Reducing oxidation of SiOC films

Abstract

Embodiments described herein generally relate to a method for forming a flowable low-k dielectric layer over trenches formed on a surface of a patterned substrate, comprising: supplying a silicon- and carbon-containing precursor at a first flow rate to a substrate processing region of a first substrate processing chamber for a first time period and a second time period; flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into a remote plasma region of the plasma source while igniting the remote plasma to form a radical oxygen precursor; flowing the radical oxygen precursor into the substrate processing region at the second flow rate for a second period of time after the first period of time has elapsed; and A method comprising exposing the silicon and carbon-containing precursor to electromagnetic radiation for a third period of time after the second period of time has elapsed, wherein the electromagnetic radiation is provided at a first wavelength and a first power.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] background

[0001] Field

[0002] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to flowable gap-fill films and processes for making same, and more particularly to silicon oxycarbide (SiOC)-based flowable films and reduced oxidation therein. [Background technology]

[0002]

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] In the fabrication of small semiconductor devices, including shallow trench isolation (STI), intermetal dielectric (IMD) layers, interlayer dielectric (ILD) layers, premetal dielectric (PMD) layers, passivation layers, etc., high aspect ratio gaps need to be filled with insulating materials. As transistor feature sizes, as well as the spaces between them, decrease to 20 nm or less and thermal budgets are reduced, void-free filling of such fine, high aspect ratio features becomes increasingly challenging. In one technique developed to fill the gaps and trenches, a liquid-phase dielectric precursor is delivered into the gaps and trenches and then cured into a solid-phase dielectric film (called a flowable film or gap-fill film), typically by vapor annealing at high temperature, hot pressing, and sintering. Often, the chemical structure of the dielectric precursors used in the dielectric film formation process contains removable chemical groups that leave pores in the cured dielectric film or cause shrinkage of the dielectric film. In addition, traditional curing processes at high temperatures inevitably increase oxidation within the dielectric film. Therefore, careful selection of chemical processing methods is required to form soft, flowable films with low modulus and viscosity to ensure void-free filling and reduced oxidation of gaps and trenches for applications in devices such as phase change memory and back-end of line (BEOL) portions of integrated circuits.

[0003]

[0005] Additionally, there is a need for flowable films that have improved wet etch rates (WERR) compared to thermal oxide (<2:1), dielectric constants equal to or less than that of thermal oxide, and improved mechanical properties such as low internal stress. Summary of the Invention

[0004]

[0006] The embodiments described herein generally relate to substrate processing equipment and methods for forming a dielectric layer on a surface of a substrate. The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a method for forming a low-k flowable dielectric film on a trench formed on a surface of a patterned substrate. The method includes: supplying a silicon- and carbon-containing precursor to a substrate processing region of a substrate processing chamber for a first time period and a second time period; flowing an oxygen-containing precursor to a remote plasma region of a plasma source while igniting a remote plasma to form a radical oxygen precursor; flowing the radical oxygen precursor at a second flow rate to the substrate processing region during a second time period after the first time period; and exposing the silicon- and carbon-containing dielectric precursor to electromagnetic radiation for a third time period after the second time period.

[0005]

[0007]

[0013] Embodiments of the present disclosure may further provide a method of forming a low-k flowable dielectric film on a trench formed on a surface of a patterned substrate, the method including: supplying a silicon- and carbon-containing precursor at a first flow rate to a substrate processing region of a first substrate processing chamber for a first time period and a second time period; flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into a remote plasma region of a plasma source while igniting a remote plasma to form a radical oxygen precursor; flowing the radical oxygen precursor into the substrate processing region at a second flow rate during a second time period after the first time period; and exposing the silicon- and carbon-containing precursor to electromagnetic radiation for a third time period after the second time period while the patterned substrate is maintained at a temperature between 40°C and 500°C, the electromagnetic radiation being provided at a first wavelength and a first power.

[0006]

[0008] So that the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the present disclosure briefly summarized above can be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, however, that the accompanying drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present disclosure and therefore should not be considered as limiting its scope. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1]

[0009] 1 is a flowchart illustrating selected steps in a deposition system for forming a silicon oxycarbide (SiOC)-based flowable film and reducing oxidation therein, according to one embodiment. [Diagram 2]

[0010] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a deposition and curing chamber system, according to one embodiment. [Figure 3A]

[0011] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a processing chamber according to one embodiment. [Figure 3B]

[0012] FIG. 2 is a schematic bottom view of a showerhead according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008]

[0013] For clarity, where applicable, the same reference numbers are used to designate identical elements that are common between the figures. Furthermore, elements of one embodiment may be advantageously adapted for use in other embodiments described herein.

[0009]

[0014] A method for forming a low-k dielectric flowable film on a patterned substrate is described herein. The low-k dielectric flowable film can be a silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) based flowable film containing silicon-carbon-oxygen (Si-CO) bonds. At least the silicon and carbon components in the formed film are derived from precursors containing silicon and carbon, which may also contain an amount of oxygen, while the reactive species required to form the low-k dielectric flowable film are provided from oxygen-containing precursors activated in a remote plasma region.

[0010]

[0015] In general, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method may include delivering an organo-silane precursor (also called a dielectric precursor, or a silicon- and carbon-containing precursor) containing a silicon- and carbon-containing polymer (which may further contain oxygen) onto a patterned substrate, and crosslinking the polymer in the dielectric precursor to form a SiOC-based flowable film on the patterned substrate. The method may include curing the formed film at a low substrate temperature to increase the concentration of Si-O-Si bonds while reducing the concentration of oxygen incorporated in the formed film and maintaining desirable properties of the formed film. Various conditions of the curing process are controlled to reduce the oxygen incorporated in the film formed on the patterned surface.

[0011]

[0016] The processes described herein can be used to prevent or minimize the amount of oxidation of metal-containing interconnects formed on or within a patterned substrate and / or oxidation of portions of a memory device due to undesirable amounts of oxygen typically found within conventionally formed low-k dielectric flowable films. The undesirable large amounts of oxygen within conventionally formed low-k dielectric flowable films tend to migrate to and subsequently oxidize portions of these structures during one or more subsequent processing steps. Oxidation of metal-containing interconnects, which may include titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiN), tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride (TaN), tungsten (W), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), can increase line and contact resistances created between and within one or more formed interconnecting metal layers. Unwanted oxidation of various portions of memory devices, such as phase change memory devices including OTS (Ovonic Threshold Switch) materials (e.g., BCTe, GeSiAsTe, GeAsSe, SeAsGeSi) and / or GST (GeSbTe, germanium-antimony-tellurium) containing devices, as they are formed, can adversely affect the electrical properties of the formed memory device layers, causing failure or degradation of the performance of the electrical devices. The methods of forming flowable low-k dielectric layers described herein have significant advantages for use in "subtractive etch" interconnect layer formation processes in which a flowable low-k dielectric layer is used to fill and electrically insulate various regions of one or more patterned metal layers, due to a greatly reduced tendency of the formed flowable low-k dielectric layer to oxidize exposed portions of the patterned metal layers.

[0012]

[0017] 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 100 including various operations performed that are used to form a silicon oxycarbide (SiOC)-based flowable film on a surface of a substrate and reduce oxidation thereof, according to one embodiment. The substrate may include, for example, metal substrates such as aluminum and stainless steel, semiconductor substrates such as silicon, silicon-on-insulator (SOI), gallium arsenide, glass substrates, and plastic substrates. Patterned substrates typically include a plurality of gaps, trenches, holes, vias, etc. that are filled with a low-k dielectric material.

[0013]

[0018] In block 102, a dielectric precursor and a carrier gas are flowed into a process chamber through a gas delivery device, such as a dual channel showerhead (DCSH), to deliver the dielectric precursor onto a substrate having a gap formed in the absence of an oxygen plasma.

[0014]

[0019] In a conventional flowable film formation process, an oxygen-containing plasma is first provided to a processing chamber, and then a dielectric precursor is supplied onto the surface of a patterned substrate placed in the processing chamber to insert oxygen atoms into the Si-Si bonds in the dielectric precursor to expand the volume of the flowable film formed on the patterned surface. Thus, excited oxygen ions and oxygen radicals in the plasma in the processing chamber inevitably increase the oxygen concentration during the initial growth of the flowable film (i.e., when the dielectric precursor is supplied). A flowable film with an increased oxygen concentration tends to oxidize materials in contact with the flowable film. In addition, the dielectric precursor supplied to the processing chamber may experience collisions with the excited oxygen ions and oxygen radicals, which may undesirably modify the molecular structure of the dielectric precursor.

[0015]

[0020] In some embodiments of the disclosure provided herein, a dielectric precursor is delivered to the surface of the patterned substrate before the surface of the patterned substrate is exposed to excited oxygen ions or oxygen radicals formed in the plasma in order to reduce the oxygen concentration within the bulk of the flowable film and generally to preserve the molecular structure of the dielectric precursor during the initial growth of the flowable film.

[0016]

[0021] In some embodiments of block 102, delivering the dielectric precursor to the surface of the patterned substrate includes setting the patterned substrate at a spacing between about 500 mils and 3000 mils of a dual channel showerhead (DSCH). The dielectric precursor is then delivered to the surface of the patterned substrate at a desired flow rate, for example, between about 0.25 grams per minute (g / min) and about 3 g / min, also referred to herein as the flow per channel from the DSCH. A carrier gas, such as argon (Ar) or helium (He), can be flowed into the processing chamber at a flow rate between 250 sccm and about 5000 sccm per channel of the DSCH. The surface of the patterned substrate can be held at a low temperature, for example, between about 40° C. and about 150° C., for example, about 80° C. The pressure of the processing chamber can be maintained between about 0.5 Torr and about 3.0 Torr. In some embodiments, the flow of dielectric precursor can begin between about 1 second and about 600 seconds, such as about 10-15 seconds before the next step, or block 104, described below, begins.

[0017]

[0022] The dielectric precursor may include an organosilane precursor including a silicon and carbon containing polymer or a silicon-carbon-oxygen containing polymer, which includes repeating units of siloxane functional groups (Si-O-Si). According to some embodiments, the silicon and carbon containing polymer may have a Si-O to Si ratio of 1 or less than 3. These ratios correlate with the production of low-k dielectric flowable films using the methods described herein. The Si-O to Si ratio is calculated by counting the number of Si-O bonds in the silicon and carbon containing precursor and dividing by the number of silicon atoms in the silicon and carbon containing precursor. For example, the dielectric precursor may be octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS (see item (1) below)), which has a Si-O:Si ratio of 1 and has been found to correlate with increased flowability and reduced dielectric constant. In some embodiments, the silicon and carbon containing precursor may be nitrogen-free to enable the production of nitrogen-free low-k dielectrics. TIFF0007635126000001.tif39170 The dielectric precursor OMCTS can be delivered to the process chamber at a flow rate between about 0.25 grams per minute (g / min) and about 3 g / min per channel of the DSCH. A carrier gas, such as argon (Ar) or helium (He), can be flowed into the process chamber at a flow rate between about 250 sccm and about 5000 sccm per channel of the DSCH.

[0018]

[0023] In some embodiments, the dielectric precursor is tetramethoxysilane (TMOS (see item (2)), Si(OR)4). TIFF0007635126000002.tif24170

[0019]

[0024] The dielectric precursor TMOS can be delivered directly to the process chamber at a flow rate between about 0.05 grams per minute (g / min) and about 1 g / min per channel of the DSCH. A carrier gas, such as argon (Ar) or helium (He), can be flowed into the process chamber at a flow rate between 50 sccm and about 1000 sccm per channel of the DSCH. The dielectric precursor TMOS can be used in addition to the dielectric precursor OMCTS or by itself.

[0020]

[0025] In some examples, the dielectric precursor can be other organosilanes that include repeat units of siloxane functional groups (Si-O-Si), such as tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane, hexamethyldisiloxane, tetramethyldisiloxane, dimethyldisiloxane, etc. In other examples, the dielectric precursor can be other organosilanes that do not include repeat units of siloxane functional groups (Si-O-Si). In some examples, the dielectric precursor can be other organosilanes, such as dimethyldichlorosilane (SiR2Cl2 (see item (3)). TIFF0007635126000003.tif26170

[0021]

[0026] In some other examples, the dielectric precursor may include other organosilanes, such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Silicon- and carbon-containing polymers, such as PDMS, may have low modulus and viscosity. Thus, silicon- and carbon-containing polymers may flow and fill gaps when deposited. Silicon- and carbon-containing polymers also exhibit low-k dielectric properties and chemical stability at low temperatures. However, silicon- and carbon-containing polymers may lose hydrogen and carbon in other manufacturing processes at high temperatures and convert to silicon dioxide (SiO2).

[0022]

[0027] In block 104, after the dielectric precursor is provided on the surface of the patterned substrate, oxygen plasma is provided with a carrier gas (e.g., Ar, He) into the processing chamber to hydrophilize (i.e., insert hydroxyl groups (-OH)) the dielectric precursor provided on the patterned substrate. As described above, the provision of the oxygen-containing plasma to the surface of the patterned substrate occurs after a desired period of time has elapsed from the time the dielectric precursor is provided on the surface of the patterned substrate. For example, the oxygen-containing plasma is provided to the surface of the patterned substrate between about 1 second and about 1800 seconds, such as about 10 seconds to 15 seconds, after block 102 is initiated. Oxygen (O2) radicals activated in the oxygen plasma provided in the processing region of the processing chamber replace methyl groups R (-CH3) in the provided dielectric polymer with hydroxyl groups (-OH). During the hydrophilization in block 104, the flow rate of oxygen radicals in the oxygen plasma can be reduced to minimize the oxygen exposure time to reduce the oxygen concentration throughout the flowable film while maximizing the rate of hydrophilization.

[0023]

[0028] The oxygen plasma can be formed in a remote plasma system (RPS) outside the process chamber by dissociation of oxygen-containing precursors, such as molecular oxygen (O2), ozone (O3), nitrogen-oxygen compounds (e.g., NO, NO2, N2O), hydrogen-oxygen compounds (e.g., H2O, H2O2), carbon-oxygen compounds (CO, CO2), etc. The flow rate of oxygen radicals can be between about 100 sccm and about 2000 sccm, e.g., between 250 sccm and about 2000 sccm, per channel of the DSCH. The flow rate of carrier gas (e.g., Ar, He) can be between about 0 sccm and about 1000 sccm, e.g., between 500 sccm and about 6000 sccm, per channel of the DSCH. In one example, the ratio of the flow rate of oxygen (O2) to the flow rate of argon (Ar) provided to the remote plasma source (RPS) to form oxygen radicals is between 0.05 and 5, such as a ratio between 0.1 and 4, a ratio between 0.1 and 0.5, or even a ratio between 0.1 and 0.3. The oxygen radicals generated in the chamber plasma region may also be accompanied by ionized species formed in the plasma. In some cases, it may be desirable to combine an oxygen-containing precursor with a nitrogen-containing precursor or a hydrogen-containing precursor in a remote plasma system. The oxygen radicals may include one or more of O2, H2O, O3, H2O2, N2O, NO, or NO2.

[0024]

[0029] In some embodiments, a desired ratio of dielectric precursor to oxygen radical flow rate and a desired ratio of dielectric precursor to total carrier gas flow rate (e.g., the sum of all argon or helium flow rates provided to the process region from all different gas sources during the process) are also maintained during the process performed in block 104. In one example, the ratio of the octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS) flow rate to the oxygen radical flow rate is between 0.05 and 0.50, such as between 0.06 and 0.43, and the ratio of the octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS) flow rate to the total argon (Ar) flow rate is between 0.01 and 0.08, such as between 0.02 and 0.07. In another example where TMOS is provided in addition to OMCTS, the ratio of the OMCTS flow rate to the oxygen radical flow rate is between 0.05 and 0.50, such as between 0.06 and 0.43, the ratio of the OMCTS flow rate to the total argon (Ar) flow rate is between 0.01 and 0.08, such as between 0.02 and 0.07, and the ratio of the TMOS flow rate to the OMCTS flow rate is between 3.0 and 11.0.

[0025]

[0030] In block 106, following hydrophilization of the dielectric precursor on the patterned substrate, the dielectric precursor is cured and crosslinking between polymers in the dielectric precursor occurs to form a silicon oxycarbide (SiOC)-based flowable film. In some embodiments, the curing process is carried out with electromagnetic radiation (e.g., UV radiation) at a controlled irradiation power and wavelength is provided to the dielectric precursor that is maintained at a controlled processing temperature for a desired processing period. In some embodiments, crosslinking between polymers can occur in the same deposition chamber without UV radiation from thermal energy (e.g., the surface of the patterned substrate can be at a temperature between about 40° C. and about 150° C., e.g., about 80° C.). Alternatively, crosslinking can occur at a temperature between about 150° C. and about 500° C. BetweenThe process may occur in another chamber at a pressure between about 1 Torr and about 600 Torr at a temperature. In some embodiments, crosslinking between the polymers occurs due to both thermal energy and UV energy with UV radiation. The process of block 106 is performed to minimize the concentration of H2O generated by the silanol condensation reaction at any point during the process to prevent undesired oxidation of various features formed on or within the patterned substrate. It is believed that conventional stabilization processes, such as thermal stabilization processes, and / or processes that do not control the concentration of H2O generated and the processing temperature, cause undesired oxidation of portions of the patterned substrate due to the generation of excessive amounts of H2O and / or the provision of excessive heat or UV energy to the reaction products, which causes rapid diffusion of oxygen-containing components within the formed layer and rapid oxidation of the underlying materials.

[0026]

[0031] As described above, when the hydroxyl groups (-OH) in the silanol groups (Si-OH) of adjacent dielectric polymers react, the adjacent dielectric polymers crosslink to form Si-O-Si bonds, producing water (H2O). Crosslinking of the polymers in the dielectric precursor provided in block 106 reduces the concentration of oxygen while increasing the concentration of Si-O-Si bonds in the dielectric polymer. Typically, and not intended to be limiting, the hydrophilization and crosslinking of the polymers in the dielectric precursor (blocks 104 and 106) are performed in a processing chamber different from the processing chamber in which the delivery of the dielectric precursor (block 102) is performed. In general, the sequence of operations (e.g., blocks 102-106) can be repeated multiple times to form an overall thicker layer of low-k dielectric flowable film with reduced oxygen concentration throughout the formed multilayer including the low-k dielectric flowable film.

[0027]

[0032] The UV irradiation of the dielectric precursor may be performed while an inert gas is provided to the process chamber. The flow rate of the inert gas (e.g., Ar, or He) may be between about 1000 sccm and about 25000 sccm per channel of the DSCH. The UV irradiation necessarily provides energy to the dielectric precursor previously delivered to the patterned substrate, which generates reaction products (e.g., HO) as the dielectric precursor is exposed to UV radiation. Therefore, the UV irradiation of the dielectric precursor must be controlled to be sufficient to crosslink the polymers in the dielectric precursor while preventing the low-k dielectric flowable film from prematurely solidifying on the patterned substrate and preventing the heated water vapor from oxidizing the underlying metal. The duration of the UV irradiation may be between about 10 seconds and about 30 minutes, for example, about 180 seconds. The wavelength of the suitable UV light may be between 240 nm and 600 nm. The UV lamp power for the UV irradiation may be up to 20 W / cm 2 The temperature of the surface of the patterned substrate during UV irradiation may be maintained between about 150° C. and about 500° C., for example, between about 150° C. and about 400° C., or between about 250° C. and about 385° C. for semiconductor substrates. The pressure in the processing chamber during UV irradiation may be maintained below 50 Torr, such as between about 5 Torr and about 50 Torr. The dielectric precursor, such as a PDMS polymer, is heat resistant and remains flowable, soft, and malleable.

[0028]

[0033] Embodiments of the deposition system may be incorporated into a larger manufacturing system for producing integrated circuit chips. FIG. 2 shows one such system 1001 including a deposition chamber and a curing chamber, according to one embodiment. In FIG. 2, a pair of Front Opening Unified Pods (FOUPs) 1002 provide substrates (e.g., 300 mm diameter wafers) that are received by a robotic arm 1004 and placed in a low pressure holding area 1006. A second robotic arm 1010 may be used to transport substrates between the low pressure holding area 1006 and the processing chambers 1008a-1008f.

[0029]

[0034] Processing chambers 1008a-1008f may include one or more system components for depositing, curing, and / or etching a flowable dielectric film on a substrate. In some embodiments, two pairs of processing chambers (e.g., 1008c-1008d and 1008e-1008f) may be used to deposit a flowable dielectric film on a substrate, while a third pair of chambers (e.g., 1008a-1008b) may be used for UV curing of the deposited dielectric film. Thus, in some embodiments, system 1001 is adapted to perform method 100 by simultaneously performing blocks 102 and 104 of method 100 on two substrates disposed in one of two pairs of processing chambers (e.g., 1008c-1008d or 1008e-1008f), and then secondly transferring the substrates from one of the two pairs of processing chambers to a third pair of processing chambers (e.g., 1008a-1008b) where block 106 is performed on the substrates.

[0030]

[0035] In some embodiments, all three pairs of chambers (e.g., 1008a-1008f) can be used to deposit and cure a flowable dielectric film on a substrate. In some alternative embodiments, system 1001 is adapted to perform method 100 by sequentially performing all blocks 102-106 of method 100 simultaneously on two substrates disposed in one of two pairs of processing chambers (e.g., 1008a-1008f).

[0031]

[0036] Additionally, one or more of the processing chambers 1008a-1008f may be used as wet processing chambers, including chambers for heating a flowable dielectric film in an atmosphere that contains moisture.

[0032]

[0037] 3A is a schematic diagram of a processing chamber 1101 having a chamber body 1164 and a lid assembly 1165, according to one embodiment. The lid assembly 1165 generally includes a remote plasma source 1110, a lid 1121, and a dual channel showerhead (DCSH) 1153. The remote plasma source (RPS) 1110 can process an oxygen-containing precursor gas provided from an oxygen source 1181. The oxygen plasma formed in the RPS 1110 can then be delivered to the chamber plasma region 1120 via a gas inlet assembly 111 and a baffle 1123 coupled to the lid 1121. Carrier gases and / or film hardening gases, such as argon (Ar), helium (He), and nitrogen (N2), can be delivered to the chamber plasma region 1120 to remove unwanted components from the growing or as-delivered film. A lid (ie, conductive top) 1121 and a dual channel showerhead (DCSH) 1153 are positioned with an insulating ring 1124 between them, which allows an AC potential to be applied to the lid 1121 relative to the DCSH 1153.

[0033]

[0038] The DCSH 1153 is disposed between the chamber plasma region 1120 and the substrate processing region 1170, and allows the plasma effluent (ionized or neutral derivatives of precursors or other gases, also called radicals) present in the chamber plasma region 1120 to pass through a plurality of through holes 1156 and enter the substrate processing region 1170 without directly exciting the silicon- and carbon-containing precursors before they enter the chamber plasma region 1120. The flow of the plasma effluent is indicated by the solid arrow "A" in FIG. 3A. The substrate 1172 is disposed on a substrate support 1173 disposed in the substrate processing region 1170. The DCSH 1153 also has one or more hollow volumes 1151 that can be filled with a dielectric precursor (such as OMCTS and TMOS) provided from a precursor source 1182. The dielectric precursor enters the substrate processing region 1170 from the one or more hollow volumes 1151 through the small holes 1155 and bypasses the chamber plasma region 1120. The flow of the dielectric precursor is indicated by the dotted arrow in FIG. 3A. The exhaust ring 1161 is used to uniformly evacuate the processing region 1170 by using an exhaust pump 1183. The DCSH 1153 may be thicker than the length of the minimum diameter of the through-holes 1156. The length of the minimum diameter of the through-holes 1150 may be limited by forming a larger diameter portion of the through-holes 1156 partially through the DCSH 1153 to maintain the flow of plasma effluent from the chamber plasma region 1120 to the substrate processing region 1170. In some embodiments, the length of the minimum diameter of the through-holes 1156 may be on the same order of magnitude or less than the minimum diameter of the through-holes 1156.

[0034]

[0039] In some embodiments, a pair of processing chambers (e.g., 1008c-1008d) (referred to as twin chambers) in FIG. 2 may be used to deposit a flowable dielectric film onto a substrate. Each processing chamber (e.g., 1008c-1008d) may have the cross-sectional structure of processing chamber 1101 shown in FIG. 3A. The flow rates per channel of the DCSHs listed above correspond to the flow rates into each chamber (e.g., 1008c-1008d) through the corresponding DCSH 1153. The substrate 1172 may be transferred in vacuum to another twin pair (e.g., 1008a-1008b) for UV curing of the dielectric film after deposition of the dielectric film on the substrate 1172.

[0035]

[0040] 3B is a schematic diagram of a DCSH 1153 according to one embodiment. The DCSH 1153 can provide plasma effluent and carrier gases present in the chamber plasma region 1120 via through holes 1156.

[0036]

[0041] In some embodiments, the number of through holes 1156 can be between about 60 and about 2000. The through holes 1156 can have a round shape or a variety of shapes. In some embodiments, the minimum diameter 1150 of the through holes 1156 can be between about 0.5 mm and about 20 mm, or between about 1 mm and about 6 mm. The cross-sectional shape of the through holes can be conical, cylindrical, or a combination of the two shapes. In some embodiments, the number of eyelets 1155 used to introduce the dielectric precursor to the substrate processing region 1170 can be between about 100 and about 5000, or between about 500 and about 2000. The diameter of the eyelets 1155 can be between about 0.1 mm and about 2 mm.

[0037]

[0042] While the forgoing is directed to specific embodiments, other and further embodiments may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, which is determined by the following claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method of forming a low-k flowable dielectric film over a trench formed on a surface of a patterned substrate, comprising: delivering a silicon and carbon containing precursor at a first flow rate to a substrate processing region of a first substrate processing chamber for a first time period and a second time period; flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into a remote plasma region of a plasma source while igniting a remote plasma to form a radical oxygen precursor; flowing the radical oxygen precursor at a second flow rate into the substrate processing region for a second period of time after the first period of time has elapsed; exposing the silicon and carbon containing precursor to electromagnetic radiation for a third period of time after the second period of time has elapsed, the electromagnetic radiation being provided at a first wavelength and a first power; and transferring the patterned substrate from the first substrate processing chamber to a second substrate processing chamber after the second period of time has elapsed; A method of exposing the silicon and carbon containing precursor to electromagnetic radiation for a third period of time is carried out in a second substrate processing chamber; the substrate processing region of the second substrate processing chamber is maintained at a pressure between 1 Torr and 600 Torr during a third period of time; The method wherein the patterned substrate is maintained at a temperature between 150° C. and 500° C. for a third period of time.

2. The silicon and carbon containing precursor is selected from the group consisting of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS), tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (TMCTS), hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO), tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDSO), dimethyldisiloxane (DMDSO) and dimethyldichlorosilane (SiR ２ C ２ ), The radical oxygen precursor is O ２ , H ２ O, O ３ , H ２ O ２ , N ２ O, NO or NO ２ The method of claim 1 , comprising:

3. Flowing a radical oxygen precursor into the substrate processing region during a second period of time includes: controlling the pressure in a substrate processing region of the first substrate processing chamber to a pressure between 0.5 Torr and 3.0 Torr; and Controlling the temperature of the patterned substrate to a temperature between 40° C. and 150° C.; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

4. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the patterned substrate comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), and aluminum (Al).

5. 1. A method of forming a low-k flowable dielectric film over a trench formed on a surface of a patterned substrate, comprising: delivering a silicon and carbon containing precursor at a first flow rate to a substrate processing region of a first substrate processing chamber for a first time period and a second time period; flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into a remote plasma region of a plasma source while igniting a remote plasma to form a radical oxygen precursor; flowing the radical oxygen precursor at a second flow rate into the substrate processing region for a second period of time after the first period of time has elapsed; and exposing the silicon and carbon containing precursor to electromagnetic radiation for a third period of time after the second period of time has elapsed, the electromagnetic radiation being provided at a first wavelength and a first power; The method, wherein the patterned substrate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of BCTe, GeSiAsTe, GeAsSe, and SeAsGeSi.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the patterned substrate comprises a material comprising germanium, antimony, and tellurium.

7. 1. A method of forming a low-k flowable dielectric film over a trench formed on a surface of a patterned substrate, comprising: delivering a silicon and carbon containing precursor at a first flow rate to a substrate processing region of a first substrate processing chamber for a first time period and a second time period; flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into a remote plasma region of a plasma source while igniting a remote plasma to form a radical oxygen precursor; flowing the radical oxygen precursor at a second flow rate into the substrate processing region for a second period of time after the first period of time has elapsed; and exposing the silicon and carbon containing precursor to electromagnetic radiation for a third period of time after the second period of time has elapsed, the electromagnetic radiation being provided at a first wavelength and a first power; the first flow rate is between 0.25 grams per minute (g / min) and 3 grams per minute (g / min), the first time period is between 1 second and 600 seconds; the second flow rate is between 100 sccm and 2000 sccm and the second time period is between 1 second and 1800 seconds; The method, wherein the first wavelength is between 240 nm and 600 nm and the third period of time is between 10 seconds and 30 minutes.

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