Applied Materials, Inc.

SeoYoung Lee

Hang Yu

Deenesh Padhi

Xinhai Han

Nagarajan Rajagopalan

Masaki Ogata

Wenjiao Wang

Vinayak Veer Vats

Kristopher R Enslow

Alok Jain

Chuanxi Yang

Chuan Ying Wang

Joshua Maher

Kesong Hu

Byung Kook Ahn

Grace Qi En Teong

Phaik Lynn Leong

Exemplary methods of forming semiconductor structures may include forming a silicon oxide layer from a silicon-containing precursor and an oxygen-containing precursor. The methods may include forming a silicon nitride layer from a silicon-containing precursor, a nitrogen-containing precursor, and an oxygen-containing precursor. The silicon nitride layer may be characterized by an oxygen concentration greater than or about 5 at. %. The methods may also include repeating the forming a silicon oxide layer and the forming a silicon nitride layer to produce a stack of alternating layers of silicon oxide and silicon nitride.

Modified stacks for 3D NAND

Exemplary processing methods may include forming a first deposition plasma of a silicon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor. The methods may include depositing a first portion of a silicon nitride material on a semiconductor substrate with the first deposition plasma. A first treatment plasma of a helium-and-nitrogen-containing precursor may be formed to treat the first portion of the silicon nitride material with the first treatment plasma. A second deposition plasma may deposit a second portion of a silicon nitride material, and a second treatment plasma may treat the second portion of the silicon nitride material. A flow rate ratio of helium-to-nitrogen in the first treatment plasma may be lower than a He/Nflow rate ratio in the second treatment plasma. A first power level from a plasma power source that forms the first treatment plasma may be lower than a second power level that forms the second treatment plasma.

Multi-layer deposition and treatment of silicon nitride films

Growing community of inventors

Hwaseong-si, South Korea

SeoYoung Lee