Applied Materials, Inc.

Aihua Chen

Lee Luo

Shulin Wang

Ming Li

Ulrich Kroemer

Zheng Xu

Vijay D Parkhe

Karl Anthony Littau

Errol Antonio C Sanchez

Chen-An Chen

Howard E Grunes

Henry Ho

Sergio Edelstein

Koji Nakanishi

Sheeba J Panayil

Dashun Steve Zhou

Xianzhi Tao

Li Fu

Steven T Li

Robert A Chapman

Christopher G Quentin

Janardhanan Anand Subramony

John C Forster

Robert B Lowrance

Avi Tepman

Mark Yam

Salvador P Umotoy

Ralf Hofmann

Yu Wen Chang

Yoshitaka Yokota

Yuji Maeda

R Suryanarayanan Iyer

Bruce W Peuse

Igor G Kogan

Xiaoliang Jin

Fernand Dorleans

Abril Cabreros

Nobuo Tokai

Binh Bui

Andrew J Ruspini

Randhir P Singh Thakur

Ramaseshan Suryanarayanan Iyer

Chang-Lian Yan

Alexander M Rubinchik

In one embodiment, a method for forming a tungsten barrier material on a substrate is provided which includes depositing a tungsten layer on a substrate during a vapor deposition process and exposing the substrate sequentially to a tungsten precursor and a nitrogen precursor to form a tungsten nitride layer on the tungsten layer. Some examples provide that the tungsten layer may be deposited by sequentially exposing the substrate to the tungsten precursor and a reducing gas (e.g., diborane or silane) during an atomic layer deposition process. The tungsten layer may have a thickness of about 50 &#x212b; or less and tungsten nitride layer may have an electrical resistivity of about 380 &#x3bc;&#x3a9;-cm or less. Other examples provide that a tungsten bulk layer may be deposited on the tungsten nitride layer by a chemical vapor deposition process.

Tungsten nitride atomic layer deposition processes

Method of forming a lightly phosphorous doped silicon film. A substrate is provided. A process gas comprising a phosphorous source gas and a disilane gas is used to form a lightly phosphorous doped silicon film on the substrate. The diluted phosphorous source gas has a phosphorous concentration of 1%. The phosphorous source gas and the disilane gas have a flow ratio less than 1:100. The lightly phosphorous doped silicon film has a phosphorous doping concentration less than 1&#xd7;10atoms/cm.

Method of forming a controlled and uniform lightly phosphorous doped silicon film

A method of forming a silicon nitride film is described. According to the present invention, a silicon nitride film is deposited by thermally decomposing a silicon/nitrogen containing source gas or a silicon containing source gas and a nitrogen containing source gas at low deposition temperatures (e.g., less than 550&#xb0; C.) to form a silicon nitride film. The thermally deposited silicon nitride film is then treated with hydrogen radicals to form a treated silicon nitride film.

Method for forming a high quality low temperature silicon nitride film

A method for depositing a tungsten nitride layer is provided. The method includes a cyclical process of alternately adsorbing a tungsten-containing compound and a nitrogen-containing compound on a substrate. The barrier layer has a reduced resistivity, lower concentration of fluorine, and can be deposited at any desired thickness, such as less than 100 angstroms, to minimize the amount of barrier layer material.

Cyclical deposition of tungsten nitride for metal oxide gate electrode

A silicon comprising film and its method of fabrication is described. The silicon comprising film is grown on a substrate. A hexachlorodisilane (HCD) source gas is one of the reactant species used to form the silicon comprising film. The silicon comprising film is formed under a pressure between 10 Torr and 350 Torr.

Methods for forming silicon comprising films using hexachlorodisilane in a single-wafer deposion chamber

An oxide and an oxynitride films and their methods of fabrication are described. The oxide or the oxynitride film is grown on a substrate that is placed in a deposition chamber. A silicon source gas (or a silicon source gas with a nitridation source gas) and an oxidation source gas are decomposed in the deposition chamber using a thermal energy source. A silicon oxide (or an oxynitride) film is formed above the substrate wherein total pressure for the deposition chamber is maintained in the range of 50 Torr to 350 Torr and wherein a flow ratio for the silicon source gas (or the silicon source gas with the nitridiation source gas) and the oxidation source gas is in the range of 1:50 to 1:10000 during a deposition process.

Methods for silicon oxide and oxynitride deposition using single wafer low pressure CVD

An apparatus of a reactor or processing chamber comprising a chamber having a resistive heater disposed within a volume of the chamber, including a stage having a surface area to support a substrate such as a wafer and a body including at least one heating element, a shaft coupled to the body, a plurality of temperature sensors coupled to the chamber, each configured to measure a temperature at separate points associated with the surface area of the stage, and a motor coupled to the shaft and configured to rotate the resistive heater about an axis through the shaft. In this manner, the temperature sensors may measure a temperature at separate points of the surface area of the stage. A method of rotating a shaft and measuring a plurality of temperatures over the surface area of the stage or over a wafer seated on the stage with the plurality of temperature sensors.

Heater temperature uniformity qualification tool

The present invention provides apparatus, systems, and methods related to the manufacture of integrated circuits. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention include apparatus designed to provide thorough and reliable fluid mixture for gases used in a semiconductor processing system. In one embodiment of the invention, the gas mixing apparatus comprises a gas mixer housing having a gas inlet, a fluid flow channel, and a gas outlet. The fluid flow channel is fluidly coupled to a plurality of gas sources. The majority of the gas mixture occurs in the fluid flow channel which comprises one or more fluid separators for separating the gas into two or more gas portions and one or more fluid collectors for allowing the gas portions to collide with each other to mix the gas portions. This separation and collection of the gas portions results in a thoroughly mixed gas.

Gas mixing apparatus and method

This invention provides a method and apparatus for substantially eliminating deposition on the edge of a wafer supported on a pedestal in a processing chamber. Process gas flow onto the wafer surface is inhibited from reaching the wafer edge and backside, by means of a shadow ring placed over the wafer without touching it. Deposition on the edge and backside of the wafer are therefore substantially eliminated. The shadow ring defines a cavity which circumscribes the wafer edge, into which purge gas is flowed. This purge gas flows out from the cavity through the gap between the shadow ring and the upper surface of the wafer. Alignment pins are placed on the wafer supporting surface of the pedestal. These pins have sloping surfaces and are arranged to guide the wafer to a centered position on the pedestal when the wafer is placed on the pedestal. These pins also serve to align the shadow ring to the pedestal and thence to the wafer. The shadow ring has a plurality of keyed formations which mate to the pins, and as the shadow ring and pedestal are brought together, the pins serve to align the shadow ring. This precise rotational alignment and centering of the shadow ring results in substantial elimination of edge deposition. The keyed formations have elliptical cross-sections to provide for radial movement of the pins with respect to the keyed formations due to thermal expansion.

Wafer edge deposition elimination

An apparatus comprising a semiconductor processing chamber, a plasma generator, and a pipe connecting a semiconductor processing chamber and the plasma generator. The plasma generator includes a generation chamber, a radio frequency generator which generates an ion plasma within the generation chamber, and a magnetic device which confines the plasma primarily within a center region of the generation chamber.

Apparatus and method for generating plasma

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Aihua Chen