The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 08, 2009
Filed:
Aug. 24, 2005
Johan Swerts, Keesel-lo, BE;
Hilde DE Witte, Thisnes, BE;
Jan Willem Maes, Wilrijk, BE;
Christophe F. Pomarede, Phoenix, AZ (US);
Ruben Haverkort, Amersfoort, NL;
Yuet Mei Wan, Mount Waverley, AU;
Marinus J. DE Blank, Heverlee, BE;
Cornelius A. Van Der Jeugd, Heverlee, BE;
Jacobus Johannes Beulens, Scottsdale, AZ (US);
Johan Swerts, Keesel-lo, BE;
Hilde De Witte, Thisnes, BE;
Jan Willem Maes, Wilrijk, BE;
Christophe F. Pomarede, Phoenix, AZ (US);
Ruben Haverkort, Amersfoort, NL;
Yuet Mei Wan, Mount Waverley, AU;
Marinus J. De Blank, Heverlee, BE;
Cornelius A. Van Der Jeugd, Heverlee, BE;
Jacobus Johannes Beulens, Scottsdale, AZ (US);
ASM America, Inc., Phoenix, AZ (US);
Abstract
A nitrogen precursor that has been activated by exposure to a remotely excited species is used as a reactant to form nitrogen-containing layers. The remotely excited species can be, e.g., N, Ar, and/or He, which has been excited in a microwave radical generator. Downstream of the microwave radical generator and upstream of the substrate, the flow of excited species is mixed with a flow of NH. The excited species activates the NH. The substrate is exposed to both the activated NHand the excited species. The substrate can also be exposed to a precursor of another species to form a compound layer in a chemical vapor deposition. In addition, already-deposited layers can be nitrided by exposure to the activated NHand to the excited species, which results in higher levels of nitrogen incorporation than plasma nitridation using excited Nalone, or thermal nitridation using NHalone, with the same process temperatures and nitridation durations.