Applied Materials, Inc.

Ravi Rajagopalan

Steve G Ghanayem

Pravin K Narwankar

Maitreyee Mahajani

Moris Kori

Srinivas Gandikota

Michael Xiaoxuan Yang

Hua Chung

Ming Xi

Jeong Soo Byun

Ken Kaung Lai

Amit Khandelwal

Hongbin Fang

Madhu Moorthy

Ping Jian

Cheryl A Knepfler

Joseph Castro

Chao-Ming Huang

Avgerinos V Gelatos

Patricia M Liu

Padmanabhan Krishnaraj

Andrew David Johnson

Yuji Maeda

Randall Scott Urdahl

Huyen Karen Tran

Shankarram Athreya

Mouloud Bakli

Alexander David Glew

Manabu Yamazaki

Averginos V Gelatos

Asher Sinensky

Annabel Susan Nickles

Tim Casper

Keiichi Ohtsuka

Alan Ablao

In one embodiment of the invention, a method for forming a tungsten-containing layer on a substrate is provided which includes positioning a substrate containing a barrier layer disposed thereon in a process chamber, exposing the substrate to a first soak process for a first time period and depositing a nucleation layer on the barrier layer by flowing a tungsten-containing precursor and a reductant into the process chamber. The method further includes exposing the nucleation layer to a second soak process for a second time period and depositing a bulk layer on the nucleation layer. In one example, the barrier layer contains titanium nitride, the first and second soak processes independently comprise at least one reducing gas selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, silane, disilane, dichlorosilane, borane, diborane, derivatives thereof and combinations thereof and the nucleation layer may be deposited by an atomic layer deposition process or a pulsed chemical vapor deposition process while the bulk layer may be deposited by a chemical vapor deposition process or a physical vapor deposition process.

Methods for depositing tungsten layers employing atomic layer deposition techniques

The formation of a barrier layer over a high k dielectric layer and deposition of a conducting layer over the barrier layer prevents intermigration between the species of the high k dielectric layer and the conducting layer and prevents oxygen scavenging of the high k dielectric layer. One example of a capacitor stack device provided includes a high k dielectric layer of Ta O , a barrier layer of TaON or TiON formed at least in part by a remote plasma process, and a top electrode of TiN. The processes may be conducted at about 300 to 700&deg; C. and are thus useful for low thermal budget applications. Also provided are MIM capacitor constructions and methods in which an insulator layer is formed by remote plasma oxidation of a bottom electrode.

Processes for making a barrier between a dielectric and a conductor and products produced therefrom

A process for forming high k dielectric thin films on a substrate, e.g., silicon, by 1) low temperature (500&deg; C. or less) deposition of a dielectric material onto a surface, followed by 2) high temperature post-deposition annealing. The deposition can take place in an oxidative environment, followed by annealing, or alternatively the deposition can take place in a non-oxidative environment (e.g., N ), followed by oxidation and annealing.

Barium strontium titanate annealing process

Provided is a method of integrating Ta O into an MIS stack capacitor for a semiconductor device by forming a thin SiON layer at the Si/TaO interface using low temperature remote plasma oxidation anneal. Also provided is a method of forming an MIS stack capacitor with improved electrical performance by treating SiO with remote plasma nitridation or SiN layer with rapid thermal oxidation or RPO to form a SiON layer prior to Ta O deposition with TAT-DMAE, TAETO or any other Ta-containing precursor.

Method of forming a MIS capacitor

A processing chamber cleaning method is described which utilizes microwave energy to remotely generate a reactive species to be used alone or in combination with an inert gas to remove deposits from a processing chamber. The reactive species can remove deposits from a first processing region at a first pressure and then remove deposits from a second processing region at a second pressure. Also described is a cleaning process utilizing remotely generated reactive species in a single processing region at two different pressures. Additionally, different ratios of reactive gas and inert gas may be utilized to improve the uniformity of the cleaning process, increase the cleaning rate, reduce recombination of reactive species and increase the residence time of reactive species provided to the processing chamber.

Remote plasma cleaning method for processing chambers

A method and apparatus to control the deposition rate of a refractory metal film in a semiconductor fabrication process by controlling a quantity of ethylene present. The method includes placing a substrate in a deposition zone, of a semiconductor process chamber, flowing, into the deposition zone, a process gas including a refractory metal source, an inert carrier gas, and a hydrocarbon. Typically, the refractory metal source is tungsten hexafluoride, WF,, and the inert gas is argon, Ar. The ethylene may be premixed with either the argon or the tungsten hexafluoride to form a homogenous mixture. However, an in situ mixing apparatus may also be employed.

Method for high rate deposition of tungsten

An apparatus and process for limiting residue remaining after the etching of metal in a semiconductor manufacturing process, such as etching back a tungsten layer to form tungsten plugs, by passivating the surface of a wafer with a halogen-containing gas are disclosed. The wafer is exposed to the halogen-containing gas in a chamber before a metal layer is deposited on the wafer. The exposure can occur in the same chamber as the metal deposition, or a different chamber. The wafer can remain in the chamber or be moved to another chamber for etching after exposure and deposition.

Non-plasma halogenated gas flow prevent metal residues

A multiple step chemical vapor deposition process for depositing a tungsten layer on a substrate. A first step of the deposition process includes a nucleation step in which WF.sub.6 and SiH.sub.4 are introduced into a deposition chamber. Next, the flow of WF.sub.6 and SiH.sub.4 are stopped and diborane is introduced into the chamber for between 5-25 seconds. Finally, during a bulk deposition step, the WF.sub.6 is reintroduced into the chamber along with H.sub.2 and B.sub.2 H.sub.6 flows to deposit a tungsten layer on the substrate. In a preferred embodiment, the bulk deposition step also introduces nitrogen into the process gas.

Chemical vapor deposition process for depositing tungsten

Non-plasma halogenated gas flow to prevent metal residues

An apparatus and process for limiting residue remaining after the etching of metal in a semiconductor manufacturing process by injecting a halogen-containing gas without a plasma into a processing chamber. The wafer is then exposed to the remnants of the halogen-containing gas in the chamber before the metal is deposited on the wafer. The exposure can occur in the same chamber as the metal deposition, or a different chamber. The wafer can remain in the chamber or be moved to another chamber for etching after exposure and deposition.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Ravi Rajagopalan