Silicon Precursor Composition for Self-Limiting ALD Film Growth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for forming silicon-containing films in semiconductor devices face challenges in precisely controlling the thickness and uniformity, especially at high temperatures, and struggle to achieve self-limiting film growth characteristics across a broad temperature range.
Innovation Solution
A composition comprising a silicon precursor compound with a specific structure, represented by Formula 1, is used for atomic layer deposition (ALD), allowing for precise control of film thickness and uniformity, and enabling self-limiting film growth from 150°C to 850°C, with a growth per cycle of 0.05 nm or less, suitable for complex shapes and high aspect ratios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional ALD methods are used to form silicon-containing films, then film formation is achieved, but the growth per cycle cannot be controlled below 0.6 Å/cycle, limiting precise thickness control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the silicon precursor compound by introducing a heterocyclic ring structure with specific substituents. This molecular structure modification enables the material to exhibit self-limiting surface reaction characteristics at lower temperatures, reducing the growth per cycle to 0.05 nm or less while maintaining film quality and achieving precise thickness control.
2Stability of the object's composition
If high temperature ALD is used to form uniform films, then film uniformity is improved, but self-limiting growth characteristics are lost and thickness control precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the precursor compound's molecular structure to include a heterocyclic ring with specific functional groups, which fundamentally changes the temperature-dependent reaction behavior. This enables the material to maintain self-limiting surface reactions at low temperatures (150-600°C), achieving both film uniformity and precise thickness control without requiring high temperatures that would cause non-self-limiting growth.
3Length of stationary object
If low temperature deposition is used to achieve thin films, then film thickness is reduced, but step coverage and uniformity on complex shapes deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical reactivity parameters of the silicon precursor by incorporating a heterocyclic ring structure with specific electronic properties. This molecular design enables the material to maintain high surface reactivity and self-limiting characteristics at low temperatures, ensuring complete coverage of complex three-dimensional structures with uniform thickness even when depositing very thin films.
4Reliability
If silicon content is increased to improve film properties, then film quality improves, but dielectric constant decreases due to excessive silicon
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality control by using the heterocyclic ring-containing silicon precursor to achieve uniform silicon distribution at the molecular level. The specific molecular structure enables precise control of silicon incorporation, ensuring homogeneous film composition with controlled low silicon content (1-4% by atom), which maintains both high film quality and appropriate dielectric constant without localized silicon clustering.
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
The solution provides a silicon-containing film with excellent step coverage and uniformity, enabling precise thickness control and high-quality film formation on substrates with complex shapes, even at high temperatures, and allows for fine adjustment of silicon content in composite films.
Implementation Method 1
a method for forming a silicon-containing film, which comprises depositing a silicon-containing film using a composition for forming a silicon-containing film comprising a silicon precursor compound represented by Formula (1)
Implementation Method 2
having self-limiting film growth characteristics in a broad temperature range of a high temperature of 600° C. or higher, as well as a low temperature of lower than 600° C.
Data Source
AI summary
A silicon precursor compound, a composition for forming a silicon-containing film, wherein the composition contains the compound; and a method for forming a silicon-containing film by using the composition for forming a silicon-containing film are disclosed. The composition for forming a silicon-containing film includes a silicon precursor compound having a specific structure, thus making it possible to achieve the self-limiting film growth of ALD over a wide temperature range of 150° C. to 850° C., control the thickness of the silicon-containing film to be extremely thin and uniform, and form a film having excellent coverage and uniformity even on a substrate having a complex shape, and furthermore, further improve the characteristics of a semiconductor device.