Lam Research Corporation

Lam Researh Corporation

Lam Rasearch Corporation

Kapu Sirish Reddy

Nagraj Shankar

Meliha Gozde Rainville

Dennis Michael Hausmann

Elham Mohimi

Pengyi Zhang

Jon Henri

David Charles Smith

Arpan Pravin Mahorowala

Bhavin Jariwala

Shankar Swaminathan

David W Porter

Frank Loren Pasquale

Jeffrey D Womack

Emile C Draper

Feng Bi

Pankaj G Ramnani

Karthik Sivaramakrishnan

Eric A Hudson

Samantha SiamHwa Tan

Shih-Ked Lee

Kevin M McLaughlin

Jialing Yang

Alexander R Fox

Karthik Subramanian Colinjivadi

Paul C Lemaire

Francis Sloan Roberts

Daniel Damjanovic

Amit Pharkya

Kashish Sharma

Huifeng Zheng

Todd Shroeder

A tool and method for processing substrates by encapsulating a mask to protect from degradation during an etch-back to prevent a feature liner material from pinching off an opening during deposition-etch cycles used to fabricate high aspect ratio features with very tight critical dimension control.

Mask encapsulation to prevent degradation during fabrication of high aspect ratio features

Fabricating a semiconductor substrate by (a) vertical etching a feature having sidewalls and a depth into one or more layers formed on the semiconductor substrate and (b) depositing an amorphous carbon liner onto the sidewalls of the feature. Steps (a) and optionally (b) are iterated until the vertical etch feature has reached a desired depth. With each iteration of (a), the feature is vertical etched deeper into the one or more layers, while the amorphous carbon liner resists lateral etching of the sidewalls of the feature. With each optional iteration of (b), the deposited amorphous carbon liner on the sidewalls of the feature is replenished.

Carbon based depositions used for critical dimension control during high aspect ratio feature etches and for forming protective layers

Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for selective deposition of etch-stop layers for enhanced patterning during semiconductor manufacturing. One method includes an operation for adding a photo-resist material (M) on top of a base material (M) of a substrate, Mdefining a pattern for etching Min areas where Mis not present above M. The method further includes operations for conformally capping the substrate with an oxide material (M) after adding M, and for gap filling the substrate with filling material Mafter the conformally capping. Further, a stop-etch material (M) is selectively grown on exposed surfaces of Mand not on surfaces of Mafter the gap filling. Additionally, the method includes operations for removing Mfrom the substrate after selectively growing M, and for etching the substrate after removing Mto transfer the pattern into M. Madds etching protection to enable deeper etching into M

Selective deposition of etch-stop layer for enhanced patterning

Methods are provided for conducting a deposition on a semiconductor substrate by selectively depositing a material on the substrate. The substrate has a plurality of substrate materials, each with a different nucleation delay corresponding to the material deposited thereon. Specifically, the nucleation delay associated with a first substrate material on which deposition is intended is less than the nucleation delay associated with a second substrate material on which deposition is not intended according to a nucleation delay differential, which degrades as deposition proceeds. A portion of the deposited material is etched to reestablish the nucleation delay differential between the first and the second substrate materials. The material is further selectively deposited on the substrate.

Selective deposition with atomic layer etch reset

Aluminum oxide films with a thickness of between about 10-50 &#x212b;, characterized by a dielectric constant (k) of less than about 7 (such as about 4-6) and having a density of at least about 2.5 g/cm(such as about 3.0-3.2 g/cm) are deposited on partially fabricated semiconductor devices over a metal (e.g., cobalt or copper) such that the metal does not show signs of oxidation. In some embodiments, the films are etch stop films.

Deposition of aluminum oxide etch stop layers

Showerheads for independently delivering different, mutually-reactive process gases to a wafer processing space are provided. The showerheads include a first gas distributor that has multiple plenum structures that are separated from one another by a gap, as well as a second gas distributor positioned above the first gas distributor. Isolation gas from the second gas distributor may be flowed down onto the first gas distributor and through the gaps in between the plenum structures of the first gas distributor, thereby establishing an isolation gas curtain that prevents the process gases released from each plenum structure from parasitically depositing on the plenum structures that provide other gases.

Showerhead with air-gapped plenums and overhead isolation gas distributor

Aluminum oxide films characterized by a dielectric constant (k) of less than about 7 (such as between about 4-6) and having a density of at least about 2.5 g/cm(such as about 3.0-3.2 g/cm) are deposited on partially fabricated semiconductor devices over both metal and dielectric to serve as etch stop layers. The films are deposited using a deposition method that does not lead to oxidative damage of the metal. The deposition involves reacting an aluminum-containing precursor (e.g., a trialkylaluminum) with an alcohol and/or aluminum alkoxide. In one implementation the method involves flowing trimethylaluminum to the process chamber housing a substrate having an exposed metal and dielectric layers; purging and/or evacuating the process chamber; flowing t-butanol to the process chamber and allowing it to react with trimethylaluminum to form an aluminum oxide film and repeating the process steps until the film of desired thickness is formed.

Deposition of Aluminum oxide etch stop layers

Thin AlN films are oxidatively treated in a plasma to form AlO and AlON films without causing damage to underlying layers of a partially fabricated semiconductor device (e.g., to underlying metal and/or dielectric layers). The resulting AlO and AlON films are characterized by improved leakage current compared to the AlN film and are suitable for use as etch stop layers. The oxidative treatment involves contacting the substrate having an exposed AlN layer with a plasma formed in a process gas comprising an oxygen-containing gas and a hydrogen-containing gas. In some implementations oxidative treatment is performed with a plasma formed in a process gas including COas an oxygen-containing gas, Has a hydrogen-containing gas, and further including a diluent gas. The use of a hydrogen-containing gas in the plasma eliminates the oxidative damage to the underlying layers.

Oxidizing treatment of aluminum nitride films in semiconductor device manufacturing

A method of improving selectivity of a metal in a selective deposition process. A pre-treatment process for the metal modifies the metal surface, and includes first reducing the metal to remove organic contamination from the metal followed by oxidation of the metal to allow a monolayer of a metal oxide to grow on the surface. This modification of the metal allows inhibitor molecules to adsorb on the metal oxide monolayer to improve selectivity.

Pre-treatment method to improve selectivity in a selective deposition process

Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for selective deposition of etch-stop layers for enhanced patterning during semiconductor manufacturing. One method includes an operation for adding a photo-resist material (M) on top of a base material (M) of a substrate, Mdefining a pattern for etching Min areas where Mis not present above MThe method further includes operations for conformally capping the substrate with an oxide material (M) after adding Mand for gap filling the substrate with filling material Mafter the conformally capping. Further, a stop-etch material (M) is selectively grown on exposed surfaces of Mand not on surfaces of Mafter the gap filling. Additionally, the method includes operations for removing Mfrom the substrate after selectively growing Mand for etching the substrate after removing Mto transfer the pattern into MMadds etching protection to enable deeper etching into M

Dielectric composite films characterized by a dielectric constant (k) of less than about 7 and having a density of at least about 2.5 g/cmare deposited on partially fabricated semiconductor devices to serve as etch stop layers. The dielectric composite film in one embodiment includes Al, Si, and O and has a thickness of between about 10-100 &#x212b;. The dielectric composite film can reside between two layers of inter-layer dielectric, and may be in contact with metal layers. An apparatus for depositing such dielectric composite films includes a process chamber, a conduit for delivering an aluminum containing precursor to the process chamber, a second conduit for delivering a silicon-containing precursor to the process chamber and a controller having program instructions for depositing the dielectric composite film from these precursors, e.g., by reacting the precursors adsorbed to the substrate with an oxygen-containing species.

Composite dielectric interface layers for interconnect structures

Dielectric composite films characterized by a dielectric constant (k) of less than about 7 and having a density of at least about 2.5 g/cmare deposited on partially fabricated semiconductor devices to serve as etch stop layers. The composite films in one embodiment include at least two elements selected from the group consisting of Al, Si, and Ge, and at least one element selected from the group consisting of O, N, and C. In one embodiment the composite film includes Al, Si and O. In one implementation, a substrate containing an exposed dielectric layer (e.g., a ULK dielectric) and an exposed metal layer is contacted with an aluminum-containing compound (such as trimethylaluminum) and, sequentially, with a silicon-containing compound. Adsorbed compounds are then treated with an oxygen-containing plasma (e.g., plasma formed in a CO-containing gas) to form a film that contains Al, Si, and O.

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Portland, OR, United States of America

Kapu Sirish Reddy