Applied Materials, Inc.

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.

Kyu-Ha Shim

Rajesh Prasad

Qintao Zhang

Sipeng Gu

Steven Robert Sherman

Sungho Jo

Deepak Arabagatte Ramappa

Tomohiko Kitajima

Wei Zou

Andrew Michael Waite

Harry S Whitesell

Deven Matthew Raj Mittal

Guy Oteri

Somchintana Norasetthekul

Tzu-Yu Liu

Ning Li

John J Hautala

Eric J Bergman

Mihaela A Balseanu

Kwangduk Douglas Lee

Julian G Blake

Benjamin Colombeau

Timothy J Miller

Adolph Miller Allen

John Lee Klocke

Jingmei Liang

Christopher R Hatem

Richard S Muka

Steven Raymond Walther

Praket Prakash Jha

Simon Ruffell

Tristan Yonghui Ma

Jonathan Gerald England

Zhong Qiang Hua

Sarah Michelle Bobek

Terrance Y Lee

Chang Seok Kang

Sanjay G Kamath

Scott C Holden

Nobuyuki Sasaki

Jun Seok Lee

Jung Chan Lee

Scott Falk

Reuel B Liebert

Shuaidi Zhang

Arvind Kumar

Sandeep Mehta

Dennis P Rodier

Tom Ho Wing Yu

Ukyo Jeong

Jinning Liu

Qi Gao

Ning Zhan

Thirumal Thanigaivelan

Mun Kyu Park

Euhngi Lee

James Cournoyer

Viabhav Soni

Ravi Rajagopalan

Adaeze Osonkie

Kurt Decker-Lucke

Disclosed herein are approaches for forming contacts in a 4Fvertical dynamic random-access memory device. One method includes providing a plurality of fins extending from a substrate, forming a spacer layer over the plurality of fins, and etching the substrate to expose a base portion of the plurality of fins. The method may include forming a doped layer along the base portion of the plurality of fins and along an upper surface of the substrate, and forming an oxide spacer over the doped layer.

Bottom contact formation for 4Fvertical DRAM

Methods for depositing a hardmask with ions implanted at different tilt angles are described herein. By performing ion implantation to dope an amorphous carbon hardmask at multiple tilt angles, an evenly distributed dopant profiled can be created. The implant tilt angle will determine a dopant profile that enhances the carbon hardmask hardness.

Forming a doped hardmask

Methods of manufacturing memory devices are provided. The methods improve the quality of a selectively deposited silicon-containing dielectric layer. The method comprises selectively depositing a silicon-containing dielectric layer in a recessed region of a film stack. The selectively deposited silicon-containing dielectric layer is then exposed to a high-density plasma and annealed at a temperature greater than 800 ° C. to provide a silicon-containing dielectric film having a wet etch rate of less than 4 Å/min.

Sequential plasma and thermal treatment

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 P-type field effect transistor (PFET) device and a method for fabricating a PFET device using fully depleted silicon on insulator (FDSOI) technology is disclosed. The method includes introducing germanium into the channel layer using ion implantation. This germanium implant increases the axial stress in the channel layer, improving device performance. This implant may be performed at low temperatures to minimize damage to the crystalline structure. Further, rather than using a long duration, high temperature anneal process, the germanium implanted in the channel layer may be annealed using a laser anneal or a rapid temperature anneal. The implanted regions are re-crystallized using the channel layer that is beneath the gate as the seed layer. In some embodiments, an additional oxide spacer is used to further separate the raised source and drain regions from the gate.

Localized stressor formation by ion implantation

A method of isolating sections of the channel layer in a SOI workpiece is disclosed. Rather than etching material to create trenches, which are then filled with a dielectric material, ions are implanted into portions of the channel layer to transform these implanted regions from silicon or silicon germanium into an electrically insulating material. These ions may comprise at least one isolating species, such as oxygen, nitrogen, carbon or boron. This eliminates various processes from the fabrication sequence, including an etching process and a deposition process. Advantageously, this approach also results in greater axial strain in the channel layer, since the channel layer is continuous across the workpiece.

Isolation method to enable continuous channel layer

A method of modifying a high-resistivity substrate so that the substrate may be electrostatically clamped to a chuck is disclosed. The bottom surface is implanted with a resistivity-reducing species. In this way, resistivity of the bottom surface of the substrate may be greatly reduced. In some embodiments, to implant the bottom surface, a coating is applied to the top surface. After application of the coating, the substrate is flipped so that the front surface contacts the top surface of the chuck. The ions are then implanted into the exposed bottom surface to create the low resistivity layer. The resistivity of the low resistivity layer proximate the bottom surface after implant may be less than 1000 ohm-cm. Once the bottom surface has been implanted, the substrate may be processed conventionally. The low resistivity layer may later be removed by wafer backside thinning processes.

Handling for high resistivity substrates

A method of forming surface features in a hardmask layer, including etching a first surface feature into the hardmask layer, the first surface feature having a first critical dimension, performing an ion implantation process on the first surface feature to make the first surface feature resistant to subsequent etching processes, etching a second surface feature into the hardmask layer adjacent the first surface feature, wherein the first critical dimension is preserved.

Techniques for reducing tip to tip shorting and critical dimension variation during nanoscale patterning

Disclosed are methods of forming devices. One method may include providing a first set of fins and a second set of fins extending from a substrate, and providing a dummy oxide over the first set of fins and the second set of fins. The method may further include performing a thermal implant to the second set of fins, wherein the thermal implant is an angled ion implant impacting the dummy oxide. The method may further include removing the dummy oxide from the first set of fins and the second set of fins, and forming a first work function (WF) metal over the first set of fins and a second WF metal over the second set of fins.

Replacement metal gate formation of PMOS ultra-low voltage devices using a thermal implant

A method may include depositing a carbon layer on a substrate using physical vapor deposition, wherein the carbon layer exhibits compressive stress, and is characterized by a first stress value; and directing a dose of low-mass species into the carbon layer, wherein, after the directing, the carbon layer exhibits a second stress value, less compressive than the first stress value.

Techniques for forming low stress etch-resistant mask using implantation

A method may include forming a sacrificial mask on a device structure, the sacrificial mask comprising a carbon-based material. The method may further include etching memory structures in exposed regions of the sacrificial mask, implanting an etch-enhancing species into the sacrificial mask, and performing a wet etch to selectively remove the sacrificial mask at etch temperature, less than 350&#xb0; C.

Techniques for improved removal of sacrificial mask

As etching processes become more aggressive, increased etch resistivity of the hard mask is desirable. Methods of modulating the etch rate of the mask and optionally the underlying material are disclosed. An etch rate modifying species is implanted into the hard mask after the mask etching process is completed. This etch rate modifying species increases the difference between the etch rate of the mask and the etch rate of the underlying material to help preserve the integrity of the mask during a subsequent etching process. In some embodiments, the etch rate of the mask is decreased by the etch rate modifying species. In certain embodiments, the etch rate of the underlying material is increased by the etch rate modifying species.

Etch rate modulation through ion implantation

Provided herein are approaches for forming a gate oxide layer for a DRAM device, the method including providing a finned substrate having a recess formed therein, and performing an ion implant into a sidewall surface of the recess to form a gate oxide layer having a non-uniform thickness, wherein a thickness of the gate oxide layer at a top section of the sidewall surface is greater than a thickness of the gate oxide layer at a bottom section of the sidewall surface. In some approaches, the ion implant is provided as a series of ion implants at multiple different implant angles, varied along with an ion implantation energy and/or an ion dose to increase the thickness of the gate oxide of the top section of the sidewall surface. In some approaches, the finned substrate is also exposed to a plasma, either during or after, the ion implantation.

Non-uniform gate oxide thickness for DRAM device

Methods of improving charge trapping are disclosed. One such method includes forming an oxide-nitride-oxide tunnel stack and a silicon nitride layer on the oxide-nitride-oxide tunnel stack. This silicon nitride layer is implanted with ions. These ions may function as electron traps or as fields. The silicon nitride layer may be part of a flash memory device.

Method to enhance charge trapping

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Andover, MA, United States of America

Kyu-Ha Shim