Applied Materials, Inc.

Erika Hansen

Christopher Sean Olsen

Lara Hawrylchak

Eric Kihara Shono

Hansel Lo

Kartik Bhupendra Shah

Vishwas Kumar Pandey

Rene George

Tobin Kaufman-Osborn

Taewan Kim

Tsung-Han Yang

Johanes S Swenberg

Naman Apurva

Chaitanya Anjaneyalu Prasad

Daniel C Glover

Johanes F Swenberg

Embodiments of methods of performing a selective oxidation process on non-metal surfaces are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of performing a selective oxidation process on non-metal surfaces includes: forming a first mixture of a carrier gas and a liquid in a mixer having a mixing block coupled to one or more control valves with a mixing line disposed therebetween; flowing the first mixture from the mixer to a vaporizer to vaporize the first mixture outside of an RTP chamber; and delivering the vaporized first mixture to the RTP chamber via a gas delivery line to expose a substrate disposed in the RTP chamber with the vaporized first mixture to perform a selective oxidation process on the substrate at a temperature of about 500 to about 1100 degrees Celsius.

Methods of selective oxidation on rapid thermal processing (RTP) chamber with active steam generation

Embodiments described herein generally relate to a processing system and a method of delivering a reactant gas. The processing system includes a substrate support system, an injection cone, and an intake. The injection cone includes a linear rudder. The linear rudder is disposed such that the flow of reactant gas through the injection cone results in film growth on a specific portion of a substrate. The method includes flowing the gas through the injection cone and delivering the gas onto the substrate below. The localization of the reactant gas, allows for film growth on a specific portion of the substrate.

Processing system and method of delivering a reactant gas

Embodiments of gas distribution modules for use with rapid thermal processing (RTP) systems and methods of use thereof are provided herein. In some embodiments, a gas distribution module for use with a RTP chamber includes: a first carrier gas line and a first liquid line fluidly coupled to a mixer, the mixer having one or more control valves configured to mix a carrier gas from the first carrier gas line and a liquid from the first liquid line in a desired ratio to form a first mixture; a vaporizer coupled to the mixer and configured to receive the first mixture in a hollow internal volume, the vaporizer having a heater configured to vaporize the first mixture; and a first gas delivery line disposed between the vaporizer and the RTP chamber to deliver the vaporized first mixture to the RTP chamber.

Selective oxidation on rapid thermal processing (RTP) chamber with active steam generation

A gas injector for processing a substrate includes a body having an inlet connectable to a gas source that is configured to provide a gas flow in a first direction into the inlet when processing a substrate on a substrate support disposed within a processing volume of a processing chamber, and an a gas injection channel formed in the body. The gas injection channel is in fluid communication with the inlet and configured to deliver the gas flow to an inlet of the processing chamber. The gas injection channel has a first interior surface and a second interior surface that are parallel to a second direction and a third direction. The second and third directions are misaligned with a center of the substrate, and are at an angle to the first direction towards a first edge of the substrate support.

Asymmetric injection for better wafer uniformity

A gas injector for processing a substrate includes a body having an inlet connectable to a gas source that is configured to provide a gas flow in a first direction into the inlet when processing a substrate on a substrate support disposed within a processing volume of a processing chamber, and an a gas injection channel formed in the body. The gas injection channel is in fluid communication with the inlet and configured to deliver the gas flow to an inlet of the processing chamber. The gas injection channel has a first interior surface and a second interior surface that are parallel to a second direction and a third direction. The second and third directions do not intersect a center of the substrate, and are at an angle to the first direction towards a first edge of the substrate support.

Embodiments described herein generally relate to conformal oxidation processes for flash memory devices. In conventional oxidation processes for gate structures, growth rates have become too fast, ultimately creating non-conformal films. To create a preferred growth rate for SiOon SiNfilms, embodiments in this disclosure use a thermal combustion of a ternary mixture of H+O+NO to gain SiOout of Si containing compounds. Using this mixture provides a lower growth in comparison with using only Hand O, resulting in a lower sticking coefficient. The lower sticking coefficient allows an optimal amount of atoms to reach the bottom of the gate, improving the conformality in 3D NAND SiOoxidation layers, specifically for ONO replacement tunneling gate formation.

Conformal oxidation processes for 3D NAND

Methods for conformal radical oxidation of structures are provided. The method comprises positioning a substrate in a processing region of a processing chamber. The method further comprises flowing hydrogen gas into a precursor activator at a first flow rate, wherein the precursor activator is fluidly coupled with the processing region. The method further comprises flowing oxygen gas into the precursor activator at a second flow rate. The method further comprises flowing argon gas into the precursor activator at a third flow rate. The method further comprises generating a plasma in the precursor activator from the hydrogen gas, oxygen gas, and argon gas. The method further comprises flowing the plasma into the processing region. The method further comprises exposing the substrate to the plasma to form an oxide film on the substrate, wherein a growth rate of the oxide film is controlled by adjusting the third flow rate.

Argon addition to remote plasma oxidation

Methods for conformal radical oxidation of structures are provided. In one implementation, the method comprises flowing hydrogen into a processing chamber at a first flow rate, wherein the processing chamber has a substrate positioned therein. The method further comprises flowing oxygen into a precursor activator at a second flow rate. The method further comprises flowing argon into the precursor activator at a third flow rate. The method further comprises generating a plasma in the precursor activator from the oxygen and argon. The method further comprises flowing the plasma into the processing chamber, wherein the plasma mixes with the hydrogen gas to create an activated processing gas. The method further comprises exposing the substrate to the activated gas to form an oxide film on the substrate. A growth rate of the oxide film is controlled by adjusting the third flow rate.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Erika Hansen