Novellus Systems Incorporated

Lam Research Corporation

Dong Niu

Keith Fox

Bart Jan Van Schravendijk

Mandyam Sriram

George Andrew Antonelli

Pramod Subramonium

Haiying Fu

Joseph Lindsey Womack

Patrick G Breiling

John B Alexy

Jason Dirk Haverkamp

Qingguo Wu

Jennifer O'Loughlin

Joe Womack

Feng Wang

Jennifer Leigh Petraglia

Brian Lu

David Mordo

Bart K Van Schravendijk

Ananda K Bandyopadhyay

Stephen Topping

Honghong Wang

Lucas B Henderson

A method of depositing a film stack including films of different compositions in a process station using a plasma is described. The method includes: in a first plasma-activated film deposition phase, depositing a first film having a first film composition on a substrate, and, in a second plasma-activated deposition phase, depositing a second film having a second film composition on the first film, where the second film composition is different from the first film composition. Deposition of the first film can include delivering at least two first deposition phase reactants to the process station via a delivery line; and deposition of the second film can include delivering at least two second deposition phase reactants to the process station via the same delivery line that was used during deposition of the first film. The method may also include a step of purging the delivery line.

Plasma-enhanced deposition of film stacks

Systems and techniques for determining and using multiple types of offsets for providing wafers to a transfer pedestal of a multi-station processing chamber are disclosed. Such techniques may be used to provide pedestal-specific offsets that may be selected based on which pedestal of a multi-station chamber is assigned to a particular wafer. Similar techniques may be used to provide wafer support-specific offsets based on which indexer arm of an indexer is assigned to a given wafer.

Wafer placement correction in indexed multi-station processing chambers

An apparatus for depositing film stacks in-situ (i.e., without a vacuum break or air exposure) are described. In one example, an apparatus configured to deposit a plurality of film layers having different compositions on a substrate without exposing the substrate to a vacuum break between film deposition phases, is provided. The apparatus includes a process chamber, a plasma source and a process station reactant feed fluidically coupled to a gas inlet of the process station, and fluidically coupled to an inert gas delivery line, a first reactant mixture gas delivery line and a second reactant mixture gas delivery line such that the first reactant gas mixture and the second reactant gas mixture can be introduced sequentially into the process station reactant feed, and supplied via a shared path to the process station.

PECVD apparatus for in-situ deposition of film stacks

An apparatus for depositing film stacks in-situ (i.e., without a vacuum break or air exposure) are described. In one example, a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition apparatus configured to deposit a plurality of film layers on a substrate without exposing the substrate to a vacuum break between film deposition phases, is provided. The apparatus includes a process chamber, a plasma source and a controller configured to control the plasma source to generate reactant radicals using a particular reactant gas mixture during the particular deposition phase, and sustain the plasma during a transition from the particular reactant gas mixture supplied during the particular deposition phase to a different reactant gas mixture supplied during a different deposition phase.

The methods and apparatus disclosed herein concern a process that may be referred to as a 'soft anneal.' A soft anneal provides various benefits. Fundamentally, it reduces the internal stress in one or more silicon layers of a work piece. Typically, though not necessarily, the internal stress is a compressive stress. A particularly beneficial application of a soft anneal is in reduction of internal stress in a stack containing two or more layers of silicon. Often, the internal stress of a layer or group of layers in a stack is manifest as wafer bow. The soft anneal process can be used to reduce compressive bow in stacks containing silicon. The soft anneal process may be performed without causing the silicon in the stack to become activated.

Post-deposition soft annealing

Methods of forming a film stack may include the plasma accelerated deposition of a silicon nitride film formed from the reaction of nitrogen containing precursor with silicon containing precursor, the plasma accelerated substantial elimination of silicon containing precursor from the processing chamber, the plasma accelerated deposition of a silicon oxide film atop the silicon nitride film formed from the reaction of silicon containing precursor with oxidant, and the plasma accelerated substantial elimination of oxidant from the processing chamber. Process station apparatuses for forming a film stack of silicon nitride and silicon oxide films may include a processing chamber, one or more gas delivery lines, one or more RF generators, and a system controller having machine-readable media with instructions for operating the one or more gas delivery lines, and the one or more RF generators.

In-situ deposition of film stacks

The method and apparatus disclosed herein relate to preparing a stack structure for an electronic device on a semiconductor substrate. A particularly beneficial application of the method is in reduction of internal stress in a stack containing multiple layers of silicon. Typically, though not necessarily, the internal stress is a compressive stress, which often manifests as wafer bow. In some embodiments, the method reduces the internal stress of a work piece by depositing phosphorus doped silicon layers having low internal compressive stress or even tensile stress. The method and apparatus disclosed herein can be used to reduce compressive bow in stacks containing silicon.

Tensile stressed doped amorphous silicon

Methods for depositing film stacks by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition are described. In one example, a method for depositing a film stack on a substrate, wherein the film stack includes films of different compositions and the deposition is performed in a process station in-situ, is provided. The method includes, in a first plasma-activated film deposition phase, depositing a first layer of film having a first film composition on the substrate; in a second plasma-activated deposition phase, depositing a second layer of film having a second film composition on the first layer of film; and sustaining the plasma while transitioning a composition of the plasma from the first plasma-activated film deposition phase to the second plasma-activated film deposition phase.

Methods and hardware for depositing ultra-smooth silicon-containing films and film stacks are described. In one example, an embodiment of a method for forming a silicon-containing film on a substrate in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition apparatus is disclosed, the method including supplying a silicon-containing reactant to the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition apparatus; supplying a co-reactant to the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition apparatus; supplying a capacitively-coupled plasma to a process station of the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition apparatus, the plasma including silicon radicals generated from the silicon-containing reactant and co-reactant radicals generated from the co-reactant; and depositing the silicon-containing film on the substrate, the silicon-containing film having a refractive index of between 1.4 and 2.1, the silicon-containing film further having an absolute roughness of less than or equal to 4.5 &#x212b; as measured on a silicon substrate.

Smooth silicon-containing films

Methods of preparing a carbon doped oxide (CDO) layer of low dielectric constant and low residual stress involving, for instance, providing a substrate to a deposition chamber and exposing it to an organosilicon precursor containing unsaturated C&#x2014;C bonds or to multiple organic precursors including at least one organosilicon and at least one unsaturated C&#x2014;C bond are provided. The methods may also involve igniting and maintaining a plasma in a deposition chamber using radio frequency power having high and low frequency components with a high percentage of the low frequency component, and depositing the carbon doped dielectric layer under conditions in which the resulting dielectric layer has a residual stress of not greater than, e.g., about 50 MPa, and a dielectric constant not greater than about 3.

Methods for producing low-k carbon doped oxide films with low residual stress

Methods of preparing a carbon doped oxide (CDO) layer with a low dielectric constant and low residual stress are provided. The methods involve, for instance, providing a substrate to a deposition chamber and exposing it to a chemical precursor having molecules with at least one carbon-carbon triple bond, followed by igniting and maintaining a plasma in a deposition chamber using radio frequency power having high and low frequency components or one frequency component only, and depositing the carbon doped oxide film under conditions in which the resulting dielectric layer has a compressive stress or a tensile stress of not greater than, e.g., about 50 MPa, and dielectric constant of less than 3.

Methods for producing low-k CDO films with low residual stress

Methods for improving the mechanical properties of a CDO film are provided. The methods involve, for instance, providing either a dense CDO film or a porous CDO film in which the porogen has been removed followed by curing the CDO film at an elevated temperature using either a UV light treatment, an e-beam treatment, or a plasma treatment such that the curing improves the mechanical toughness of the CDO dielectric film.

Methods for improving the cracking resistance of low-k dielectric materials

Methods of preparing a carbon doped oxide (CDO) layer with a low dielectric constant (&#x3c;3) and low residual stress without sacrificing important integration properties such as dry etch rate, film stability during wet cleaning, electrical leakage current, and extinction coefficient are provided. The methods involve, for instance, providing a substrate to a deposition chamber and exposing it to a chemical precursor having molecules with at least one carbon-carbon triple bond, followed by igniting and maintaining a plasma in a deposition chamber using radio frequency power having high and low frequency components or one frequency component only, and depositing the carbon doped oxide film under conditions in which the resulting dielectric layer has a compressive stress or a tensile stress of between about &#x2212;20 to 30 MPa and a dielectric constant of between about 2.5-3.0, a C&#x2261;C to SiO bond ratio of between about 0.05% to 5%, a SiC to SiO bond ratio of between about 2% to 10%, and a refractive index (RI) of 1.39-1.52 measured at 633 nm.

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West Linn, OR, United States of America

Dong Niu