Applied Materials, Inc.

Jacob W Smith

David P Bour

Sandeep Nijhawan

Lori D Washington

R Suryanarayanan Iyer

Sean M Seutter

David J Eaglesham

Alexander Tam

Ronald R Stevens

Jie Su

Garry K Kwong

Sanjeev Tandon

Joseph Yudovsky

Nyi O Myo

Steve G Ghanayem

Kaushal Kishore Singh

Andrew C Lam

Yuji Maeda

Anqing Cui

Sunderraj Thirupapuliyur

Adam Brailove

Brendan McDougall

Jeannot Morin

Binh Hoa Tran

Thomas Mele

Randhir P Singh Thakur

Steve Park

Rosemary Twist

Robert Shydo

Sandeep Nijhawa

Apparatus, reactors, and methods for heating substrates are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a stage comprising a body and a surface having an area to support a substrate, a shaft coupled to the stage, a first heating element disposed within a central region of the body of the stage, and at least second and third heating elements disposed within the body of the stage, the at least second and third heating elements each partially surrounding the first heating element and wherein the at least second and third heating elements are circumferentially adjacent to each other.

Multi-zone resistive heater

Methods are disclosed of determining a fill level of a precursor in a bubbler. The bubbler is fluidicly coupled with a substrate processing chamber through a vapor-delivery system. The bubbler and vapor-delivery system are backfilled with a known dose of a backfill gas. A pressure and temperature of the backfill gas are determined, permitting a total volume for the backfill gas in the bubbler and vapor-delivery system to be determined by application of a gas law. The fill level of the precursor in the bubbler is determined as a difference between (1) a total volume of the bubbler and vapor-delivery system and (2) the determined total volume for the backfill gas.

Method for measuring precursor amounts in bubbler sources

A gaseous mixture is deposited onto a substrate surface using a showerhead. A first plenum of the showerhead has a plurality of channels fluidicly coupled with an interior of a processing chamber. A second plenum gas flows through a plurality of tubes extending from a second plenum of the showerhead through the channels into the interior of the processing chamber. The diameter of the tubes is smaller than the diameter of the channels such that a first plenum gas flows into the interior of the processing chamber through a space defined between the outer surface of the tubes and the surface of the channels. The length and diameter of the tubes determine the level of distribution and the molar ratio of the first gas and the second gas in the gaseous mixture that is deposited on the surface of the substrate.

System and method for depositing a gaseous mixture onto a substrate surface using a showerhead apparatus

Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method for depositing films using photoexcitation. The photoexcitation may be utilized for at least one of treating the substrate prior to deposition, treating substrate and/or gases during deposition, treating a deposited film, or for enhancing chamber cleaning. In one embodiment, a method for depositing silicon and nitrogen-containing film on a substrate includes heating a substrate disposed in a processing chamber, generating a beam of energy of between about 1 to about 10 eV, transferring the energy to a surface of the substrate; flowing a nitrogen-containing chemical into the processing chamber, flowing a silicon-containing chemical with silicon-nitrogen bonds into the processing chamber, and depositing a silicon and nitrogen-containing film on the substrate.

Method for treating substrates and films with photoexcitation

A method of suppressing parasitic particle formation in a metal organic chemical vapor deposition process is described. The method may include providing a substrate to a reaction chamber, and introducing an organometallic precursor, a particle suppression compound and at least a second precursor to the reaction chamber. The second precursor reacts with the organometallic precursor to form a nucleation layer on the substrate. Also, a method of suppressing parasitic particle formation during formation of a III-V nitride layer is described. The method includes introducing a group III metal containing precursor to a reaction chamber. The group III metal precursor may include a halogen. A hydrogen halide gas and a nitrogen containing gas are also introduced to the reaction chamber. The nitrogen containing gas reacts with the group III metal precursor to form the III-V nitride layer on the substrate.

Parasitic particle suppression in growth of III-V nitride films using MOCVD and HVPE

Methods are provided of fabricating compound nitride semiconductor structures. A group-III precursor and a nitrogen precursor are flowed into a processing chamber to deposit a first layer over a surface of a first substrate with a thermal chemical-vapor-deposition process. A second layer is deposited over a surface of a second substrate with the thermal chemical-vapor-deposition process using the first group-III precursor and the first nitrogen precursor. The first and second substrates are different outer substrates of a plurality of stacked substrates disposed within the processing chamber as a stack so that the first and second layers are deposited on opposite sides of the stack. Deposition of the first layer and deposition of the second layer are performed simultaneously.

Stacked-substrate processes for production of nitride semiconductor structures

In accordance with the present invention, improved methods for reducing the dislocation density of nitride epitaxial films are provided. Specifically, an in-situ etch treatment is provided to preferentially etch the dislocations of the nitride epitaxial layer to prevent threading of the dislocations through the nitride epitaxial layer. Subsequent to etching of the dislocations, an epitaxial layer overgrowth is performed. In certain embodiments, the etching of the dislocations occurs simultaneously with growth of the epitaxial layer. In other embodiments, a dielectric mask is deposited within the etch pits formed at the dislocations prior to the epitaxial layer overgrowth.

Dislocation-specific lateral epitaxial overgrowth to reduce dislocation density of nitride films

An assembly comprises a multilayer nitride stack having nitride etch stop layers formed on top of one another, each of the nitride etch stop layers is formed using a film forming process. A method of making the multilayer nitride stack includes placing a substrate in a single wafer deposition chamber and thermally shocking the substrate momentarily prior to deposition. A first nitride etch stop layer is deposited over the substrate. A second nitride etch stop layer is deposited over the first nitride etch stop layer.

Silicon nitride film with stress control

Methods are provided of fabricating a nitride semiconductor structure. A group-III precursor and a nitrogen precursor are flowed into a processing chamber to deposit a first layer over one side of the substrate with a thermal chemical-vapor-deposition process. A second layer is similarly deposited over an opposite side of the substrate using the group-III precursor and the nitrogen precursor. The substrate is cooled after depositing the first and second layers without substantially deforming a shape of the substrate.

Dual-side epitaxy processes for production of nitride semiconductor structures

Dislocation-specific dielectric mask deposition and lateral epitaxial overgrowth to reduce dislocation density of nitride films

A method for fabricating a multiple layer silicon nitride film on a semiconductor substrate is provided herein. In one embodiment, a method for fabricating a multiple layer silicon nitride film on a semiconductor substrate includes providing a substrate over which the multiple layer silicon nitride film is to be formed; and forming the multiple layer silicon nitride film in a single processing reactor by: (a) depositing a base layer comprising silicon nitride on the base structure; (b) depositing a middle layer comprising a stress-controlling material on the base layer; and (c) depositing a top layer comprising silicon nitride on the middle layer. The stress-controlling material selectively increases or reduces the stress of the multiple layer silicon nitride film as compared to silicon nitride alone.

Method for fabricating controlled stress silicon nitride films

Nitride optoelectronic devices that have asymmetric double-sided structures and methods fabricating such structures are disclosed. Two n-type III-N layers are formed simultaneously over opposite sides of a substrate with substantially the same composition. Thereafter, a p-type III-N active layer is formed over one of the n-type III-N layers but not over the other.

Nitride optoelectronic devices with backside deposition

Methods and systems are provided of fabricating a compound nitride semiconductor structure. A substrate is disposed within a processing chamber into which a group-III precursor and a nitrogen precursor are flowed. A layer is deposited over the substrate with a thermal chemical-vapor-deposition process using the precursors. The substrate is transferred to a transfer chamber where a temperature and a curvature of the layer are measured. The substrate is then transferred to a second processing chamber where a second layer is deposited.

Stress measurement and stress balance in films

Methods are disclosed for fabricating a compound nitride semiconductor structure. An amorphous buffer layer that includes nitrogen and a group-III element is formed over a substrate disposed within a substrate processing chamber at a first temperature. The temperature within the chamber is increased to a second temperature at which the amorphous buffer layer coalesces into crystallites over the substrate. The substrate is exposed to a corrosive agent to destroy at least some of the crystallites. A crystalline nitride layer is formed over the substrate at a third temperature using the crystallites remaining after exposure to the corrosive agent as seed crystals. The third temperature is greater than the first temperature. The crystalline nitride layer also includes nitrogen and a group-III element.

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Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Jacob W Smith