Remote Plasma Chamber Conditioning for Feature Fill
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional semiconductor fabrication processes face challenges in filling small and high aspect ratio features with materials like tungsten, often resulting in voids and seams that lead to performance degradation and contamination, due to issues such as overhangs, bowed feature walls, and constrictions.
Innovation Solution
A method involving remote plasma processing chamber conditioning with fluorine-containing and nitrogen-based plasmas is used to selectively inhibit nucleation at feature openings, preventing voids and seams by controlling the deposition of tungsten or cobalt within features, utilizing a sequence of conditioning and processing cycles to maintain uniformity and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional deposition process is used to fill high aspect ratio features, then material deposition occurs uniformly across the substrate surface, but voids and seams form inside the features leading to performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The chamber is conditioned with fluorine-containing plasma before substrate processing to pre-form a fluorinated layer on chamber components. This preliminary action modifies the chamber environment to control subsequent material deposition, preventing void and seam formation during feature filling while maintaining manufacturing precision
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical environment parameters by introducing fluorine-containing gas to create a fluorinated surface layer on chamber components. This parameter change in surface chemistry controls nucleation behavior during deposition, ensuring reliable feature filling without voids or seams
2Manufacturing precision
If fluorine-containing plasma conditioning is performed without substrate present, then chamber components are effectively fluorinated, but the conditioning process time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fluorine-containing plasma is applied for a sufficient duration to achieve effective chamber conditioning without excessive time. The process uses optimized exposure time to achieve the necessary fluorinated layer formation on chamber components, balancing conditioning effectiveness with process efficiency
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 approach effectively reduces void and seam formation, enhancing wafer-to-wafer and within-wafer uniformity, improving the integration and performance of semiconductor features by ensuring uniform material deposition and inhibiting nucleation at critical feature locations.
Implementation Method 1
introducing a fluorine-containing gas to a plasma generator to generate a fluorine-containing conditioning plasma
Implementation Method 2
forming a fluorine-containing layer on one or more chamber components
Implementation Method 3
exposing the fabrication substrate to a remotely generated nitrogen-based plasma
Implementation Method 4
selectively inhibits nucleation near a feature opening with respect to the interior of the feature
Data Source
AI summary
The methods, systems and apparatus described herein relate to chamber conditioning for remote plasma processes, in particular remote nitrogen-based plasma processes. Certain implementations of the disclosure relate to remote plasma inhibition processes for feature fill that include chamber conditioning. Embodiments of the disclosure relate to exposing remote plasma processing chambers to fluorine species prior to nitrogen-based remote plasma processing of substrates such as semiconductor wafers. Within-wafer uniformity and wafer-to-wafer uniformity is improved.