International Business Machines Corporation

Tokyo Electron Limited

Kristen Scheer

Cory Wajda

David L O'Meara

Sufi Zafar

Anthony I Chou

Alessandro Cesare Callegari

Toshiharu Furukawa

Oleg Gluschenkov

Michael Patrick Chudzik

Evgeni Petrovich Gousev

Anthony Dip

Paul Daniel Kirsch

Fred Buehrer

Paul J Higgins

Michael Toeller

Toshihara Furukawa

Paul Charles Jamison

Joseph Francis Shepard, Jr

Tsuyoshi Takahashi

Katsunori Onishi

Masanobu Igeta

Anthony I-Chih Chou

Byoung Hun Lee

Akihisa Sekiguchi

Toshihara Eurakawa

Heemyoung Park

Toshihara Furakawa

A method for preparing an oxynitride film on a substrate comprising forming the oxynitride film by exposing a surface of the substrate to oxygen radicals and nitrogen radicals formed by plasma induced dissociation of a process gas comprising nitrogen and oxygen using plasma based on microwave irradiation via a plane antenna member having a plurality of slits.

Method and system for forming an oxynitride layer by performing oxidation and nitridation concurrently

The present invention generally provides a method for preparing an oxynitride film on a substrate. A surface of the substrate is exposed to oxygen radicals formed by ultraviolet (UV) radiation induced dissociation of a first process gas comprising at least one molecular composition comprising oxygen to form an oxide film on the surface. The oxide film is exposed to nitrogen radicals formed by plasma induced dissociation of a second process gas comprising at least one molecular composition comprising nitrogen using plasma based on microwave irradiation via a plane antenna member having a plurality of slits to nitridate the oxide film and form the oxynitride film.

Method and system for forming an oxynitride layer

Ultra-thin oxide layers are formed utilizing low pressure processing to achieve self-limiting oxidation of substrates and provide ultra-thin oxide. The substrates to be processed can contain an initial dielectric layer such as an oxide layer, an oxynitride layer, a nitride layer, a high-k layer, or alternatively can lack an initial dielectric layer. The processing can be carried out using a batch type process chamber or, alternatively, using a single-wafer process chamber. One embodiment of the invention provides self-limiting oxidation of Si-substrates that results in SiOlayers with a thickness of about 15 A, where the thickness of the SiOlayers varies less than about 1 A over the substrates.

Formation of ultra-thin oxide layers by self-limiting interfacial oxidation

Ultra-thin oxynitride layers are formed utilizing low-pressure processing to achieve self-limiting oxidation of substrates and provide ultra-thin oxynitride. The substrates to be processed can contain an initial dielectric layer such as an oxide layer, an oxynitride layer, or a nitride layer, or alternatively can lack an initial dielectric layer. The processing can be carried out using a batch type process chamber or a single-wafer process chamber.

Method of forming uniform ultra-thin oxynitride layers

Gate oxides having different thicknesses are formed on a semiconductor substrate by forming a first gate oxide on the top surface of the substrate, forming a sacrificial hard mask over a selected area of the first gate oxide; and then forming a second gate oxide. A first poly layer may be formed on the first gate oxide, under the hard mask. After the hard mask is removed, a second poly layer may be formed over the second gate oxide and over the first poly layer. This enables the use of high-k dielectric materials, and the first gate oxide can be thinner than the second gate oxide.

Forming gate oxides having multiple thicknesses

A method is provided for forming a microstructure with an interfacial oxide layer by using a diffusion filter layer to control the oxidation properties of a substrate associated with formation of a high-k layer into the microstructure. The diffusion filter layer controls the oxidation of the surface. The interfacial oxide layer can be formed during an oxidation process that is carried out following deposition of a high-k layer onto the diffusion filter layer, or during deposition of a high-k layer onto the diffusion filter layer.

Interfacial oxidation process for high-k gate dielectric process integration

Methods for preparing a silicon oxynitride layer where the silicon oxynitride layer is deposited atop a substrate and have a low concentration of nitrogen at the interface of the silicon oxynitride layer and the substrate. The silicon oxynitride layer is formed by pulsing at least one interface precursor onto a substrate, where said substrate chemisorbs a portion of said at least one interface precursor to form a monolayer of said at least one interface precursor; and pulsing a nitrogen-containing precursor onto said substrate containing said monolayer of interface precursor, where said monolayer of said at least one interface precursor chemisorbs a portion of said nitrogen-containing precursor to form a monolayer of said nitrogen-containing precursor. The interface precursor includes oxygen-containing or silicon-containing precursor gasses.

Method for forming a uniform distribution of nitrogen in silicon oxynitride gate dielectric

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Milton, NY, United States of America

Kristen Scheer