Applied Materials, Inc.

Amrita Verma

Anand Gupta

Mohan K Bhan

Sudhakar Subrahmanyam

Virendra V Rana

Virendra V S Rana

Peter W Lee

Ted Tie Guo

Stuardo A Robles

Barney M Cohen

A chemical vapor deposition system that includes a housing configured to form a processing chamber, a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate within the processing chamber, a gas distribution system configured to introduce gases into the processing chamber, a plasma generation system configured to form a plasma within the processing chamber, a processor operatively coupled to control the gas distribution system and the plasma generation system, and a computer-readable memory coupled to the processor that stores a computer-readable program which directs the operation of the chemical vapor deposition system. In one embodiment the computer-readable program comprises instructions that control the gas distribution system to flow a process gas comprising silicon, oxygen and a halogen family member into the chamber to deposit a halogen-doped silicon oxide film on a substrate positioned on the substrate holder and instructions that control the gas distribution system and plasma generation system to densify the halogen-doped silicon oxide film by bombarding the film with ionic species from a plasma of an argon-containing gas source. In another embodiment, the computer-readable program comprises instructions that control the gas distribution system to flow a process gas comprising silicon, oxygen and a halogen family member into the chamber to deposit a halogen-doped silicon oxide film on said substrate and instructions that control the gas distribution system and plasma generation system to form a plasma from a hydrogen containing source gas to bombard the halogen-doped silicon oxide film with hydrogen ions to remove loosely bound halogen atoms from the film.

Apparatus for improving film stability of halogen-doped silicon oxide films

A method and apparatus for depositing a layer having improved film quality at an interface. The method includes the steps of introducing an inert gas into a processing chamber and forming a plasma from the inert gas by applying RF power to the chamber at a selected rate of increase. After RF power has reached full power, a process gas including a reactant gas is introduced to deposit the layer. In a preferred embodiment, the reactant gas is tetraethoxysilane. In another preferred embodiment, the process gas further includes fluorine.

Method and apparatus for improving the film quality of plasma enhanced CVD films at the interface

Method and apparatus for improving the film quality of plasma enhanced

A fluorine-doped silicate glass (FSG) layer having a low dielectric constant and a method of forming such an insulating layer is described. The FSG layer is treated with a post-treatment step to make the layer resistant to moisture absorption and outgassing of fluorine atoms. In one embodiment, the post-treatment step includes forming a thin, undoped silicate glass layer on top of the FSG layer, and in another embodiment, the stability of the FSG film is increased by a post-treatment plasma step.

Method and apparatus for improving film stability of halogen-doped

A method of stabilizing a halogen-doped silicon oxide film to reduce halogen atoms migrating from said film during subsequent processing steps. A halogen-doped film is deposited over a substrate and then subjected to a degassing step in which the film is briefly heated to a temperature of between about 300 and 550.degree. C. before deposition of a diffusion barrier layer. It is believed that such a heat treatment step removes loosely bonded halogen atoms from the halogen-doped film and thus the treatment is referred to as a degassing step. In a preferred version of this embodiment, the halogen-doped silicon oxide film is an FSG film that is subjected to a degassing treatment for between about 35 and 50 seconds.

Thermal post-deposition treatment of halogen-doped films to improve film

A method of stabilizing a halogen-doped silicon oxide film to reduce halogen atoms migrating from said film during subsequent processing steps. A halogen-doped film is deposited over a substrate and then subjected to a degassing step in which the film is briefly heated to a temperature of between about 300.degree. and 550.degree. C. before deposition of a diffusion barrier layer. It is believed that such a heat treatment step removes loosely bonded halogen atoms from the halogen-doped film and thus the treatment is referred to as a degassing step. In a preferred version of this embodiment, the halogen-doped silicon oxide film is an FSG film that is subjected to a degassing treatment for between about 35 and 50 seconds.

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Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Amrita Verma