612 results about "Remote plasma" patented technology

Methods for cleaning semiconductor processing chambers used to process carbon-containing films, such as amorphous carbon films, barrier films comprising silicon and carbon, and low dielectric constant films including silicon, oxygen, and carbon are provided. The methods include using a remote plasma source to generate reactive species that clean interior surfaces of a processing chamber in the absence of RF power in the chamber. The reactive species are generated from an oxygen-containing gas, such as O₂, and/or a halogen-containing gas, such as NF₃. An oxygen-based ashing process may also be used to remove carbon deposits from the interior surfaces of the chamber before the chamber is exposed to the reactive species from the remote plasma source.

Methods of seasoning a remote plasma system are described. The methods include the steps of flowing a silicon-containing precursor into a remote plasma region to deposit a silicon containing film on an interior surface of the remote plasma system. The methods reduce reactions with the seasoned walls during deposition processes, resulting in improved deposition rate, improved deposition uniformity and reduced defectivity during subsequent deposition.

A method of manufacturing a high performance MOS device and transistor gate stacks comprises forming a gate dielectric layer over a semiconductor substrate; forming a barrier layer over the gate dielectric layer by an ALD type process; and forming a gate electrode layer over the barrier layer. The method enables the use of hydrogen plasma, high energy hydrogen radicals and ions, other reactive radicals, reactive oxygen and oxygen containing precursors in the processing steps subsequent to the deposition of the gate dielectric layer of the device. The ALD process for forming the barrier layer is performed essentially in the absence of plasma and reactive hydrogen radials and ions. This invention makes it possible to use oxygen as a precursor in the deposition of the metal gates. The barrier film also allows the use of hydrogen plasma in the form of either direct or remote plasma in the deposition of the gate electrode. Furthermore, the barrier film prevents the electrode material from reacting with the gate dielectric material. The barrier layer is ultra thin and, at the same time, it forms a uniform cover over the entire surface of the gate dielectric.

A plasma processing chamber particularly useful for pre-treating low-k dielectric films and refractory metal films subject to oxidation prior to deposition of other layers. A remote plasma source (RPS) excites a processing gas into a plasma and delivers it through a supply tube to a manifold in back of a showerhead faceplate. The chamber is configured for oxidizing and reducing plasmas in the same or different processes when oxygen and hydrogen are selectively supplied to the RPS. The supply tube and showerhead may be formed of dielectric oxides which may be passivated by a water vapor plasma from the remote plasma source. In one novel process, a protective hydroxide coating is formed on refractory metals by alternating neutral plasmas of hydrogen and oxygen.

A method and an apparatus for removing polymer from a substrate are provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus utilized to remove polymer from a substrate includes a processing chamber having a chamber wall and a chamber lid defining a process volume, a substrate support assembly disposed in the processing chamber, a remote plasma source coupled to the processing chamber through an outlet port formed through the processing chamber, the outlet port having an opening pointing toward an periphery region of a substrate disposed on the substrate support assembly, and a substrate supporting surface of the substrate support assembly that substantially electrically floats the substrate disposed thereon relative to the substrate support assembly.

A system and method for providing intermediate reactive species from a remote plasma unit to a reaction chamber are disclosed. The system includes a pressure control device to control a pressure at the remote plasma unit as intermediate reactive species from the remote plasma unit are provided to the reaction chamber.

Methods are described for forming and curing a gapfill silicon-and-carbon-containing layer on a semiconductor substrate. The silicon and carbon constituents may come from a silicon-and-carbon-containing precursor excited by a radical hydrogen precursor that has been activated in a remote plasma region. Exemplary precursors include 1,3,5-trisilapentane (H₃Si—CH₂—SiH₂—CH₂—SiH₃) as the silicon-and-carbon-containing precursor and hydrogen (H₂) as the hydrogen-containing precursor. The hydrogen-containing precursor may also be a hydrocarbon, such as acetylene (C₂H₂) or ethylene (C₂H₄). The hydrogen-containing precursor is passed through a remote plasma region to form plasma effluents (the radical hydrogen precursor) which are flowed into the substrate processing region. When the silicon-and-carbon-containing precursor combines with the plasma effluents in the substrate processing region, they form a flowable silicon-carbon-and-hydrogen-containing layer on the semiconductor substrate.

A method of processing a workpiece includes placing the workpiece on a workpiece support pedestal in a main chamber with a gas distribution showerhead, introducing a process gas into a remote plasma source chamber and generating a plasma in the remote plasma source chamber, transporting plasma-generated species from the remote plasma source chamber to the gas distribution showerhead so as to distribute the plasma-generated species into the main chamber through the gas distribution showerhead, and applying plasma RF power into the main chamber.

Embodiments of the disclosure generally relate to a hybrid plasma processing system incorporating a remote plasma source (RPS) unit with a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) unit for substrate processing. In one embodiment, the hybrid plasma processing system includes a CCP unit, comprising a lid having one or more through holes, and an ion suppression element, wherein the lid and the ion suppression element define a plasma excitation region, a RPS unit coupled to the CCP unit, and a gas distribution plate disposed between the ion suppression element and a substrate support, wherein the gas distribution plate and the substrate support defines a substrate processing region. In cases where process requires higher power, both CCP and RPS units may be used to generate plasma excited species so that some power burden is shifted from the CCP unit to the RPS unit, which allows the CCP unit to operate at lower power.

A method of etching exposed silicon oxide on patterned heterogeneous structures is described and includes a remote plasma etch formed from a fluorine-containing precursor. Plasma effluents from the remote plasma are flowed into a substrate processing region where the plasma effluents combine with water vapor. The chemical reaction resulting from the combination produces reactants which etch the patterned heterogeneous structures to produce, in embodiments, a thin residual structure exhibiting little deformation. The methods may be used to conformally trim silicon oxide while removing little or no silicon, polysilicon, silicon nitride, titanium or titanium nitride. In an exemplary embodiment, the etch processes described herein have been found to remove mold oxide around a thin cylindrical conducting structure without causing the cylindrical structure to significantly deform.