Method of manufacturing cubic boron nitride film

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a cubic boron nitride thin-film device is performed by a plurality of atomic layer deposition cycles, wherein a cubic boron nitride thin film is deposited on a material layer of the device. Each atomic layer deposition cycle first introduces at least one gas pulse containing a boron-containing precursor into a reaction chamber, wherein the device is placed within the reaction chamber. The material layer may be formed of sapphire, silicon carbide, gallium nitride, aluminum nitride, etc. During the step of introducing at least one gas pulse containing the boron-containing precursor, a non-reactive gas plasma is introduced, wherein the boron-containing precursor is activated by the non-reactive gas plasma. Next, a purge gas system is selectively introduced into the reaction chamber. Then, a nitrogen-containing plasma is introduced into the reaction chamber. Finally, a purge gas system is introduced into the reaction chamber.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a cubic boron nitride thin film on a material layer of an element, the method being performed by a plurality of atomic layer deposition cycles, each atomic layer deposition cycle comprising the following steps: (a) introducing at least one gas pulse of a boron-containing precursor into a reaction chamber, wherein the element is placed in the reaction chamber, the material layer being formed of one selected from the group consisting of sapphire, silicon carbide, gallium nitride, and aluminum nitride; (b) during step (a), introducing a non-reactive gas plasma, wherein the boron-containing precursor is activated by the non-reactive gas plasma; (c) selectively introducing a flushing gas into the reaction chamber; (d) introducing a nitrogen-containing plasma into the reaction chamber; and (e) introducing the flushing gas into the reaction chamber.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the growth rate of one of the cubic boron nitride thin films per atomic layer deposition cycle ranges from 0.02 to 0.12 nm / cycle.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the boron-containing precursor is selected from the group consisting of tris(dimethylamino)borane (TDMAB, B(N(CH3)2)3), boron-nitrogen cycloalkanes (B3H6N3), tetramethylammonium borohydride, boron nitride, ammonia borane (BH6N), and tris(ethylmethylamino)borane (TEMAB).

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the nitrogen-containing plasma is selected from the group consisting of N2 plasma, NH3 plasma and N2 / H2 plasma.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nitrogen-containing plasma is formed by the excitation of a nitrogen-containing gas by the non-reactive gas plasma, and the nitrogen-containing gas system is selected from the group consisting of N2, NH3, and N2 / H2.

6. The method as described in claim 1, wherein each atomic layer deposition cycle is performed at a process temperature and a vacuum level, the process temperature ranging from 100°C to 500°C and the vacuum level ranging from 0.1 Pa to 1000 Pa.

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