Substrate Surface Treatment via Radical Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The interfaces between adjacent layers in semiconductor devices, such as the gate electrode and gate dielectric layers, often form large dipoles due to material property differences, leading to suboptimal bonding and performance issues.
Innovation Solution
A surface treatment method using a remote plasma source to generate radical species, where charged species are collected, allowing only radicals to treat the substrate, followed by a sequence of exposures to hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen radicals to form substrate-oxygen-nitrogen-hydrogen bonds, facilitating strong bonding and minimizing dipoles, and subsequently using conventional techniques like ALD to form layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional direct plasma treatment is used to treat substrate surface, then surface activation is achieved, but charged species cause substrate damage and form unwanted bonds
Solution Approach 1:
The plasma is segmented into two distinct components: charged species are collected and removed, while only neutral radical species are allowed to reach and treat the substrate surface. This segmentation eliminates the harmful effects of charged species while preserving the beneficial surface activation from radicals.
Solution Approach 2:
The charged species are extracted and collected from the plasma stream before it contacts the substrate. This extraction removes the harmful component (charged particles) while retaining the useful component (neutral radicals) for surface treatment.
2Strength
If multiple radical species are used to treat substrate surface, then bonding strength and dipole reduction are improved, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate surface is preliminarily treated with hydrogen radicals to create a hydrogen-terminated surface. This preliminary action prepares the surface for subsequent radical treatments and enables controlled formation of the desired bond structure that reduces dipoles while maintaining strong bonding.
Solution Approach 2:
The process utilizes changes in radical species composition and exposure sequence as controllable parameters. By systematically varying which radical species (hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen) are introduced and in what sequence, the process optimizes both bonding strength and dipole reduction without requiring complex equipment modifications.
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 reduces interfacial dipoles and enhances bonding between the substrate and the formed layer, resulting in improved semiconductor device performance by allowing for uniform and strong substrate-oxygen bonds across different regions.
Implementation Method 1
A plasma including radical species and charged species is generated
Implementation Method 2
The showerhead is grounded such that the charged species are collected in the showerhead and the radical species flow through the showerhead
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments provided herein describe methods and systems for processing substrates. A plasma including radical species and charged species is generated. The charged species of the plasma are collected. A substrate is exposed to the radical species of the plasma. A layer is formed on the substrate after exposing the substrate to the radical species.