Applied Materials, Inc.

Applied Materisls, Inc.

Michio Aruga

Susan G Telford

Meng Chu Tseng

Mei Yin Chang

Tetsuya Ishikawa

Alexandros T Demos

Seon-Mee Cho

Moshe Eizenberg

Kaveh F Niazi

Feng Gao

Akihiko Saito

Klaus-Dieter Rinnen

Atsushi Tabata

Alan Ferris Morrison

Dale Robert DuBois

Kenichi Taguchi

Kenji Suzuki

Atsunobu Ohkura

Susan Weiher Telford

Atsunobu Ohkuba

Katsumasa Anan

A method is provided for depositing a thin film on a substrate in a process chamber with reduced incidence of plasma charge damage. A process gas containing a precursor gases suitable for forming a plasma is flowed into a process chamber, and a plasma is generated from the process gas to deposit the thin film on the substrate. The precursor gases are flowed into the process chamber such that the thin film is deposited at the center of the substrate more rapidly than at an edge of the substrate.

Apparatus for reducing plasma charge damage for plasma processes

Method of reducing plasma charge damage for plasma processes

To perform a film formation process, source RF power is applied to a coil to generate a plasma in a processing chamber. Subsequently, O gas and SiH gas are introduced into the processing chamber. Bias RF power is then applied to a support member to cause permeation of a wafer W by the plasma. At the end of the film formation, the application of the bias RF power to the support member is stopped while the O gas and the SiH gas are kept introduced into the processing chamber. After that, the introduction of the SiH gas is stopped, and the introduction of the O gas is also stopped. Then, the application of the source RF power to the coil is stopped. This can reduce plasma damage to the substrate to be processed.

Film formation method and film formation apparatus

A process is disclosed for preconditioning surfaces of a tungsten silicide deposition chamber, after a previous step of cleaning the chamber, and prior to depositing tungsten silicide on active substrates in the chamber, which first comprises treating the chamber surfaces with a gaseous silicon source, such as silane, and a tungsten-bearing gas, such as WF.sub.6, to form a first deposition of a silane-based tungsten silicide on the chamber surfaces. In a preferred embodiment, the preconditioning process further comprises subsequently treating the already coated chamber surfaces in a second step with a mixture of a tungsten-bearing gas, such as WF.sub.6, and a chlorine-substituted silane such as dichlorosilane (SiH.sub.2 Cl.sub.2), monochlorosilane (SiH.sub.3 Cl), or trichlorosilane (SiHCl.sub.3) to form a chlorine-substituted silane-based tungsten silicide deposition over the previous deposited tungsten silicide, prior to commencement of depositing tungsten silicide on active substrates in the deposition chamber.

Preconditioning process for treating deposition chamber prior to

A tungsten silicide film is deposited on a substrate from a premixed deposition gas mixture comprising: (i) silicon source gas, such as SiCl.sub.2 H.sub.2 and (ii) tungsten source gas, such as WF.sub.6. A seeding gas, such as silane, is used during the initial deposition stages to deposit a substantially uniform interfacial WSi.sub.x layer on the substrate, so that the tungsten to silicon ratio of the WSi.sub.x layer is substantially uniform through the thickness of the WSi.sub.x film. An apparatus for performing the process is also described.

Substrate having uniform tungsten silicide film and method of manufacture

The present invention is a process for planarization of substrate layers comprising apertures to form continuous, void-free contacts or vias in sub-half micron applications. A CVD silicon or metal silicide wetting layer is deposited onto the substrate layer comprising apertures to provide a conformal wetting layer for a PVD metal layer. The PVD metal layer is deposited onto the previously formed CVD metal layer at a temperature below that of the melting point temperature of the metal. The CVD layer diffuses into the PVD layer and the resulting conductive layer is substantially void-free. The planarization process is preferably carried out in a multi-chamber system that includes both PVD and CVD processing chambers so that once the substrate is introduced into a vacuum environment, the filling of vias and contacts occurs without the formation of an oxide layer over the CVD wetting layer.

Metal planarization using a CVD wetting film

An improved integrated circuit processing apparatus is disclosed wherein a protective coating of aluminum nitride (AlN), on the inner surface of a quartz (SiO.sub.2) window in the wall of the integrated circuit processing apparatus provides an enhanced resistance to the corrosive effects of halogen-containing reagents, particularly fluorine-containing gases, on the protected inner surface of the quartz window. Formation of an AlN coating having a minimum thickness of about 1 micron up to a maximum thickness of about 15 microns with a coating uniformity of .+-.15% of the average coating thickness, provides the desired protection of the inner surface of the quartz window from corrosive attack by fluorine-containing gases, such as NF.sub.3, SF.sub.6, and fluorine-containing hydrocarbons, e.g., C.sub.2 F.sub.6.

Corrosion-resistant aluminum nitride coating for a semiconductor chamber

In CVD processes susceptors can be made of a thermally conductive ceramic such as aluminum nitride which has superior durability with respect to fluorine plasma. Such aluminum nitride susceptors can include an embedded heater element and/or embedded ground or RF electrodes which as a result of their embedment are protected from the deleterious effects of the processing chamber environment. The conductors leading to these elements are protected from exposure to the process chamber environment by passing through a cylindrical member filled with inert gas supporting the wafer support plate of said susceptor. Alternately, the conductors leading to these elements can be run through passages in a hermetically sealed stem supporting the susceptor wafer support plate. The stem passes through the wall of the processing chamber so that connections to the susceptor wafer support plate can be made outside the processing chamber. Such a stem supporting the susceptor support plate can also provide passages for passing vacuum and purge gas to the back of the wafer support plate. Vacuum and purge gas can then be distributed through passages in the wafer support plate as appropriate to its top surface for a vacuum chuck and perimeter purge gas flow.

Resistance heated stem mounted aluminum susceptor assembly

A tungsten silicide film is deposited from WF.sub.6 and SiCl.sub.2 H.sub.2 onto a substrate so that the tungsten to silicon ratio is substantially uniform through the thickness of the WSi.sub.x film, and the WSi.sub.x film is substantially free of fluorine. The film can be deposited by a multi-stage process where the pressure in the chamber is varied, or by a high temperature, high pressure deposition process in a plasma cleaned deposition chamber. Preferably the SiCl.sub.2 H.sub.2 and the WF.sub.6 are mixed upstream of the deposition chamber. A seeding gas can be added to the process gases.

Uniform tungsten silicide films produced by chemical vapor depostiton

Uniform tungsten silicide films produced by chemical vapor deposition

Disclosed is a process for the formation of a tungsten silicide layer on an integrated circuit structure of a semiconductor wafer mounted on a susceptor in a vacuum chamber, wherein the tungsten silicide layer is applied at a temperature of at least 500.degree. C. and the susceptor has an aluminum nitride surface. After the chamber has been cleaned with one or more fluorine-containing etchant gases, the improvement comprises depositing a layer of tungsten silicide on the surface of the susceptor prior to an initial deposition of tungsten silicide on a wafer mounted on the susceptor after cleaning with the fluorine-containing etchant gases.

Process for uniform deposition of tungsten silicide on semiconductor

A process is disclosed for pretreating aluminum-bearing surfaces in a vacuum deposition chamber after a previous step of cleaning the chamber, and prior to depositing tungsten silicide on substrates in the chamber, which first comprises treating the aluminum-bearing surfaces with a mixture of silane and a tungsten-bearing gas, such as WF.sub.6, to form a first deposition of a silane-based tungsten silicide on the aluminum-bearing surfaces. In a preferred embodiment, the process further comprises subsequently treating the already coated aluminum-bearing surfaces of the chamber in a second step with a mixture of a tungsten-bearing gas, such as WF.sub.6, and a chlorine-substituted silane such as dichlorosilane (SiH.sub.2 Cl.sub.2), monochlorosilane (SiH.sub.3 Cl), or trichlorosilane (SiHCl.sub.3) to form a chlorine-substituted silane-based tungsten silicide deposition over the previous deposited silane-based tungsten silicide.

Pretreatment process for treating aluminum-bearing surfaces of

A novel susceptor used in a chemical vapor deposition device that is made of a ceramic material, specifically, an aluminum nitride material.

Growing community of inventors

Inba-gun, Japan

Michio Aruga