SixNy as a nucleation layer for SiCxOy

Abstract

In one embodiment, the inventive subject matter of this disclosure is a method for forming a substantially uniform silicon carbide layer over both a dielectric material and a metallic material. In one example, the method comprises forming a silicon nitride layer over the dielectric material and the metallic material, and forming a silicon carbide layer over the silicon nitride layer. Other methods are also disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Priority Claim] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 62 / 850,343, filed May 20, 2019, entitled "Si x N y AS A NUCLEATION LAYER FOR SiC x O y ", which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The subject matter of the invention disclosed herein relates to a substrate processing method used in the semiconductor industry and related industries. Specifically, the subject matter of the invention disclosed herein relates to a method of depositing a silicon nitride nucleation layer substantially simultaneously on a combination of a dielectric layer and a metal layer to avoid substantial nucleation delay in a subsequently deposited silicon carbide layer.

Background Art

[0002] The manufacture of semiconductor devices often involves the deposition of a dielectric material layer on a metal material. Examples of such dielectric layers include not only a capping layer for a memory stack but also various diffusion barrier layers and etch stop layers. Silicon carbide (SiC) is a type of dielectric material commonly used in such applications. Types of SiC thin films include oxygen-doped silicon carbide (also known as silicon oxycarbide (SiCO, or more generally SiC x O y ), nitrogen-doped silicon carbide (also known as silicon oxynitride carbide), 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, in some cases, atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. These deposition techniques are well known in the art.

[0003] Those skilled in the art know that deposits of SiC x O y films or other dielectric films deposited on metals such as tungsten (W) and cobalt (Co) are SiC on a dielectric material such as SiN xO y Slightly thinner than the deposit, which is SiC on the metal x O y Understand that this means there is a delay in the nucleation and growth of SiC. This is because the thickness of SiC x O y varies depending on the type of material present at that particular location, which can be a problem in features containing multiple materials internally. The thickness variation can affect, for example, the sidewall profile of the feature, the material properties of the SiC x O y film (such as sealing performance, pinholes, wet etching and dry etching thickness), and can cause problems regarding subsequent device fabrication processes. Current countermeasures to solve the nucleation delay problem include the following. (1) Surface treatment: Before deposition, the metal surface is treated using an H2-based plasma or diborane gas annealing process step. This method is thought to change the properties of the metal surface and promote subsequent dielectric film deposition. (2) SiO2 deposition: To address the delay in dielectric growth nucleation on the metal surface, a silicon dioxide (SiO2)-based starting layer is deposited (described below with reference to Figure 2). The SiO2-based solution reduces the thickness difference problem, but is not entirely sufficient for advanced semiconductor devices. Also, this technique may have reduced stability when one or more properties of the metal surface change during the device fabrication process, for example, by different etching processes and / or cleaning processes. Furthermore, the SiO2 process may cause 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 over 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 a bit line, for example, for use in various types of non-volatile memory devices. Silicon oxycarbide may be used to form a low dielectric constant (low-k) spacer over the cross-sectional semiconductor structure 100. However, in some other types of applications in addition to bit line applications, the thickness of silicon oxycarbide (e.g., a spacer) over various materials must be substantially uniform. 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 FIG. 1, the semiconductor structure 100 includes a first silicon oxycarbide layer 107 having a first thickness t1 formed over the dielectric material 101, a second silicon oxycarbide layer 109 having a second thickness t2 formed over the metal material 103, and a third silicon oxycarbide layer 111 having a third thickness t3 formed over the semiconductor material 105. As shown in FIG. 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 thinner than both the first thickness t1 and the third thickness t3.

[0006] One reason the second silicon oxycarbide layer 109 is thin is the difference in the nucleation of silicon oxycarbide deposited on the metal material 103. The difference in nucleation is due to the difference in the effectiveness of the reaction sites of silicon oxycarbide with respect to the silicon oxycarbide layers 107 and 111 formed on the dielectric material 101 and the semiconductor material 105, respectively. Another reason for the respective different thicknesses of the silicon oxycarbide layers 107, 109, and 111 may be the different chemical contamination levels of the three materials 101, 103, and 107. Whatever the cause, the non-uniform thickness of the silicon carbide layer can be harmful to many types of semiconductor devices. In some cases, the non-uniform thickness can make the semiconductor device slow and unstable, or can otherwise affect device performance. In some cases, the non-uniform thickness may render the semiconductor device completely unusable.

[0007] Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional semiconductor structure 200 having a silicon dioxide (SiO2) initiation layer 213 to reduce the difference in thickness between the thickness of silicon oxycarbide deposited on a dielectric material 201, the thickness of silicon oxycarbide deposited on a metal material 203, and the thickness of silicon oxycarbide deposited on a semiconductor material 205, according to a prior art method. In one embodiment, the SiO2 initiation 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 thinner than both the first thickness t1 and the third thickness t3. However, unlike the second silicon oxycarbide 109 of the semiconductor structure 100 in FIG. 1, the thickness of the second silicon oxycarbide 209 in FIG. 2 is close to the thicknesses of the other two silicon oxycarbide layers 207 and 211.

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

[0010] The information set forth in this column is provided to present the subject matter of the invention of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art and should not be considered admitted prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] In an exemplary embodiment, the subject matter of the invention of the present disclosure describes a method for generating a substantially uniform silicon carbide layer substantially simultaneously on both at least one dielectric material and at least one metal material. This method involves depositing Si x N yForm a silicon nitride layer, and SiC on the silicon nitride layer x O y It includes forming a silicon carbide layer in the form of

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, the subject matter of the invention of the present disclosure describes a method for forming a silicon carbide layer. This method substantially simultaneously forms Si on at least a dielectric material and a metal material x N y It includes forming a silicon nitride starting layer in the form of. The silicon nitride starting layer functions as a growth starting layer. SiC x O y The silicon carbide layer in the form of is formed on the silicon nitride starting layer. The formed silicon nitride starting layer substantially prevents the nucleation and growth of the silicon carbide layer on the metal material from being delayed compared to the nucleation and growth of the silicon carbide layer on the dielectric material.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment, the subject matter of the invention of the present disclosure describes a method for forming a silicon carbide layer. This method forms at least one layer of a metal material and at least one layer of a dielectric material on a substrate in a deposition chamber, and on at least one layer of a metal material and at least one layer of a dielectric material on the substrate, Si is used as a starting layer x N y It includes forming silicon nitride in the form of, and subsequently forming at least one layer on the silicon nitride. The at least one layer is 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 Oxycarbonitride silicon in the form of, and Si x C y O z It includes a material selected from materials including silicon oxycarbide in the form of.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Here, the subject matter of the invention of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to several general embodiments and specific embodiments shown in the various attached drawings. In the following description, several specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter of the invention of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the subject matter of the invention 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 invention of the present disclosure.

[0021] The manufacture of semiconductor devices typically involves depositing one or more thin films on a substrate in a consistent production process. In some aspects of the consistent production 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 as described above.

[0022] The PECVD process often uses in-situ plasma treatment for the deposition of silicon carbide-based thin films, and the plasma treatment occurs directly adjacent to the substrate. However, it has been found that there can be several issues in depositing high-quality silicon carbide-based thin films. For example, the issues may particularly include providing a silicon carbide-based thin film 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 include both doped and undoped silicon carbide (Si with various stoichiometries (the formulas indicate various elemental compositions, but the stoichiometries may be different)) 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) may include doped and undoped types, etc. The silicon carbide film (e.g., Si x C y film, Si x C y N z film, SiC x N y O z film, and Si x C y O z film) may optionally contain hydrogen.

[0024] In various embodiments, for the deposition processes described herein, the plasma is formed directly in a processing chamber or processing chamber compartment that houses the substrate. However, although the present disclosure is not limited to any particular logic, the plasma conditions in a conventional PECVD process can have undesirable effects. For example, the PECVD process may provide direct plasma conditions that break Si-N bonds and / or Si-C bonds in the precursor molecules. The direct plasma conditions can include charged particle bombardment and high-energy ultraviolet irradiation, which can have an adverse effect on the thin film.

[0025] One of the adverse effects of the film caused by the direct plasma conditions can include poor step coverage. The charged particles of the direct plasma conditions can result in highly reactive radicals with a large sticking coefficient. The deposited silicon carbide film may have "dangling" silicon bonds, carbon bonds, oxygen bonds, and / or nitrogen bonds, which means that silicon atoms, carbon atoms, and / or nitrogen atoms have reactive unpaired valence electrons. Since the reactive precursor fragments tend to adhere to the sidewalls of the previously deposited film or layer, the increase in the sticking coefficient of the precursor molecules can lead to the deposition of a silicon carbide film with poor step coverage.

[0026] Adverse effects of another film under direct plasma conditions can include deposition directionality. This is due in part to the low frequency of the energy required to break precursor molecules, which can result in a large number of ion collisions on the surface. Directional deposition can also potentially cause depositions with poor step coverage.

[0027] Direct plasma conditions in PECVD may result in an increase in the formation of silicon - hydrogen bonds (Si - H) in the silicon carbide film. Specifically, the broken Si - C bonds can be replaced by Si - H. This type of bond can not only reduce the carbon content but also, in some cases, result in a film with inferior electrical properties. For example, Si - H bonds provide a leakage path for electrons, so the presence of Si - H bonds may reduce the breakdown voltage and increase the leakage current.

[0028] As a result, due to the potential disadvantages of direct plasma type processes, many of the techniques described herein rely on remote plasma techniques, particularly remote plasma ALD techniques. Generally, in remote plasma techniques, the plasma is formed indirectly in a chamber different from the chamber containing the substrate. The plasma is then transferred to the chamber containing 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 in the range of about 2.45 MHz to about 13.56 MHz and a power in the range of 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 is well known to those skilled in the art, low pressure is often associated with a high deposition rate. However, under appropriate conditions and with appropriate precautions, the subject matter of the inventions of the present disclosure is also applicable to the above - mentioned direct plasma techniques.

[0029] Generally, as briefly described above, state-of-the-art semiconductor devices such as memory-logic integration require a uniform deposition of spacer films formed of different materials including, for example, silicon materials, metal materials, 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, for example, between metal surfaces and dielectric surfaces. Different nucleation reactions result in different deposition thicknesses. Various embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure address this particular problem.

[0030] In various embodiments described herein, the deposition of a silicon nitride (more generally, Si x N y ) layer onto a metal surface or a dielectric surface enables the subsequent deposition of a silicon oxycarbide (more generally, SiC x O y ) layer without substantial delay in the nucleation and growth of SiC x O y . The Si x N y layer may be deposited in situ, for example, using a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) process. The PEALD process occurs in the same chamber immediately prior to remote plasma chemical vapor deposition of SiC x O y . A uniform and non-selective Si x N y film on the metal surface and the dielectric surface enables SiC x N y to be deposited on Si rather than on the metal surface. Otherwise, SiC x O y would undergo nucleation delay. Thereby, a silicon oxycarbide (SiC x O y ) of uniform thickness is deposited on the feature regardless of the material (e.g., metal or dielectric) present. Si x O y ; Si x N yThe PEALD process for deposition has been shown to be effective, for example, for SiN, polycrystalline silicon, and tungsten metal. After deposition of SiN, SiC on these materials x O y deposits have substantially little or no difference in the thickness of the deposited SiC x O y regardless of the material underlying the SiN layer.

[0031] SiC x O y This approach of using ALD of SiN prior to deposition of SiC x O y has the potential to be extended to ensure uniform deposition of SiC x N y onto other dielectric and metal materials (e.g., cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), and ruthenium (Ru)) in the semiconductor industry and related industries. ALD Si

[0032] functions as a growth initiation layer. x O y For example, referring next to FIG. 3, according to various embodiments described herein, to reduce the differential thickness between the thickness of silicon oxycarbide (e.g., SiC x N y ) deposited on dielectric material 301, the thickness of silicon oxycarbide deposited on metal material 303, and the thickness of silicon oxycarbide deposited on semiconductor material 305, a cross-sectional semiconductor structure 300 having a silicon nitride (e.g., Si

[0033] N 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, etc.) may be included.

[0034] In various embodiments, the metal 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 their alloys well-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 well-known and used in the art.

[0035] Referring again to FIG. 3, generally, the cross-sectional semiconductor structure 300 may comprise flat features (oriented either perpendicular or parallel 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 enable conformal and uniform deposition of silicon carbide even when deposition of thin layers is required. The subject matter of the invention of the present disclosure can be used to deposit silicon carbide layers having various thicknesses (e.g., from about 20 Å to about 400 Å), and is particularly advantageous for depositing thin silicon carbide layers (e.g., having a thickness from about 20 Å to about 100 Å).

[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 technology of the 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 unmeasurable. Thus, the difference in thickness of the deposited silicon oxycarbide layers was sufficiently 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 the semiconductor structure 300, one of ordinary skill in the art, upon reading and understanding the subject matter of the present disclosure, will recognize that the subject matter of the present disclosure may be applied to any vertical (e.g., perpendicular orientation with respect to a structure substantially upright with respect to a bottom substrate not shown), or horizontal (e.g., horizontal orientation with respect to a structure substantially parallel to the substrate), or any other orientation with respect to the substrate structure.

[0038] Referring now to FIG. 4, an exemplary process flow 400 for preparing to form a Si x N y seed layer on various types of materials is shown. In operation 401, a substrate having an exposed layer of at least one metal material and at least one dielectric material is transported into a deposition chamber. To enable substantially uniform deposition of SiC x O y on various dielectric materials and metal materials (and other materials such as semiconductor materials, for example), in operation 403, PEALD of Si x N yThe starting layer in the form of is deposited or formed. As described above, Si x N y is deposited substantially uniformly up to at least the measurement detection limit (e.g., for Si formed on metal, compared to Si formed on a dielectric) on dielectric materials, metal materials, and semiconductor materials. In operation 405, a SiC x N y layer is deposited or formed substantially on top of the Si x N y layer within a step difference of less than about 2 nm (e.g., for Si formed on a dielectric compared to Si formed on metal). In operation 405, a SiC x N y layer is deposited or formed substantially on top of the Si x O y layer.

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

[0040] Using SiC x O y as a starting layer for the SiC x N y deposition process has advantages over prior art processes that rely, for example, on using a SiO2 starting layer as described above with reference to FIG. 2. For example, using Si x N yBy using this, oxidation of the underlying metal that occurs in the SiO2 starting layer process does not occur. Oxidation of the metal can increase the resistance of the metal material (e.g., metal line or via), so the absence of oxidation is an advantage. The increase in resistance can, for example, cause a decrease in the switching speed of the electronic device. The underlying metal material may form a nitride on the metal surface, but the resistance of the metal nitride is generally lower than that of the metal oxide. Therefore, the impact on the device speed will not be as severe as when an oxide is formed on the metal surface. Instead of the etching process and wet cleaning process for finishing the surfaces of the metal material and the dielectric material, Si is used as the starting layer. x N y Another advantage of using this is the time savings due to the reduction in the number of process steps. The reduction in the number of process steps further leads to a reduction in manufacturing costs. Also, the Si x N y starting layer is generally stronger than the SiO2 starting layer. Overall, using SiC x O y in the deposition process as the starting layer results in a better post-deposition profile, as described with reference to FIG. 3 above, and further leads to a higher device yield of the semiconductor device. x N y As described above, in various embodiments, the subject matter of the invention of the present disclosure may use a remote plasma device. As will be described in more detail below, the remote plasma device includes a processing chamber, a substrate support for holding a substrate in the processing 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 in the processing 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 transporting the substrate into the processing chamber, transporting the substrate to the substrate support, and generating a remote plasma of a gas. Remote plasma device

[0041] As described above, in various embodiments, the subject matter of the invention of the present disclosure may use a remote plasma device. As will be described in more detail below, the remote plasma device includes a processing chamber, a substrate support for holding a substrate in the processing 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 in the processing 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 transporting the substrate into the processing chamber, transporting the substrate to the substrate support, and generating a remote plasma of a gas.

[0042] FIG. 5 shows an example of a schematic cross-sectional 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 an 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 positioned between the substrate 509 and the remote plasma source 510.

[0043] Gas species 519 can flow from the remote plasma source 510 to the substrate 509 through the showerhead 517. Remote plasma may be generated at the remote plasma source 510 to generate radicals of the 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 further generate photons (such as ultraviolet light) from the gas species 519. For example, the coil 503 may surround the wall of the remote plasma source 510 and generate remote plasma at the remote plasma source 510.

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

[0045] To generate radical species, any type of plasma source may be used in remote plasma source 510. These types of plasma include, for example, capacitively coupled plasma, microwave plasma, DC plasma, inductively coupled plasma, and laser generated plasma. An example of capacitively coupled plasma may be 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 power include, but are not limited to, power from about 0.5 kW to about 6 kW. Similarly, the RF generator may provide RF power at a suitable frequency, such as 13.56 MHz, to an inductively coupled plasma.

[0047] Gas species 519 may be supplied from the gas inlet 501 into the internal space of the remote plasma source 510. The power supplied to the coil 503 can generate a remote plasma using the gas species 519 to form radicals of the gas species 519. The radicals formed in the remote plasma source 510 can be transported in the gas phase to the substrate 509 through the showerhead 517.

[0048] Continuing with reference to FIG. 5, the remote plasma apparatus 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 the reaction rate during processing and the uniformity of exposure to the remote plasma.

[0049] In various embodiments, the remote plasma apparatus 500 may include a movable member 511 (such as a lift pin) that can move the substrate 509 away from or closer to the substrate support 513. The movable member 511 can be configured to extend away 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 move the substrate 509 away from the hot substrate support 513 and extend towards the cooled showerhead 517 to cool the substrate 509. The movable member 511 can also be retracted to move the substrate 509 away from the cooled showerhead 517 and closer to the hot substrate support 513 to heat the substrate 509. By positioning the substrate 509 using 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 maintained at a constant temperature when positioning the substrate 509.

[0050] In some embodiments, the remote plasma apparatus 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 fluid may be used to enable active cooling of the showerhead 517. One of the heat transfer fluids is manufactured by The Dow Chemical Company of Midland, Michigan, USA. In some embodiments, the heat exchange fluid may flow through a flow path (not shown) of the showerhead 517. Also, the showerhead 517 may use a heat exchange system (not shown) such as a fluid heater / chiller unit (well-known technology) for temperature control. In some embodiments, the temperature of the showerhead 517 may be controlled to be less than about 30°C (such as from about 5°C to about 20°C). The showerhead 517 may be cooled to lower the temperature of the substrate 509, such as before and after processing of the substrate 509.

[0051] In some embodiments, the remote plasma apparatus 500 can include one or more gas inlets 505 for flowing a cooling gas 507 through the processing chamber 520. The one or more gas inlets 505 may be disposed above, below, and / or beside 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 the showerhead 517. The flow rate of the cooling gas 507 for cooling 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 include instructions for controlling parameters for the operation of the remote plasma apparatus 500. In various embodiments, the controller 515 will typically comprise 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, as well as other connections and peripherals well 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 inventive subject matter of the present disclosure for the remote plasma apparatus 500. In some embodiments, the controller 515 controls all operations of a processing tool (not shown). As described below with reference to FIG. 6, the controller 515 may execute system control software stored in a mass storage device, loaded into a memory device, and executed on a processor. The system control software may include instructions for controlling timing, gas mixing, chamber and / or station pressure, chamber and / or station temperature, purge conditions and timing, substrate temperature, RF power level, and RF frequency. The system control software may also control the position of the substrate, pedestal, chuck, and / or susceptor, as well as other parameters of a 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 components may be written to control the operation of the processing tool components necessary to execute the processes of 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 for performing various operations

[0054] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the components of a machine 600 according to some embodiments, which 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 can implement any one or more of the methods described herein. Specifically, FIG. 6 shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine 600 of an exemplary form of a computer system in which instructions 624 (e.g., software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code) for causing the machine 600 to implement any one or more of the methods described herein (e.g., a process recipe) may be executed.

[0055] In another embodiment, the machine 600 may operate as a stand-alone device or may be connected (e.g., network-connected) to other machines. In a network configuration, 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 cellular phone, a smartphone, a web appliance, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of sequentially executing the instructions 624 or otherwise executing the operations specified by the instructions 624 that are performed by that machine. Further, although only one machine is depicted, the term "machine" shall also be construed to include a group of machines that individually or collaboratively execute the instructions 624 for implementing any one or more of the methods described herein.

[0056] The machine 600 includes 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 a very small circuit that can be temporarily or permanently configured by some or all of the instructions 624 to be configured to perform, in whole or in part, any one or more of the methods described herein. For example, one or more sets of very small circuits of the processor 602 may be configured to execute one or more of the modules (e.g., software modules) described herein.

[0057] The machine 600 may further include an image display device 610 (e.g., a plasma display panel (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 touchpad, a trackball, an operating lever, a motion sensor, or other pointing device), a storage device 616, a signal generating device 618 (e.g., a speaker), and a network interface device 620.

[0058] The memory device 616 includes a machine-readable medium 622 (e.g., a tangible and / or non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) storing instructions 624 that use one or more of the methods or functions described herein. The instructions 624 may be present, in whole or at least in part, within the main memory 604, within the processor 602 (e.g., within a cache memory of the processor), or both, during execution thereof by the machine 600. Accordingly, the main memory 604 and the processor 602 may be regarded as a machine-readable medium (e.g., a tangible and / or non-transitory machine-readable medium). The instructions 624 may be transmitted or received via the network 626 using the 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., the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)).

[0059] In some embodiments, the machine 600 may be a portable computing device such as a smartphone or a tablet computer, and may have one or more additional input parts (e.g., sensors or gauges). Examples of such additional input parts include an image input part (e.g., one or more cameras), an audio input part (e.g., a microphone), a direction input part (e.g., a compass), a position input part (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver), an orientation determination part (e.g., a gyroscope), a motion detection part (e.g., one or more accelerometers), an altitude detection part (e.g., an altimeter), and a gas detection part (e.g., a gas sensor). Inputs obtained by one or more of these input parts may be available and usable for use by the modules described herein.

[0060] As used herein, the term "memory" means a machine-readable medium capable of storing data either temporarily or permanently, and may be interpreted 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 interpreted to include one or more media (e.g., a centralized database or a distributed database, or related caches and servers) capable of storing instructions. Also, the term "machine-readable medium" should be interpreted to include any medium, or combination of media, capable of storing instructions for causing a machine (e.g., machine 600) to perform one or more of the methods described herein when the instructions are executed by one or more processors (e.g., processor 602) of the machine. Accordingly, "machine-readable medium" means not only a single storage device or device, but also a "cloud-based" storage system or storage network including multiple storage devices or devices. Accordingly, the term "machine-readable medium" should 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 devices, optical media, magnetic media, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0061] Furthermore, the machine-readable medium is non-transitory in that it does not embody a propagated signal. However, classifying a tangible machine-readable medium as "non-transitory" should not be interpreted to mean that the medium is immovable, and the medium should be considered movable from one physical location to another. Also, since the machine-readable medium is tangible, it may be considered a machine-readable device.

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

[0063] Generally, the inventive subject matter disclosed herein generally describes or relates to the deposition or formation of a silicon carbide layer of uniform thickness in various forms as described above. However, the inventive subject matter of this disclosure is not limited to semiconductor manufacturing environments and can be used in several other environments. Those skilled in the art, upon reading and understanding the disclosure herein, will recognize that various embodiments of the inventive subject matter of this disclosure may be used with not only other types of processing tools, but also 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. Further embodiments will be understood by those skilled in the art who have read and understood the described disclosure. Further, those skilled in the art will readily understand, upon reading and understanding the disclosure herein, that all of the various combinations of the technologies and examples described herein may be applied in various configurations.

[0065] Although the various embodiments are described separately, these individual embodiments are not intended to be regarded as independent technologies or designs. As described above, the various parts are each related to one another and may be used separately or in combination with other embodiments described herein. For example, although various embodiments of methods, operations, and processes have been described, these methods, operations, and processes may be used separately or in any of various combinations.

[0066] Accordingly, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the disclosure herein, many modifications and variations are possible. Further, in addition to those recited herein, methods and apparatuses that are functionally equivalent within the scope of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Some of the embodiments, materials, and structural techniques may be included in or replaced by others of these. 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 of those claims that are entitled to be patented. It will also be understood that the terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting.

[0067] The abstract of the present disclosure is provided so that the reader can immediately confirm the essence of the technical disclosure. The abstract is presented on the premise that it is not used to interpret or limit the claims. Also, in the mode for carrying out the above-mentioned invention, it will be understood that various features may be grouped together in one embodiment in order to simplify the present 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 mode for carrying out the invention, and each claim stands on its own as a separate embodiment. The following numbered examples are specific embodiments of the subject matter of the invention of the present disclosure

[0068] Example 1: In an exemplary embodiment, the subject matter of the invention of the present disclosure is a method for forming a substantially uniform silicon carbide layer substantially simultaneously on both at least one dielectric material and at least one metal material. This method involves depositing Si x N y in the form of a silicon nitride layer on at least one dielectric material and at least one metal material, and forming a silicon carbide layer in the form of SiC x O y on the silicon nitride layer.

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

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

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

[0072] Example 5: The method of any one of the preceding examples, wherein the at least one metal 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 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) It includes at least one material selected from materials including strontium titanate (SrTiO3) and strontium oxide (SrO).

[0074] Example 7: Any one of the methods of the above examples, wherein SiC x O y The silicon carbide layer in the form of is a silicon oxycarbide layer.

[0075] Example 8: In an exemplary embodiment, the subject matter of the invention of the present disclosure describes a method for forming a silicon carbide layer. This method substantially simultaneously forms a silicon nitride starting layer in the form of Si x N y on at least a dielectric material and a metal material. The silicon nitride starting layer functions as a growth starting layer. SiC x O y The silicon carbide layer in the form of is formed on the silicon nitride starting layer. The formed silicon nitride starting layer substantially prevents the nucleation and growth of the silicon carbide layer on the metal material from being delayed with respect to the nucleation and growth of the silicon carbide layer on the dielectric material.

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

[0077] Example 10: Any one of the methods of the examples below Example 8, wherein the silicon carbide layer includes at least one of doped silicon carbide and undoped silicon carbide.

[0078] Example 11: Any one of the methods of the examples below Example 8, wherein the 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: Any one of the methods of the examples below Example 8, further comprising forming a silicon nitride starting layer substantially simultaneously on a combination of different types of dielectric materials and different types of metal materials.

[0080] Example 13: Any one of the methods of the examples below Example 8, wherein the silicon carbide layer further contains hydrogen.

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

[0082] Example 15: The method of Example 14, wherein Si x N y is formed in the same chamber as the subsequent SiC x O y deposition in a direct plasma operation.

[0083] Example 16: Any one of the methods of the examples below Example 14, wherein Si x N y is formed in a chamber different from the subsequent SiC x O y deposition in a remote plasma operation.

[0084] Example 17: Any one of the methods of the examples below Example 14, wherein Si x N y is formed to have a thickness of from about 20 nm to about 200 nm.

[0085] Example 18: Any one of the methods of the examples below Example 14, wherein Si x N y is formed to have a thickness of less than about 20 nm.

[0086] Example 19: Any one of the methods of the examples below Example 14, wherein Si x N y is formed to have a thickness greater than about 200 nm.

[0087] Example 20: Any one of the methods of the examples below Example 14, wherein silicon carbide, silicon carbonitride, silicon oxycarbonitride, and silicon oxycarbide may include at least either a doped type or an undoped type of the listed silicon-based compounds.

Claims

1. A method for producing a substantially uniform silicon carbide layer substantially simultaneously on both at least one dielectric material and at least one metal material, On the at least one dielectric material and the at least one metallic material, form a silicon nitride layer in the form of Si x N y and SiC is formed on the silicon nitride layer x O y to form a silicon carbide layer in the form of comprising wherein the formed silicon nitride layer substantially prevents the nucleation and growth of the silicon carbide layer on the at least one metal material from being delayed with respect to the nucleation and growth of the silicon carbide layer on the at least one dielectric material.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the silicon carbide layer further contains hydrogen.

3. A method for producing a substantially uniform silicon carbide layer substantially simultaneously on both at least one dielectric material and at least one metal material, forming a silicon nitride layer in the form of SixNy on the at least one dielectric material and the at least one metal material, forming a silicon carbide layer in the form of SiCxOy on the silicon nitride layer, comprising forming the silicon nitride layer on a semiconductor material.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one metal material includes at least one material selected from materials including tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), platinum (Pt), and ruthenium (Ru).

5. The method according to 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).

6. The method according to claim 1, SiC x O y The method in which the silicon carbide layer in the form of x O y is a silicon oxycarbide layer.

7. A method for forming a silicon carbide layer, Substantially simultaneously on at least a dielectric material and a metal material, Si x N y to form a silicon nitride starting layer in the form of, the silicon nitride starting layer functions as a growth starting layer, SiC is formed on the silicon nitride starting layer x O y to form the silicon carbide layer in the form of, and the formed silicon nitride starting layer substantially prevents the nucleation and growth of the silicon carbide layer on the metal material from being delayed with respect to the nucleation and growth of the silicon carbide layer on the dielectric material comprising

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising forming the silicon nitride starting layer on a semiconductor material substantially simultaneously with the formation of the silicon nitride starting layer on at least the dielectric material and the metal material.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the silicon carbide layer includes at least one of doped silicon carbide and undoped silicon carbide.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the 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.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising forming the silicon nitride starting layer substantially simultaneously on combinations of different types of dielectric materials and different types of metal materials.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the silicon carbide layer further contains hydrogen.

13. A method for forming a silicon carbide layer, comprising: forming at least one layer of a metal 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, form silicon nitride in the form of Si x N y and Subsequently, 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 silicon oxynitride in the form of, and Si x C y O z a method comprising a material selected from materials containing silicon oxycarbide in the form of.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The foregoing Si x N y is formed in the same chamber as the subsequent deposition of the foregoing Si x C y O z in a direct plasma operation, method.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein The above Si x N y is formed in a chamber different from the subsequent deposition of the above Si x C y O z in remote plasma operation, method.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein The Si x N y is formed to have a thickness of from about 20 nm to about 200 nm, method.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein The Si x N y is formed to have a thickness of less than about 20 nm, method.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein The Si x N y is formed to have a thickness greater than about 200 nm, method.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the silicon carbide, silicon carbonitride, oxycarbonitride of silicon, and silicon oxycarbide may include at least one of the doped and undoped types of the listed silicon-based compounds.

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