Novellus Systems Incorporated

Xingyuan Tang

Haiying Fu

Yongsik Yu

William Crew

Michael Carris

Karen Billington

Jon Henri

Qingguo Wu

Jason L Tian

Arul N Dhas

Kevin Gerber

Bart Jan Van Schravendijk

Ka Shun Wong

Judy Hsiu-Chih Huang

This invention provides a high throughput PECVD process for depositing TEOS films in a multi-station sequential deposition chamber. The methods significantly reduce the number of particles in the TEOS films, thereby eliminating or minimizing small bin defects. The methods of the invention involve dedicating a first station for temperature soak while flowing purge gas. Stopping the flow of reactant gas and flowing the purge gas for stationeliminates TEOS condensation on a cold wafer surface and significantly reduces the number of defects in the film, particularly for short temperature soaks.

Method of eliminating small bin defects in high throughput TEOS films

Copper diffusion barrier films having low dielectric constants are suitable for a variety of copper/inter-metal dielectric integration schemes. Copper diffusion barrier films in accordance with the invention are composed of one or more layers of silicon carbide, at least one of the silicon carbide layers having a composition of at least 40% carbon (C), for example, between about 45 and 60% carbon (C). The films' high carbon-content layer will have a composition wherein the ratio of C to Si is greater than 2:1; or &#x3e;3:1; or &#x3e;4:1; or &#x3e;5.1. The high carbon-content copper diffusion barrier films have a reduced effective k relative to conventional barrier materials.

Low-K SiC copper diffusion barrier films

Methods of preparing a carbon doped oxide (CDO) layers having a low dielectric constant are provided. The methods involve, for instance, providing a substrate to a deposition chamber and exposing it to one or multiple carbon-doped oxide precursors having molecules with at least one carbon-carbon triple bond, or carbon-carbon double bond, or a combination of these groups and depositing the carbon doped oxide dielectric layer under conditions in which the resulting dielectric layer has a dielectric constant of not greater than about 2.7.

Method for producing low-K CDO films

Low-k SiC copper diffusion barrier films

Methods of preparing a carbon doped oxide (CDO) layers having a low dielectric constant are provided. The methods involve, for instance, providing a substrate to a deposition chamber and exposing it to one or multiple carbon-doped oxide precursors having molecules with at least one carbon&#x2014;carbon triple bond, or carbon&#x2014;carbon double bond, or a combination of these groups and depositing the carbon doped oxide dielectric layer under conditions in which the resulting dielectric layer has a dielectric constant of not greater than about 2.7.

Methods for producing low-k CDO films

A low-k precursor reactant compound containing silicon and carbon atoms is flowed into a CVD reaction chamber. High-frequency radio-frequency power is applied to form a plasma. Preferably, the reaction chamber is part of a dual-frequency PECVD apparatus, and low-frequency radio-frequency power is applied to the reaction chamber. Reactive components formed in the plasma react to form low-dielectric-constant silicon carbide (SiC) on a substrate surface. A low-k precursor is characterized by one of: a silicon atom and a carbon&#x2014;carbon triple bond; a silicon atom and a carbon&#x2014;carbon double bond; a silicon&#x2014;silicon bond; or a silicon atom and a tertiary carbon group.

Silicon carbide having low dielectric constant

Hermetic amorphous doped silicon carbide is deposited on an integrated circuit substrate in a PECVD reactor. Nitrogen-doping of an SiC film is conducted by flowing nitrogen-containing molecules, preferably nitrogen or ammonia gas, into the reactor chamber together with an organosilane, preferably tetramethylsilane, and forming a plasma. Oxygen-doping is conducted by flowing oxygen-containing molecules into the reaction chamber.

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West Linn, OR, United States of America

Xingyuan Tang