PASSIVATION METHOD FOR IMPROVED UNIFORMITY AND REPEATABILITY FOR ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION AND CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION

• US 20040023516A1
• Filed: 10/02/2002
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aixtron Inc. (Aixtron AG)
• Original Assignee: Ana R. Londergan, Jereld Winkler, Sasangan Ramanathan, Thomas E. Seidel
• Inventors: Winkler, Jereld, Ramanathan, Sasangan, Seidel, Thomas E., Londergan, Ana R.
• Granted Patent: US 6,720,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/785
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4404 Coatings or surface treatment on the inside of the reaction chamber or on parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02175 characterised by the metal H01L21/02197 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02189 the material containing zirconium, e.g. ZrO2
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0228 deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE, pulsed CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3141 Deposition using atomic layer deposition techniques [ALD]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31641 Deposition of Zirconium oxides, e.g. ZrO2
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31645 Deposition of Hafnium oxides, e.g. HfO2

Abstract

A method to deposit a passivating layer of a first material on an interior reactor surface of a cold or warm wall reactor, in which the first material is non-reactive with one or more precursors used to form a second material. Subsequently when a film layer is deposited on a substrate by subjecting the substrate to the one or more precursors, in which at least one precursor has a low vapor pressure, uniformity and repeatability is improved by the passivation layer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

depositing a passivating layer of a first material on an interior reactor surface of a cold or warm wall reactor, in which the first material is non-reactive with one or more precursors used to form a second material; and

depositing a film layer of the second material on a substrate by subjecting the substrate to the one or more precursors, in which at least one precursor has a low vapor pressure.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said depositing of the passivating layer and the film layer are performed in an ALD or CVD reactor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said depositing of the passivating layer is performed by ALD or CVD technique.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said depositing the passivating layer deposits Al₂O₃.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein depositing Al₂O₃ forms Al₂O₃ from Tri Methyl Aluminum (TMA) and H₂O.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein depositing Al₂O₃ forms Al₂O₃ from a metal organic Al precursor and an oxidizer.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said depositing the passivating layer deposits AlN_x, where x is an number, from a metal organic Al precursor and a nitriding agent.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein said depositing the passivating layer deposits the passivating layer from a gas or high vapor pressure metal precursor and a nitriding or oxidizing agent.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the second material is ZrO₂ deposited on the substrate using ZrCl₄ and H₂O.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the second material is a metal oxide deposited on the substrate using the respective metal chloride and H₂O.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the second material is a metal oxide deposited on the substrate using the respective metal halide and H₂O.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the second material is a metal oxide formed from a group consisting of an oxide of Zr, Hf, Ti, Ta, Al, Si, W, Zn, Mg, Ba, Bi, Pb, La and Sr, deposited on the substrate using a respective metal halide and H₂O.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the second material is a metal oxide formed from a group consisting of an oxide of Zr, Hf, Ti, Ta, Al, Si, W, Zn, Mg, Ba, Bi, Pb, La and Sr, deposited on the substrate using a respective metal halide and an oxidizer.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein the second material is a metal oxide formed from a group consisting of an oxide of Zr, Hf, Ti, Ta, Al, Si, W, Zn, Mg, Ba, Bi, Pb, La and Sr, deposited on the substrate using a respective low vapor pressure metal precursor and an oxidizing or nitriding agent.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein the second material is an alloy or nanolaminate film structure including at least a first component or sub-layer deposited using a low vapor pressure precursor.

16. A method comprising:

depositing a passivating layer of a first material on an interior reactor surface of a cold or warm wall reactor, in which the first material is non-reactive with one or more precursors used to form a second material; and

depositing a film layer of the second material on a substrate by subjecting the substrate to the one or more precursors, in which at least one precursor has a low vapor pressure;

the passivating layer to improve uniformity and repeatability of the second material.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said depositing of the passivating layer and the film layer are performed in an ALD or CVD reactor.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein said depositing of the passivating layer is performed by ALD or CVD technique.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said depositing the passivating layer deposits Al₂O₃.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein depositing Al₂O₃ forms Al₂O₃ from Tri Methyl Aluminum (TMA) and H₂O.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein depositing Al₂O₃ forms Al₂O₃ from a metal organic Al precursor and an oxidizer.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said depositing the passivating layer deposits AlN_x, where x is an number, from a metal organic Al precursor and a nitriding agent.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein said depositing the passivating layer deposits the passivating layer from a gas or high vapor pressure metal precursor and a nitriding or oxidizing agent.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the second material is ZrO₂ deposited on the substrate using ZrCl₄ and H₂O.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the second material is a metal oxide deposited on the substrate using the respective metal chloride and H₂O.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the second material is a metal oxide deposited on the substrate using the respective metal halide and H₂O.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the second material is a metal oxide formed from a group consisting of an oxide of Zr, Hf, Ti, Ta, Al, Si, W, Zn, Mg, Ba, Bi, Pb, La and Sr, deposited on the substrate using a respective metal halide and H₂O.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the second material is a metal oxide formed from a group consisting of an oxide of Zr, Hf, Ti, Ta, Al, Si, W, Zn, Mg, Ba, Bi, Pb, La and Sr, deposited on the substrate using a respective metal halide and an oxidizer.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein the second material is a metal oxide formed from a group consisting of an oxide of Zr, Hf, Ti, Ta, Al, Si, W, Zn, Mg, Ba, Bi, Pb, La and Sr, deposited on the substrate using a respective low vapor pressure metal precursor and an oxidizing or nitriding agent.

30. The method of claim 17, wherein the second material is an alloy or nanolaminate film structure including at least a first component or sub-layer deposited using a low vapor pressure precursor.