3335 results about "Atomic layer deposition" patented technology

The present invention relates to a process of making a zinc-oxide-based thin film semiconductor, for use in a transistor, comprising thin film deposition onto a substrate comprising providing a plurality of gaseous materials comprising at least first, second, and third gaseous materials, wherein the first gaseous material is a zinc-containing volatile material and the second gaseous material is reactive therewith such that when one of the first or second gaseous materials are on the surface of the substrate the other of the first or second gaseous materials will react to deposit a layer of material on the substrate and wherein the third gaseous material is inert with respect to reacting with the first or second gaseous materials.

A method of forming a metal layer having excellent thermal and oxidation resistant characteristics using atomic layer deposition is provided. The metal layer includes a reactive metal (A), an element (B) for the amorphous combination between the reactive metal (A) and nitrogen (N), and nitrogen (N). The reactive metal (A) may be titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), molybdenum (Mo) or niobium (Nb). The amorphous combination element (B) may be aluminum (Al), silicon (Si) or boron (B). The metal layer is formed by alternately injecting pulsed source gases for the elements (A, B and N) into a chamber according to atomic layer deposition to thereby alternately stack atomic layers. Accordingly, the composition ratio of a nitrogen compound (A-B-N) of the metal layer can be desirably adjusted just by appropriately determining the number of injection pulses of each source gas. According to the composition ratio, a desirable electrical conductivity and resistance of the metal layer can be accurately obtained. The atomic layers are individually deposited, thereby realizing excellent step coverage even in a complex and compact region. A metal layer formed by atomic layer deposition can be employed as a barrier metal layer, a lower electrode or an upper electrode in a semiconductor device.

Methods of forming thin films include forming a first layer comprising a first element that is chemisorbed to a surface of a substrate, by exposing the surface to a first source gas having molecules therein that comprise the first element and a halogen. A step is then performed to expose the first layer to an activated hydrogen gas so that halogens associated with the first layer become bound to hydrogen provided by the activated hydrogen gas. The first layer may then be converted to a thin film comprising the first element and a second element, by exposing a surface of the first layer to a second source gas having molecules therein that comprise the second element.

Embodiments of the invention provide methods for depositing dielectric materials on substrates during vapor deposition processes, such as atomic layer deposition (ALD). In one example, a method includes sequentially exposing a substrate to a hafnium precursor and an oxidizing gas to deposit a hafnium oxide material thereon. In another example, a hafnium silicate material is deposited by sequentially exposing a substrate to the oxidizing gas and a process gas containing a hafnium precursor and a silicon precursor. The oxidizing gas usually contains water vapor formed by flowing a hydrogen source gas and an oxygen source gas through a water vapor generator. In another example, a method includes sequentially exposing a substrate to the oxidizing gas and at least one precursor to deposit hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, lanthanum oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, aluminates thereof, silicates thereof, derivatives thereof or combinations thereof.

Methods for processing substrate to deposit barrier layers of one or more material layers by atomic layer deposition are provided. In one aspect, a method is provided for processing a substrate including depositing a metal nitride barrier layer on at least a portion of a substrate surface by alternately introducing one or more pulses of a metal containing compound and one or more pulses of a nitrogen containing compound and depositing a metal barrier layer on at least a portion of the metal nitride barrier layer by alternately introducing one or more pulses of a metal containing compound and one or more pulses of a reductant. A soak process may be performed on the substrate surface before deposition of the metal nitride barrier layer and/or metal barrier layer.

An improved gas deposition chamber includes a hollow gas deposition volume formed with a volume expanding top portion and a substantially constant volume cylindrical middle portion. The hollow gas deposition volume may include a volume reducing lower portion. An aerodynamically shaped substrate support chuck is disposed inside gas deposition chamber with a substrate support surface positioned in the constant volume cylindrical middle portion. The volume expanding top portion reduces gas flow velocity between gas input ports and the substrate support surface. The aerodynamic shape of the substrate support chuck reduces drag and helps to promote laminar flow over the substrate support surface. The volume reducing lower portion helps to increase gas flow velocity after the gas has past the substrate support surface. The improved gas deposition chamber is configurable to 200 mm diameter semiconductor wafers using ALD and or PALD coating cycles. An improved coating method includes expanding process gases inside the deposition chamber prior to the process gas reaching surfaces of a substrate being coated. The method further includes compressing the process gases inside the deposition chamber after the process gas has flowed past surfaces of the substrate being coated.

Embodiments of the invention provide treatment processes to reduce substrate contamination during a fabrication process within a vapor deposition chamber. A treatment process may be conducted before, during or after a vapor deposition process, such as an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. In one example of an ALD process, a process cycle, containing an intermediate treatment step and a predetermined number of ALD cycles, is repeated until the deposited material has a desired thickness. The chamber and substrates may be exposed to an inert gas, an oxidizing gas, a nitriding gas, a reducing gas or plasmas thereof during the treatment processes. In some examples, the treatment gas contains ozone, water, ammonia, nitrogen, argon or hydrogen. In one example, a process for depositing a hafnium oxide material within a batch process chamber includes a pretreatment step, an intermediate step during an ALD process and a post-treatment step.

Integrated circuits, the key components in thousands of electronic and computer products, are generally built layer by layer on a silicon substrate. One common layer-formation technique, known as chemical-vapor deposition (CVD), produces uneven layers and covers vertical surfaces poorly. An emergent technique, atomic-layer deposition, overcomes these shortcomings, but has others, such as slow deposition rates and longer than desirable cycle times, particularly as applied to deposition of aluminum oxide. Accordingly, the inventors devised unique atomic-layer deposition systems, methods, and apparatus suitable for aluminum-oxide deposition. One exemplary system includes an outer chamber, a substrate holder, and a gas-distribution fixture that engages or cooperates with the substrate holder to form an inner chamber within the outer chamber. The inner chamber has a smaller volume than the outer chamber, which ultimately requires less time to fill and purge and thus promises to reduce cycle times for deposition of materials, such as aluminum oxide.

The present invention relates to an enhanced sequential or non-sequential atomic layer deposition (ALD) apparatus and technique suitable for deposition of barrier layers, adhesion layers, seed layers, low dielectric constant (low-k) films, high dielectric constant (high-k) films, and other conductive, semi-conductive, and non-conductive films. This is accomplished by 1) providing a non-thermal or non-pyrolytic means of triggering the deposition reaction; 2) providing a means of depositing a purer film of higher density at lower temperatures; 3) providing a faster and more efficient means of modulating the deposition sequence and hence the overall process rate resulting in an improved deposition method; and, 4) providing a means of improved radical generation and delivery. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. [37 C.F.R. § 1.72(b)].

A method of forming dielectric film having Si—N bonds on a semiconductor substrate by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), includes: introducing a nitrogen- and hydrogen-containing reactive gas and a rare gas into a reaction space inside which the semiconductor substrate is placed; introducing a hydrogen-containing silicon precursor in pulses of less than 1.0-second duration into the reaction space wherein the reactive gas and the rare gas are introduced; exiting a plasma in pulses of less than 1.0-second duration immediately after the silicon precursor is shut off; and maintaining the reactive gas and the rare gas as a purge of less than 2.0-second duration.

A plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) system is described, wherein the system comprises a processing space and a high vacuum, ultra-clean transfer space. During processing, the substrate to which the thin conformal film is formed is exposed to the processing space. During substrate transfer, the substrate is exposed to the high vacuum space. Processing gases are introduced sequentially and alternately to the process chamber and the pressures and gas flows within, to and from, and between the process chamber and the high vacuum transfer space are controlled to keep the transfer space ultra-clean.

Methods of forming a capping layer over a metal wire structure of a semiconductor device are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a partially fabricated semiconductor device having exposed surfaces of the metal (e.g., copper) wire structure and a dielectric around the metal wire structure. The exposed surface of the metal wire structure is then activated by forming a seed layer thereon. The capping layer is then formed over the exposed surface of the metal wire structure by performing a selective atomic layer deposition (ALD) of a capping layer material onto the metal wire structure. As an alternative, the dielectric may be masked off to further assist the selectivity of the ALD. The invention also includes a semiconductor structure including the metal wire structure having an atomic layer deposition capping layer over an upper surface thereof.

Films are deposited on a substrate by a process in which atomic layer deposition (ALD) is used to deposit one layer of the film and pulsed chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is used to deposit another layer of the film. During the ALD part of the process, a layer is formed by flowing sequential and alternating pulses of mutually reactive reactants that deposit self-limitingly on a substrate. During the pulsed CVD part of the process, another layer is deposited by flowing two CVD reactants into a reaction chamber, with at least a first of the CVD reactants flowed into the reaction chamber in pulses, with those pulses overlapping at least partially with the flow of a second of the CVD reactants. The ALD and CVD parts of the process ca be used to deposit layers with different compositions, thereby forming, e.g., nanolaminate films. Preferably, high quality layers are formed by flowing the second CVD reactant into the reaction chamber for a longer total duration than the first CVD reactant. In some embodiments, the pulses of the third reactant at separated by a duration at least about 1.75 times the length of the pulse. Preferably, less than about 8 monolayers of material are deposited per pulse of the first CVD reactant.

Embodiments of the invention provide apparatuses and methods for atomic layer deposition (ALD), such as plasma-enhanced ALD (PE-ALD). In some embodiments, a PE-ALD chamber is provided which includes a chamber lid assembly coupled with a chamber body having a substrate support therein. In one embodiment, the chamber lid assembly has an inlet manifold assembly containing an annular channel encompassing a centralized channel, wherein the centralized channel extends through the inlet manifold assembly, and the inlet manifold assembly further contains injection holes extending from the annular channel, through a sidewall of the centralized channel, and to the centralized channel. The chamber lid assembly further contains a showerhead assembly disposed below the inlet manifold assembly, a water box disposed between the inlet manifold assembly and the showerhead assembly, and a remote plasma system (RPS) disposed above and coupled with the inlet manifold assembly, and in fluid communication with the centralized channel.

This invention discloses the method of forming silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon oxide, carbon-doped silicon nitride, carbon-doped silicon oxide and carbon-doped oxynitride films at low deposition temperatures. The silicon containing precursors used for the deposition are monochlorosilane (MCS) and monochloroalkylsilanes. The method is preferably carried out by using plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and plasma enhanced cyclic chemical vapor deposition.

Metal films are deposited with uniform thickness and excellent step coverage. Copper metal films were deposited on heated substrates by the reaction of alternating doses of copper(I) NN′-diisopropylacetamidinate vapor and hydrogen gas. Cobalt metal films were deposited on heated substrates by the reaction of alternating doses of cobalt(II) bis(N,N′-diisopropylacetamidinate) vapor and hydrogen gas. Nitrides and oxides of these metals can be formed by replacing the hydrogen with ammonia or water vapor, respectively. The films have very uniform thickness and excellent step coverage in narrow holes. Suitable applications include electrical interconnects in microelectronics and magnetoresistant layers in magnetic information storage devices.

Two or more plasma chambers are provided in a radical reactor to generate radicals of gases under different conditions for use in atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. The radical reactor has a body with multiple channels and corresponding process chambers. Each plasma chamber is surrounded by an outer electrode and has an inner electrode extending through the chamber. When voltage is applied across the outer electrode and the inner electrode with gas present in the plasma chamber, radicals of the gas is generated in the plasma chamber. The radicals generated in the plasma chamber are then injected into a mixing chamber for mixing with radicals of another gas from another plasma chamber, and injected onto the substrate. By providing two or more plasma chambers, different radicals of gases can be generated within the same radical reactor, which obviates the need for separate radical generators.

Thin films are formed by formed by atomic layer deposition, whereby the composition of the film can be varied from monolayer to monolayer during cycles including alternating pulses of self-limiting chemistries. In the illustrated embodiments, varying amounts of impurity sources are introduced during the cyclical process. A graded gate dielectric is thereby provided, even for extremely thin layers. The gate dielectric as thin as 2 nm can be varied from pure silicon oxide to oxynitride to silicon nitride. Similarly, the gate dielectric can be varied from aluminum oxide to mixtures of aluminum oxide and a higher dielectric material (e.g., ZrO₂) to pure high k material and back to aluminum oxide. In another embodiment, metal nitride (e.g., WN) is first formed as a barrier for lining dual damascene trenches and vias. During the alternating deposition process, copper can be introduced, e.g., in separate pulses, and the copper source pulses can gradually increase in frequency, forming a transition region, until pure copper is formed at the upper surface. Advantageously, graded compositions in these and a variety of other contexts help to avoid such problems as etch rate control, electromigration and non-ohmic electrical contact that can occur at sharp material interfaces. In some embodiments additional seed layers or additional transition layers are provided.

In a method of forming a layer using an atomic layer deposition process, after a substrate is loaded into a chamber, a first reactant is provided onto the substrate. The first reactant is partially chemisorbed on the substrate. A second reactant is introduced into the chamber to form a preliminary layer on the substrate by chemically reacting the second reactant with the chemisorbed first reactant. Impurities in the preliminary layer and unreacted reactants are simultaneously removed using a plasma for removing impurities to thereby form the layer on the substrate. The impurities in the layer may be effectively removed so that the layer may have reduced leakage current.