Applied Materials, Inc.

Jung Chan Lee

Jingmei Liang

Praket Prakash Jha

Jinrui Guo

Yong Sun

Mukund Srinivasan

Tza-Jing Gung

Wenhui Li

Timothy J Miller

Sanjay G Kamath

Kyu-Ha Shim

Jun Seok Lee

Deven Matthew Raj Mittal

Sungho Jo

Shuchi Sunil Ojha

Mun Kyu Park

Euhngi Lee

A method of post-treating a silicon nitride (SiN)-based dielectric film formed on a surface of a substrate includes positioning a substrate having a silicon nitride (SiN)-based dielectric film formed thereon in a processing chamber, and exposing the silicon nitride (SiN)-based dielectric film to helium-containing high-energy low-dose plasma in the processing chamber. Energy of helium ions in the helium-containing high-energy low-dose plasma is between 1 eV and 3.01 eV, and flux density of the helium ions in the helium-containing high-energy low-dose plasma is between 5×10ions/cm·sec and 1.37×10ions/cm·sec.

Methods of post treating silicon nitride based dielectric films with high energy low dose plasma

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods for gap fill deposition and film densification on microelectronic devices. The method includes forming an oxide layer containing silicon oxide and having an initial wet etch rate (WER) over features disposed on the substrate, and exposing the oxide layer to a first plasma treatment to produce a treated oxide layer. The first plasma treatment includes generating a first plasma by a first RF source and directing the first plasma to the oxide layer by a DC bias. The method also includes exposing the treated oxide layer to a second plasma treatment to produce a densified oxide layer. The second plasma treatment includes generating a second plasma by top and side RF sources and directing the second plasma to the treated oxide layer without a bias. The densified oxide layer has a final WER of less than one-half of the initial WER.

Plasma treatment process to densify oxide layers

A method of depositing a silicon-containing material is disclosed. Some embodiments of the disclosure provide films which fill narrow CD features without a seam or void. Some embodiments of the disclosure provide films which form conformally on features with wider CD. Embodiments of the disclosure also provide superior quality films with low roughness, low defects and advantageously low deposition rates.

CD dependent gap fill and conformal films

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to cluster tools for forming and filling trenches in a substrate with a flowable dielectric material. In one or more embodiments, a cluster tool for processing a substrate contains a load lock chamber, a first vacuum transfer chamber coupled to the load lock chamber, a second vacuum transfer chamber, a cooling station disposed between the first vacuum transfer chamber and the second vacuum transfer chamber, a factory interface coupled to the load lock chamber, a plurality of first processing chambers coupled to the first vacuum transfer chamber, wherein each of the first processing chambers is a deposition chamber capable of performing a flowable layer deposition, and a plurality of second processing chambers coupled to the second vacuum transfer chamber, wherein each of the second processing chambers is a plasma chamber capable of performing a plasma curing process.

Cyclic flowable deposition and high-density plasma treatment processes for high quality gap fill solutions

Implementations disclosed herein relate to methods for forming and filling trenches in a substrate with a flowable dielectric material. In one implementation, the method includes subjecting a substrate having at least one trench to a deposition process to form a flowable layer over a bottom surface and sidewall surfaces of the trench in a bottom-up fashion until the flowable layer reaches a predetermined deposition thickness, subjecting the flowable layer to a first curing process, the first curing process being a UV curing process, subjecting the UV cured flowable layer to a second curing process, the second curing process being a plasma or plasma-assisted process, and performing sequentially and repeatedly the deposition process, the first curing process, and the second curing process until the plasma cured flowable layer fills the trench and reaches a predetermined height over a top surface of the trench.

Methods are described for a cyclical deposition and curing process. More particularly, the implementations described herein provide a cyclic sequential deposition and curing process for filling features formed on a substrate. Features are filled to ensure electrical isolation of features in integrated circuits formed on a substrate. The processes described herein use flowable film deposition processes that have been effective in reducing voids or seams produced in features formed on a substrate. However, conventional gap-filling methods using flowable films typically contain dielectric materials that have undesirable physical and electrical properties. In particular, film density is not uniform, film dielectric constant varies across the film thickness, film stability is not ideal, film refractive index is inconsistent, and resistance to dilute hydrofluoric acid (DHF) is not ideal in conventional flowable films. The cyclic sequential deposition and curing processes address the issues described herein to create films with higher quality and increased lifetime.

Cyclic sequential processes for forming high quality thin films

Methods for depositing and curing a flowable dielectric layer are disclosed herein. Methods can include forming a flowable dielectric layer, immersing the flowable dielectric layer in an oxygen-containing gas, purging the chamber and curing the layer with UV radiation. By curing the layer after an oxygen-containing gas pre-soak, the layer can be more completely cured during the UV irradiation.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Jung Chan Lee