Applied Materials, Inc.

Zhuang Li

Padmanabhan Krishnaraj

Farhad K Moghadam

Lin Zhang

Kent Rossman

Thanh Ngoc Pham

Zhong Qiang Hua

Zhengquan Tan

Benjamin Schwarz

Xiaolin C Chen

Dong Li

DongQing Li

Andrew Nguyen

Anchuan Wang

Li Zhang

James P Cruse

Jared Ahmad Lee

Michael C Kwan

Bruno Geoffrion

Scott M Williams

Adauto Diaz, Jr

Eu Jin Lim

Xiaoliang Zhuang

Tzuyuan Yiin

Hichem M'Saad

Guowen Ding

M Ziaul Karim

Manoj Vellaikal

Wen Ma

Bikram Kapoor

Chad Peterson

Young Suk Lee

Lung-Tien Han

Teh-Tien Sue

Herrick Ng

Katsunari Ozeki

Methods for removing halogen-containing residues from a substrate are provided. By combining the heat-up and plasma abatement steps, the manufacturing throughput can be improved. Further, by appropriately controlling the pressure in the abatement chamber, the removal efficiency can be improved as well.

Method for removing halogen-containing residues from substrate

Methods for reducing the contamination of a gas distribution plate are provided. In one embodiment, a method for processing a substrate includes transferring the substrate into a chamber, performing a treating process on the substrate, and providing a purge gas into the chamber before or after the treating process to pump out a residue gas relative to the treating process from the chamber. The treating process includes distributing a reactant gas into the chamber through a gas distribution plate.

Method extending the service interval of a gas distribution plate

Methods of processing substrates having metal layers are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of processing a substrate comprising a metal layer having a patterned mask layer disposed above the metal layer, the method may include etching the metal layer through the patterned mask layer; and removing the patterned mask layer using a first plasma formed from a first process gas comprising oxygen (O) and a carbohydrate. In some embodiments, a two step method with an additional second process gas comprising chlorine (Cl) or a sulfur (S) containing gas, may provide an efficient way to remove patterned mask residue.

Methods of processing substrates having metal materials

A deposition/etching/deposition process is provided for filling a gap in a surface of a substrate. A liner is formed over the substrate so that distinctive reaction products are formed when it is exposed to a chemical etchant. The detection of such reaction products thus indicates that the portion of the film deposited during the first etching has been removed to an extent that further exposure to the etchant may remove the liner and expose underlying structures. Accordingly, the etching is stopped upon detection of distinctive reaction products and the next deposition in the deposition/etching/deposition process is begun.

Deposition-selective etch-deposition process for dielectric film gapfill

A gapfill process is provided using cycling of HDP-CVD deposition, etching, and deposition step. The fluent gas during the first deposition step includes an inert gas such as He, but includes Hduring the remainder deposition step. The higher average molecular weight of the fluent gas during the first deposition step provides some cusping over structures that define the gap to protect them during the etching step. The lower average molecular weight of the fluent gas during the remainder deposition step has reduced sputtering characteristics and is effective at filling the remainder of the gap.

HDP-CVD multistep gapfill process

A process for removing unwanted deposition build-up from one or more interior surfaces of a substrate processing chamber after depositing a layer of material over a substrate disposed in the chamber. In one embodiment the process comprises transferring the substrate out of the chamber; flowing a first gas into the substrate processing chamber and forming a plasma within the chamber from the first gas in order to heat the chamber; and thereafter, extinguishing the plasma, flowing an etchant gas into a remote plasma source, forming reactive species from the etchant gas and transporting the reactive species into the substrate processing chamber to etch the unwanted deposition build-up.

Multistep remote plasma clean process

A method of depositing a high density plasma silicon oxide layer having improved gapfill capabilities. In one embodiment the method includes flowing a process gas consisting of a silicon-containing source, an oxygen-containing source and helium into a substrate processing chamber and forming a plasma from the process gas. The ratio of the flow rate of the helium with respect to the combined flow rate of the silicon source and oxygen source is between 0.5:1 and 3.0:1 inclusive. In one particular embodiment, the process gas consists of monosilane (SiH), molecular oxygen (O) and helium.

Method for high aspect ratio HDP CVD gapfill

A method of depositing a high density plasma silicon oxide layer having improved gapfill capabilities. In one embodiment the method includes flowing a process gas consisting of a silicon-containing source, an oxygen-containing source and helium into a substrate processing chamber and forming a plasma from the process gas. The ratio of the flow rate of the helium with respect to the combined flow rate of the silicon source and oxygen source is between 0.5:1 and 3.0:1 inclusive. In one particular embodiment, the process gas consists of monosilane (SiH ), molecular oxygen (O ) and helium.

A method is provided for forming a fluorinated silicate glass layer with HDP-CVD having a lower dielectric constant without compromising the mechanical properties of hardness and compressive stress. A gaseous mixture comprising a silicon-containing gas, an oxygen-containing gas, and a fluorine-containing gas is provided to a process chamber. The ratio of the flow rate of the fluorine-containing gas to the flow rate of the silicon-containing gas is greater than 0.65. A high-density plasma is generated from the gaseous mixture by applying a source RF power having a power density less than 12 W/cm . A bias is applied to a substrate in the process chamber at a bias power density greater than 0.8 W/cm and less than 2.4 W/cm . The fluorinated silicate glass layer is deposited onto the substrate using the high-density plasma.

Low-bias-deposited high-density-plasma chemical-vapor-deposition silicate glass layers

Method and apparatus for depositing an amorphous silicon film on a substrate using a high density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDP-CVD) technique is provided. The method generally comprises positioning a substrate in a processing chamber, introducing an inert gas into the processing chamber, introducing a silicon source gas into the processing chamber generating a high density plasma, and depositing the amorphous silicon film. The amorphous silicon film is deposited at a substrate temperature 500&deg; C. or less. The amorphous silicon film may then be annealed to improve film properties.

Deposition of amorphous silicon films by high density plasma HDP-CVD at low temperatures

A trench-fill material is deposited to fill a trench in a substrate disposed in a process chamber. An inert gas is introduced into the process chamber and a plasma is formed to heat the substrate to a preset temperature, which is typically the temperature at which deposition of the trench-fill material is to take place. The plasma is terminated upon reaching the preset temperature for the substrate. A process gas is then flowed into the process chamber without plasma excitation until the process gas flow and distribution achieve a generally steady state in the process chamber. A plasma is then formed to deposit the trench-fill material on the surface of the substrate and fill the trench. By establishing generally steady state conditions in the chamber prior to deposition, transient effects are reduced and more uniform deposition of the trench-fill material is obtained. The step of forming the plasma typically includes coupling source plasma energy into the process chamber at a total power density of at least about 15 Watts/cm . The energy is inductively coupled into the process chamber by coupling a top coil with a top portion of the process chamber above the surface of the substrate and coupling a side coil with a side portion of the process chamber generally surrounding the side edge of the substrate. The top coil is powered at a top RF power level to produce a top power density and the side coil is-powered at a side RF power level to produce a side power density. The total RF power density is equal to the sum of the top and side power densities. The top power density and the side power density desirably have a ratio of at least about 1.5. The high source plasma power density generates a high ion density plasma and produces a more directional deposition, and a higher top power density relative to the side power density produces a more uniform plasma over the substrate, resulting in improved trench fill, particularly for aggressive trenches having aspect ratios of about 3:1 to 4:1. The process gas typically includes silicon, oxygen, and an inert component having a concentration of less than about 40%, by volume. In specific embodiments, the concentration of the inert component is equal to about 0%.

Trench fill with HDP-CVD process including coupled high power density plasma deposition

Method for processing gallium arsenide (GaAs) wafers is provided. One embodiment of the invention provides a method for processing a substrate comprising disposing the substrate on a substrate support member in a high density plasma chemical vapor deposition chamber, depositing a film onto a surface of the substrate, and after deposition of the film, flowing a heat transfer gas in one or more channels on a substrate support surface of the substrate support member.

High density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDP-CVD) processing of gallium arsenide wafers

Gap-fill and damascene methods are disclosed for depositing an insulating thin film of nitrofluorinated silicate glass on a substrate in a process chamber. A high-density plasma, generated from a gaseous mixture of silicon-, fluorine-, oxygen-, and nitrogen-containing gases, deposits a layer of nitrofluorinated silicate glass onto the substrate. For gap-fill applications, the substrate is biased with a bias power density between 4.8 and 11.2 W/cm and the ratio of flow rate for the oxygen-containing gas to the combined flow rate for all silicon-containing gases in the process chamber is between 1.0 and 1.8, preferably between 1.2 and 1.4. For damascene applications, the bias power density is less than 3.2 W/cm , preferably 1.6 W/cm , and the flow rate ratio is between 1.2 and 3.0. Using optimized parameters, the thin film has a lower dielectric constant and better adhesion properties than fluorosilicate glass.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Zhuang Li