Deposition or treatment of diamond-like carbon in a plasma reactor

• US 10,544,505 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2017
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Yang, Yang, Ramaswamy, Kartik, Collins, Kenneth S., Lane, Steven, Monroy, Gonzalo Antonio, Chen, Lucy, Guo, Yue
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Bret P
• Application Number:
  US15/717,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20180274089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/26 Deposition of carbon only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/272 using DC, AC or RF discharges
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4412 Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/487 using electron radiation
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/505 using radio frequency discharges
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/56 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/332 Coating
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/3321 CVD [Chemical Vapor Deposition]
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/302 Controlling tubes by external information, e.g. programme control H01J37/304 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/317 for changing properties of the objects or for applying thin layers thereon, e.g. for ion implantation H01J37/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32082 Radio frequency generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394 and H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3233 using charged particles
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32449 Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32568 Relative arrangement or disposition of electrodes; moving means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32715 Workpiece holder
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02115 the material being carbon, e.g. alpha-C, diamond or hydrogen doped carbon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/022 the layer being a laminate, i.e. composed of sublayers, e.g. stacks of alternating high-k metal oxides adhesion layers or buffer layers H01L21/02304, H01L21/02362
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02271 deposition by decomposition or reaction of gaseous or vapour phase compounds, i.e. chemical vapour deposition H01L21/02266 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02274 in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0234 : treatment by exposure to a plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02351 : treatment by exposure to corpuscular radiation, e.g. exposure to electrons, alpha-particles, protons or ions

Abstract

A method of performing deposition of diamond-like carbon on a workpiece in a chamber includes supporting the workpiece in the chamber facing an upper electrode suspended from a ceiling of the chamber, introducing a hydrocarbon gas into the chamber, and applying first RF power at a first frequency to the upper electrode that generates a plasma in the chamber and produces a deposition of diamond-like carbon on the workpiece. Applying the RF power generates an electron beam from the upper electrode toward the workpiece to enhance ionization of the hydrocarbon gas.

Claims

1. A method of performing deposition of diamond-like carbon on a workpiece, comprising:

supporting the workpiece in a chamber with the workpiece facing an upper electrode;

introducing a hydrocarbon gas into the chamber; and

applying first RF power at a first frequency to the upper electrode that generates a plasma in the chamber and produces a deposition of diamond-like carbon on the workpiece, wherein applying the first RF power to the upper electrode generates an electron beam with electrons emitted from the upper electrode toward the workpiece to enhance ionization of the hydrocarbon gas.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first frequency is between 100 kHz and 27 MHz.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said first frequency is less than 12 MHz.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first frequency is about 2 Mhz.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising applying second RF power at a second frequency to a lower electrode in a pedestal that supports the workpiece while the first RF power is applied to the upper electrode.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first frequency is less than or equal to the second frequency.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising introducing an inert gas into the chamber such the plasma is a plasma of both the hydrocarbon gas and the inert gas.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after deposition of a layer of diamond-like carbon on the workpiece, removing the hydrocarbon gas from the chamber;

after removing the hydrocarbon gas, introducing an inert gas into the chamber; and

applying third RF power at a third frequency to the upper electrode that generates a plasma of the inert gas in the chamber and generates an electron beam from the upper electrode toward the workpiece, the electron beam impinging the layer of diamond-like carbon.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein impinging the layer of diamond-like carbon with the electron beam reduces internal stress in the layer.

10. The method of claim 8, comprising applying fourth RF power at a fourth frequency to a lower electrode in a pedestal that supports the workpiece while the third RF power is applied to the upper electrode.

11. A method of treating a layer of diamond-like carbon on a workpiece, comprising:

supporting the workpiece in a chamber with the layer of diamond-like carbon facing an upper electrode;

introducing an inert gas into the chamber in which the workpiece is supported without supplying a hydrocarbon gas into the chamber; and

applying first RF power at a first frequency to the upper electrode that generates a plasma in the chamber and generates an electron beam from the upper electrode toward the workpiece, the electron beam impinging the layer of diamond-like carbon.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein impinging the layer of diamond-like carbon with the electron beam reduces internal stress in the layer.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising applying second RF power at a second frequency to a lower electrode in a pedestal that supports the workpiece.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first frequency is less than or equal to the second frequency.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the inert gas comprises argon or helium.