SixNy AS NUCLEATION LAYER FOR SiCxOy

Abstract

SOLUTION: In one embodiment, the disclosed subject matter is a method to produce a substantially uniform, silicon-carbide layer over both dielectric materials and metal materials. In one example, the method includes: forming a silicon-nitride layer over the dielectric materials and the metal materials; and forming the silicon carbide layer over the silicon-nitride layer. Other methods are disclosed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] [Priority claim] This application is filed on May 23, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. x N y AS A NUCLEATION LAYER FOR SIC x O y This application claims benefit of priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 62 / 850,343, filed May 20, 2019, entitled "Compound for a cellular endothelial cell." The inventive subject matter disclosed herein relates to substrate processing methods used in the semiconductor and related industries. In particular, the inventive subject matter disclosed herein relates to a method for depositing a silicon nitride nucleation layer substantially simultaneously over a combination of a dielectric layer and a metal layer to avoid substantial nucleation delays in a subsequently deposited silicon carbide layer. [Background technology]

[0002] The fabrication of semiconductor devices often involves the deposition of a dielectric material layer onto a metallic material. Examples of such dielectric layers include various diffusion barrier layers and etch stop layers, as well as encapsulation layers for memory stacks. Silicon carbide (SiC) is one type of dielectric material that is often used for such applications. Types of SiC thin films include oxygen-doped silicon carbide (silicon oxycarbide (SiCO, or more commonly SiC x O y ), nitrogen-doped silicon carbide (also known as silicon oxynitricarbide), and undoped silicon carbide. Silicon carbide is typically deposited by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, such as plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), or sometimes an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. Each of these deposition techniques is well known in the art.

[0003] Those skilled in the art will recognize that SiC deposited on metals such as tungsten (W) and cobalt (Co) x O y The deposition of SiC or other dielectric films on a dielectric material such as SiN xO y The deposit is slightly thinner than the SiC on metal. x O y This means that there is a delay in the nucleation and growth of SiC x O y This can be problematic for features that contain multiple materials within them, as the thickness of the SiC layer varies depending on the type of material present at that particular location. x O y This can affect the material properties of the film (e.g., hermeticity, pinholes, wet and dry etch thickness) and cause problems for subsequent device fabrication steps. Current solutions to solve the nucleation delay problem include: (1) Surface Treatment: Prior to deposition, the metal surface is treated using a H2-based plasma or diborane gas annealing process step, which is believed to change the properties of the metal surface and facilitate subsequent dielectric film deposition. (2) SiO2 Deposition: To address dielectric growth nucleation delay on metal surfaces, a silicon dioxide (SiO2)-based initiation layer is deposited (described below with reference to FIG. 2). Although SiO2-based solutions reduce the thickness difference problem, they are not entirely sufficient for advanced semiconductor devices. This technique may also be less stable when one or more properties of the metal surface are altered during device fabrication, for example by different etching and / or cleaning processes. Furthermore, the SiO2 process may result in the formation of a metal oxide layer on the underlying metal material.

[0004] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary cross-sectional semiconductor structure 100 having a silicon oxycarbide layer deposited on a combination of a dielectric material 101, a metal material 103, and a semiconductor material 105 by a prior art method. The cross-sectional semiconductor structure 100 may be, for example, a bitline such as used in various types of non-volatile memory devices. The silicon oxycarbide may be used to form a low dielectric constant (low-k) spacer on the cross-sectional semiconductor structure 100. However, in bitline applications as well as some other types of applications, the thickness of the silicon oxycarbide (e.g., spacer) on the various materials must be of a substantially constant thickness. In this example, the dielectric material 101 may be silicon nitride (SiN), the metal material 103 may be tungsten (W), and the semiconductor material 105 may be silicon (Si).

[0005] Continuing with reference to Figure 1, the semiconductor structure 100 includes a first silicon oxycarbide layer 107 having a first thickness t1 formed on a dielectric material 101, a second silicon oxycarbide layer 109 having a second thickness t2 formed on a metal material 103, and a third silicon oxycarbide layer 111 having a third thickness t3 formed on a semiconductor material 105. As shown in Figure 1, the third thickness t3 of the third silicon oxycarbide layer 111 is approximately the same thickness as the first thickness t1 of the first silicon oxycarbide layer 107. However, the second thickness t2 of the second silicon oxycarbide layer 109 is substantially less than both the first thickness t1 and the third thickness t3.

[0006] One reason that the second silicon oxycarbide layer 109 is thinner is the difference in nucleation of the silicon oxycarbide deposited on the metal material 103. The difference in nucleation is due to the difference in the availability of reactive sites for silicon oxycarbide for the silicon oxycarbide layers 107 and 111 formed on the dielectric material 101 and the semiconductor material 105, respectively. Another reason for the differential thickness of each of the silicon oxycarbide layers 107, 109, and 111 may be due to different chemical contamination levels of the three materials 101, 103, and 107. Whatever the cause, non-uniform thickness of the silicon carbide layer can be detrimental to many types of semiconductor devices. In some cases, non-uniform thickness can make the semiconductor device slow and unstable, or affect device performance in other ways. In some cases, non-uniform thickness may render the semiconductor device completely unusable.

[0007] 2 shows a cross-sectional semiconductor structure 200 having a silicon dioxide (SiO2) starting layer 213 to reduce the thickness difference between the thickness of silicon oxycarbide deposited on the dielectric material 201, the thickness of silicon oxycarbide deposited on the metal material 203, and the thickness of silicon oxycarbide deposited on the semiconductor material 205 according to a prior art method. In an embodiment, the SiO2 starting layer 213 may be a conformally deposited ALD layer. The cross-sectional semiconductor structure 200 may be similar or identical to the cross-sectional semiconductor structure 100 of FIG. 1. In this example, the dielectric material 201 may be silicon nitride (SiN), the metal material 103 may be tungsten (W), and the semiconductor material 105 may be polysilicon.

[0008] The semiconductor structure 200 includes a first silicon oxycarbide layer 207 having a first thickness t1 formed on a dielectric material 201, a second silicon oxycarbide layer 209 having a second thickness t2 formed on a metal material 203, and a third silicon oxycarbide layer 211 having a third thickness t3 formed on a polysilicon material 205. The third thickness t3 of the third silicon oxycarbide layer 211 is approximately the same thickness as the first thickness t1 of the first silicon oxycarbide layer 207. The second thickness t2 of the second silicon oxycarbide layer 209 is less than both the first thickness t1 and the third thickness t3. However, unlike the second silicon oxycarbide layer 109 of the semiconductor structure 100 of FIG. 1, the thickness of the second silicon oxycarbide layer 209 of FIG. 2 is closer to the thicknesses of the other two silicon oxycarbide layers 207 and 211.

[0009] As a result, the SiO2 starting layer 213 at least partially addresses the dielectric growth nucleation delay on the metal surface as described above. However, the SiO2 starting layer 213 solution may be less stable when one or more properties of the metal surface are changed, for example, by different etching and / or cleaning processes that are applied to the semiconductor structure 200 during device fabrication. Thus, even though the thickness difference (Δt) using the SiO2 starting layer 213 significantly reduces the film thickness difference, many contemporary semiconductor devices today require a Δt of less than about 2 nm to about 3 nm.

[0010] The information provided in this section below is provided to inform those of ordinary skill in the art of the subject matter of the present disclosure and should not be construed as admitted prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0011] In one exemplary embodiment, the inventive subject matter of this disclosure describes a method for producing a substantially uniform silicon carbide layer substantially simultaneously on both at least one dielectric material and at least one metallic material. The method includes: x N yA silicon nitride layer having a shape of a SiC x O y forming a silicon carbide layer having a shape

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, the presently disclosed subject matter describes a method for forming a silicon carbide layer, the method comprising substantially simultaneously depositing a silicon carbide layer on at least a dielectric material and a metal material. x N y forming a silicon nitride starting layer having a shape of a SiC. The silicon nitride starting layer functions as a growth starting layer. x O y A silicon carbide layer in the form of is formed on the silicon nitride starting layer. The formed silicon nitride starting layer substantially prevents retardation of nucleation and growth of a silicon carbide layer on a metallic material relative to nucleation and growth of a silicon carbide layer on a dielectric material.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment, the disclosed subject matter describes a method for forming a silicon carbide layer, the method including forming a layer of at least one metal material and at least one dielectric material on a substrate in a deposition chamber, depositing a silicon carbide layer as a starting layer on the at least one metal material and at least one dielectric material on the substrate. x N y forming a silicon nitride layer in the form of a silicon nitride layer, and subsequently forming at least one layer on the silicon nitride layer, the at least one layer being Si x C y Silicon carbide in the form of Si x C y N z Silicon carbonitride in the form of SiC x N y O z Silicon oxycarbonitride in the form of, and Si x C y O z The material includes a material selected from materials including silicon oxycarbide in the form [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1]1 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor structure having silicon oxycarbide deposited on a combination of dielectric, metallic, and semiconductor materials according to a prior art method.

[0015] [Diagram 2] A cross-sectional semiconductor structure having a silicon dioxide (SiO2) starting layer for reducing a thickness difference between a thickness of silicon oxycarbide deposited on a dielectric material, a thickness of silicon oxycarbide deposited on a metallic material, and a thickness of silicon oxycarbide deposited on a semiconductor material according to a prior art method.

[0016] [Diagram 3] 1 is an example of a cross-sectional semiconductor structure having a silicon nitride (SiN) starting layer formed substantially simultaneously over a dielectric material, a metal material, and a polysilicon material in accordance with the disclosed subject matter.

[0017] [Figure 4] 1 illustrates an exemplary process flow for preparing a SiN starting layer on various types of materials.

[0018] [Diagram 5] 1 is an example cross-sectional schematic view of a remote plasma apparatus including a processing chamber that may be used in accordance with various embodiments disclosed herein.

[0019] [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of an example computing system-type machine within which a set of instructions for performing one or more of the methods and operations (e.g., process recipes) described herein may be executed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] The subject matter of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to several general and specific embodiments as illustrated in the various accompanying drawings. In the following description, several specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the subject matter of the present disclosure may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well-known process steps, manufacturing techniques, or structures have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0021] The manufacture of semiconductor devices typically involves depositing one or more thin films on a substrate in an integrated manufacturing process. In some embodiments of the integrated manufacturing process, various types of thin films can be deposited using atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), or any other suitable deposition methods and techniques, such as those described above.

[0022] PECVD processes may use in-situ plasma treatment for silicon carbide-based thin film deposition, with the plasma treatment occurring directly adjacent to the substrate. However, it has been found that deposition of high quality silicon carbide-based thin films can present several challenges. For example, the challenges may include, among others, providing silicon carbide-based thin films with excellent step coverage, low dielectric constant, high breakdown voltage, low leakage current, low porosity, high hermeticity, high density, high hardness, and coverage of exposed metal surfaces without metal surface oxidation.

[0023] The silicon carbide films described herein are made of both doped and undoped silicon carbide (Si with various stoichiometries (the formulas indicate various elemental compositions, but the stoichiometries may vary)). x C y , silicon carbonitride (Si x C y N z ), silicon oxycarbonitride (SiC x N y O z ), and silicon oxycarbide (Si x C y O z) doped and undoped. x C y Membrane, Si x C y N z membrane, SiC x N y O z Membrane, and Si x C y O z Hydrogen may be present in either the membrane or the catalyst layer, if desired.

[0024] In various embodiments, for the deposition process described herein, the plasma is formed directly in the process chamber or process chamber compartment that contains the substrate. However, the present disclosure is not limited to any particular theory, but the plasma conditions in a typical PECVD process may have undesirable effects. For example, the PECVD process may provide direct plasma conditions that break Si-N and / or Si-C bonds in the precursor molecules. The direct plasma conditions may include charged particle bombardment and high energy ultraviolet radiation, which may adversely affect the thin film.

[0025] One of the adverse effects of direct plasma conditions on the film can include poor step coverage. The charged particles of direct plasma conditions can result in highly reactive radicals with large sticking coefficients. The deposited silicon carbide film can have silicon, carbon, oxygen, and / or nitrogen bonds that are "dangling," meaning that the silicon, carbon, and / or nitrogen atoms have reactive unpaired valence electrons. The increased sticking coefficient of the precursor molecules can result in the deposition of silicon carbide films with poor step coverage, since reactive precursor fragments tend to stick to the sidewalls of previously deposited films or layers.

[0026] Another adverse film effect of direct plasma conditions can include deposition directionality, in part due to the low frequency energy required to break up the precursor molecules, which can result in a large amount of ion bombardment at the surface. Directional deposition can also result in deposition with poor step coverage.

[0027] The direct plasma conditions in PECVD may result in increased formation of silicon-hydrogen bonds (Si-H) in silicon carbide films. Specifically, broken Si-C bonds can be replaced with Si-H. This type of bond can result in a film with reduced carbon content as well as poorer electrical properties in some instances. For example, the presence of Si-H bonds can reduce breakdown voltage and increase leakage current because Si-H bonds provide a leakage path for electrons.

[0028] As a result, due to potential disadvantages of direct plasma type processes, many of the techniques described herein rely on remote plasma techniques, particularly remote plasma ALD techniques. In remote plasma techniques, generally, a plasma is formed indirectly in a chamber different from the chamber housing the substrate. The plasma is then transferred to the chamber housing the substrate. This remote plasma process is described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 5. In various embodiments, the plasma is formed using a frequency ranging from about 2.45 MHz to about 13.56 MHz and a power ranging from about 2 kW to about 6 kW. In some embodiments, the chamber pressure is less than about 2 Torr (such as less than about 1.5 Torr). As known to those skilled in the art, low pressures are often associated with high deposition rates. However, under the proper conditions and with appropriate precautions, the inventive subject matter of the present disclosure is also applicable to the above direct plasma techniques.

[0029] Generally, as briefly discussed above, state-of-the-art semiconductor devices such as memory and logic integration require uniform deposition of spacer films formed on different materials including, for example, silicon, metal, and dielectric materials. However, due to differences in material properties, spacer films deposited by techniques such as ALD and CVD often exhibit different nucleation reactions between, for example, metal and dielectric surfaces. Different nucleation reactions result in different deposition thicknesses. Various embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter address this particular problem.

[0030] In various embodiments described herein, the deposition of silicon nitride (more generally, Si x N y The deposition of the SiC x O y The subsequent nucleation and growth of silicon oxycarbide (more generally, SiC x O y ) layers. x N y The layer may be deposited in situ, for example, using a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) process. x O y This occurs in the same chamber immediately prior to the remote plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of Si on the metal and dielectric surfaces, which appears to be uniform and non-selective. x N y The coating is not a metal surface but a Si x N y SiC x O y Otherwise, SiC x O y will undergo nucleation retardation, resulting in a uniform thickness of SiC over the feature, regardless of the material (e.g., metal or dielectric) present. x O y Si is deposited. x N yThe PEALD process for depositing SiC has been shown to be effective for SiN, polycrystalline silicon, and tungsten metal, for example. After deposition of SiN, the SiC on these materials is x O y The deposit is SiC, regardless of the material underneath the SiN layer. x O y There is substantially little or no difference in thickness.

[0031] Silicon Carbide x O y This technique, which uses ALD of SiN prior to deposition of SiC, has been widely used in the semiconductor and related industries to facilitate the synthesis of SiC to other dielectric and metallic materials (e.g., cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), and ruthenium (Ru)). x O y ALD Si x N y serves as a growth initiation layer.

[0032] For example, referring now to FIG. 3, in accordance with various embodiments described herein, a silicon oxycarbide (e.g., SiC x O y ), the thickness of the silicon oxycarbide deposited on the metal material 303, and the thickness of the silicon oxycarbide deposited on the semiconductor material 305. x N y 3 shows a cross-sectional semiconductor structure 300 having a SiN starting layer 313. In certain illustrative embodiments, the SiN starting layer 313 may be a conformally deposited ALD layer. In this example, the dielectric material 301 may be silicon nitride (SiN), the metallic material 303 may be tungsten (W), and the semiconductor material 305 may be polysilicon.

[0033] In various embodiments, the dielectric material 301 may be, for example, silicon dioxide (SiO2), silicon nitride (Si x N y), or various other dielectric materials or ceramics (tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), hafnium oxide (HfO2), zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), lanthanum oxide (La x O y ), strontium titanate (SrTiO3), strontium oxide (SrO), or combinations thereof, or other dielectric materials.

[0034] In various embodiments, the metallic material 303 may include various metals, such as tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), platinum (Pt), and other elemental metals and alloys thereof known and used in the art, In various embodiments, the semiconductor material 305 may include silicon (including polycrystalline silicon), germanium, and other elemental and compound semiconductor materials known and used in the art.

[0035] Referring again to FIG. 3, in general, the cross-sectional semiconductor structure 300 may comprise flat features (oriented either vertically or horizontally relative to the surface of the underlying substrate), or may comprise concave or convex features. The methods described herein are particularly advantageous for structures having concave features, as they allow for conformal and uniform deposition of silicon carbide, even when deposition of thin layers is required. The inventive subject matter of the present disclosure can be used to deposit silicon carbide layers having a variety of thicknesses (e.g., from about 20 Å to about 400 Å), and is particularly advantageous for depositing thin (e.g., having a thickness of from about 20 Å to about 100 Å) silicon carbide layers.

[0036] The semiconductor structure 300 includes a first silicon oxycarbide layer 307 having a first thickness t1 formed on a dielectric material 301, a second silicon oxycarbide layer 309 having a second thickness t2 formed on a metal material 303, and a third silicon oxycarbide layer 311 having a third thickness t3 formed on a semiconductor material 305. The third thickness t3 of the third silicon oxycarbide layer 311 is approximately the same thickness as the first thickness t1 of the first silicon oxycarbide layer 307. The second thickness t2 of the second silicon oxycarbide layer 307 is also approximately the same thickness as either the first thickness t1 or the third thickness t3. In tests applying the techniques of the inventive subject matter of the present disclosure, the difference in thickness between the first thickness t1, the second thickness t2, and the third thickness t3 was not measurable. Thus, the difference in thickness of the deposited silicon oxycarbide layer was well within the range of about 2 nm (i.e., less than about 2 nm).

[0037] However, even though the subject matter of the present disclosure is defined with reference to semiconductor structure 300, those of skill in the art will recognize upon reading and understanding the subject matter of the present disclosure that the subject matter of the present disclosure may apply to any vertical (e.g., vertically oriented relative to structures that are substantially perpendicular to an underlying substrate, not shown), or horizontal (e.g., horizontally oriented relative to structures that are substantially parallel to a substrate), or to structures of any other orientation relative to a substrate.

[0038] Referring now to FIG. 4, Si on various types of materials x N y An exemplary process flow 400 for preparing to form an initiation layer is shown. In operation 401, a substrate having an exposed layer of at least one metal material and at least one dielectric material is transferred to a deposition chamber. A substantially uniform SiC layer is deposited on a variety of dielectric and metal materials (and other materials, e.g., semiconductor materials). x O y In operation 403, for example, PEALD Si is deposited on various dielectric and metal materials to enable deposition of x N yAs mentioned above, an initiation layer in the form of Si x N y The method is to deposit the ions on dielectric, metallic, and semiconducting materials at least to the metrological detection limit (e.g., Si on metal). x N y For Si formed on dielectric x N y In operation 405, the Si x N y SiC on top of the layer x O y The layer is subsequently deposited or formed.

[0039] Therefore, the SiC on different materials that may be present in the feature x O y To prevent the delay in nucleation of the growth, first Si x N y In an embodiment, a thin layer of Si x N y Continued SiC x O y It may be deposited in the same chamber as the deposition (e.g., direct plasma). x N y Continued SiC x O y It may be deposited in a different chamber than the deposition (e.g., remote plasma). In various embodiments, Si x N y may be deposited or formed to a thickness of, for example, about 20 nm to about 200 nm, although these thicknesses are merely examples and thicknesses from less than about 20 nm to more than about 200 nm may also be subject to a given process.

[0040] Silicon Carbide x O y Si as the starting layer for the deposition process x N y The use of a SiC starting layer has advantages over prior art processes that rely on using, for example, a SiO starting layer, as described above with reference to FIG. x N yBy using a Si2 starting layer process, there is no oxidation of the underlying metal being deposited, as occurs with the SiO2 starting layer process. This absence of oxidation is an advantage, since oxidation of the metal can increase the resistance of the metal material (e.g., metal lines or vias). Higher resistance can cause, for example, slower switching speeds of electronic devices. The underlying metal material may form nitrides on the metal surface, but the resistance of metal nitrides is generally lower than that of metal oxides. Thus, the impact on device speed will not be as severe as the impact of forming oxides on metal surfaces. Instead of etching and wet cleaning steps to finish the surfaces of the metal and dielectric materials, the use of a Si2 starting layer process can be used to fabricate the dielectric layers. x N y Another advantage of using Si is the time savings due to the reduced number of process steps, which in turn reduces manufacturing costs. x N y The initiation layer is generally stronger than the SiO2 initiation layer. Overall, the SiC x O y Si deposition process x N y Using as a starting layer results in a better post-deposition profile, as explained above with reference to FIG. 3, and further results in higher device yields of semiconductor devices. Remote Plasma Equipment

[0041] As mentioned above, in various embodiments, the inventive subject matter of the present disclosure may use a remote plasma apparatus. As described in more detail below, the remote plasma apparatus includes a process chamber, a substrate support for holding a substrate within the process chamber, a remote plasma source above the substrate support, a showerhead between the remote plasma source and the substrate support, one or more movable members within the process chamber, and a controller. The one or more movable members may be configured to move the substrate to a position between the showerhead and the substrate support. The controller may be configured to perform one or more operations including transferring the substrate to the process chamber, transferring the substrate to the substrate support, and remote plasma generation of a gas.

[0042] 5 shows an example of a cross-sectional schematic view of a remote plasma apparatus 500 including a processing chamber, according to various exemplary embodiments. The remote plasma apparatus 500 includes a processing chamber 520 having a substrate support 513 (such as a pedestal or electrostatic chuck (ESC)) for supporting a substrate 509. In various embodiments, the substrate may be a silicon wafer. The remote plasma apparatus 500 also includes a remote plasma source 510 above the processing chamber 520, and a showerhead 517 located between the substrate 509 and the remote plasma source 510.

[0043] The gas species 519 can flow from the remote plasma source 510 through a showerhead 517 to the substrate 509. A remote plasma may be generated in the remote plasma source 510 to generate radicals of a selected type of gas species 519. The remote plasma may generate ions and other charged species of the gas species 519. The remote plasma may also generate photons (such as ultraviolet light) from the gas species 519. For example, a coil 503 may surround the walls of the remote plasma source 510 to generate a remote plasma in the remote plasma source 510.

[0044] In some embodiments, the coil 503 may be in electrical communication with a radio frequency (RF) or microwave power source (not shown). A commercial example of a remote plasma source 510 with an RF power source is the GAMMA® Remote Plasma Generator product family manufactured by Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, California, USA. Another example of an RF remote plasma source is the Astron® Remote Plasma Generator manufactured by MKS Instruments, Wilmington, Massachusetts, USA. It can operate at 440 kHz and can be provided as a sub-unit, boltable or mountable to a larger apparatus for processing one or more substrates simultaneously. In some embodiments, a microwave plasma source can be used with a remote plasma source 540, such as found in the Astex® microwave plasma source, also manufactured by MKS Instruments. The microwave plasma source can be configured to operate at a frequency of, for example, 2.45 GHz.

[0045] Any type of plasma source may be used in the remote plasma source 510 to generate the radical species. These plasma types include, for example, capacitively coupled plasma, microwave plasma, DC plasma, inductively coupled plasma, and laser-produced plasma. An example of a capacitively coupled plasma may be a radio frequency (RF) plasma.

[0046] In embodiments using an RF power source, the RF generator may be operated at any suitable power to form a plasma of radical species of a desired composition. Examples of suitable powers include, but are not limited to, about 0.5 kW to about 6 kW of power. Similarly, the RF generator may provide RF power of a suitable frequency, such as 13.56 MHz, to the inductively coupled plasma.

[0047] Gaseous species 519 may be supplied to the interior volume of the remote plasma source 510 through a gas inlet 501. Power supplied to the coil 503 may generate a remote plasma with the gaseous species 519 to form radicals of the gaseous species 519. The radicals formed in the remote plasma source 510 may be delivered in the gas phase to the substrate 509 through a showerhead 517.

[0048] 5, the remote plasma device 500 may actively cool or control the temperature of the substrate 509. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to control the temperature of the substrate 509 to control reaction rates and uniformity of exposure to the remote plasma during processing.

[0049] In various embodiments, the remote plasma device 500 can include a movable member 511 (such as a lift pin) that can move the substrate 509 away from or toward the substrate support 513. The movable member 511 can be configured to extend from the substrate support 513, for example, from about 0 mm to about 125 mm or more. In an exemplary embodiment, the movable member 511 can extend the substrate 509 away from the hot substrate support 513 and toward the cold showerhead 517 to cool the substrate 509. The movable member 511 can also retract to move the substrate 509 away from the cold showerhead 517 and toward the hot substrate support 513 to heat the substrate 509. By positioning the substrate 509 with the movable member 511, the temperature of the substrate 509 can be adjusted. In some embodiments, the showerhead 517 and the substrate support 513 can be held at a constant temperature when positioning the substrate 509.

[0050] In some embodiments, the remote plasma device 500 can include a type of showerhead that includes temperature control of the showerhead 517. For example, a heat exchange fluid, such as deionized water or a heat transfer liquid, can be used to enable active cooling of the showerhead 517. One such heat transfer liquid is manufactured by The Dow Chemical Company of Midland, Michigan, USA. In some embodiments, the heat exchange fluid can flow through a flow passage (not shown) in the showerhead 517. The showerhead 517 can also use a heat exchange system (not shown), such as a fluid heater / chiller unit (well known in the art), for temperature control. In some embodiments, the temperature of the showerhead 517 can be controlled to less than about 30° C. (e.g., from about 5° C. to about 20° C.). The showerhead 517 can be cooled to reduce the temperature of the substrate 509, such as before and after processing of the substrate 509.

[0051] In some embodiments, the remote plasma device 500 may include one or more gas inlets 505 to flow a cooling gas 507 through the process chamber 520. The one or more gas inlets 505 may be located above, below, and / or to the side of the substrate 509. Some of the one or more gas inlets 505 may be configured to flow the cooling gas 507 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 509. In some embodiments, at least one of the gas inlets 505 may supply the cooling gas 507 to the substrate 509 through a showerhead 517. The flow rate of the cooling gas 507 to cool the substrate 509 may be from about 0.1 standard liters per minute (slpm) to about 100 slpm.

[0052] The controller 515 (described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 6) may contain instructions for controlling parameters for operation of the remote plasma apparatus 500. In various embodiments, the controller 515 will typically include one or more memory devices and one or more processors. The processor may include a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor or computer, analog and / or digital input / output connections, a stepper motor controller board, and other connections and peripherals known in the art.

[0053] The controller 515 may include instructions for controlling process conditions and operations (e.g., process recipes) according to various embodiments of the disclosed inventive subject matter for the remote plasma apparatus 500. In some embodiments, the controller 515 controls all operations of the processing tool (not shown). As described below with reference to FIG. 6, the controller 515 may execute system control software stored on a mass storage device, loaded into a memory device, and executed on a processor. The system control software may include instructions for controlling the timing, mixture of gases, chamber and / or station pressure, chamber and / or station temperature, purge conditions and timing, substrate temperature, RF power levels, and RF frequency. The system control software may control the position of the substrate, pedestal, chuck, and / or susceptor, as well as other parameters of the particular process performed by the processing tool. The system control software may be configured in any suitable manner. For example, subroutines or control objects for various processing tool parts may be written to control the operation of the processing tool parts necessary to perform the processes of the various processing tools according to the methods of the present disclosure. The system control software may be coded in any suitable computer-readable programming language. A machine equipped with instructions to perform various operations

[0054] 6 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine 600 according to some embodiments that can read instructions from a machine-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable medium, a machine-readable storage medium, a computer-readable storage medium, or any suitable combination thereof) and perform any one or more of the methods described herein. In particular, FIG. 6 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of the machine 600 of an example form of a computer system within which instructions 624 (e.g., software, programs, applications, applets, apps, or other executable code) may be executed to cause the machine 600 to perform any one or more of the methods (e.g., process recipes) described herein.

[0055] In another embodiment, the machine 600 may operate as a stand-alone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked arrangement, the machine 600 may operate as a server machine or a client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine 600 may be a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a smart phone, a web appliance, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions 624 that sequentially or otherwise specify operations to be performed by the machine. Additionally, although only one machine is depicted, the term "machine" may also be construed to include a group of machines that individually or cooperatively execute instructions 624 to implement any one or more of the methods described herein.

[0056] The machine 600 comprises a processor 602 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), or any suitable combination thereof), a main memory 604, and a static memory 606, which are configured to communicate with each other via a bus 608. The processor 602 may include microcircuitry that is temporarily or permanently configurable by some or all of the instructions 624 such that it is configurable to perform, in whole or in part, any one or more of the methods described herein. For example, a set of one or more microcircuits of the processor 602 may be configurable to execute one or more modules (e.g., software modules) described herein.

[0057] The machine 600 may further include a visual display device 610 (e.g., a plasma display (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The machine 600 may also include an alphanumeric input device 612 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 614 (e.g., a mouse, a touch pad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointing device), a memory device 616, a signal generator 618 (e.g., a speaker), and a network interface device 620.

[0058] The storage device 616 comprises a machine-readable medium 622 (e.g., a tangible and / or non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) having stored thereon instructions 624 for employing one or more of the methods or functions described herein. The instructions 624 may reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 604, within the processor 602 (e.g., within a processor's cache memory), or both during execution thereof by the machine 600. Thus, the main memory 604 and the processor 602 may be considered machine-readable media (e.g., a tangible and / or non-transitory machine-readable medium). The instructions 624 may be transmitted or received over a network 626 using a network interface device 620. For example, the network interface device 620 may communicate the instructions 624 using any one or more transfer protocols (e.g., Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)).

[0059] In some embodiments, the machine 600 may be a portable computing device such as a smartphone or tablet computer and may have one or more additional inputs (e.g., sensors or gauges). Examples of such additional inputs include image inputs (e.g., one or more cameras), audio inputs (e.g., microphones), directional inputs (e.g., compasses), position inputs (e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers), orientation determinations (e.g., gyroscopes), motion detection (e.g., one or more accelerometers), altitude detection (e.g., altimeters), and gas detection (e.g., gas sensors). Input obtained by one or more of these inputs may be available and available for use by the modules described herein.

[0060] The term "memory" as used herein means a machine-readable medium capable of storing data temporarily or permanently, and may be construed to include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), buffer memory, flash memory, and cache memory. Although the machine-readable medium 622 is shown as one medium in the embodiment, the term "machine-readable medium" should be construed to include one medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, or associated caches and servers) capable of storing instructions. The term "machine-readable medium" will also be construed to include any medium, or combination of multiple media, capable of storing instructions for execution by a machine, such that when the instructions are executed by one or more processors (e.g., processor 602) of a machine (e.g., machine 600), the machine performs one or more methods described herein. Thus, "machine-readable medium" refers not only to one storage device or device, but also to a "cloud-based" storage system or storage network including multiple storage devices or devices. The term "machine-readable medium" shall accordingly be interpreted to include, but not be limited to, one or more tangible (e.g., non-transitory) data repositories in the form of solid-state storage, optical media, magnetic media, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0061] Additionally, machine-readable media are non-transitory in that they do not embody a propagated signal. However, classifying tangible machine-readable media as "non-transitory" should not be construed as meaning that the media is non-transitory, but rather that the media is considered to be capable of being moved from one physical location to another. Also, because machine-readable media is tangible, it may be considered a machine-readable device.

[0062] The instructions 624 may further be transmitted or received over a network 626 (e.g., a communications network) using a transmission medium via the network interface device 620 and using one of several well-known transfer protocols (e.g., HTTP). Examples of communications networks include local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), the Internet, mobile telephone networks, POTS networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., WiFi and WiMAX networks). The term "transmission medium" shall be taken to include intangible media capable of storing, encoding, or transmitting instructions for execution by a machine, including digital or analog communications signals, or other intangible media for facilitating communication of the software.

[0063] Generally, the disclosed subject matter contained herein generally describes or relates to the deposition or formation of uniform thickness silicon carbide layers in various forms as described above. However, the disclosed subject matter is not limited to semiconductor manufacturing environments and may be used in a number of other environments. Those skilled in the art will recognize, upon reading and comprehending the disclosure set forth herein, that various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter may be used with other types of processing tools, as well as a wide variety of other tools, devices, and components.

[0064] The term "or" as used herein may be interpreted in an inclusive or exclusive sense. Still other embodiments will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and comprehending the disclosure set forth herein. Moreover, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate upon reading and comprehending the disclosure set forth herein that all of the various combinations of the techniques and examples described herein may be applied in a variety of configurations.

[0065] Although various embodiments are described separately, these individual embodiments are not intended to be considered as independent techniques or designs. As noted above, the various parts are each interrelated and may be used separately or in combination with other embodiments described herein. For example, while various embodiments of methods, operations, and processes have been described, these methods, operations, and processes may be used either separately or in various combinations.

[0066] Thus, many modifications and variations are possible, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the disclosure set forth herein. Furthermore, methods and apparatuses that are functionally equivalent within the scope of the present disclosure, in addition to those listed herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the above description. Portions and features of some embodiments, materials, and construction techniques may be included in or substituted for others. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the present disclosure will be limited only by the terms of the appended claims and the equivalents to which the claims are entitled. It will also be understood that the terms used herein are used only for the purpose of describing particular embodiments, and are not intended to be limiting.

[0067] The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. The Abstract is presented with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope of the claims. It will also be appreciated that in the Detailed Description above, various features may be grouped together in one embodiment in order to simplify the disclosure. This method of disclosure should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment. The following numbered examples are specific embodiments of the inventive subject matter of this disclosure.

[0068] Example 1: In an exemplary embodiment, the inventive subject matter of the present disclosure is a method for producing a substantially uniform silicon carbide layer on both at least one dielectric material and at least one metallic material substantially simultaneously. The method includes: x N y A silicon nitride layer having a shape of a SiC x O y forming a silicon carbide layer having a shape

[0069] Example 2: The method of example 1, wherein the formed silicon nitride layer substantially prevents retardation of nucleation and growth of a silicon carbide layer on the at least one metallic material relative to nucleation and growth of a silicon carbide layer on the at least one dielectric material.

[0070] Example 3: The method of any one of the previous examples, wherein the silicon carbide layer further comprises hydrogen.

[0071] Example 4: The method of any one of the preceding examples, further comprising forming a silicon nitride layer over the semiconductor material.

[0072] Example 5: The method of any one of the preceding examples, wherein the at least one metallic material comprises at least one material selected from materials including tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), platinum (Pt), and ruthenium (Ru).

[0073] Example 6: The method of any one of the preceding examples, wherein the at least one dielectric material is selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide (SiO2), silicon nitride (Si x N y ), tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), hafnium oxide (HfO2), zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), lanthanum oxide (La x O y), strontium titanate (SrTiO3), and strontium oxide (SrO).

[0074] Example 7: The method of any one of the preceding examples, further comprising: x O y The silicon carbide layer in the form of is a silicon oxycarbide layer.

[0075] Example 8: In an exemplary embodiment, the presently disclosed subject matter describes a method for forming a silicon carbide layer. The method includes substantially simultaneously depositing a silicon carbide layer on at least a dielectric material and a metal material. x N y forming a silicon nitride starting layer in the form of a SiC. The silicon nitride starting layer serves as a growth starting layer. x O y A silicon carbide layer in the form of is formed on the silicon nitride starting layer. The formed silicon nitride starting layer substantially prevents retardation of nucleation and growth of a silicon carbide layer on a metallic material relative to nucleation and growth of a silicon carbide layer on a dielectric material.

[0076] Example 9 The method of Example 8 further comprises forming a silicon nitride starting layer over the semiconductor material substantially simultaneously with forming the silicon nitride starting layer over at least the dielectric material and the metal material.

[0077] Example 10: The method of any one of the preceding examples 8 and following examples, wherein the silicon carbide layer comprises at least one of doped silicon carbide and undoped silicon carbide.

[0078] Example 11: The method of any one of Examples 8 and following, wherein a difference in thickness between the silicon carbide layer formed on the dielectric material and the silicon carbide layer formed on the metal material is less than about 2 nm.

[0079] Example 12: The method of any one of the preceding examples, including Example 8, further comprising forming a silicon nitride starting layer substantially simultaneously over the combination of the different dielectric materials and the different metallic materials.

[0080] Example 13: The method of any one of the preceding examples 8 and following examples, wherein the silicon carbide layer further comprises hydrogen.

[0081] Example 14: In an exemplary embodiment, the disclosed subject matter describes a method for forming a silicon carbide layer. The method includes forming a layer of at least one metal material and at least one dielectric material on a substrate in a deposition chamber, depositing a silicon carbide layer as a starting layer on the at least one metal material and the at least one dielectric material on the substrate. x N y forming a silicon nitride layer in the form of a silicon nitride layer, and subsequently forming at least one layer on the silicon nitride layer, the at least one layer being Si x C y Silicon carbide in the form of Si x C y N z Silicon carbonitride in the form of SiC x N y O z Silicon oxycarbonitride in the form of, and Si x C y O z The material includes a material selected from materials including silicon oxycarbide in the form

[0082] Example 15: The method of Example 14, further comprising the steps of: x N y In direct plasma operation, the following SiC x O y It is formed in the same chamber as the deposition.

[0083] Example 16: The method of any one of the following examples, including Example 14, further comprising: x N y In remote plasma operation, the following SiC x O y The deposition is performed in a different chamber.

[0084] Example 17: The method of any one of the following examples, including Example 14, further comprising: x N y is formed to have a thickness of about 20 nm to about 200 nm.

[0085] Example 18: The method of any one of the following examples, including Example 14, further comprising: x N y is formed to have a thickness of less than about 20 nm.

[0086] Example 19: The method of any one of the following examples, including Example 14, further comprising: x N y is formed to have a thickness greater than about 200 nm.

[0087] Example 20: The method of any one of the preceding Examples 14 and following Examples, wherein the silicon carbide, silicon carbonitride, silicon oxycarbonitride, and silicon oxycarbide can include doped and / or undoped forms of the listed silicon-based compounds.

Claims

1. 1. A method for producing a substantially uniform layer of silicon carbide on both at least one dielectric material and at least one metallic material substantially simultaneously, comprising: On the at least one dielectric material and the at least one metallic material, Si x N y forming a silicon nitride layer having a shape of On the silicon nitride layer, SiC x O y forming a silicon carbide layer in the form of A method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the formed silicon nitride layer substantially prevents retardation of nucleation and growth of the silicon carbide layer on the at least one metallic material relative to nucleation and growth of the silicon carbide layer on the at least one dielectric material.

3. 2. The method of claim 1 , The method of claim 1, wherein the silicon carbide layer further comprises hydrogen.

4. 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising: forming said silicon nitride layer over a semiconductor material.

5. 2. The method of claim 1 , The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one metallic material comprises at least one material selected from materials including tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), platinum (Pt), and ruthenium (Ru).

6. 2. The method of claim 1 , The at least one dielectric material is silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), silicon nitride (Si x N y ), tantalum pentoxide (Ta 2 O 5 ), aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), hafnium oxide (HfO 2 ), zirconium dioxide (ZrO 2 ), lanthanum oxide (La x O y ), strontium titanate (SrTiO 3 ), and at least one material selected from materials including strontium oxide (SrO).

7. 2. The method of claim 1 , SiC x O y wherein said silicon carbide layer in the form of is a silicon oxycarbide layer.

8. 1. A method for forming a silicon carbide layer, comprising: At least the dielectric material and the metal material are substantially simultaneously deposited with Si x N y forming a silicon nitride starting layer having a shape of On the silicon nitride starting layer, SiC x O y wherein the formed silicon nitride initiation layer substantially prevents retardation of nucleation and growth of the silicon carbide layer on the metal material relative to nucleation and growth of the silicon carbide layer on the dielectric material; A method comprising:

9. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising forming a silicon nitride starting layer over a semiconductor material substantially simultaneously with said forming said silicon nitride starting layer over at least said dielectric material and said metal material.

10. 9. The method of claim 8, The method of claim 1, wherein the silicon carbide layer comprises at least one of doped and undoped silicon carbide.

11. 9. The method of claim 8, A method wherein a differential thickness between the silicon carbide layer formed on the dielectric material and the silicon carbide layer formed on the metallic material is less than about 2 nm.

12. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: forming said silicon nitride starting layer substantially simultaneously over a combination of different dielectric materials and different metallic materials.

13. 9. The method of claim 8, The method of claim 1, wherein the silicon carbide layer further comprises hydrogen.

14. 1. A method for forming a silicon carbide layer, comprising: forming a layer of at least one metallic material and at least one dielectric material on a substrate in a deposition chamber; On the at least one metal material and the at least one dielectric material on the substrate, a starting layer of Si x N y forming a silicon nitride in the form of Then, forming at least one layer on the silicon nitride, the at least one layer being Si. x C y Silicon carbide in the form of Si x C y N z Silicon carbonitride in the form of SiC x N y O z and silicon oxycarbonitride in the form of Si x C y O z The method includes the step of:

15. 15. The method of claim 14, The Si x N y In direct plasma operation, the SiC x O y The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are formed in the same chamber as the deposition of the first and second electrodes.

16. 15. The method of claim 14, The Si x N y In the remote plasma operation, the SiC x O y The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second layers are formed in a chamber different from the deposition of the first and second layers.

17. 15. The method of claim 14, The Si x N y is formed to have a thickness of about 20 nm to about 200 nm.

18. 15. The method of claim 14, The Si x N y is formed to have a thickness of less than about 20 nm.

19. 15. The method of claim 14, The Si x N y is formed to have a thickness greater than about 200 nm.

20. 15. The method of claim 14, The method, wherein the silicon carbide, the silicon carbonitride, the silicon oxycarbonitride, and the silicon oxycarbide may include doped and / or undoped forms of the enumerated silicon-based compounds.

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