Lam Research Corporation

Shane Tang

Jon Henri

James Samuel Sims

Dennis Michael Hausmann

Karl Frederick Leeser

Bart Jan Van Schravendijk

Kathryn Merced Kelchner

Vikrant Rai

Thorsten B Lill

Meihua Shen

Andrew John McKerrow

Alexander Dulkin

John Hoang

Danna Qian

Michal Danek

Huatan Qiu

Andrew Mckerrow

Sathish Babu S V Janjam

A method for depositing a silicon nitride layer on a stack is provided. The method comprises providing an atomic layer deposition, comprising a plurality of cycles, wherein each cycle comprises dosing the stack with a silicon containing precursor by providing a silicon containing precursor gas, providing an Nplasma conversion, and providing an Hplasma conversion.

Method of depositing silicon nitride films

Methods and apparatuses for forming an encapsulation bilayer over a chalcogenide material on a semiconductor substrate are provided. Methods involve forming a bilayer including a barrier layer directly on chalcogenide material deposited using pulsed plasma plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PP-PECVD) and an encapsulation layer over the barrier layer deposited using plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). In various embodiments, the barrier layer is formed using a halogen-free silicon precursor and the encapsulation layer deposited by PEALD is formed using a halogen-containing silicon precursor and a hydrogen-free nitrogen-containing reactant.

Conformal damage-free encapsulation of chalcogenide materials

Methods of selectively inhibiting deposition of silicon-containing films deposited by atomic layer deposition are provided. Selective inhibition involves exposure of an adsorbed layer of a silicon-containing precursor to a hydrogen-containing inhibitor, and in some instances, prior to exposure of the adsorbed layer to a second reactant. Exposure to a hydrogen-containing inhibitor may be performed with a plasma, and methods are suitable for selective inhibition in thermal or plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition of silicon-containing films.

Selective inhibition in atomic layer deposition of silicon-containing films

Provided herein are methods of depositing conformal silicon nitride films using atomic layer deposition by exposure to a halogen-free, N&#x2014;H-bond-free, and carbon-free silicon-containing precursor such as disilane, purging of the precursor, exposure to a nitrogen plasma, and purging of the plasma at low temperatures. A high frequency plasma is used, such as a plasma having a frequency of at least 13.56 MHz or at least 27 MHz. Methods yield substantially pure conformal silicon nitride films suitable for deposition in semiconductor devices, such as in trenches or features, or for memory encapsulation.

Method of depositing ammonia free and chlorine free conformal silicon nitride film

Methods for depositing conformal films using a halogen-containing etchant during atomic layer deposition are provided. Methods involve exposing a substrate to a halogen-containing etchant such as nitrogen trifluoride between exposing the substrate to a first precursor and exposing the substrate to a second plasma-activated reactant. Examples of conformal films that may be deposited include silicon-containing films and metal-containing films. Related apparatuses are also provided.

Deposition of conformal films by atomic layer deposition and atomic layer etch

The embodiments herein focus on plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) processes using pulsed plasmas. While conventional PEALD processes use continuous wave plasmas during the plasma exposure/conversion operation, the embodiments herein utilize a pulsed plasma during this operation to achieve a film with high quality sidewalls. Because conventional PEALD techniques result in films having high quality at the bottom and top of a feature, but low quality on the sidewalls, this increased sidewall quality in the disclosed methods corresponds to a film that is overall more uniform in quality compared to that achieved with conventional continuous wave plasma techniques.

Plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition with pulsed plasma exposure

Growing community of inventors

West Linn, OR, United States of America

Shane Tang