Applied Materials, Inc.

Khaled A Elsheref

Alexandros T Demos

Hichem M'Saad

Li-Qun Xia

Kelvin Chan

Zhenjiang Cui

Kang Sub Yim

Derek R Witty

Lester A D'Cruz

Josphine J Chang

Lipan Li

Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez

Takashi Shimizu

Michael Santiago Cox

Jun Zhao

Girish Anant Dixit

Tom K Cho

Amir Hamed Al-Bayati

Mei-Yee Shek

Dale R Dubois

Rick J Roberts

Sang H Ahn

Francimar Campana Schmitt

Meiyee Shek

Yuri Trachuk

Ashish Shah

Naoyuki Iwasaki

Hichem M'Sadd

A method and apparatus for treating a substrate is provided. A porous dielectric layer is formed on the substrate. In some embodiments, the dielectric may be capped by a dense dielectric layer. The dielectric layers are patterned, and a dense dielectric layer deposited conformally over the substrate. The dense conformal dielectric layer seals the pores of the porous dielectric layer against contact with species that may infiltrate the pores. The portion of the dense conformal pore-sealing dielectric layer covering the field region and bottom portions of the pattern openings is removed by directional selective etch.

Prevention and reduction of solvent and solution penetration into porous dielectrics using a thin barrier layer

One embodiment of the present invention is a method for cleaning an electron beam treatment apparatus that includes: (a) generating an electron beam that energizes a cleaning gas in a chamber of the electron beam treatment apparatus; (b) monitoring an electron beam current; (c) adjusting a pressure of the cleaning gas to maintain the electron beam current at a substantially constant value; and (d) stopping when a predetermined condition has been reached.

Clean process for an electron beam source

Methods and apparatus for electron beam treatment of a substrate are provided. An electron beam apparatus that includes a vacuum chamber, at least one thermocouple assembly in communication with the vacuum chamber, a heating device in communication with the vacuum chamber, and combinations thereof are provided. In one embodiment, the vacuum chamber comprises an electron source wherein the electron source comprises a cathode connected to a high voltage source, an anode connected to a low voltage source, and a substrate support. In another embodiment, the vacuum chamber comprises a grid located between the anode and the substrate support. In one embodiment the heating device comprises a first parallel light array and a second light array positioned such that the first parallel light array and the second light array intersect. In one embodiment the thermocouple assembly comprises a temperature sensor made of aluminum nitride.

Vacuum reaction chamber with x-lamp heater

Adhesion of a porous low K film to an underlying barrier layer is improved by forming an intermediate layer lower in carbon content, and richer in silicon oxide, than the overlying porous low K film. This adhesion layer can be formed utilizing one of a number of techniques, alone or in combination. In one approach, the adhesion layer can be formed by introduction of a rich oxidizing gas such as O/CO/etc. to oxidize Si precursors immediately prior to deposition of the low K material. In another approach, thermally labile chemicals such as alpha-terpinene, cymene, and any other non-oxygen containing organics are removed prior to low K film deposition. In yet another approach, the hardware or processing parameters, such as the manner of introduction of the non-silicon containing component, may be modified to enable formation of an oxide interface prior to low K film deposition. In still another approach, parameters of ebeam treatment such as dosage, energy, or the use of thermal annealing, may be controlled to remove carbon species at the interface between the barrier and the low K film. In a further approach, a pre-treatment plasma may be introduced prior to low k deposition to enhance heating of the barrier interface, such that a thin oxide interface is formed when low K deposition gases are introduced and the low K film is deposited.

Techniques promoting adhesion of porous low K film to underlying barrier layer

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention relate to a number of techniques, which may be applied alone or in combination, to reduce charge damage of substrates exposed to electron beam radiation. In one embodiment, charge damage is reduced by establishing a robust electrical connection between the exposed substrate and ground. In another embodiment, charge damage is reduced by modifying the sequence of steps for activating and deactivating the electron beam source to reduce the accumulation of charge on the substrate. In still another embodiment, a plasma is struck in the chamber containing the e-beam treated substrate, thereby removing accumulated charge from the substrate. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the voltage of the anode of the e-beam source is reduced in magnitude to account for differences in electron conversion efficiency exhibited by different cathode materials.

Method and apparatus for reducing charge density on a dielectric coated substrate after exposure to a large area electron beam

One embodiment of the present invention is a method for characterizing an electron beam treatment apparatus that includes: (a) e-beam treating one or more of a predetermined type of wafer or substrate utilizing one or more sets of electron beam treatment para meters; (b) making post-electron beam treatment measurements of intensity of a probe beam reflected from the surface of the one or more wafers in which thermal and/or plasma waves have been induced; and (c) developing data from the post-electron beam treatment measurements that provide insight into performance of the electron beam treatment apparatus.

Characterizing an electron beam treatment apparatus

A method of filling a plurality of trenches etched in a substrate. In one embodiment the method includes depositing a layer of spin-on glass material over the substrate and into the plurality of trenches; curing the layer of spin-on glass material by exposing the spin-on glass material to electron beam radiation at a first temperature for a first period and subsequently exposing the spin-on glass material to an electron beam at a second temperature for a second period, where the second temperature is greater than the first temperature. The method concludes by depositing a layer of silica glass over the cured spin-on glass layer using a chemical vapor deposition technique.

Multistep cure technique for spin-on-glass films

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Khaled A Elsheref