Applied Materials, Inc.

Shishi Jiang

Abhijit Basu Mallick

Pramit Manna

Rui Cheng

Kurtis Leschkies

Yihong Chen

Srinivas Gandikota

Steven Verhaverbeke

Ziqing Duan

Tomohiko Kitajima

Bo Qi

Yong Wu

Huiyuan Wang

Harry S Whitesell

Srinivas D Nemani

Robert Jan Visser

Fei C Wang

Praket Prakash Jha

Miaojun Wang

Suresh Chand Seth

Embodiments herein provide methods of plasma treating an amorphous silicon layer deposited using a flowable chemical vapor deposition (FCVD) process. In one embodiment, a method of processing a substrate includes plasma treating an amorphous silicon layer by flowing a substantially silicon-free hydrogen treatment gas into a processing volume of a processing chamber, the processing volume having the substrate disposed on a substrate support therein, forming a treatment plasma of the substantially silicon-free hydrogen treatment gas, and exposing the substrate having the amorphous silicon layer deposited on a surface thereof to the treatment plasma. Herein, the amorphous silicon layer is deposited using an FCVD process. The FCVD process includes positioning the substrate on the substrate support, flowing a processing gas into the processing volume, forming a deposition plasma of the processing gas, exposing the surface of the substrate to the deposition plasma, and depositing the amorphous silicon layer on the surface of the substrate.

Flowable film curing using H2 plasma

Exemplary processing methods may include forming a plasma of a silicon-containing precursor. The methods may include depositing a flowable film on a semiconductor substrate with plasma effluents of the silicon-containing precursor. The semiconductor substrate may define a feature within the semiconductor substrate. The methods may include forming a plasma of a hydrogen-containing precursor within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. A bias power may be applied to the substrate support from a bias power source. The methods may include etching the flowable film from a sidewall of the feature within the semiconductor substrate with plasma effluents of the hydrogen-containing precursor. The methods may include densifying remaining flowable film within the feature defined within the semiconductor substrate with plasma effluents of the hydrogen-containing precursor.

Flowable film formation and treatments

PECVD methods for depositing a film at a low deposition rate comprising intermittent activation of the plasma are disclosed. The flowable film can be deposited using at least a polysilane precursor and a plasma gas. The deposition rate of the disclosed processes may be less than 500 &#x212b;/min.

Low deposition rates for flowable PECVD

Methods of etching film stacks to form gaps of uniform width are described. A film stack is etched through a hardmask. A conformal liner is deposited in the gap. The bottom of the liner is removed. The film stack is selectively etched relative to the liner. The liner is removed. The method may be repeated to a predetermined depth.

3D NAND etch

Embodiments described herein relate to methods of seam-free gapfilling and seam healing that can be carried out using a chamber operable to maintain a supra-atmospheric pressure (e.g., a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure). One embodiment includes positioning a substrate having one or more features formed in a surface of the substrate in a process chamber and exposing the one or more features of the substrate to at least one precursor at a pressure of about 1 bar or greater. Another embodiment includes positioning a substrate having one or more features formed in a surface of the substrate in a process chamber. Each of the one or more features has seams of a material. The seams of the material are exposed to at least one precursor at a pressure of about 1 bar or greater.

Film deposition using enhanced diffusion process

Methods for forming a semiconductor structure including a silicon (Si) containing layer or a silicon germanium (SiGe) layer are provided. The methods include depositing a protective barrier (e.g., liner) layer over the semiconductor structure, forming a flowable dielectric layer over the liner layer, and exposing the flowable dielectric layer to high pressure steam. A cluster system includes a first deposition chamber configured to form a semiconductor structure, a second deposition chamber configured to perform a liner deposition process to form a liner layer, a third deposition chamber configured to form a flowable dielectric layer over the liner layer, an annealing chamber configured to expose the flowable oxide layer to high pressure steam.

Apparatus and methods for manufacturing semiconductor structures using protective barrier layer

Methods for seam-less gapfill comprising forming a flowable film by PECVD, annealing the flowable film with a reactive anneal to form an annealed film and curing the flowable film or annealed film to solidify the film. The flowable film can be formed using a higher order silane and plasma. The reactive anneal may use a silane or higher order silane. A UV cure, or other cure, can be used to solidify the flowable film or the annealed film.

Gapfill using reactive anneal

Methods of etching film stacks to from gaps of uniform width are described. A film stack is etched through a hardmask. A conformal liner is deposited in the gap. The bottom of the liner is removed. The film stack is selectively etched relative to the liner. The liner is removed. The method may be repeated to a predetermined depth.

Implementations described herein generally relate to methods for forming a low-k dielectric material on a semiconductor substrate. More specifically, implementations described herein relate to methods of forming a silicon oxide film at high pressure and low temperatures. In one implementation, a method of forming a silicon oxide film is provided. The method comprises loading a substrate having a silicon-containing film formed thereon into a processing region of a high-pressure vessel. The method further comprises forming a silicon oxide film on the silicon-containing film. Forming the silicon oxide film on the silicon-containing film comprises exposing the silicon-containing film to a processing gas comprising steam at a pressure greater than about 1 bar and maintaining the high-pressure vessel at a temperature between about 100 degrees Celsius and about 500 degrees Celsius.

Controlled growth of thin silicon oxide film at low temperature

Methods of forming self-aligned patterns are described. A film material is deposited on a patterned film to fill and cover features formed by the patterned film. The film material is recessed to a level below the top of the patterned film. The recessed film is converted to a metal film by exposure to a metal precursor followed by volumetric expansion of the metal film.

Methods of forming tungsten pillars

Methods of selectively depositing a mask layer on a surface of a patterned substrate and self-aligned patterned masks are provided herein. In one embodiment, a method of selectivity depositing a mask layer includes positioning the patterned substrate on a substrate support in a processing volume of a processing chamber, exposing the surface of the patterned substrate to a parylene monomer gas, forming a first layer on the patterned substrate, wherein the first layer comprises a patterned parylene layer, and depositing a second layer on the first layer. In another embodiment, a self-aligned patterned mask comprises a parylene layer comprising a plurality of parylene features and a plurality of openings, the parylene layer is disposed on a patterned substrate comprising a dielectric layer and a plurality of metal features, the plurality of metal feature comprise a parylene deposition inhibitor metal, and the plurality of parylene features are selectivity formed on dielectric surfaces of the dielectric layer.

Selectively deposited parylene masks and methods related thereto

Methods for gapfilling semiconductor device features, such as high aspect ratio trenches, with amorphous silicon film are provided. First, a substrate having features formed in a first surface thereof is positioned in a processing chamber. A conformal deposition process is then performed to deposit a conformal silicon liner layer on the sidewalls of the features and the exposed first surface of the substrate between the features. A flowable deposition process is then performed to deposit a flowable silicon layer over the conformal silicon liner layer. A curing process is then performed to increase silicon density of the flowable silicon layer. Methods described herein generally improve overall etch selectivity by the conformal silicon deposition and the flowable silicon deposition two-step process to realize seam-free gapfilling between features with high quality amorphous silicon film.

Two-step process for gapfilling high aspect ratio trenches with amorphous silicon film

Methods for gapfilling semiconductor device features, such as high aspect ratio trenches, with amorphous silicon (a-Si) film that involves pretreating the surface of the substrate to modify the underlying hydroxy-terminated silicon (Si&#x2014;OH) or hydrogen-terminated silicon (Si&#x2014;H) surface to oxynitride-terminated silicon (Si&#x2014;ON) or nitride-terminated silicon (Si&#x2014;N) and enhance the subsequent a-Si deposition are provided. First, a substrate having features formed in a first surface of the substrate is provided. The surface of the substrate is then pretreated to enhance the surface of the substrate for the flowable deposition of amorphous silicon that follows. A flowable deposition process is then performed to deposit a flowable silicon layer over the surface of the substrate. Methods described herein generally improve overall etch selectivity by the conformal silicon deposition and the flowable silicon deposition process to realize seam-free gapfilling between features with high quality amorphous silicon film.

Surface modification to improve amorphous silicon gapfill

Aspects of the disclosure include methods of processing a substrate. The method includes depositing a conformal layer on a substrate which contains seams. The substrate is treated using a high pressure anneal in the presence of an oxidizer.

Seam healing using high pressure anneal

Methods for seam-less gap fill comprising forming a flowable film by PECVD, treating the flowable film to form an Si&#x2014;X film where X=C, O or N and curing the flowable film or Si&#x2014;X film to solidify the film. The flowable film can be formed using a higher order silane and plasma. A UV cure, or other cure, can be used to solidify the flowable film or the Si&#x2014;X film.

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Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Shishi Jiang