Plasma Surface Conditioning for Selective Film Growth on Substrates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current semiconductor manufacturing processes face challenges in selectively forming films on specific surfaces of substrates with high precision, particularly in achieving precise control over the growth of films on different material surfaces during the selective growth process.
Innovation Solution
The technique involves exciting oxidizing and reducing agents into a plasma state and supplying them to the substrate, followed by heat-treating the substrate, to create a high-density OH termination on specific surfaces, allowing for the selective formation of a film on desired surfaces while inhibiting growth on others through the formation of a high-density inhibitor layer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional selective growth process is used, then film can be formed on substrate surfaces, but film growth precision and selectivity on different material surfaces is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical state parameters of the substrate surface by introducing OH termination through plasma treatment and heat treatment. This parameter change creates distinct surface states that enable precise control over film growth selectivity on different material surfaces, directly resolving the contradiction between film growth precision and selective growth control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary surface treatment steps (plasma treatment with oxidizing and reducing agents, followed by heat treatment) before the actual film growth process. These preliminary actions create the necessary OH termination on specific surfaces, ensuring that subsequent film growth occurs only on desired surfaces with high precision and selectivity.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple processing steps are used to achieve selective film formation, then film selectivity can be improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple surface treatment functions into an integrated process sequence: plasma treatment with oxidizing agent, plasma treatment with reducing agent, and heat treatment are merged into a cohesive preliminary processing step that achieves OH termination and selective surface modification. This merging maintains high selective film formation precision while reducing overall processing time compared to conventional separate steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transitions in the form of plasma state changes and thermal transitions during heat treatment. The plasma phase allows for efficient surface modification, and the subsequent thermal phase transition during heat treatment stabilizes the OH termination. These controlled phase transitions enable selective film formation with reduced processing time.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables precise film growth on targeted surfaces, preventing film formation on undesired areas, resulting in a void-free and seamless film within recesses, which improves embedding characteristics and reduces processing time by eliminating the need for post-film etching steps.
Implementation Method 1
exciting a first oxidizing agent and a first reducing agent into a plasma state and supplying the first oxidizing agent and the first reducing agent thus excited to a substrate
Implementation Method 2
creating a high-density OH termination on specific surfaces
Implementation Method 3
heat-treating the substrate subjected to (a)
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided a technique that includes: (a) performing: (ai) exciting a first oxi dizing agent and a first reducing agent into a plasma state and supplying the first oxidizi ng agent and the first reducing agent thus excited to a substrate, which includes a first su rface and a second surface; and (a2) exciting a second reducing agent into a plasma state and supplying the second reducing agent thus excited to the substrate; and (b) heat-treat ing the substrate subjected to (a).