Applied Materials, Inc.

National University of Singapore

Zeqing Shen

Abhijit Basu Mallick

Bo Qi

Bhaskar Jyoti Bhuyan

Susmit Singha Roy

Nitin K Ingle

Mark Joseph Saly

Xinke Wang

John Leonard Sudijono

Thomas Knisley

Jiecong Tang

Zachary J Devereaux

A method includes selectively forming at least one passivation layer on at least one first conductive layer disposed in a first interlevel dielectric (ILD) layer, selectively forming at least one catalyst layer on the at least one passivation layer, wherein the at least one passivation layer prevents formation of the at least one catalyst layer on the first conductive layer, and selectively forming at least one supplemental dielectric layer using the at least one catalyst layer. The at least one catalyst layer induces formation of the at least one supplemental dielectric layer, and the at least one supplemental dielectric layer includes a dielectric material having a dielectric constant of less than or equal to about 4.

Electronic device fabrication using area-selective deposition

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to fabricating electronic devices, such as memory devices. In one or more embodiments, a method for forming a device includes forming a film stack on a substrate, where the film stack contains a plurality of alternating layers of oxide layers and nitride layers and has a stack thickness, and etching the film stack to a first depth to form a plurality of openings between a plurality of structures. The method includes depositing an etch protection liner containing amorphous-silicon on the sidewalls and the bottoms of the structures, removing the etch protection liner from at least the bottoms of the openings, forming a plurality of holes by etching the film stack in the openings to further extend each bottom of the openings to a second depth of the hole, and removing the etch protection liner from the sidewalls.

Processes to deposit amorphous-silicon etch protection liner

Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include forming a layer of carbon-containing material on a substrate disposed within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The substrate may include an exposed region of a first dielectric material and an exposed region of a metal-containing material. The layer of carbon-containing material may be selectively formed over the exposed region of the metal-containing material. Forming the layer of carbon-containing material may include one or more cycles of providing a first molecular species that selectively couples with the metal-containing material. Forming the layer of carbon-containing material may include providing a second molecular species that selectively couples with the first molecular species. The methods may include selectively depositing a second dielectric material on the exposed region of the first dielectric material.

Selective patterning with molecular layer deposition

Methods of selectively depositing a carbon-containing layer are described. Exemplary processing methods may include flowing a first precursor over a substrate comprising a metal surface and a non-metal surface to form a first portion of an initial carbon-containing film on the metal surface. The methods may include removing a first precursor effluent from the substrate. A second precursor may then be flowed over the substrate to react with the first portion of the initial carbon-containing layer. The methods may include removing a second precursor effluent from the substrate. The methods may include pre-treating the metal surface of the substrate to form a metal oxide surface on the metal surface.

Area selective carbon-based film deposition

Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include providing a boron-and-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include generating a capacitively-coupled plasma of the boron-and-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor. The methods may include forming a boron-and-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing layer on the substrate. The boron-and-carbon-and-nitrogen-containing layer may be characterized by a dielectric constant below or about 3.5.

Low-k boron carbonitride films

Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include etching one or more features partially through a dielectric material to expose material from one or more layer pairs formed on a substrate. The methods may include halting the etching prior to penetrating fully through the dielectric material, and prior to exposing material from all layer pairs formed on the substrate. The methods may include forming a layer of carbon-containing material on the exposed material from each of the one or more layer pairs having exposed material. The methods may include etching the one or more features fully through the dielectric material to expose material for each remaining layer pair formed on the substrate.

Molecular layer deposition contact landing protection for 3D NAND

Hydrogen free (low-H) silicon dioxide layers are disclosed. Some embodiments provide methods for forming low-H layers using hydrogen-free silicon precursors and hydrogen-free oxygen sources. Some embodiments provide methods for tuning the stress profile of low-H silicon dioxide films. Further, some embodiments of the disclosure provide oxide-nitride stacks which exhibit reduced stack bow after anneal.

Hydrogen free silicon dioxide

Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include providing a silicon-containing precursor and a carbon-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The carbon-containing precursor may be characterized by a carbon-carbon double bond or a carbon-carbon triple bond. A substrate may be disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include providing a boron-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include thermally reacting the silicon-containing precursor, the carbon-containing precursor, and the boron-containing precursor at a temperature above about 250&#xb0; C. The methods may include forming a silicon-and-carbon-containing layer on the substrate.

Catalytic thermal deposition of carbon-containing materials

Methods for depositing a silicon-containing film on a substrate are described. The method comprises heating a processing chamber to a temperature greater than or equal to 200&#xb0; C.; maintaining the processing chamber at a pressure of less than or equal to 300 Torr; coflowing a silicon precursor and nitrous oxide (NO) into the processing chamber, and depositing a conformal silicon-containing film on the substrate. The silicon-containing film has dielectric constant (k-value) in a range of from about 3.8 to about 4.0, has a breakdown voltage of greater than 8 MV/cm at a leakage current of 1 mA/cmand has a leakage current of less than 1 nA/cmat 2 MV/cm.

Conformal silicon oxide film deposition

Methods for filling a substrate feature with a carbon gap fill, while leaving a void, are described. Methods comprise flowing a process gas into a high density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDP-CVD) chamber, the chamber housing a substrate having at least one feature, the process gas comprising a hydrocarbon reactant, generating a plasma, and depositing a carbon film.

HDP sacrificial carbon gapfill

Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include providing a boron-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include providing a carbon-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The carbon-containing precursor may be characterized by a carbon-carbon double bond or a carbon-carbon triple bond. The methods may include thermally reacting the boron-containing precursor and the carbon-containing precursor at a temperature below about 650&#xb0; C. The methods may include forming a boron-and-carbon-containing layer on the substrate.

Catalytic formation of boron and carbon films

Exemplary processing methods may include flowing a first deposition precursor into a substrate processing region to form a first portion of an initial compound layer. The first deposition precursor may include an aldehyde reactive group. The methods may include removing a first deposition effluent including the first deposition precursor from the substrate processing region. The methods may include flowing a second deposition precursor into the substrate processing region. The second deposition precursor may include an amine reactive group, and the amine reactive group may react with the aldehyde reactive group to form a second portion of the initial compound layer. The methods may include removing a second deposition effluent including the second deposition precursor from the substrate processing region. The methods may include annealing the initial compound layer to form an annealed carbon-containing material on the surface of the substrate.

Molecular layer deposition method and system

Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include providing a silicon-containing precursor and an oxygen-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include providing a carbon-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The carbon-containing precursor may be characterized by a carbon-carbon double bond or a carbon-carbon triple bond. The methods may include thermally reacting the silicon-containing precursor, the oxygen-containing precursor, and the carbon-containing precursor at a temperature below about 650&#xb0; C. The methods may include forming a silicon-and-oxygen-and-carbon-containing layer on the substrate.

Thermal deposition of doped silicon oxide

An exemplary method may include delivering a boron-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The method may also include forming a plasma within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber from the boron-containing precursor. The method may further include depositing a boron-containing material on a substrate disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The boron-containing material may include greater than 50% of boron. In some embodiments, the boron-containing material may include substantially all boron. In some embodiments, the method may further include delivering at least one of a germanium-containing precursor, an oxygen-containing precursor, a silicon-containing precursor, a phosphorus-containing precursor, a carbon-containing precursor, and/or a nitrogen-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The boron-containing material may further include at least one of germanium, oxygen, silicon, phosphorus, carbon, and/or nitrogen.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Zeqing Shen