Method for depositing refractory metal layers employing sequential deposition techniques

• US 20030104126A1
• Filed: 10/10/2002
• Published: 06/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Young, C.C., Xi, Ming, Chung, Hua, Fang, Hongbin, Yang, Michael X., Lai, Ken Kaung, Horng, James, Yoon, Hyung-Suk A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,797,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/255.392
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/02 Pretreatment of the material to be coated C23C16/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/0218 in a reactive atmosphere C23C16/0227 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/0281 of metallic sub-layers C23C16/029 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/045 Coating cavities or hollow spaces, e.g. interior of tubes; Infiltration of porous substrates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/06 characterised by the deposition of metallic material
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/08 from metal halides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/16 from metal carbonyl compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45525 Atomic layer deposition [ALD]

Abstract

A method for forming a tungsten layer on a substrate surface is provided. In one aspect, the method includes positioning the substrate surface in a processing chamber and exposing the substrate surface to a boride. A nucleation layer is then deposited on the substrate surface in the same processing chamber by alternately pulsing a tungsten-containing compound and a reducing gas selected from a group consisting of silane (SiH₄), disilane (Si₂H₆), dichlorosilane (SiCl₂H₂), derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof. A tungsten bulk fill may then be deposited on the nucleation layer using cyclical deposition, chemical vapor deposition, or physical vapor deposition techniques.

Claims

1. A method for forming a tungsten layer on a substrate surface, comprising:

positioning the substrate surface in a processing chamber;

exposing the substrate surface to a boride; and

depositing a nucleation layer in the same processing chamber by alternately pulsing a tungsten-containing compound and a reducing gas selected from a group consisting of silane (SiH₄), disilane (Si₂H₆), dichlorosilane (SiCl₂H₂), derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the nucleation layer is deposited by alternately pulsing tungsten hexafluoride and silane.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the nucleation layer has a thickness of about 100 angstroms.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the tungsten-containing compound is selected from the group consisting of tungsten hexafluoride, tungsten hexacarbonyl (W(CO)₆), and a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the boride comprises borane (BH hd 3, diborane (B₂H₆), triborane (B₃H₉), tetraborane (B₄H₁₂), pentaborane (B₅H₁₅), hexaborane (B₆H₁₈), heptaborane (B₇H₂₁), octaborane (B₈H₂₄), nanoborane (B₉H₂₇) and decaborane (B₁₀H₃₀), derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein exposing the substrate surface to a boride occurs at processing conditions of the nucleation layer deposition and lasts for about 30 seconds or less.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a bulk tungsten deposition film on the nucleation layer using cyclical deposition, chemical vapor deposition, or physical vapor deposition techniques.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the nucleation layer is deposited by alternately pulsing tungsten hexafluoride and silane.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein exposing the substrate surface to a boride occurs at processing conditions of the nucleation layer deposition and lasts for about 30 seconds or less.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate surface comprises titanium nitride.

11. A method for forming a tungsten layer on a substrate surface, comprising:

exposing a substrate surface comprising titanium nitride to diborane for less than 30 seconds at about 1 to about 5 Torr and between about 300°

C. and about 350°

C.;

depositing a nucleation layer by alternately pulsing a tungsten-containing compound and silane gas at the same process conditions; and

forming a bulk tungsten deposition film on the nucleation layer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein exposing the substrate surface to diborane and depositing the nucleation layer occurs in the same chamber.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the nucleation layer has a thickness between about 10 angstroms and about 200 angstroms.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the bulk tungsten deposition film has a thickness between about 1,000 angstroms and about 2500 angstroms.

15. A method for forming a tungsten layer on a substrate surface, comprising:

positioning the substrate surface in a processing chamber;

exposing the substrate surface to a boride;

depositing a nucleation layer in the same processing chamber by alternately pulsing a tungsten-containing compound and silane gas; and

forming a bulk tungsten deposition film on the nucleation layer.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the nucleation layer has a thickness between about 10 angstroms and about 200 angstroms.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the bulk tungsten deposition film has a thickness between about 1,000 angstroms and about 2500 angstroms.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the tungsten-containing compound is selected from the group consisting of tungsten hexafluoride, tungsten hexacarbonyl (W(CO)₆), and a combination thereof.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the boride comprises borane (BH₃), diborane (B₂H₆), triborane (B₃H₉), tetraborane (B₄H₁₂), pentaborane (B₅H₁₅), hexaborane (B₆H₁₈), heptaborane (B₇H₂₁), octaborane (B₈H₂₄), nanoborane (B₉H₂₇) and decaborane (B₁₀H₃₀), derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein exposing the substrate surface to a boride occurs at processing conditions of the nucleation layer deposition and lasts for about 30 seconds or less.