Applied Materials, Inc.

See-Eng Phan

Mei Yin Chang

Seshadri Ganguli

Sang-Ho Yu

Xinliang Lu

Vineet Haresh Mehta

Karl M Brown

Chien-Teh Kao

Wei W Wang

Yu Wen Chang

Semyon Sherstinsky

Joel M Huston

Kevin Vincent Moraes

Allen K Lau

Son Trinh

Xiaoxiong (John) Yuan

Sal Umotoy

Jing-Pei (Connie) Chou

Chiukin (Steven) Lai

Hua Chung

Schubert S Chu

Xiaoxiong Yuan

Amit Khandelwal

Steve Sansoni

Yuanhong Guo

Hyoung-Chan Ha

Sheng Michael Guo

Marek W Radko

Yuji Murayama

Pingping Gou

Song-Moon Suh

Yihwan Kim

Satheesh Kuppurao

Andrew C Lam

Jing-Pei Chou

Wie W Wang

A method of cleaning a chamber for an electronics manufacturing system includes flowing a gas mixture comprising oxygen and a carrier gas into a remote plasma generator. The method further includes generating a plasma from the gas mixture by the remote plasma generator and performing a remote plasma cleaning of the chamber by flowing the plasma into an interior of the chamber, wherein the plasma removes a plurality of organic contaminants from the chamber.

Remote plasma cleaning of chambers for electronics manufacturing systems

Embodiments of the invention provide processes to selectively form a cobalt layer on a copper surface over exposed dielectric surfaces. In one embodiment, a method for capping a copper surface on a substrate is provided which includes positioning a substrate within a processing chamber, wherein the substrate contains a contaminated copper surface and a dielectric surface, exposing the contaminated copper surface to a reducing agent while forming a copper surface during a pre-treatment process, exposing the substrate to a cobalt precursor gas to selectively form a cobalt capping layer over the copper surface while leaving exposed the dielectric surface during a vapor deposition process, and depositing a dielectric barrier layer over the cobalt capping layer and the dielectric surface. In another embodiment, a deposition-treatment cycle includes performing the vapor deposition process and subsequently a post-treatment process, which deposition-treatment cycle may be repeated to form multiple cobalt capping layers.

Selective cobalt deposition on copper surfaces

A method for removing native oxides from a substrate surface is provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises positioning a substrate having an oxide layer into a processing chamber, exposing the substrate to a gas mixture while forming a volatile film on the substrate and maintaining the substrate at a temperature below 65&#xb0; C., heating the substrate to a temperature of at least about 75&#xb0; C. to sublimate the volatile film and remove the oxide layer, and depositing a first layer on the substrate after heating the substrate.

Method for removing oxides

Embodiments of the invention described herein generally provide methods and apparatuses for forming cobalt silicide layers, metallic cobalt layers, and other cobalt-containing materials. In one embodiment, a method for forming a cobalt silicide containing material on a substrate is provided which includes exposing a substrate to at least one preclean process to expose a silicon-containing surface, depositing a cobalt silicide material on the silicon-containing surface, depositing a metallic cobalt material on the cobalt silicide material, and depositing a metallic contact material on the substrate. In another embodiment, a method includes exposing a substrate to at least one preclean process to expose a silicon-containing surface, depositing a cobalt silicide material on the silicon-containing surface, expose the substrate to an annealing process, depositing a barrier material on the cobalt silicide material, and depositing a metallic contact material on the barrier material.

Process for forming cobalt-containing materials

Methods for forming cobalt silicide are provided. One method for forming a cobalt silicide material includes exposing a substrate having a silicon-containing material to either a wet etch solution or a pre-clean plasma during a first step and then to a hydrogen plasma during a second step of a pre-clean process. The method further includes depositing a cobalt metal layer on the silicon-containing material by a CVD process, heating the substrate to form a first cobalt silicide layer comprising CoSi at the interface of the cobalt metal layer and the silicon-containing material during a first annealing process, removing any unreacted cobalt metal from the substrate during an etch process, and heating the substrate to form a second cobalt silicide layer comprising CoSiduring a second annealing process.

Process for forming cobalt and cobalt silicide materials in tungsten contact applications

Methods for forming cobalt silicide materials are disclosed herein. In one example, a method for forming a cobalt silicide material includes exposing a substrate having a silicon-containing material to either a wet etch solution or a pre-clean plasma during a first step and then to a hydrogen plasma during a second step of a pre-clean process. The exemplary method further includes depositing a cobalt metal layer on the silicon-containing material by a CVD process, heating the substrate to form a first cobalt silicide layer comprising CoSi at the interface of the cobalt metal layer and the silicon-containing material during a first annealing process, removing any unreacted cobalt metal from the first cobalt silicide layer during an etch process, and heating the substrate to form a second cobalt silicide layer comprising CoSiduring a second annealing process.

In one embodiment, a method for removing native oxides from a substrate surface is provided which includes supporting a substrate containing silicon oxide within a processing chamber, generating a plasma of reactive species from a gas mixture within the processing chamber, cooling the substrate to a first temperature of less than about 65&#xb0; C. within the processing chamber, and directing the reactive species to the cooled substrate to react with the silicon oxide thereon while forming a film on the substrate. The film usually contains ammonium hexafluorosilicate. The method further provides positioning the substrate in close proximity to a gas distribution plate, and heating the substrate to a second temperature of about 100&#xb0; C. or greater within the processing chamber to sublimate or remove the film. The gas mixture may contain ammonia, nitrogen trifluoride, and a carrier gas.

Method for front end of line fabrication

A lid assembly for semiconductor processing is provided. In at least one embodiment, the lid assembly includes a first electrode comprising an expanding section that has a gradually increasing inner diameter. The lid assembly also includes a second electrode disposed opposite the first electrode. A plasma cavity is defined between the inner diameter of the expanding section of the first electrode and a first surface of the second electrode.

Lid assembly for front end of line fabrication

An RF coil for a plasma etch chamber is provided in which the RF coil is substantially flat over a portion of at least one turn of the coil. In one embodiment, each turn of the coil is substantially flat over a majority of each turn. In one embodiment of the present inventions, each turn of the coil is substantially flat over approximately 300 degrees of the turn. In the final approximate 60 degrees of the turn, the coil is sloped down to the next turn. Each turn thus comprises a substantially flat portion in combination with a sloped portion interconnecting the turn to the next adjacent turn. In one embodiment, the RF coil having turns with substantially flat portions is generally cylindrical. Other shapes are contemplated such as a dome shape. In some applications such as an RF plasma etch reactor, it is believed that providing an RF coil having turns comprising flat portions with sloped portions interconnecting the flat portions can improve uniformity of the etch process.

Flat style coil for improved precision etch uniformity

An epitaxial deposition process including a dry etch process, followed by an epitaxial deposition process is disclosed. The dry etch process involves placing a substrate to be cleaned into a processing chamber to remove surface oxides. A gas mixture is introduced into a plasma cavity, and the gas mixture is energized to form a plasma of reactive gas in the plasma cavity. The reactive gas enters into the processing chamber and reacts with the substrate, forming a thin film. The substrate is heated to vaporize the thin film and expose an epitaxy surface. The epitaxy surface is substantially free of oxides. Epitaxial deposition is then used to form an epitaxial layer on the epitaxy surface.

Epitaxial deposition process and apparatus

A method for removing native oxides from a substrate surface is provided. In at least one embodiment, the method includes supporting the substrate surface in a vacuum chamber and generating reactive species from a gas mixture within the chamber. The substrate surface is then cooled within the chamber and the reactive species are directed to the cooled substrate surface to react with the native oxides thereon and form a film on the substrate surface. The substrate surface is then heated within the chamber to vaporize the film.

Generally, a substrate support member for supporting a substrate is provided. In one embodiment, a substrate support member for supporting a substrate includes a body coupled to a lower shield. The body has an upper surface adapted to support the substrate and a lower surface. The lower shield has a center portion and a lip. The lip is disposed radially outward of the body and projects towards a plane defined by the first surface. The lip is disposed in a spaced-apart relation from the body. The lower shield is adapted to interface with an upper shield disposed in a processing chamber to define a labyrinth gap that substantially prevents plasma from migrating below the member. The lower shield, in another embodiment, provides the plasma with a short RF ground return path.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

See-Eng Phan