Asm America, Inc.

Asm Japan K.k.

Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.

Asm International N.v.

Michael A Todd

Keith Doran Weeks

Ivo Johannes Raaijmakers

Christophe F Pomarede

Thomas H Baum

Gautam Bhandari

Mark R Hawkins

Christiaan J Werkhoven

Eric James Shero

Michael Eugene Givens

Satoshi Takahashi

Yukihiro Mori

Chongying Xu

Atsuki Fukazawa

W Karl Olander

Naoto Tsuji

Ziyun Wang

Timothy E Glassman

Paul D Brabant

Kiyohiro Matsushita

Paul T Jacobson

Cornelius A Van Der Jeugd

Jianqing Wen

Yuet Mei Wan

Jacobus Johannes Beulens

Marinus J De Blank

Tominori Yoshida

Ruben Haverkort

Christian J Werkhoven

Niamh McMahon

Chemical vapor deposition methods are used to deposit amorphous silicon-containing films over various substrates. Such methods are useful in semiconductor manufacturing to provide a variety of advantages, including uniform deposition over heterogeneous surfaces, high deposition rates, and higher manufacturing productivity. Preferably, the deposited amorphous silicon-containing film is annealed to produce crystalline regions over all or part of an underlying substrate.

Deposition of amorphous silicon-containing films

Chemical vapor deposition processes utilize chemical precursors that allow for the deposition of thin films to be conducted at or near the mass transport limited regime. The processes have high deposition rates yet produce more uniform films, both compositionally and in thickness, than films prepared using conventional chemical precursors. In preferred embodiments, a higher order silane is employed to deposit thin films containing silicon that are useful in the semiconductor industry in various applications such as transistor gate electrodes.

Process for deposition of semiconductor films

A substrate processing system has computer controlled injectors. The computer is configured to adjust a plurality of injectors, such as during deposition of a graded layer, between depositions of two different layers, or between deposition and chamber clean steps.

System for control of gas injectors

Chemical vapor deposition processes utilize higher order silanes and germanium precursors as chemical precursors. The processes have high deposition rates yet produce more uniform films, both compositionally and in thickness, than films prepared using conventional chemical precursors. In preferred embodiments, trisilane is employed to deposit SiGe-containing films that are useful in the semiconductor industry in various applications such as transistor gate electrodes.

Multiple sequential processes are conducted in a reaction chamber to form ultra high quality silicon-containing compound layers, including silicon nitride layers. In a preferred embodiment, a silicon layer is deposited on a substrate using trisilane as the silicon precursor. A silicon nitride layer is then formed by nitriding the silicon layer. By repeating these steps, a silicon nitride layer of a desired thickness is formed.

Method to form ultra high quality silicon-containing compound layers

A liquid injector is used to vaporize and inject a silicon precursor into a process chamber to form silicon-containing layers during a semiconductor fabrication process. The injector is connected to a source of silicon precursor, which preferably comprises liquid trisilane in a mixture with one or more dopant precursors. The mixture is metered as a liquid and delivered to the injector, where it is then vaporized and injected into the process chamber.

Deposition from liquid sources

Thin, smooth silicon-containing films are prepared by deposition methods that utilize a silicon containing precursor. In preferred embodiments, the methods result in Si-containing films that are continuous and have a thickness of about 150 &#x212b; or less, a surface roughness of about 5 &#x212b; rms or less, and a thickness non-uniformity of about 20% or less. Preferred silicon-containing films display a high degree of compositional uniformity when doped or alloyed with other elements. Preferred deposition methods provide improved manufacturing efficiency and can be used to make various useful structures such as wetting layers, HSG silicon, quantum dots, dielectric layers, anti-reflective coatings (ARC's), gate electrodes and diffusion sources.

Thin films and methods of making them

Methods are provided herein for forming electrode layers over high dielectric constant ('high k') materials. In the illustrated embodiments, a high k gate dielectric, such as zirconium oxide, is protected from reduction during a subsequent deposition of silicon-containing gate electrode. In particular, a seed deposition phase includes conditions designed for minimizing hydrogen reduction of the gate dielectric, including low hydrogen content, low temperatures and/or low partial pressures of the silicon source gas. Conditions are preferably changed for higher deposition rates and deposition continues in a bulk phase. Desirably, though, hydrogen diffusion is still minimized by controlling the above-noted parameters. In one embodiment, high k dielectric reduction is minimized through omission of a hydrogen carrier gas. In another embodiment, higher order silanes, aid in reducing hydrogen content for a given deposition rate.

Integration of high k gate dielectric

Trisilane is used in chemical vapor deposition methods to deposit silicon-containing films over mixed substrates. Such methods are useful in semiconductor manufacturing to provide a variety of advantages, including uniform deposition over heterogeneous surfaces, high deposition rates, and higher manufacturing productivity. An example is in forming the base region of a heterojunction bipolar transistor, including simultaneous deposition over both single crystal semiconductor surfaces and amorphous insulating regions.

Deposition over mixed substrates using trisilane

Chemical vapor deposition processes result in films having low dielectric constants when suitable chemical precursors are utilized. Preferred chemical precursors include siloxanes, (fluoroalkyl)fluorosiloxanes, (fluoroalkyl)silanes, (alkyl)fluorosilanes, (fluoroalkyl)fluorosilanes, alkylsiloxysilanes, alkoxysilanes, alkylalkoxysilanes, silylmethanes, alkoxysilylmethanes, alkylalkoxysilylmethanes, alkoxymethanes, alkylalkoxymethanes, and mixtures thereof. The precursors are particularly suited to thermal CVD for producing low dielectric constant films at relatively low temperatures, particularly without the use of additional oxidizing agents. Such films are useful in the microelectronics industry.

Process for depositing low dielectric constant materials

A method for making a Si-containing material comprises transporting a pyrolyzed Si-precursor to a substrate and polymerizing the pyrolyzed Si-precursor on the substrate to form a Si-containing film. Polymerization of the pyrolyzed Si-precursor may be carried out in the presence of a porogen to thereby form a porogen-containing Si-containing film. The porogen may be removed from the porogen-containing Si-containing film to thereby form a porous Si-containing film. Preferred porous Si-containing films have low dielectric constants and thus are suitable for various low-k applications such as in microelectronics and microelectromechanical systems.

Apparatus, precursors and deposition methods for silicon-containing materials

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Phoenix, AZ, United States of America

Michael A Todd