature of the substrate can be about 100 °C to about 700 °C, about 100 °C to about 650 °C, about 100 °C to about 600 °C, about 100 °C to about 500 °C, about 100 °C to about 400 °C, about 300 °C to about 700 °C, about 300 °C to about 650 °C, about 300 °C to about 600 °C, about 300 °C to about 550 °C, about 300 °C to about 500 °C, about 500 °C to about 700 °C, about 500 °C to about 650 °C, about 500 °C to about 600 °C, about 500 °C to about 550 °C, or about 550 °C to about 650 °C.

[0020] The pressure in the process chamber can be about 1 Torr, about 2 Torr, about 3 Torr, about 4 Torr, or about 5 Torr to about 6 Torr, about 8 Torr, about 10 Torr, about 15 Torr, about 20 Torr, about 30 Torr, about 50 Torr, or greater. For example, the pressure in the process chamber can be about 1 Torr to about 30 Torr, about 1 Torr to about 20 Torr, about 1 Torr to about 15 Torr, about 1 Torr to about 10 Torr, about 1 Torr to about 8 Torr, about 1 Torr to about 5 Torr, about 3 Torr to about 30 Torr, about 3 Torr to about 20 Torr, about 3 Torr to about 15 Torr, about 3 Torr to about 10 Torr, about 3 Torr to about 8 Torr, about 3 Torr to about 5 Torr, about 5 Torr to about 30 Torr, about 5 Torr to about 20 Torr, about 5 Torr to about 15 Torr, about 5 Torr to about 10 Torr, or about 5 Torr to about 8 Torr.

[0021] In one or more embodiments, one or more carrier gases and / or one or more reactive species gases flow into or are delivered to and pass through a plasma. The carrier gas and / or reactive species gas can be or include, but are not limited to, hydrogen, oxygen, argon, neon, helium, krypton, tetrafluoromethane, nitrogen, their radicals, or any combination thereof. The flow rate of the carrier gas and / or reactive species gas can be from about 100 sccm, about 500 sccm, about 1000 sccm, about 2000 sccm, about 3000 sccm, or about 4000 sccm to about 5000 sccm, about 6000 sccm, about 8000 sccm, about 10000 sccm, about 12000 sccm, about 15000 sccm, about 18000 sccm, about 20000 sccm, about 22000 sccm, about 25000 sccm, or greater. For example, the flow rate of the carrier gas and / or reactive species gas can be from about 100 sccm to about 25000 sccm, from about 1000 sccm to about 23000 sccm, from about 1000 sccm to about 20000 sccm, from about 1000 sccm to about 15000 sccm, from about 1000 sccm to about 10000 sccm, from about 1000 sccm to about 5000 sccm, from about 2000 sccm to about 20000 sccm, from about 2000 sccm to about 15000 sccm, from about 2000 sccm to about 10000 sccm, from about 2000 sccm to about 5000 sccm, from about 3000 sccm to about 20000 sccm, from about 3000 sccm to about 15000 sccm, from about 3000 sccm to about 10000 sccm, from about 3000 sccm to about 5000 sccm, from about 4000 sccm to about 20000 sccm, from about 4000 sccm to about 15000 sccm, from about 4000 sccm to about 10000 sccm, or from about 4000 sccm to about 5000 sccm.

[0022] In one or more embodiments, the hydrocarbon precursor can be or include, but is not limited to, one or more C 1 -C 8 alkyls, one or more C 2 -C 8 alkenes, one or more C 2 -C 8 alkynes, one or more C 1 -C 8 alcohols, one or more C 1 -C 8 ethers, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the hydrocarbon precursor can be or include, but is not limited to, propylene, acetylene, ethylene, methane, propane, hexane, benzene, isoprene, butadiene, their isomers, or any combination thereof.

[0023] The flow rate of the hydrocarbon precursor can be about 100 sccm, about 200 sccm, about 300 sccm, about 500 sccm, about 800 sccm, or about 1000 sccm to about 1,500 sccm, about 2000 sccm, about 3000 sccm, about 4000 sccm, about 5000 sccm, or greater. For example, the flow rate of the hydrocarbon precursor can be from about 100 sccm to about 5000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 4000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 3000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 2000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 1000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 500 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 5000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 4000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 3000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 2000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 1000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 500 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 5000 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 4000 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 3000 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 2000 sccm, or from about 500 sccm to about 1000 sccm.

[0024] In an embodiment, a dopant precursor is used to produce a doped carbon hard mask material or layer. The dopant precursor can be or include, but is not limited to, one or more nitrogen-containing precursors, sulfur-containing precursors, boron-containing precursors, or any combination thereof. The nitrogen-containing precursor can be or include, but is not limited to, pyrrole, pyridine, one or more aliphatic amines, one or more aromatic amines, one or more nitriles, their salts, or any combination thereof. The sulfur-containing precursor can be or include, but is not limited to, thiophene, carbon disulfide, one or more thiols, their salts, or any combination thereof. The boron-containing precursor can be or include, but is not limited to, one or more of diborane, tetraborane, trialkylboranes (e.g., triethylborane), triallylborane, or any combination thereof.

[0025] The flow rate of the dopant precursor can be from about 100 sccm, about 200 sccm, about 300 sccm, about 500 sccm, about 800 sccm or about 1000 sccm to about 1500 sccm, about 2000 sccm, about 3000 sccm, about 4000 sccm, about 5000 sccm or greater. For example, the flow rate of the dopant precursor can be from about 100 sccm to about 5000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 4000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 3000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 2000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 1000 sccm, from about 100 sccm to about 500 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 5000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 4000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 3000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 2000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 1000 sccm, from about 200 sccm to about 500 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 5000 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 4000 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 3000 sccm, from about 500 sccm to about 2000 sccm or from about 500 sccm to about 1000 sccm.

[0026] Figure 1 FIG. 4 depicts a schematic view of a PECVD system 100 that can be used to deposit a carbon hard mask layer and other materials. The PECVD system 100 includes a process chamber 102 that contains a substrate support 104. The substrate support 104 can include one or more heaters that are used to condition and control the temperature of the substrate support 104 and any substrate disposed thereon.

[0027] The PECVD system 100 further includes an RF power generator 112 powered by an AC power box 110. The RF power generator 112 is coupled to and in fluid communication with a dual matcher 116 via an HN cable 114. In one or more examples, the RF power generator 112 is rated to emit greater than 3 kW of RF power, such as about 5 kW, about 7 kW, about 10 kW or greater. Similarly, the power of the HN cable 114 can also be rated to handle the specified RF power emitted from the RF generator 112. The dual matcher 116 is coupled to and in fluid communication with an RF strip 118.

[0028] The PECVD system 100 further includes a gas box 120, a barrier block plate 122, and a panel 124. The panel 124 further includes one or more thermal heaters 126 that are connected to a panel RF filter 128 and an AC power box 130. The lower part of the PECVD system 100 includes an RF filter 132 powered by an AC power box 134, an RF strip 136 connected to an electrostatic chuck (ESC) 140, and an ESC filter 142 between the RF filter and the RF strip.

[0029] Figure 2 is a graph depicting the delivered RF power, reflected RF power, and arc count data from an RF generator, as well as panel bias data, which shows the stability of a PECVD process using an RF power of approximately 3.8 kW to deposit a carbon hard mask to a thickness of approximately (approximately 3.5 μm).

[0030] Figure 3 is a graph depicting the delivered RF power, reflected RF power, and arc count data from an RF generator, as well as panel bias data, which shows the stability of a PECVD process using an RF power of approximately 4.4 kW to deposit a carbon hard mask to a thickness of approximately (approximately 3.5 μm).

[0031] In some embodiments, a high-temperature (greater than 600 °C) carbon CVD process can be used in hard mask patterning for semiconductor device manufacturing because it has a high etch selectivity (greater than 1.5 times) compared to a conventional plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD) carbon process (approximately 480 °C), while maintaining a defect rate of approximately 0.3% to approximately 0.5% caused by plasma instability. Due to the high etch selectivity, current device nodes (64x ON) only require a high-temperature carbon film with a thickness of less than 2 μm as sufficient. However, since next-generation devices require thicker multi-stack structures (e.g., 96x ON, 128x ON), the ability to deposit a thicker carbon hard mask is needed. However, in the current high-temperature PECVD carbon process, the throughput is reduced to less than 50% because the deposition rate is 2 times higher. Additionally, the current process has a poor thickness margin (generally less than 2 μm) due to local charge accumulation and inconsistent charge dissipation paths, thus potentially causing a risk of catastrophic failure due to immediate discharge when the film thickness is greater than 2 μm in most cases. Due to the extremely low estimated throughput (less than 50%) and the increased failures caused by inconsistent charge dissipation, previously known processes are not feasible for future devices with 96x or 128x ON stacks, thereby limiting the scalability of high-temperature carbon hard masks.

[0032] Embodiments of the present disclosure also relate to any one or more of the following paragraphs:

[0033] 1. A method, comprising: heating a substrate accommodated in a process chamber to a temperature in a range from about 100 °C to about 700 °C; generating a plasma with a power generator emitting an RF power greater than 3 kW; flowing a hydrocarbon precursor into the plasma in the process chamber; and forming a carbon hard mask layer on the substrate at a rate greater than .

[0034] 2. A method, comprising: heating a substrate accommodated in a process chamber to a temperature in a range from about 300 °C to about 700 °C; generating a plasma with a power generator emitting an RF power greater than 3 kW to about 7 kW; flowing a hydrocarbon precursor into the plasma in the process chamber; and forming a carbon hard mask layer on the substrate at a rate greater than to about .

[0035] 3. A method, comprising: heating a substrate accommodated in a process chamber to a temperature in a range from about 100 °C to about 700 °C; generating a plasma with a power generator emitting an RF power greater than 3 kW; flowing a hydrocarbon precursor into the plasma in the process chamber; flowing a dopant precursor into the plasma in the process chamber, wherein the dopant precursor includes a nitrogen-containing precursor, a sulfur-containing precursor, a boron-containing precursor, or any combination thereof; and forming a carbon hard mask layer on the substrate at a rate greater than to about .

[0036] 4. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 3, wherein the RF power is greater than 3 kW to about 7 kW.

[0037] 5. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, wherein the carbon hard mask layer is formed on the substrate at a rate greater than to about .

[0038] 6. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 5, wherein the RF power is greater than 3 kW to about 5 kW, and wherein the carbon hard mask layer is formed on the substrate at a rate greater than to about .

[0039] 7. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 6, wherein the carbon hard mask layer is formed to a thickness greater than 2.5 μm to about 10 μm.

[0040] 8. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 7, further comprising flowing a carrier gas into the process chamber, wherein the carrier gas includes argon, helium, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, their radicals, or any combination thereof.

[0041] 9. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 8, wherein the hydrocarbon precursor comprises C 1 -C 8 alkyl, C 2 -C 8 alkene, C 2 -C 8 alkyne, or any combination thereof.

[0042] 10. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 9, wherein the hydrocarbon precursor comprises propylene, acetylene, ethylene, methane, propane, hexane, benzene, isoprene, butadiene, their isomers, or any combination thereof.

[0043] 11. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 10, further comprising flowing a dopant precursor into the plasma in the process chamber, wherein the dopant precursor comprises a nitrogen-containing precursor, a sulfur-containing precursor, a boron-containing precursor, or any combination thereof.

[0044] 12. The method according to paragraph 11, wherein the dopant precursor comprises a nitrogen-containing precursor, and wherein the nitrogen-containing precursor comprises pyrrole, pyridine, aliphatic amine, aromatic amine, nitrile, their salts, or any combination thereof.

[0045] 13. The method according to paragraph 11, wherein the dopant precursor comprises a sulfur-containing precursor, and wherein the sulfur-containing precursor comprises thiophene, carbon disulfide, mercaptan, their salts, or any combination thereof.

[0046] 14. The method according to paragraph 11, wherein the dopant precursor comprises a boron-containing precursor, and wherein the boron-containing precursor comprises diborane, tetraborane, trialkylborane, triallylborane, or any combination thereof.

[0047] 15. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 14, wherein the process chamber is at a pressure in the range from about 3 Torr to about 20 Torr, and the temperature is in the range from about 500 °C to about 700 °C.

[0048] 16. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 15, wherein a carbon hard mask layer is formed on a device having a 96-bit architecture or a 128-bit architecture.

[0049] 17. A composition, article, material, substrate, layer, or film produced by the method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 16.

[0050] Although the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments may be envisioned without departing from the basic scope of the present disclosure, and the scope of the embodiments is determined by the appended claims. All documents described herein are incorporated herein by reference, including any priority documents and / or test procedures that are not inconsistent with the present disclosure. From the foregoing general description and specific embodiments, it will be apparent that, although the forms of the present disclosure have been shown and described, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure thereby. Similarly, for purposes of United States law, the term "comprising" is considered synonymous with the term "including". Similarly, whenever a transitional phrase "comprising" is prefixed to a composition, element, or group of elements, it is understood that a transitional phrase "consisting essentially of", "consisting of", "selected from the group consisting of", or "is" prefixed to the same composition, element, or group of elements is also envisioned, and vice versa.

[0051] Certain embodiments and features have been described using a set of numerical upper limits and a set of numerical lower limits. It is to be understood that ranges encompassing combinations of any two values are covered, unless otherwise indicated, e.g., combinations of any lower value with any upper value, combinations of any two lower values, and / or combinations of any two upper values. Certain lower limits, upper limits, and ranges appear in one or more of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method, comprising: heating a substrate accommodated in a process chamber to a temperature in a range from about 100 °C to about 700 °C; generating a plasma with a power generator emitting an RF power greater than 3 kW; flowing a hydrocarbon precursor into the plasma in the process chamber; and Form a carbon hard mask layer on the substrate at a rate greater than .

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the RF power is greater than 3 kW to about 7 kW.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the carbon hard mask layer is formed on the substrate at a rate greater than to about .

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the carbon hard mask layer is formed to a thickness greater than 2.5 μm to about 10 μm.

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

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon precursor comprises C 1 -C 8 alkyl, C 2 -C 8 alkene, C 2 -C 8 alkyne, or any combination thereof.

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

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

9. A method, comprising: heating a substrate accommodated in a process chamber to a temperature in a range from about 300 °C to about 700 °C; generating a plasma with a power generator emitting an RF power greater than 3 kW to about 7 kW; flowing a hydrocarbon precursor into the plasma in the process chamber; and Form a carbon hard mask layer on the substrate at a rate greater than to about .

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

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