Selective Transition Metal Deposition via Cyclic Vapor Precursors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current semiconductor manufacturing processes face challenges in achieving high selectivity during the deposition of metal-containing materials, often requiring expensive multi-step lithographic techniques and surface pretreatments, which can be cumbersome and costly.
Innovation Solution
A cyclic deposition method is introduced, where a substrate with two surfaces of different materials is exposed to a transition metal precursor and a second precursor in a vapor phase, allowing for selective deposition of transition metal-containing materials, such as cobalt, with high selectivity and minimal deposition on unwanted surfaces, using transition metal halide compounds and adduct-forming ligands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional blanket deposition with photolithographic masking is used, then metal-containing material can be deposited on substrate, but expensive multi-step lithographic techniques are required and processing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the patterning function from the lithographic process by using selective deposition on pretreated substrate regions. Instead of depositing a blanket layer and then removing material through masking and etching, the method directly deposits material only where needed through selective surface treatment, eliminating the complex lithographic steps while maintaining pattern deposition accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary surface pretreatment to specific regions of the substrate before deposition. By treating the substrate surface in advance (through oxidation, reduction, or other chemical modifications) to create selective deposition sites, the method enables direct selective deposition without requiring subsequent lithographic masking steps, thus reducing process complexity
2Manufacturing precision
If surface pretreatment is applied to inhibit or encourage deposition, then selectivity can be improved, but lithography steps are still required to apply treatments and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the surface pretreatment method universal by demonstrating that the same pretreatment techniques can be applied to entire substrate areas or selectively to specific regions using simple masking or zone-controlled treatment. This multi-functional approach allows the pretreatment to serve both as a selectivity enhancement mechanism and as a potential patterning step, eliminating the need for separate lithography processes
3Ease of manufacture
If selective deposition is used to reduce lithography steps, then processing cost decreases, but deposition selectivity is often not high enough
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves high deposition selectivity by changing the chemical parameters of the substrate surface through pretreatment. By modifying surface composition (e.g., creating oxide layers, reducing surfaces, or introducing functional groups) and controlling deposition parameters (temperature, pressure, precursor flow rates), the method creates large differences in deposition rates between treated and untreated regions, achieving selectivity ratios greater than 10:1 while maintaining cost-effective processing
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 the selective deposition of transition metal layers with high selectivity (>80%) and thickness control, reducing the need for costly lithographic steps and surface pretreatments, while maintaining the purity and continuity of the deposited metal layers.
Implementation Method 1
providing a transition metal precursor comprising a transition metal halide compound in the reaction chamber in vapor phase, and providing a second precursor in the reaction chamber in vapor phase to deposit a transition metal-containing material on the first surface relative to the second surface
Data Source
AI summary
The current disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for the manufacture of semiconductor devices In the disclosure, a transition metal-containing material is selectively deposited on a substrate by a cyclic deposition process. The deposition method comprises providing a substrate in a reaction chamber, wherein the substrate comprises a first surface comprising a first material, and a second surface comprising a second material. A transition metal precursor comprising a transition metal halide compound is provided in the reaction chamber in vapor phase and a second precursor is provided in the reaction chamber in vapor phase to deposit a transition metal-containing material on the first surface relative to the second surface. A transition metal compound may comprise an adduct-forming ligand. Further, a deposition assembly for depositing transition metal-comprising material is disclosed.