Method to fabricate thermally stable low K-FinFET spacer

• US 10,714,331 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2019
• Issued: 07/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Balseanu, Mihaela, Nemani, Srinivas D., Shek, Mei-Yee, Yieh, Ellie Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Galvin, III, Joseph M
• Application Number:
  US16/354,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20190311896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/325 Silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/345 Silicon nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/36 Carbonitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45525 Atomic layer deposition [ALD]
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/46 characterised by the method used for heating the substrate C23C16/48, C23C16/50 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/56 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02126 the material containing Si, O, and at least one of H, N, C, F, or other non-metal elements, e.g. SiOC, SiOC:H or SiONC
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02167 the material being a silicon carbide not containing oxygen, e.g. SiC, SiC:H or silicon carbonitrides H01L21/02126 and H01L21/0214 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02219 the compound comprising silicon and nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0228 deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE, pulsed CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02326 into a nitride layer, e.g. changing SiN to SiON
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02337 treatment by exposure to a gas or vapour
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67017 Apparatus for fluid treatment H01L21/67126, H01L21/6715 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67103 mainly by conduction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67126 Apparatus for sealing, encapsulating, glassing, decapsulating or the like processes H01L23/02, H01L23/28
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6719 characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66795 with a horizontal current flow in a vertical sidewall of a semiconductor body, e.g. FinFET, MuGFET

Abstract

A method for forming a thermally stable spacer layer is disclosed. The method includes first disposing a substrate in an internal volume of a processing chamber. The substrate has a film formed thereon, the film including silicon, carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen. Next, high pressure steam is introduced into the processing chamber. The film is exposed to the high pressure steam to convert the film to reacted film, the reacted film including silicon, carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen.

Claims

1. A method of forming a spacer layer, the method comprising:

disposing a substrate in an internal volume of a processing chamber, the substrate having a film formed thereon, the film comprising silicon, carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen;

introducing a process gas into the processing chamber, wherein the process gas comprises high pressure steam;

exposing the film to the process gas to form a reacted film, such that the reacted film comprises silicon, carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen; and

purging the internal volume with an inert gas.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the high pressure steam is at a pressure between about 2 bar and about 50 bar.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the process gas further comprises a carrier gas.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the high pressure steam is in a concentration of about 5% to about 100% of the process gas.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the film is exposed to the process gas for a time between about 2 minutes and about 120 minutes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the film is formed by an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is disposed on a substrate support and the substrate support is maintained at a temperate between about 200 degrees Celsius and about 500 degrees Celsius during exposing the film to the process gas.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising treating the reacted film with a hydrogen anneal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a fin field effect transistor structure.

10. A method of forming a spacer layer, the method comprising:

disposing a substrate in an internal volume of a processing chamber, the substrate having a film formed thereon, the film comprising silicon, carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen;

introducing a process gas into the processing chamber, wherein the process gas comprises high pressure steam;

exposing the film to the process gas to form a reacted film, such that the reacted film comprises silicon, carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen;

purging the internal volume with an inert gas; and

treating the reacted film with a hydrogen anneal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the high pressure steam is at a pressure between about 2 bar and about 50 bar.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the process gas further comprises a carrier gas.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the high pressure steam is in a concentration of about 5% to about 100% of the process gas.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the film is exposed to the process gas for a time between about 2 minutes and about 120 minutes.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the substrate comprises a fin field effect transistor structure.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the substrate is disposed on a substrate support, and the substrate support is maintained at a temperate between about 200 degrees Celsius and about 500 degrees Celsius during exposing the film to the process gas.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the hydrogen anneal comprises exposing the reacted film to a hydrogen-containing gas, the hydrogen-containing gas comprising hydrogen gas.

18. A method of forming a spacer layer, the method comprising:

disposing a substrate in an internal volume of a processing chamber, the substrate having a film formed thereon, the film comprising silicon, carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen, the substrate comprising silicon and germanium;

introducing a process gas into the processing chamber, wherein the process gas comprises high pressure steam;

exposing the film to the process gas to form a reacted film, such that the reacted film comprises silicon, carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen;

purging the internal volume with an inert gas; and

treating the reacted film with a hydrogen anneal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the substrate is disposed on a substrate support, and the substrate support is maintained at a temperate between about 200 degrees Celsius and about 500 degrees Celsius during exposing the film to the process gas.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the substrate comprises a fin field effect transistor structure.