System and method for depositing low dielectric constant films

Abstract

This provides a method for manufacturing a low dielectric constant film that does not require UV treatment. [Solution] A method for forming a silicon-carbon material may include flowing a silicon-oxygen-carbon precursor into a processing area of ​​a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be housed within the processing area of ​​the semiconductor processing chamber. The method may include forming a plasma within the processing area of ​​the silicon-carbon-containing precursor. The plasma may be formed at a frequency of less than 15 MHz (e.g., 13.56 MHz). The method may include depositing the silicon-carbon material onto the substrate. The silicon-carbon material may be characterized by a dielectric constant of 3.5 or less and a hardness greater than about 3 GPa at the time of deposition.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Cross-reference of related applications

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 914,960, filed on 29 June 2020, titled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DEPOSITING LOW-K DIELECTRIC FILMS," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] Technical field

[0002] This technology relates to a deposition process and a chamber. More specifically, this technology relates to a method for producing low-k films that do not require UV treatment.

[0003] Background technology

[0003] Integrated circuits are fabricated by a process that creates layers of material with complex patterns on the surface of a substrate. To fabricate patterned material on a substrate, a method is needed to control the formation and removal of the material. The properties of the material can affect the operation of the device and can also affect how the films are removed from one another. Plasma deposition can be used to fabricate films with specific properties. To achieve the desired properties, many films that are formed require additional processes to adjust or enhance the material properties of the film.

[0004]

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for improved systems and methods that can be used to manufacture high-quality devices and structures. Such needs and other needs are addressed by this technology. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0005]

[0005] An exemplary method for forming a material containing silicon, oxygen, and carbon may include flowing a silicon, oxygen, and carbon precursor into a processing area of ​​a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be housed within the processing area of ​​the semiconductor processing chamber. The method may include forming a plasma within the processing area of ​​the silicon, oxygen, and carbon precursor. The plasma can be formed at a frequency below 15 MHz (e.g., 13.56 MHz). The method may include depositing the silicon, oxygen, and carbon material onto a substrate. The silicon, oxygen, and carbon material may, as-deposited, be characterized by a dielectric constant in the range of 3.0 to 3.3 and a hardness in the range of 3.5 GPa to 6.0 GPa.

[0006]

[0006] In some embodiments, the silicon-oxygen-carbon precursor may contain oxygen. The silicon-carbon precursor may be characterized in that the ratio of carbon to silicon is greater than 1. The plasma can be formed at a frequency below 15 MHz. The silicon-oxygen-carbon material may be characterized in that, at the time of deposition, the dielectric constant is less than 3.5 (e.g., 3.0 to 3.3). The silicon-carbon material may be characterized in that, at the time of deposition, the hardness is about 3.5 GPa or greater. The silicon-carbon material may be characterized in that, at the time of deposition, the Young's modulus is about 5 GPa or greater. The silicon-carbon material may be characterized in that, at the time of deposition, the methyl incorporation is about 3% or less (e.g., 1.5% to 2.25%). The silicon-carbon material may be characterized in that, at the time of deposition, the ratio of Si-C-Si bonds to total silicon bonds is in the range of 0.15% to 0.3%.

[0007]

[0007] Some embodiments of the present technology may encompass a method for forming a material containing silicon and carbon. The method may include providing a deposition precursor to a processing area of ​​a semiconductor processing chamber, where the substrate is housed within the processing area of ​​the semiconductor processing chamber, and the deposition precursor is characterized by formula 1: TIFF2026108687000002.tif32170[In the formula, R 1 It may include C1-C6 alkyl groups, such as -CH3, -CH2CH3, -CH2CH2CH3, -CH2CH2CH2CH3, -CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3, or CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3. R 2 It may contain C1-C6 alkyl groups, for example -CH3, -CH2CH3, -CH2CH2CH3, -CH2CH2CH2CH3, -CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3, or -CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3. R 3 -OCH3, -CH3, -H, -(CH2) n CH3, -O(CH2) n It can include CH3, -CH=CH2, -CH2-CH2-(CH2CH3)2, or -CH2-CH(CH3)2. R 4 -OCH3, -CH3, -H, -(CH2) n CH3, -O(CH2) n [Contains CH3, -CH=CH2, -CH2-CH2-(CH2CH3)2, or -CH2-CH(CH3)2].

[0008] This method may include forming a plasma within a processing region of the deposition precursor. The plasma may be formed at a frequency below 15 MHz. This method may include depositing a silicon-carbon material on a substrate. The silicon-carbon material may, at the time of deposition, be characterized by a dielectric constant below 3.5 and a hardness in the range of 3.5 GPa to 6.0 GPa.

[0009]

[0008] In some embodiments, the deposition precursor may be characterized by a carbon-to-silicon ratio of about 3 or greater. The deposition precursor may be characterized by an oxygen-to-silicon ratio of about 1.5 or greater. The silicon-carbon material may be characterized by a dielectric constant of about 3.5 or less at the time of deposition. The silicon-carbon material may be characterized by a hardness of about 3 GPa or greater at the time of deposition. The silicon-carbon material may be characterized by a Young's modulus of about 5 GPa or greater at the time of deposition. The silicon-carbon material may be characterized by a methyl incorporation of about 3% or less at the time of deposition. The silicon-carbon material may be characterized by a Si-C-Si bond ratio to total silicon bonds in the range of 0.15% to 0.3% at the time of deposition.

[0010]

[0009] Some embodiments of the present technology may encompass a method for forming a material containing silicon and carbon. The method may include flowing a precursor containing silicon, carbon, and oxygen into a processing area of ​​a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be housed within the processing area of ​​the semiconductor processing chamber. The method may include forming a plasma within the processing area of ​​the precursor containing silicon, carbon, and oxygen. The plasma may be formed at a frequency below 15 MHz. The method may include depositing a material containing silicon and carbon onto a substrate. The material containing silicon and carbon may be characterized by a dielectric constant below 3.5 at the time of deposition.

[0011]

[0010] In some embodiments, materials containing silicon and carbon are characterized by a hardness of about 3 GPa or greater at the time of deposition. Materials containing silicon and carbon may be characterized by a Young's modulus of about 5 GPa or greater at the time of deposition. Materials containing silicon and carbon may be characterized by methyl incorporation of about 3% or less at the time of deposition. Materials containing silicon and carbon may be characterized by a Si-C-Si bond ratio to total silicon bonds being in the range of 0.15% to 0.3% at the time of deposition.

[0012]

[0011] Such technologies can offer many advantages compared to conventional systems and technologies. For example, by utilizing higher frequency power, deposition characteristics can be improved. Furthermore, by reducing low dielectric constant formation to a single-chamber process, manufacturing costs, ownership costs, and manufacturing waiting times can be reduced. These embodiments and other embodiments, along with their many advantages and features, will be described in more detail in conjunction with the following description and accompanying drawings.

[0013]

[0012] The nature and advantages of the disclosed technology can be further understood by referring to the remainder of this specification and the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a top view of an exemplary processing system according to several embodiments of this technology. [Figure 2] This is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an exemplary plasma system according to several embodiments of this technology. [Figure 3] This document illustrates exemplary methods of semiconductor processing according to several embodiments of this technology.

[0015]

[0016] Some of the drawings are included as schematic diagrams. Please understand that the drawings are for illustrative purposes only, and unless a scale is specifically indicated, you do not need to consider the scale. Furthermore, schematic diagrams are provided to aid understanding and may not include all aspects or information compared to realistic representations, and may contain exaggerated material for illustrative purposes.

[0016]

[0017] In the accompanying drawings, similar components and / or features may be assigned the same reference numerals. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference numeral with a letter to distinguish the similar components. When only the first reference numeral is used herein, the description thereof may apply to any of the similar components denoted by the same first reference numeral, regardless of the letter.

[0017] Detailed Description of the Invention

[0018] In a semiconductor process of the wiring process (back-end-of-line), structures can be fabricated (e.g., dual-damascene structures) to facilitate metallization. These structures can be fabricated in several processing steps using masking and low dielectric constant films, and these masking and low dielectric constant films can be processed and removed. This removal can be performed by a chemical-mechanical process, which includes physically wearing away a certain amount of material for removal. The low dielectric constant film can be characterized by a relatively low hardness and tensile modulus, which can limit the efficiency during polishing. This is because when the shear stress during polishing is high, cracks may occur in the low dielectric constant film, leading to device defects. To improve the hardness while maintaining a relatively low dielectric constant value, many prior arts have been forced to incorporate additional processing steps such as UV curing to improve the hardness of the film. These additional processes may significantly reduce the throughput and often require additional processing chambers for the tool.

[0018]

[0019] This technology can solve these problems by providing a low dielectric constant film (characterizable by high hardness) at the time of deposition. By performing deposition at a high temperature using a specific precursor characterized by a specific oxygen-to-carbon ratio, the bond between silicon and oxygen in the film can be strengthened while maintaining the required ratio of the carbon portion, and a decrease in the dielectric constant is maintained. Thereby, while overcoming the natural tendency for the dielectric constant to increase with the elastic modulus and hardness, the number of operations required during the process is also reduced. In particular, according to this technology, post-treatment (for example, ultraviolet exposure, plasma treatment, or other processing operations for post-treatment to improve hardness) may not be utilized after deposition.

[0019]

[0020] The following disclosure conventionally identifies a specific deposition process that utilizes the disclosed technology, but it will be immediately understood that the system and method are equally applicable to other deposition chambers and cleaning chambers, as well as processes that can occur in the described chambers. Therefore, this technology should not be construed narrowly as being for use with these specific deposition processes or deposition chambers alone. This disclosure discusses one possible system and chamber that can be used to perform a deposition process according to an embodiment of the technology, and then describes further details according to an embodiment of the technology.

[0020]

[0021] Figure 1 shows a plan view of one embodiment of the deposition, etching, firing, and curing chamber processing system 100 according to this embodiment. In the drawing, a pair of front-opening uniform pods 102 supply substrates of various sizes, which are received by a robotic arm 104, placed in a low-pressure holding area 106, and then placed in one of the substrate processing chambers 108a-f located in tandem sections 109a-c. A second robotic arm 110 can be used to transport substrate wafers from the holding area 106 to and from the substrate processing chambers 108a-f. Each of the substrate processing chambers 108a-f may be provided for performing a number of substrate processing operations, including plasma chemical deposition, atomic layer deposition, physical deposition, etching, pre-cleaning, degassing, orientation, and other substrate processing (including annealing, ashing, etc.), as well as stack formation of semiconductor materials as described herein.

[0021]

[0022] The substrate processing chambers 108a-f may include one or more system components for depositing, annealing, curing, and / or etching dielectric films or other films on a substrate. In one configuration, two pairs of processing chambers, e.g., 108c-d and 108e-f, may be used to deposit dielectric material on the substrate, and a third pair of processing chambers, e.g., 108a-b, may be used to etch the deposited dielectric. In another configuration, all three pairs of chambers (e.g., 108a-f) may be configured to deposit alternating dielectric film stacks on the substrate. Any one or more of the processes described may be performed in chambers separate from the fabrication system shown in other embodiments. Further configurations of deposition, etching, annealing, and curing chambers for dielectric films will be considered by system 100.

[0022]

[0023] Figure 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary plasma system 200 according to several embodiments of the present technology. The plasma system 200 may include a pair of processing chambers 108 that can be mounted on one or more tandem sections 109 as described above, the tandem sections 109 may have lid-stack components according to embodiments of the present technology (which may be further described below). The plasma system 200 may generally include a chamber body 202 having side walls 212, a bottom 216, and internal side walls 201 defining a pair of processing regions 220A and 220B. The processing regions 220A and 220B may each be similarly configured and may have the same components.

[0023]

[0024] For example, a processing area 220B (the components of which may be included in processing area 220A) may include a pedestal 228 positioned in the processing area through a passage 222 formed in the bottom wall 216 of the plasma system 200. The pedestal 228 may include a heater adapted to support the exposed surface of the pedestal, for example, a substrate 229 located on part of the body. The pedestal 228 may also include a heating element 232, such as a resistance heating element, which can heat and control the substrate temperature to a desired processing temperature. The pedestal 228 may also be heated by a remote heating element, such as a lamp assembly, or by other heating devices.

[0024]

[0025] The body of the pedestal 228 may be coupled to the stem 226 by a flange 223. The stem 226 can electrically couple the pedestal 228 to a power plug or power box 203. The power box 203 may include a drive system that controls the raising and moving of the pedestal 228 within the processing area 220B. The stem 226 may also include a power interface for supplying power to the pedestal 228. The power box 203 may also include interfaces for power and temperature indication, such as a thermocouple interface. The stem 226 may include a base assembly 238 adapted to be detachably coupled to the power box 203. A circumferential ring 235 is shown above the power box 203. In some embodiments, the circumferential ring 235 may be a shoulder adapted as a mechanical stop or land, configured to provide a mechanical interface between the base assembly 238 and the upper surface of the power box 203.

[0025]

[0026] The rod 230 may be provided through a passage 224 formed in the bottom wall 216 of the processing area 220B and can be used to position the substrate lift pins 261 positioned through the body of the pedestal 228. The substrate lift pins 261 allow for selective separation of the substrate 229 from the pedestal, thereby facilitating the replacement of the substrate 229 by a robot used to transport the substrate 229 in and out of the processing area 220B through the substrate transport port 260.

[0026]

[0027] The chamber lid 204 may be coupled to the top of the chamber body 202. The lid 204 can house one or more precursor distribution systems 208 coupled to the lid. The precursor distribution system 208 may include a precursor inlet passage 240 that can deliver reactants and washing precursors to the processing area 220B through a dual-channel showerhead 218. The dual-channel showerhead 218 may include an annular base plate 248 having a blocker plate 244 positioned between it and a faceplate 246. A radio frequency ("RF") source 265 may be coupled to the dual-channel showerhead 218 so as to be able to power the dual-channel showerhead 218 and facilitate the generation of a plasma region between the faceplate 246 and the pedestal 228 of the dual-channel showerhead 218. The dual-channel showerhead 218 and / or faceplate 246 may have one or more openings that allow the precursor to flow from the precursor distribution system 208 to the processing areas 220A and / or 220B. In some embodiments, the openings may include at least one of linear and conical openings. In some embodiments, the RF source may be coupled to other parts of the chamber body 202, such as the pedestal 228, to facilitate plasma generation. A dielectric isolator 258 may be positioned between the lid 204 and the dual-channel showerhead 218 to prevent energization between the RF source and the lid 204. A shadow ring 206 that engages with the pedestal 228 may be positioned around the pedestal 228.

[0027]

[0028] Optionally, cooling channels 247 may be formed in the annular base plate 248 of the precursor distribution system 208 to cool the annular base plate 248 during operation. A heat transfer fluid, such as water, ethylene glycol, or gas, can be circulated through the cooling channels 247 to maintain the base plate 248 at a specified temperature. A linear assembly 227 may be positioned within the processing chamber 220B, close to the side walls 201 and 212 of the chamber body 202, to prevent the side walls 201 and 212 from being exposed to the processing environment within the processing area 220B. The linear assembly 227 may include a circumferential feeding cavity 225, which may be coupled to a feeding system 264 configured to discharge gases and by-products from the processing area 220B and to control the pressure within the processing area 220B. Multiple discharge ports 231 may be formed in the linear assembly 227. The discharge port 231 may be configured to allow gas to flow from the processing area 220B to the circumferential feeding cavity 225 in order to facilitate processing within the system 200.

[0028]

[0029] Figure 3 shows the operation of an exemplary method 300 for semiconductor processing according to several embodiments of the present technology. This method can be performed in various processing chambers, including the processing system 200 described earlier, and in other chambers capable of plasma deposition. Method 300 may include several optional operations, which may or may not be specifically related to some embodiments of the method according to the present technology.

[0029]

[0030] Method 300 may include a PECVD process for forming a silicon, oxygen, and carbon-containing material on a substrate that is low dielectric constant and hard at the time of deposition, without requiring post-deposition treatment (e.g., UV curing) to achieve low dielectric constant and high hardness material properties. The method may include optional operations before the start of Method 300, or it may include further operations after the deposition of the low dielectric constant and high hardness material. As shown in Figure 3, Method 300 may include flowing one or more precursors into a processing chamber in operation 305, thereby delivering one or more precursors to a processing area of ​​the chamber capable of accommodating the substrate, for example, area 220.

[0030]

[0031] In some embodiments, the precursor may be a silicon-oxygen-carbon-containing precursor for producing a silicon-oxygen-carbon-containing material with low dielectric constant and high hardness, or may include such a precursor. The precursor may or may not include the delivery of further precursors, such as a carrier gas and / or oxygen gas. In some embodiments, the deposition precursor may utilize a single deposition precursor containing silicon-oxygen-carbon. A carrier gas, such as an inert precursor, can be delivered together with the deposition precursor, but further precursors that are expected to react with the deposition precursor to produce a deposition product cannot be used. Exemplary carrier gases may include at least one of helium and nitrogen (N2).

[0031]

[0032] The deposited precursor may include precursors having Si-O and Si-C bonds, and may include linear, branched, or cyclic precursors, or may include any number of further precursors. In some embodiments, the precursors can be characterized by a specific ratio of carbon and / or oxygen to silicon. For example, in some embodiments, the ratio of either carbon or oxygen to silicon may be about 1 or greater, about 1.5 or greater, about 2 or greater, about 2.5 or greater, about 3 or greater, about 3.5 or greater, about 4 or greater, or greater. By increasing the amount of carbon or oxygen relative to silicon, further incorporation of the remaining portion or molecules into the film can be increased. This can improve material properties and lower the dielectric constant, which will be discussed further below.

[0032]

[0033] In the description of the above specific embodiments, the deposition precursor containing silicon, oxygen, and carbon was specified as having a central silicon atom, at least one methyl group, and at least one methoxy group bonded to the central silicon atom. Specific examples of these methyl-methoxy-siloxane precursors include DMDMOS, TMMOS, and MTMOS. The present technology contemplates the use of additional deposition precursors that replace or complement the specific precursors listed above. These additional precursors can include at least one silicon atom, at least one silicon-alkyl group bond, and at least one silicon-alkoxy bond. In some examples, for instance when there is one silicon atom, both the alkyl group and the alkoxy group are bonded to the same silicon atom. In a further example, at least one silicon atom has at least one silicon-alkyl group bond, and at least one other silicon atom has at least one silicon-alkoxy group bond. The aforementioned precursors DMDMOS, TMMOS, and MTMOS have a methyl group as the alkyl group and a methoxy group as the alkoxy group. The additional precursors can have an alkyl group, such as an ethyl group, propyl group, butyl group, pentyl group, and / or hexyl group, in addition to or instead of one or more methyl groups. Similarly, the additional precursors can have an alkoxy group, such as an ethoxy group, propoxy group, butoxy group, pentoxy group, and / or hexoxy group, in addition to or instead of one or more methoxy groups. A further embodiment of the exemplary deposition precursor can include a deposition precursor having Formula I: TIFF2026108687000003.tif40170wherein, R 1 can include a C1-C6 alkyl group, such as -CH3, -CH2CH3, -CH2CH2CH3, -CH2CH2CH2CH3, -CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3, or -CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3, R 2It may contain C1-C6 alkyl groups, for example -CH3, -CH2CH3, -CH2CH2CH3, -CH2CH2CH2CH3, -CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3, or -CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3. R 3 -OCH3, -CH3, -H, -(CH2) n CH3, -O(CH2) n It can include CH3, -CH=CH2, -CH2-CH2-(CH2CH3)2, or -CH2-CH(CH3)2, where n is 1 to 5. R 4 -OCH3, -CH3, -H, -(CH2) n CH3, -O(CH2) n The function can include CH3, -CH=CH2, -CH2-CH2-(CH2CH3)2, or -CH2-CH(CH3)2, where n is between 1 and 5.

[0033]

[0034] Embodiments of this method include forming a material from plasma emitters made of one or more deposition precursors described in Formula 1. The formed material may be a silicon- and carbon-containing material, such as carbon-doped silicon oxide. Further examples of silicon-, oxygen- and carbon-containing precursors that can be used to form plasma emitters and deposit silicon-, oxygen- and carbon-containing materials onto a substrate are shown below. These exemplary precursors can be provided as single precursors or in combination with two or more precursors to produce deposition precursors that form plasma emitters: TIFF2026108687000004.tif39170dimethyldimethoxysilane TIFF2026108687000005.tif35170Methyltrimethoxysilane TIFF2026108687000006.tif38170 Trimethylmethoxysilane TIFF2026108687000007.tif35170diethoxymethylsilane TIFF2026108687000008.tif47170 Octamethoxycyclotetrasiloxane TIFF2026108687000009.tif341701,3-dimethyl-1,1,3,3-tetramethoxydisiloxane TIFF2026108687000010.tif39170 Tetramethyl-1,3-dimethoxydisiloxane TIFF2026108687000011.tif40170 Bis(methyldimethoxysilyl)methane TIFF2026108687000012.tif45170 Vinylmethyldimethoxysilane TIFF2026108687000013.tif46170 Isobutylmethyldimethoxysilane TIFF2026108687000014.tif43170 Isobutyltrimethoxysilane TIFF2026108687000015.tif43170 Vinyltrimethoxysilane TIFF2026108687000016.tif27170Propylmethyldimethoxysilane TIFF2026108687000017.tif261701,2-Bis(methyldimethoxysilyl)ethane TIFF2026108687000018.tif471701,3,5,7-Tetramethyl-1,3,5,7-Tetramethoxycyclotetrasiloxane

[0034]

[0035] Although any of the precursors listed above are available, in some embodiments, the precursor can be characterized by a carbon-to-oxygen ratio of about 4:1 or less to facilitate higher hardness values. For example, in some embodiments, the precursor can be characterized by a carbon-to-oxygen ratio of about 3:1 or less, about 2:1 or less, or about 4:3 or less, or smaller. Optionally, additional amounts of oxygen can be flowed with the silicon precursor to further adjust or maintain the oxygen-to-carbon ratio in the formed film. In operation 310, plasma can be generated from the precursor within the processing area by, for example, bringing an RF output to the faceplate to generate plasma within the processing area 220 (other process chambers capable of generating plasma can also be used). The plasma can be generated at any of the frequencies listed above, and can be generated at frequencies below 15 MHz (e.g., 13.56 MHz). Although higher frequencies can also be used, in some embodiments, generating plasma at lower frequencies may facilitate carbon removal during the process, unlike when working at higher plasma frequencies.

[0035]

[0036] As mentioned earlier, plasma effluent can be introduced onto a heated substrate to facilitate the formation of a material with low dielectric constant and high hardness at the time of deposition. Deposition can be carried out at temperatures of approximately 300°C or higher, which can improve carbon emission from the film and also improve the bridging of silicon and oxygen chains within the material network structure. As will be further explained below, in some embodiments carbon may be advantageous for the film, while in other embodiments it may not be very advantageous for the material produced. Therefore, film properties can be improved by increasing the deposition temperature. Accordingly, in some embodiments, deposition can be carried out at substrate temperatures of approximately 350°C or higher, approximately 375°C or higher, approximately 400°C or higher, approximately 425°C or higher, approximately 450°C or higher, approximately 475°C or higher, approximately 500°C or higher, or higher than these temperatures. In particular, for precursors characterized by reduced carbon incorporation compared to oxygen incorporation, high temperatures facilitate the breakdown of the Si-C-Si bonds, which are weaker than silicon and oxygen bonds. This reduces carbon incorporation within the film, thereby improving hardness compared to conventional films. As explained below, this allows for control over the amount of carbon incorporation to maintain a low dielectric constant in the film.

[0036]

[0037] The plasma-formed material can be deposited onto a substrate in operation 315, thereby producing a material containing silicon, oxygen, and carbon. In some embodiments, the deposition rate can exceed 500 Å / min, and can also be deposited at rates of approximately 700 Å / min or more, approximately 1,000 Å / min or more, approximately 1,200 Å / min or more, approximately 1,400 Å / min or more, approximately 1,600 Å / min or more, approximately 1,800 Å / min or more, and approximately 2,000 Å / min or more. After deposition to a sufficient thickness, the substrate can be moved to a second chamber for processing, such as UV treatment or other post-deposition treatment, by many conventional processes. This may reduce throughput and lead to increased manufacturing costs due to the need for additional chambers or tools for such processing. However, this technology makes it possible to produce materials containing carbon-doped silicon oxide, which may be characterized by having sufficient material properties at the time of deposition and not requiring further processing, such as UV treatment. Embodiments of this technology may include further processing or subsequent deposition, but the film properties at the time of deposition can include a wide range of improvements compared to the conventional technology.

[0037]

[0038] As explained earlier, conventional techniques working at relatively low plasma frequencies, unlike this technique, can cause a large number of ion collisions that may release carbon-containing material from the deposited material, thereby increasing the dielectric constant of the film. By utilizing relatively high plasma frequencies with precursors according to this technique, it is possible to manufacture low dielectric constant materials characterized by dielectric constants of approximately 3.5 or less, approximately 3.45 or less, approximately 3.4 or less, approximately 3.35 or less, approximately 3.3 or less, approximately 3.25 or less, approximately 3.2 or less, approximately 3.15 or less, approximately 3.1 or less, approximately 3.05 or less, approximately 3.0 or less, or lower dielectric constants.

[0038]

[0039] The dielectric constant can be related to the material properties of a material, and the lower the dielectric constant (i.e., the k-value), the lower the Young's modulus and / or hardness of the material at the time of deposition. By producing materials containing silicon, oxygen, and carbon according to embodiments of this technology, the hardness and modulus of low dielectric constant materials at the time of deposition can be higher than those that would be produced by conventional PECVD deposition methods. For example, in some embodiments, this technology can produce materials characterized by a Young's modulus of about 5.0 Gpa or greater, and such materials may be characterized by a Young's modulus of about 5.5 Gpa or greater, about 6.0 Gpa or greater, about 6.5 Gpa or greater, about 7.0 Gpa or greater, about 7.5 Gpa or greater, about 8.0 Gpa or greater, about 8.5 Gpa or greater, about 9.0 Gpa or greater, about 9.5 Gpa or greater, about 10.0 Gpa or greater, or higher. Similarly, this technology makes it possible to manufacture materials characterized by a hardness of approximately 3 Gpa or higher, and such materials may be characterized by hardness of approximately 3.5 Gpa or higher, approximately 4 Gpa or higher, approximately 4.5 Gpa or higher, approximately 5 Gpa or higher, approximately 5.5 Gpa or higher, approximately 6 Gpa or higher, approximately 6.5 Gpa or higher, approximately 7 Gpa or higher, approximately 7.5 Gpa or higher, approximately 8 Gpa or higher, approximately 10 Gpa or higher, or higher. Therefore, this technology makes it possible to manufacture materials containing silicon, oxygen, and carbon that are characterized by low dielectric constant, high elastic modulus, and high hardness.

[0039]

[0040] The properties of materials produced by embodiments of this technology may relate to the amount of methyl groups incorporated into the film and the amount of non-methyl carbon (e.g., CH2 or CH bonded within the material) incorporated into the film. This process may release a certain amount of these materials. For example, in some embodiments, materials produced according to this technology at the time of deposition may be characterized by a proportion of methyl or CH3 incorporated or retained within the material of about 1% or more, which can affect both dielectric constant and hardness, and can facilitate an increase in hardness. Thus, in some embodiments, films at the time of deposition may be characterized by methyl incorporation into the film of about 1.25% or more, about 1.5% or more, about 1.75% or more, about 1.85% or more, about 1.95% or more, about 2% or more, about 2.1% or more, about 2.2% or more, about 2.25% or more, about 2.5% or more, about 3% or more, about 3.5% or more, or more than these.

[0040]

[0041] Furthermore, the proportion of SiCSi in the material at the time of deposition may be about 1% or less, about 0.9% or less, about 0.8% or less, about 0.7% or less, about 0.6% or less, about 0.5% or less, about 0.4% or less, about 0.3% or less, about 0.2% or less, about 0.1% or less, about 0.075% or less, about 0.05% or less, about 0.025% or less, or less, which may help to reduce the dielectric constant relative to the hardness. However, by maintaining the proportion of SiCSi bonds, it is possible to decrease the dielectric constant while increasing the hardness, and therefore in some embodiments, the proportion of SiCSi can be kept at about 0.1% or more, about 0.15% or more, or more. According to embodiments of this technology, a low dielectric constant material can be manufactured by utilizing a precursor containing silicon, oxygen, and carbon, and process characteristics having a higher oxygen incorporation rate compared to carbon incorporation. This can result in increased hardness and Young's modulus values ​​among other material properties.

[0041]

[0042] In the above specification, many details have been provided to help understand various embodiments of the Art. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain embodiments can be implemented without some of these detailed descriptions, or without any further details.

[0042]

[0043] While several embodiments have been disclosed, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalents are available, provided they do not deviate from the spirit of those embodiments. Furthermore, many known processes and elements have been omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the Art. Therefore, the above description should not be understood as limiting the scope of the Art.

[0043]

[0044] Where a range of values ​​is provided, unless explicitly stated otherwise, intermediate values ​​between the upper and lower limits of that range, down to the smallest fraction of the lower limit unit, are also understood to be specifically disclosed. Any narrower range between a mentioned value or an unmentioned intermediate value within a mentioned range and any other mentioned value or intermediate value within a mentioned range is included. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may be independently included in or excluded from that range, and any range where either or both of the upper or lower limits are included in a smaller range, or where neither the upper or lower limit is included in a smaller range, is also included in the Art unless explicitly excluded in the mentioned range. Where a mentioned range includes one or both limit values, any range that excludes either or both of the limit values ​​included therein is also included.

[0044]

[0045] Here, as used in the attached claims, the singular forms “a” and “an” and “the” also include plural references unless the context makes otherwise clear. For example, a reference to “a material” includes multiple such materials, and a reference to “the precursor” includes one or more precursors and their equivalents known to those skilled in the art.

[0045]

[0046] Furthermore, when the terms “comprise(s)” and “comprising,” “contain(s)” and “including” are used herein and in the following claims, they are intended to identify the presence of the referred feature, integer, component, or operation, but not to preclude the addition of one or more other features, integers, components, operations, behaviors, or groups.

Claims

1. A method for forming a material containing silicon and carbon, A precursor containing silicon, oxygen, and carbon is flowed into the processing area of ​​a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the substrate is housed within the processing area of ​​the semiconductor processing chamber; Forming a plasma within the processing region of the precursor containing silicon, oxygen, and carbon, wherein the plasma is formed at a frequency below 15 MHz; and A silicon-carbon material is deposited on a substrate, wherein the silicon-carbon material is characterized by a dielectric constant of approximately 3.5 or less at the time of deposition. Methods that include...

2. Oxygen (O 2 A method for forming a silicon and carbon-containing material according to claim 1, further comprising flowing a gas into the processing area of ​​the semiconductor processing chamber.

3. A method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 1, wherein the material containing silicon and carbon is characterized by a hardness of about 3 GPa or greater at the time of deposition.

4. The method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 1, wherein the plasma is formed at a frequency of approximately 13.56 MHz.

5. A method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 1, wherein the silicon-carbon material is characterized by a dielectric constant in the range of about 3.1 to about 3.3 at the time of deposition.

6. A method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 1, wherein the material containing silicon and carbon is characterized by a hardness of about 5 GPa or greater at the time of deposition.

7. A method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 1, wherein the material containing silicon and carbon is characterized by a Young's modulus of about 5 GPa or greater at the time of deposition.

8. A method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 1, wherein the silicon-carbon material is characterized by about 2.5% or less methyl incorporation at the time of deposition.

9. A method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 1, wherein the silicon-carbon material is characterized by about 0.5% or less of Si-C-Si bond incorporation at the time of deposition.

10. A method for forming a material containing silicon and carbon, The deposition precursor is provided within the processing area of ​​a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the substrate is housed within the processing area of ​​the semiconductor processing chamber, and the deposition precursor is of formula I: [In the formula, R 1 is a C １ -C ６ alkyl group, such as -CH ３ , -CH ２ CH ３ , -CH ２ CH ２ CH ３ , -CH ２ CH ２ CH ２ CH ３ , -CH ２ CH ２ CH ２ CH ２ CH ３ , or CH ２ CH ２ CH ２ CH ２ CH ２ CH ３ and can include R 2 C １ ~C ６ Alkyl alkyl groups, e.g., -CH ３ ien-CH ２ CH ３ ien-CH ２ CH ２ CH ３ ien-CH ２ CH ２ CH ２ CH ３ ien-CH ２ CH ２ CH ２ CH ２ CH ３ , or -CH ２ CH ２ CH ２ CH ２ CH ２ CH ３ It can include, R 3 is, -OCH ３ ien-CH ３ , -H, -(CH ２ ) ｎ CH ３ , -O(CH ２ ) ｎ CH ３ ien-CH=CH ２ ien-CH ２ -CH ２ - (CH ２ CH ３ ) ２ , or -CH ２ -CH(CH ３ ) ２ It can include, R 4 is, -OCH ３ ien-CH ３ , -H, -(CH ２ ) ｎ CH ３ , -O(CH ２ ) ｎ CH ３ ien-CH=CH ２ ien-CH ２ -CH ２ - (CH ２ CH ３ ) ２ , or -CH ２ -CH(CH ３ ) ２ [Includes] To provide a deposition precursor, characterized by the following, within the processing area of ​​a semiconductor processing chamber; Forming a plasma within the processing region of the deposition precursor, wherein the plasma is formed at a frequency of less than 15 MHz within the processing region of the deposition precursor; and A silicon-carbon material is deposited on a substrate, wherein the silicon-carbon material is characterized by a dielectric constant of about 3.5 or less at the time of deposition. Methods that include...

11. Oxygen (O 2 A method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 10, further comprising providing the gas together with the deposition precursor in the processing area of ​​the semiconductor processing chamber.

12. The method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 10, wherein the deposition precursor is characterized by an oxygen-to-silicon ratio of about 2 or greater.

13. A method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 10, wherein the silicon-carbon material is characterized by a dielectric constant in the range of about 3.1 to about 3.3 at the time of deposition.

14. A method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 10, wherein the material containing silicon and carbon is characterized by a hardness of about 3 GPa or greater at the time of deposition.

15. A method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 10, wherein the material containing silicon and carbon is characterized by a Young's modulus of about 5 GPa or greater at the time of deposition.

16. A method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 10, wherein the silicon-carbon material is characterized by about 2.5% or less methyl incorporation at the time of deposition.

17. A method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 10, wherein the silicon-carbon material is characterized by about 0.5% or less than about 0.5% Si-C-Si bond incorporation at the time of deposition.

18. A method for forming a material containing silicon and carbon, A precursor containing silicon, oxygen, and carbon is flowed into the processing area of ​​a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the substrate is housed within the processing area of ​​the semiconductor processing chamber; Forming a plasma within the processing region of the precursor containing silicon, oxygen, and carbon, wherein the plasma is formed at a frequency of approximately 13.56 MHz; and A silicon-carbon material is deposited on a substrate, wherein the silicon-carbon material is characterized at the time of deposition by a dielectric constant of about 3.5 or less and a hardness of about 3 GPa. Methods that include...

19. A method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 18, wherein the material containing silicon and carbon is characterized by a Young's modulus of about 5 GPa or greater at the time of deposition.

20. A method for forming a silicon-carbon material according to claim 18, wherein the silicon-carbon material is characterized by about 0.5% or less of Si-C-Si bond incorporation at the time of deposition.

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