Selective Substrate Film Growth With Oxidation-Resistant Capping
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in semiconductor manufacturing is the oxidation of films formed by selective growth on substrates due to exposure to the atmosphere, which affects the processing resistance and electrical characteristics of semiconductor devices.
Innovation Solution
A technique involving the formation of an inhibitor layer on a substrate surface, followed by selective film formation using energy-supplied agents, where a first film is formed on a second surface with a lower energy and a second film is formed on the first film with higher energy, thereby suppressing oxidation and enhancing oxidation resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If selective growth is used to form a film on a specific surface, then manufacturing precision is improved by forming film only on desired surface, but reliability deteriorates due to oxidation of the formed film when exposed to atmosphere
Solution Approach 1:
An inhibitor layer is formed on the first surface before the selective film formation process. This preliminary action prevents oxidation by creating a protective barrier that blocks atmospheric exposure to the freshly formed film on the second surface, while not interfering with the selective growth process itself
Solution Approach 2:
The inhibitor layer acts as an intermediary substance between the atmosphere and the selectively formed film. It mediates the interaction by providing oxidation resistance without preventing the film formation process, allowing both selective growth and protection to coexist
2Reliability
If multiple processing steps are added to prevent oxidation, then reliability is improved by suppressing film oxidation, but device complexity increases due to additional processing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The inhibitor layer formation is merged with the existing selective growth process sequence. The inhibitor layer is formed as part of the same processing cycle using the same apparatus, combining the protection function with the film formation process rather than requiring separate additional equipment or procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The inhibitor layer serves multiple functions: it prevents oxidation of the selectively formed film, maintains manufacturing precision by not interfering with selective growth, and can be formed using standard processing equipment. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized processing steps
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 effectively suppresses oxidation of the films, improving processing resistance and electrical characteristics by forming a high-oxidation-resistant second film on the first film, which acts as an oxidation barrier.
Implementation Method 1
forming an inhibitor layer on a first surface of a substrate by supplying a modifying agent that reacts with the first surface to the substrate
Implementation Method 2
forming a first film on the second surface by supplying a first film-forming agent, at least a portion of which being provided with a first energy, to the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a technique that includes: (a) forming an inhibitor layer on a first surface of a substrate, which includes the first surface and a second surface, by supplying a modifying agent that reacts with the first surface to the substrate; (b) forming a first film on the second surface by supplying a first film-forming agent, at least a portion of which being provided with a first energy, to the substrate in which the inhibitor layer is formed on the first surface; and (c) forming a second film on the first film formed on the second surface by supplying a second film-forming agent, at least a portion of which being provided with a second energy which is higher than the first energy, to the substrate in which the first film is formed on the second surface.