Systems and methods for depositing low-k dielectric films

Abstract

An exemplary method for forming a silicon- and carbon-containing material may include flowing a silicon- and carbon-containing precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be contained within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The method may include forming a plasma within the processing region of the silicon- and carbon-containing precursor. The plasma may be formed at a frequency greater than 15 MHz. The method may include depositing the silicon- and carbon-containing material on the substrate. The as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a dielectric constant of about 3.0 or less.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 902,888, filed June 16, 2020, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 983,305, filed February 28, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0002] Technical Field The present technology relates to deposition processes and chambers, and more particularly to methods for producing low dielectric constant films that do not require UV treatment. [Background technology]

[0003] Integrated circuits are made possible by processes that produce intricately patterned layers of material on substrate surfaces. Producing patterned materials on substrates requires controlled methods for depositing and removing materials. The properties of the materials can affect how the device operates and can also affect how films are removed relative to one another. Plasma-enhanced deposition can produce films with certain characteristics. Many films that are formed require additional processing to tailor or enhance the material properties of the film to provide the appropriate properties.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for improved systems and methods that can be used to manufacture high quality devices and structures. The present technology addresses these and other needs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An exemplary method for forming a silicon- and carbon-containing material may include flowing a silicon- and carbon-containing precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be contained within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The method may include forming a plasma within the processing region of the silicon- and carbon-containing precursor. The plasma may be formed at a frequency greater than 15 MHz. The method may include depositing the silicon- and carbon-containing material on the substrate. The as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a dielectric constant of about 3.0 or less.

[0006] In some embodiments, the silicon- and carbon-containing precursor may include oxygen. The silicon- and carbon-containing precursor may be characterized by a carbon to silicon ratio greater than 1. The plasma may be formed at a frequency of about 27 MHz or greater. The as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a dielectric constant of about 2.8 or less. The as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a hardness of about 1 GPa or greater. The as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a Young's modulus of about 5 GPa or greater. The as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a methyl incorporation of about 3% or greater. The as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a ratio of methyl incorporation to non-methyl carbon incorporation of about 1.2 or greater.

[0007] Some embodiments of the present technology may include a method of forming a silicon- and carbon-containing material, which may include providing a deposition precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, where the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber contains a substrate, and the deposition precursor is characterized by Formula 1: TIFF0007741079000001.tif34170In Equation 1, R 1 can contain -CH3 or -CH2CH3; R 2 can contain -CH3 or -CH2CH3; R 3can contain -CH3, -OCH3 or H, and R 4 is -(CH2) n CH3, -O(CH2) n The silicon- and carbon-containing material may include CH, -CH=CH, -CH-CH-(CHCH), -CH-CH(CH). The method may include forming a plasma within a deposition precursor processing region. The plasma may be formed at a frequency greater than 27 MHz. The method may include depositing a silicon- and carbon-containing material on a substrate. The as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a dielectric constant of about 3.0 or less.

[0008] In some embodiments, the deposition precursor may be characterized by a carbon to silicon ratio of about 3 or greater. The deposition precursor may be characterized by an oxygen to silicon ratio of about 1.5 or greater. The as-deposited silicon and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a dielectric constant of about 2.8 or less. The as-deposited silicon and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a hardness of about 1 GPa or greater. The as-deposited silicon and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a Young's modulus of about 5 GPa or greater. The as-deposited silicon and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a methyl incorporation of about 3% or greater. The as-deposited silicon and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a ratio of methyl incorporation to non-methyl carbon incorporation of about 1.2 or greater.

[0009] Some embodiments of the present technology may include a method for forming a silicon- and carbon-containing material. The method may include flowing a silicon-, carbon-, and oxygen-containing precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be contained within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The method may include forming a plasma within the processing region of the silicon-, carbon-, and oxygen-containing precursor. The plasma may be formed at a frequency of about 27 MHz or greater. The method may include depositing the silicon- and carbon-containing material on the substrate. The as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a dielectric constant of about 2.9 or less.

[0010] In some embodiments, the as-deposited silicon and carbon-containing material is characterized by a hardness of about 1 GPa or greater. The as-deposited silicon and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a Young's modulus of about 5 GPa or greater. The as-deposited silicon and carbon-containing material may be characterized by a methyl incorporation of about 3% or greater.

[0011] Such technology can offer many advantages over conventional systems and techniques. For example, by utilizing higher frequency power, deposition characteristics can be improved. Additionally, by reducing low-k formation to a single chamber process, production costs, cost of ownership, and production queue times can be reduced. These and other embodiments, along with their many advantages and features, are described in more detail below in conjunction with the description and accompanying drawings.

[0012] A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the disclosed technology may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a top view of an exemplary processing system in accordance with some embodiments of the present technique; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary plasma system in accordance with some embodiments of the present technique; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates operations of an exemplary method for semiconductor processing in accordance with some embodiments of the present technique. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Some figures are included as schematic diagrams. It should be understood that the drawings are for illustrative purposes and should not be considered to scale unless specifically stated to scale. Furthermore, as schematic diagrams, the drawings are provided to aid understanding and may not include all aspects or information compared to realistic representations and may include exaggerated material for illustrative purposes.

[0015] In the accompanying drawings, similar components and / or features may have the same reference numerals. Furthermore, various components of the same type may be distinguished according to the reference numerals, with a letter distinguishing between the similar components. When only a first reference numeral is used in this specification, the description is applicable to any of the similar components having the same first reference numeral, regardless of the letter.

[0016] The plasma deposition process can energize one or more component precursors to promote film formation on a substrate. Any number of material films can be produced to develop semiconductor structures, including conductive and dielectric films and films that facilitate material transfer and removal. For example, in memory development, such as DRAM, film deposition can be performed to fabricate cell structures. Conventional DRAM can include one or more low-k dielectric films that can be produced by performing a two-step operation. The first film is formed using a silicon precursor and a porogen, followed by UV treatment to release the porogen. This process can be time-consuming and expensive, requiring separate chambers for deposition and UV treatment.

[0017] The present technology overcomes these problems by conducting a deposition process utilizing a high-frequency plasma in a single processing chamber. Many plasma processes are conducted at approximately 13 MHz, generating a high amount of ion bombardment that can affect material properties. In one example, low-k films can be produced by incorporating carbon-containing materials into the film. Using plasma at lower frequencies can remove carbon through ion bombardment on the substrate, thereby increasing the film's dielectric constant. Increasing the process frequency to higher frequencies, such as approximately 27 MHz or higher, approximately 40 MHz or higher, can increase the plasma density, thereby increasing radical generation relative to ion generation while also increasing plasma density. This can reduce ion bombardment and advantageously increase deposition rates. The films produced can be characterized by lower dielectric constant values ​​than conventional techniques and can retain useful hardness and Young's modulus properties.

[0018] While the remainder of the disclosure routinely identifies particular deposition processes that utilize the techniques of the present disclosure, it will be readily understood that the systems and methods are equally applicable to other deposition and cleaning chambers and processes that may be performed in the described chambers. Thus, the present technology should not be considered limited to use with only these particular deposition processes or chambers. This disclosure discusses one possible system and chamber that can be used to perform a deposition process in accordance with embodiments of the present technology before describing additional details in accordance with embodiments of the present technology.

[0019] 1 illustrates a top view of one embodiment of a deposition, etch, bake, and cure chamber processing system 100, according to embodiments. In this illustration, a pair of front-opening unified pods 102 deliver substrates of various sizes, which are received by a robot arm 104 and placed in a low-pressure holding area 106, and then placed in one of the substrate processing chambers 108a-f located in tandem sections 109a-c. A second robot arm 110 can be used to transfer substrate wafers from the holding area 106 to and from the substrate processing chambers 108a-f. Each substrate processing chamber 108a-f can be equipped to perform multiple substrate processing operations, including plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, physical vapor deposition, etching, pre-cleaning, degassing, orientation, and the formation of stacks of semiconductor materials as described herein, in addition to other substrate processes including annealing, ashing, and the like.

[0020] The substrate processing chambers 108a-f may include one or more system components for depositing, annealing, curing, and / or etching a dielectric or other film on a substrate. In one configuration, two pairs of processing chambers, e.g., 108c-d and 108e-f, may be used to deposit a dielectric material on a substrate, and a third pair of processing chambers, e.g., 108a-b, may be used to etch the deposited dielectric. In another configuration, all three pairs of chambers, e.g., 108a-f, may be configured to deposit a stack of alternating dielectric films on a substrate. Any one or more of the described processes may be performed in separate chambers from the fabrication system shown in different embodiments. It will be appreciated that additional configurations of deposition, etching, annealing, and curing chambers for dielectric films are contemplated by system 100.

[0021] 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary plasma system 200 in accordance with some embodiments of the present technique. The plasma system 200 may represent a pair of processing chambers 108, as may be further described below, that may be attached to one or more of the tandem sections 109 described above and may include lid stack components in accordance with embodiments of the present technique. The plasma system 200 may generally include a chamber body 202 having a sidewall 212, a bottom wall 216, and an interior sidewall 201 that defines a pair of processing regions 220A and 220B. Each of the processing regions 220A-220B may be similarly configured and may include identical components.

[0022] For example, processing region 220B (components of which may also be included in processing region 220A) may include a pedestal 228 disposed within the processing region through a passageway 222 formed in the bottom wall 216 of the plasma system 200. The pedestal 228 may provide a heater adapted to support a substrate 229 on an exposed surface of the pedestal, such as a body portion. The pedestal 228 may include a heating element 232, such as a resistive heating element, capable of heating and controlling the substrate temperature at a desired processing temperature. The pedestal 228 may also be heated by a remote heating element, such as a lamp assembly, or any other heating device.

[0023] The body of the pedestal 228 may be coupled to the stem 226 by a flange 233. The stem 226 may electrically couple the pedestal 228 to a power outlet or power box 203. The power box 203 may include a drive system that controls the elevation and movement of the pedestal 228 within the processing region 220B. The stem 226 may also include a power interface for supplying power to the pedestal 228. The power box 203 may also include an interface for power and a temperature indicator, such as a thermocouple interface. The stem 226 may include a base assembly 238 adapted to removably couple with the power box 203. A circumferential ring 235 is shown on the power box 203. In some embodiments, the circumferential ring 235 may be a shoulder adapted as a mechanical stop or land configured to provide a mechanical interface between the base assembly 238 and the top surface of the power box 203.

[0024] The rod 230 may be contained through a passageway 224 formed in the bottom wall 216 of the processing region 220B and may be utilized to position substrate lift pins 261 disposed through the body of the pedestal 228. The substrate lift pins 261 may selectively space the substrate 229 from the pedestal to facilitate exchange of the substrate 229 by a robot utilized to transfer the substrate 229 into and out of the processing region 220B via the substrate transfer port 260.

[0025] A chamber lid 204 can be coupled to the top of the chamber body 202. The lid 204 can house one or more precursor delivery systems 208 coupled thereto. The precursor delivery system 208 can include a precursor inlet passage 240 that can supply reactant and cleaning precursors to the processing region 220B through a dual channel showerhead 218. The dual channel showerhead 218 can include an annular base plate 248 having a blocker plate 244 disposed intermediate a faceplate 246. A radio frequency (“RF”) source 265 can be coupled to the dual channel showerhead 218 and can power the dual channel showerhead 218 to facilitate generation of a plasma region between the faceplate 246 and the pedestal 228 of the dual channel showerhead 218. In some embodiments, the RF source can be coupled to other portions of the chamber body 202, such as the pedestal 228, to facilitate plasma generation. A dielectric isolator 258 may be disposed between the lid 204 and the dual channel showerhead 218 to prevent conduction of RF power to the lid 204. A shadow ring 206 may be disposed around the periphery of the pedestal 228 and engages with the pedestal 228.

[0026] Optional cooling channels 247 may be formed in the annular base plate 248 of the precursor delivery system 208 to cool the annular base plate 248 during operation. A heat transfer fluid, such as water, ethylene glycol, or gas, may be circulated through the cooling channels 247 to maintain the base plate 248 at a predetermined temperature. A liner assembly 227 may be positioned within the processing region 220B in close proximity to the sidewalls 201, 212 of the chamber body 202 to prevent exposure of the sidewalls 201, 212 to the processing environment within the processing region 220B. The liner assembly 227 may include a circumferential pumping cavity 225 that may be coupled to a pumping system 264 configured to evacuate gases and byproducts from the processing region 220B and control the pressure within the processing region 220B. A plurality of exhaust ports 231 may be formed in the liner assembly 227. The exhaust outlet 231 can be configured to allow gas flow from the processing region 220B to the circumferential pumping cavity 225 in a manner that facilitates processing within the system 200.

[0027] 3 illustrates operations of an exemplary method 300 of semiconductor processing in accordance with some embodiments of the present technique. The method can be performed in a variety of processing chambers, including the processing system 200 described above, as well as any other chamber in which plasma deposition can be performed. Method 300 can include several optional operations that may or may not be specifically associated with some embodiments of methods in accordance with the present technique.

[0028] Method 300 can include processing methods that may include operations for forming material films at high frequencies or other deposition operations, such as for producing DRAM memory or other materials, that can be formed at faster deposition rates and with lower dielectric constants compared to conventional processes. The method can include optional operations before the start of method 300, or the method can include additional operations. For example, method 300 may include operations performed before the start of the method, including additional deposition, removal, or processing operations. In some embodiments, method 300 can include, in operation 305, flowing one or more precursors into a processing chamber, thereby delivering one or more precursors to a processing region of the chamber that can accommodate a substrate, such as region 220.

[0029] In some embodiments, the precursor can be or include a silicon- and carbon-containing precursor for producing a low-k dielectric layer, such as silicon oxide. The precursor may or may not include a supply of additional precursors, such as a carrier gas or one or more oxygen-containing precursors, for depositing an oxide layer. In some embodiments, the deposition can utilize a single deposition precursor containing silicon, carbon, and oxygen. A carrier gas, such as an inert precursor, can be supplied along with the deposition precursor, but additional precursors intended to react with the deposition precursor to produce a deposition product cannot be used. By limiting the deposition to a single precursor, a simpler deposition chamber can be used because uniform mixing and supply of multiple precursors is not required.

[0030] Deposition precursors according to some embodiments of the present technology can include precursors with silicon and oxygen bonds, and can include linear branched precursors, cyclic precursors, or any number of additional precursors. In some embodiments, the precursors can be characterized by a specific ratio of carbon and / or oxygen to silicon. For example, in some embodiments, the ratio of carbon or oxygen to silicon can be about 1 or greater, and can be about 1.5 or greater, about 2 or greater, about 2.5 or greater, about 3 or greater, about 3.5 or greater, about 4 or greater, or even higher. Increasing the amount of carbon or oxygen relative to silicon can increase the incorporation of additional residual moieties or molecules into the film. This can improve material properties as well as lower the dielectric constant, as further described below.

[0031] While any number of precursors can be utilized, in some embodiments of the present technology, exemplary precursors can be characterized by the following general formula 1: TIFF0007741079000002.tif35170, R 1 can contain -CH3 or -CH2CH3; R 2 can contain -CH3 or -CH2CH3; R 3 can contain -CH3, -OCH3 or H, and R 4 is -(CH2) n CH3, -O(CH2) n It may include CH3, -CH=CH2, -CH2-CH2-(CH2CH3)2, -CH2-CH(CH3)2.

[0032] Any number of precursors may be encompassed by this general formula, or other formulas, that can provide one or more properties for film formation and that can produce low dielectric constant silicon and carbon materials, such as carbon-doped silicon oxide, etc. Exemplary precursors that can act as a single deposition precursor or that can be combined in some embodiments according to the present technique can include precursors according to any of the following structures or formulas: TIFF0007741079000003.tif255170TIFF0007741079000004.tif66170

[0033] In operation 310, a plasma can be generated from the precursors in the processing region, such as by applying RF power to a faceplate to generate a plasma in the processing region 220, although any other processing chamber capable of generating a plasma can be used as well. The plasma can be generated at any of the frequencies previously mentioned, including frequencies of about 15 MHz or greater, about 20 MHz or greater, about 27 MHz or greater, about 40 MHz or greater, or greater. By utilizing a higher frequency plasma, the ratio of radical to ion effluent can be about 5 or greater, about 6 or greater, about 7 or greater, about 8 or greater, about 9 or greater, about 10 or greater, about 11 or greater, about 12 or greater, or greater for any precursor supplied. This can limit ion bombardment of the film being formed, which can facilitate maintaining a specific amount of carbon in the film and provide a lower dielectric constant.

[0034] Deposition can be performed at substrate or pedestal temperatures of about 300°C or higher, which can improve the release of certain carbon and hydrogen materials from the film and the cross-linking of silicon and oxygen chains within the material network. As further described below, some carbon aspects can be beneficial to the film, while others may be less beneficial to the resulting material. Thus, increasing the deposition temperature can improve film properties. Consequently, in some embodiments, deposition can be performed at temperatures of about 350°C or higher, about 375°C or higher, about 400°C or higher, about 425°C or higher, about 450°C or higher, or higher.

[0035] Materials formed in the plasma can be deposited on a substrate in operation 315, thereby producing silicon- and carbon-containing materials, and silicon-, carbon-, and oxygen-containing materials, such as carbon-doped silicon oxide. By utilizing a high-frequency plasma, plasma density can be increased, thereby increasing the deposition rate of materials. For example, in some embodiments, deposition rates can exceed 900 Å / min, and can be deposited at rates of about 1,000 Å / min or greater, about 1,200 Å / min or greater, about 1,400 Å / min or greater, about 1,600 Å / min or greater, about 1,800 Å / min or greater, about 2,000 Å / min or greater, about 2,200 Å / min or greater, about 2,500 Å / min or greater, about 3,000 Å / min or greater, about 3,500 Å / min or greater, about 4,000 Å / min or greater, or even higher. After deposition to a sufficient thickness, many conventional processes may then transfer the substrate to a second chamber to perform a treatment, such as a UV treatment or other post-deposition treatment. This may reduce throughput and may increase production costs due to the need for additional chambers or tools to perform the treatment. However, the present technique can produce materials, including carbon-doped silicon oxide, that can be characterized by sufficient as-deposited material properties without additional treatment. While embodiments of the present technique may include additional post-deposition treatment, the as-deposited film properties may include various improvements over conventional techniques.

[0036] As explained above, conventional techniques operating at lower plasma frequencies can produce a high amount of ion bombardment that can release carbon-containing materials from the deposited material, potentially increasing the dielectric constant of the film. Utilizing higher plasma frequencies with precursors according to the present technique can produce low-k dielectric materials that can be characterized by a dielectric constant of about 3.00 or less, and can have a dielectric constant of about 2.95 or less, about 2.90 or less, about 2.85 or less, about 2.80 or less, about 2.79 or less, about 2.78 or less, about 2.77 or less, about 2.76 or less, about 2.75 or less, about 2.74 or less, about 2.73 or less, about 2.72 or less, about 2.71 or less, about 2.70 or less, or even lower.

[0037] The dielectric constant can be related to the material properties of a film; the lower the dielectric constant, the lower the Young's modulus and / or hardness of the resulting film. By producing films according to some embodiments of the present technique, hardness and modulus can be maintained higher than would occur with conventional techniques capable of producing films with corresponding as-deposited dielectric constant values. For example, in some embodiments, the present technique can produce materials characterized by a Young's modulus of about 5.0 Gpa or greater, and can be characterized by a Young's modulus of about 5.5 Gpa or greater, about 6.0 Gpa or greater, about 6.5 Gpa or greater, about 7.0 Gpa or greater, about 7.5 Gpa or greater, about 8.0 Gpa or greater, about 8.5 Gpa or greater, about 9.0 Gpa or greater, about 9.5 Gpa or greater, about 10.0 Gpa or greater, or even higher. Similarly, the present technology can produce materials characterized by a hardness of about 0.9 Gpa or greater, and can be characterized by a hardness of about 1.0 Gpa or greater, about 1.1 Gpa or greater, about 1.2 Gpa or greater, about 1.3 Gpa or greater, about 1.4 Gpa or greater, about 1.5 Gpa or greater, about 1.6 Gpa or greater, about 1.7 Gpa or greater, about 1.8 Gpa or greater, about 1.9 Gpa or greater, about 2.0 Gpa or greater, or even greater. As a result, the present technology can produce films characterized by a lower dielectric constant while maintaining the higher modulus and hardness properties of the material.

[0038] The material properties produced by embodiments of the present technology can be related to the amount of methyl groups incorporated into the film, as well as the amount of non-methyl carbons incorporated into the film, such as CH or CH bonded within the film. Processing can release these materials in an amount that can provide a certain amount of porosity to the film while retaining an amount of methyl incorporation that can facilitate a reduction in the dielectric constant of the produced film, while retaining a high amount of non-methyl carbons in the film can increase the dielectric constant beyond the values ​​stated above. For example, in some embodiments, the as-deposited materials produced according to the present techniques can be characterized by a percentage of methyl or CH3 incorporated or retained within the film of about 2% or greater, and can be characterized by methyl incorporation within the film of about 2.5% or greater, about 2.6% or greater, about 2.7% or greater, about 2.8% or greater, about 2.9% or greater, about 3.0% or greater, about 3.1% or greater, about 3.2% or greater, about 3.3% or greater, about 3.4% or greater, about 3.5% or greater, about 3.6% or greater, about 3.7% or greater, about 3.8% or greater, about 3.9% or greater, about 4.0% or greater, or even higher.

[0039] Additionally, the percentage of CH, and / or CH, and / or SiCSi can be about 3.0% or less in the as-deposited material, and can be about 2.9% or less, about 2.8% or less, about 2.7% or less, about 2.6% or less, about 2.5% or less, about 2.4% or less, about 2.3% or less, about 2.2% or less, about 2.1% or less, about 2.0% or less, about 1.9% or less, about 1.8% or less, or a lower percentage. Thus, the as-deposited material can be characterized by a ratio of methyl incorporation to non-methyl carbon incorporation of between about 1.0 and about 2.0, which can be about 1.1 or more, about 1.2 or more, about 1.3 or more, about 1.4 or more, about 1.5 or more, about 1.6 or more, about 1.7 or more, about 1.8 or more, about 1.9 or more, or a higher ratio. By utilizing radio frequency plasma with other processing characteristics according to embodiments of the present technology, low-k dielectric materials can be produced that can be characterized by increased hardness and Young's modulus values, among other material properties.

[0040] In the foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, numerous details have been set forth in order to provide an understanding of various embodiments of the present technology. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that certain embodiments may be practiced without some of these details or with additional details.

[0041] Although several embodiments have been disclosed, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalents can be used without departing from the spirit of the embodiments. Moreover, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the technology, some well-known processes and elements have not been described. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting the scope of the technology.

[0042] Where a range of values ​​is presented, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, it is understood that each intervening value, to the smallest fraction of the unit of the lower limit, between the upper and lower limits of that range is also specifically disclosed. Any narrower range between any stated value or unstated intervening value in a stated range and any other stated or intervening value within that stated range is also encompassed. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included or excluded from the range, and each range where either, neither, or both limits are included in the smaller range is also encompassed within the scope, subject to any specifically excluded limits in the stated range. When one or both limits are included in a stated range, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included.

[0043] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to "a material" includes a plurality of such materials, a reference to "the precursor thereof" includes a reference to one or more precursors and equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art, and so forth.

[0044] Additionally, the words "comprise(s)," "comprising," "contain(s)," "containing," "include(s)," and "including," when used in this specification and the appended claims, are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, components, or steps, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, components, steps, acts, or groups.

Claims

1. 1. A method of forming a silicon and carbon containing material, comprising: flowing a silicon and carbon containing precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein a substrate is contained within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber; forming a plasma within the processing region of the silicon and carbon-containing precursor, the plasma being formed at a frequency greater than 15 MHz; and depositing a silicon and carbon containing material onto the substrate at a substrate temperature of about 300° C. or greater, wherein the as-deposited silicon and carbon containing material is characterized by a dielectric constant of about 3.0 or less. Including, The method, wherein the as-deposited silicon and carbon-containing material is characterized by methyl incorporation of greater than or equal to about 3%.

2. 10. The method of forming a silicon- and carbon-containing material of claim 1, wherein the silicon- and carbon-containing precursor further comprises oxygen.

3. 3. The method of forming a silicon- and carbon-containing material of claim 2, wherein the silicon- and carbon-containing precursor is characterized by a carbon to silicon ratio greater than 1.

4. 10. The method of forming a silicon and carbon containing material of claim 1, wherein the plasma is formed at a frequency of about 27 MHz or greater.

5. 10. The method of forming a silicon- and carbon-containing material of claim 1, wherein the as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material is characterized by a dielectric constant of about 2.8 or less.

6. 10. The method of forming a silicon- and carbon-containing material of claim 1, wherein the as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material is characterized by a hardness of about 1 GPa or greater.

7. 10. The method of forming a silicon- and carbon-containing material of claim 1, wherein the as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material is characterized by a Young's modulus of about 5 GPa or greater.

8. 10. The method of forming a silicon- and carbon-containing material of claim 1, wherein the as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material is characterized by a ratio of methyl incorporation to non-methyl carbon incorporation of about 1.2 or greater.

9. 1. A method of forming a silicon and carbon containing material, comprising: providing a deposition precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein a substrate is contained within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, and the deposition precursor is a compound represented by Formula 1: [In the formula, R １ is -CH ３ or -CH ２ CH ３ and R ２ is -CH ３ or -CH ２ CH ３ and R ３ is -CH ３ , -OCH ３ or H, and R ４ is -(CH ２ ) ｎ CH ３ , -O(CH ２ ) ｎ CH ３ , -CH=CH ２ , -CH ２ -CH ２ - (CH ２ CH ３ ) ２ , -CH ２ -CH(CH ３ ) ２ may include characterised by providing; forming a plasma within the deposition precursor processing region, the plasma being formed at a frequency greater than 27 MHz; and depositing a silicon and carbon containing material onto the substrate at a substrate temperature of about 300° C. or greater, wherein the as-deposited silicon and carbon containing material is characterized by a dielectric constant of about 3.0 or less. A method comprising:

10. 10. The method of forming a silicon and carbon containing material of claim 9, wherein the deposition precursor is characterized by a carbon to silicon ratio of about 3 or greater.

11. 10. The method of forming a silicon and carbon containing material of claim 9, wherein the deposition precursor is characterized by an oxygen to silicon ratio of about 1.5 or greater.

12. 10. The method of forming a silicon- and carbon-containing material of claim 9, wherein the as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material is characterized by a dielectric constant of about 2.8 or less.

13. 10. The method of forming a silicon- and carbon-containing material of claim 9, wherein the as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material is characterized by a hardness of about 1 GPa or greater.

14. 10. The method of forming a silicon- and carbon-containing material of claim 9, wherein the as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material is characterized by a Young's modulus of about 5 GPa or greater.

15. 10. The method of forming a silicon- and carbon-containing material of claim 9, wherein the as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material is characterized by methyl incorporation of about 3% or greater.

16. 10. The method of forming a silicon- and carbon-containing material of claim 9, wherein the as-deposited silicon- and carbon-containing material is characterized by a ratio of methyl incorporation to non-methyl carbon incorporation of about 1.2 or greater.

17. 1. A method of forming a silicon and carbon containing material, comprising: flowing a silicon- and carbon- and oxygen-containing precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein a substrate is contained within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber; forming a plasma within the processing region of the silicon- and carbon- and oxygen-containing precursor, the plasma being formed at a frequency of about 27 MHz or greater; and depositing a silicon and carbon containing material onto the substrate at a substrate temperature of about 300° C. or greater, wherein the as-deposited silicon and carbon containing material is characterized by a dielectric constant of about 2.9 or less. Including, The method, wherein the as-deposited silicon and carbon-containing material is characterized by methyl incorporation of greater than or equal to about 3%.

18. 20. The method of forming a silicon and carbon containing material of claim 17, wherein the as-deposited silicon and carbon containing material is characterized by a hardness of about 1 GPa or greater, and the as-deposited silicon and carbon containing material is characterized by a Young's modulus of about 5 GPa or greater.

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