Applied Materials, Inc.

Shankar Muthukrishnan

Shashank Sharma

Wei Liu

Pravin K Narwankar

Rene George

Shreyas Kher

Johanes S Swenberg

Houda Graoui

Randhir P Thakur

Philip Allan Kraus

Christopher Sean Olsen

Abhilash J Mayur

Son Truong Nguyen

Wolfgang R Aderhold

Sanjay Krupakar Bhat

Kenric T Choi

Kedarnath Sangam

Paul L Deaton

Miriam Schwartz

Ole Luckner

Rahul Sharangapani

A method for controlling temperature in a thermal processing chamber includes determining temperature sensitivity profiles of one or more heating elements or zones for a substrate based on measurements of the substrate. The method also includes selecting a temperature offset value for each of the one or more heating elements or zones. The method also includes simulating the adjustment of each of the one or more zone offset values to a respective final adjusting value that achieves a predetermined goal. The method further includes adjusting the temperature offset values for each of the one or more heating elements to the respective final adjusted values.

Temperature offset and zone control tuning

Embodiments described herein generally relate to a sequential hydrogenation and nitridization process for reducing interfacial and bulk O atoms in a conductive structure in a semiconductor device. A hydrogenation and plasma nitridization process is performed on a metal nitride layer in a conductive structure prior to deposition of a second metal layer, thereby reducing interfacial oxygen atoms formed on a surface of the metal nitride and oxygen atoms present in the bulk metal layers of the conductive structure. As a result, adhesion of the second metal layer to the metal nitride layer is improved and the electrical resistance of the contact structure is reduced.

Hydrogenation and nitridization processes for reducing oxygen content in a film

A method is disclosed for crystallizing semiconductor material so that it has large grains of uniform size comprising delivering a first energy exposure of high intensity and short duration, and then delivering at least one second energy exposures of low intensity and long duration. The first energy exposure heats the substrate to a high temperature for a duration less than about 0.1 sec. The second energy exposure heats the substrate to a lower temperature for a duration greater than about 0.1 sec.

Crystallization of amorphous films and grain growth using combination of laser and rapid thermal annealing

In one embodiment, a method for forming a dielectric stack on a substrate is provided which includes depositing a first layer of a dielectric material on a substrate surface, exposing the first layer to a nitridation process, depositing a second layer of the dielectric material on the first layer, exposing the second layer to the nitridation process, and exposing the substrate to an anneal process. In another embodiment, a method for forming a dielectric material on a substrate is provided which includes depositing a metal oxide layer substantially free of silicon on a substrate surface, exposing the metal oxide layer to a nitridation process, and exposing the substrate to an anneal process.

Stabilization of high-k dielectric materials

The embodiments of the invention describe a process chamber, such as an ALD chamber, that has gas delivery conduits with gradually increasing diameters to reduce Joule-Thompson effect during gas delivery, a ring-shaped gas liner leveled with the substrate support to sustain gas temperature and to reduce gas flow to the substrate support backside, and a gas reservoir to allow controlled delivery of process gas. The gas conduits with gradually increasing diameters, the ring-shaped gas liner, and the gas reservoir help keep the gas temperature stable and reduce the creation of particles.

Control of gas flow and delivery to suppress the formation of particles in an MOCVD/ALD system

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Shankar Muthukrishnan