Applied Materials, Inc.

Peter Wai-Man Lee

Li-Qun Xia

Chi-I Lang

Dian Sugiarto

Kang Sub Yim

Melissa M Tam

Ellie Y Yieh

Shankar Venkataraman

David Wingto Cheung

Visweswaren Sivaramakrishnan

Seon-Mee Cho

Chen-An Chen

Tzu-Fang Huang

Lihua Li

Shin-Puu Jeng

Hichem M'Saad

Zhenjiang Cui

Sohyun Park

Mario David Silvetti

Fong M Chang

Yeming Jim Ma

Jerry Sugiarto, Legal Representative

Mei Yin Chang

Tsutomu Tanaka

Rong Pan

Gary Fong

Robert Parkash Mandal

Mark A Fodor

Stuardo A Robles

Bang C Nguyen

Dung-Ching Perng

Paul Edward Gee

Francimar Campana

Thomas E Deacon

Soovo Sen

Sophia M Velastegui

Cary Ching

Gayathri Rao

Ishing Lou

Vicente Lam

Methods are provided for depositing a silicon carbide layer having significantly reduced current leakage. The silicon carbide layer may be a barrier layer or part of a barrier bilayer that also includes a barrier layer. Methods for depositing oxygen-doped silicon carbide barrier layers are also provided. The silicon carbide layer may be deposited by reacting a gas mixture comprising an organosilicon compound, an aliphatic hydrocarbon comprising a carbon-carbon double bond or a carbon-carbon triple bond, and optionally, helium in a plasma. Alternatively, the silicon carbide layer may be deposited by reacting a gas mixture comprising hydrogen or argon and an organosilicon compound in a plasma.

Low dielectric (low k) barrier films with oxygen doping by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD)

Methods are provided for processing a substrate for depositing an adhesion layer having a low dielectric constant between two low k dielectric layers. In one aspect, the invention provides a method for processing a substrate including introducing an organosilicon compound and an oxidizing gas at a first ratio of organosilicon compound to oxidizing gas into the processing chamber, generating a plasma of the oxidizing gas and the organosilicon compound to form an initiation layer on a barrier layer comprising at least silicon and carbon, introducing the organosilicon compound and the oxidizing gas at a second ratio of organosilicon compound to oxidizing gas greater than the first ratio into the processing chamber, and depositing a first dielectric layer adjacent the dielectric initiation layer.

Adhesion improvement for low k dielectrics

A low dielectric constant film having silicon-carbon bonds and dielectric constant of about 3.0 or less, preferably about 2.5 or less, is provided. The low dielectric constant film is deposited by reacting a cyclic organosilicon compound and an aliphatic organosilicon compound with an oxidizing gas while applying RF power. The carbon content of the deposited film is between about 10 and about 30 atomic percent excluding hydrogen atoms, and is preferably between about 10 and about 20 atomic percent excluding hydrogen atoms.

CVD plasma assisted lower dielectric constant SICOH film

A substrate heater assembly for supporting a substrate of a predetermined standardized diameter during processing is provided. In one embodiment, the substrate heater assembly includes a body having an upper surface, a lower surface and an embedded heating element. A substrate support surface is formed in the upper surface of the body and defines a portion of a substrate receiving pocket. An annular wall is oriented perpendicular to the upper surface and has a length of at least one half a thickness of the substrate. The wall bounds an outer perimeter of the substrate receiving pocket and has a diameter less than about 0.5 mm greater than the predetermined substrate diameter.

Substrate heater assembly

A method for depositing an organosilicate layer on a substrate includes varying one or more processing conditions during a process sequence for depositing an organosilicate layer from a gas mixture comprising an organosilicon compound in the presence of RF power in a processing chamber. In one aspect, the distance between the substrate and a gas distribution manifold in the processing chamber is varied during processing. Preferably, the method of depositing an organosilicate layer minimizes plasma-induced damage to the substrate.

Methods of reducing plasma-induced damage for advanced plasma CVD dielectrics

Method for producing semiconductor including forming a layer containing at least silicon carbide and forming a second layer containing at least silicon oxygen carbide

A method and apparatus for depositing a low dielectric constant film by plasma assisted copolymerization of p-xylylene and a comonomer having carbon-carbon double bonds at a constant RF power level from about 0W to about 100W or a pulsed RF power level from about 20W to about 160W. The copolymer film has a dielectric constant from about 2.2 to about 2.5. Preferred comonomers include tetravinyltetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane, tetraallyloxysilane, and trivinylmethylsilane. The copolymer films include at least 1% by weight of the comonomer.

Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of copolymer of parylene N and comonomers with various double bonds

A method and apparatus are disclosed for forming thin polymer layers on semiconductor substrates. In one embodiment, the method and apparatus include the vaporization of stable di-pxylylene, the pyrolytic conversion of such gaseous dimer material into reactive monomers, and the optional blending of the resulting gaseous p-xylylene monomers with one or more polymerizable materials in gaseous form capable of copolymerizing with the p-xylylene monomers to form a low dielectric constant polymerized parylene material. An apparatus is also disclosed which provides for the distribution of the polymerizable gases into the deposition chamber, for cooling the substrate down to a temperature at which the gases will condense to form a polymerized dielectric material, for heating the walls of the deposition chamber to inhibit formation and accumulation of polymerized residues thereon, and for recapturing unreacted monomeric vapors exiting the deposition chamber. An apparatus is further provided downstream of the deposition chamber to control both the flow rate or residence time of the reactive monomer in the deposition chamber as well as to control the pressure of the deposition chamber. Provision is further made for an electrical bias to permit the apparatus to function as a plasma etch chamber, for in situ plasma cleaning of the chamber between depositions, for enhancing cracking of polymerizable precursor material, for heating the walls of the chamber and for providing heat sufficient to prevent polymerization in the gas phase.

Method and apparatus for forming a thin polymer layer on an integrated circuit structure

A composite silicon dioxide layer with a reduced dielectric constant is formed by enhancing the surface sensitivity of a PECVD liner layer with activated oxygen. Pores form in an SACVD layer of silicon dioxide deposited from a TEOS precursor over the sensitized PECVD layer. The pores reduce the dielectric constant of the composite layer. Activated oxygen is provided to the PECVD layer in the form of ozone or an oxygen-based plasma.

Apparatus for depositing low dielectric constant oxide film

CVD plasma assisted lower dielectric constant sicoh film

A method and apparatus for controlling the wet-etch rate and thickness uniformity of a dielectric layer, such as a phosphosilicate glass layer (PSG) layer. The method is based upon the discovery that the atmospheric pressure at which a PSG layer is deposited affects the wet-etch rate of the same, during a subsequent processing step, as well as the layer's thickness uniformity. As a result, the method of the present invention includes the step of pressurizing the atmospheric pressure of a semiconductor process chamber within a predetermined range after the substrate is deposited therein. Flowed into the deposition zone is a process gas comprising a silicon source, all oxygen source, and a phosphorous source; and maintaining the deposition zone at process conditions suitable for depositing a phosphosilicate glass layer on the substrate.

Method of forming phosphosilicate glass having a high wet-etch rate

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Peter Wai-Man Lee