Method for treating substrates and films with photoexcitation

• US 20060286820A1
• Filed: 06/21/2005
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Brailove, Adam, Smith, Jacob, Morin, Jeannot, Seutter, Sean M., Singh, Kaushal K., Iyer, R. Suryanarayanan, Ghanayem, Steve G., Shydo, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,601,652 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/792
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/0227 by cleaning or etching
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/345 Silicon nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45519 Inert gas curtains
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45591 Fixed means, e.g. wings, baffles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/482 using incoherent light, UV to IR, e.g. lamps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/488 Protection of windows for introduction of radiation into the coating chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0217 the material being a silicon nitride not containing oxygen, e.g. SixNy or SixByNz H01L21/02126 and H01L21/0214 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0228 deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE, pulsed CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3185 of siliconnitrides

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method for depositing films using photoexcitation. The photoexcitation may be utilized for at least one of treating the substrate prior to deposition, treating substrate and/or gases during deposition, treating a deposited film, or for enhancing chamber cleaning. In one embodiment, a method for depositing silicon and nitrogen-containing film on a substrate includes heating a substrate disposed in a processing chamber, generating a beam of energy of between about 1 to about 10 eV, transferring the energy to a surface of the substrate; flowing a nitrogen-containing chemical into the processing chamber, flowing a silicon-containing chemical with silicon-nitrogen bonds into the processing chamber, and depositing a silicon and nitrogen-containing film on the substrate.

Claims

1. A method for depositing a silicon and nitrogen-containing film on a substrate, the method comprising:

positioning a substrate on a substrate support disposed in a processing chamber;

generating beam or flux of energy of between about 1 to about 10 eV;

transferring the energy to a surface of the substrate in the processing chamber;

heating the substrate;

flowing a nitrogen-containing chemical into the processing chamber;

flowing a silicon-containing chemical with silicon-nitrogen bonds into the processing chamber; and

depositing a silicon and nitrogen-containing film on the heated substrate disposed in the processing chamber.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transferring further comprises:

photoexciting the surface of the substrate prior to deposition of the silicon and nitrogen-containing film.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of photoexciting the surface of the substrate further comprises:

removing native oxides from the surface of the substrate.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the beam has an energy level between about 2 to about 10 eV.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of transferring further comprises:

flowing an energy delivery gas through the beam of energy within the processing chamber.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the energy delivery gas is at least one of Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, ArBr, ArCl, KBr, KCl, KrF, XeF₂, XeCl₂ and XeBr₂.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

rotating the substrate to expose different portions of the substrate to the beam of energy.

8. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

indexing the substrate to expose different portions of the substrate to the beam of energy.

9. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

changing the angle of incidence defined between of the beam or flux of energy and the substrate surface.

10. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

exposing the substrate to the beam of energy at an incidence angle of less than about 90 degrees.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transferring further comprises:

flowing an energy delivery gas through the beam of energy; and

flowing the energized energy delivery gas into the processing chamber prior to deposition of the silicon and nitrogen-containing film.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the energy delivery gas is at least one of nitrogen or hydrogen.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transferring further comprises:

photoexciting the surface of the substrate after to deposition of the silicon and nitrogen-containing film.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of photoexciting the surface of the substrate further comprises:

removing hydrogen from the surface of the substrate.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the beam or flux of photons has an energy level between about 3.2 and about 4.5 eV.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of directing the beam or flux of energy further comprises:

flowing an energy delivery gas through the beam or flux of energy within the processing chamber.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the energy delivery gas is at least one of Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, ArBr, ArCl, KBr, KCl, KrF, XeF₂, XeCl₂ and XeBr₂.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transferring further comprises:

flowing an energy delivery gas through the beam of energy; and

flowing the energized energy delivery gas into the processing chamber after deposition of the silicon and nitrogen-containing film.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the energy delivery gas is at least one of nitrogen or hydrogen.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

flowing a gas curtain in the chamber between a source generating the energy and at least one of the silicon-containing chemical and the nitrogen-containing chemical.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the beam of energy further comprises:

generating a first beam or flux of energy having a first wavelength; and

generating a second beam or flux of energy having a second wavelength.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of generating further comprises:

generating the first beam or flux of energy using a first lamp; and

generating the second beam or flux of energy using a second lamp housed remotely from the first lamp.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of heating further comprises:

heating the substrate to a temperature less than about 550 degrees Celsius.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transferring further comprises:

transferring generated energy to the surface of the substrate in the processing chamber prior to deposition of the silicon and nitrogen-containing film; and

transferring generated energy to the surface of the substrate in the processing chamber after the deposition of the silicon and nitrogen-containing film.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of generating and transferring further comprises:

flowing an energy delivery gas through a first beam or flux of energy;

flowing the energized energy delivery gas into the processing chamber prior to deposition of the silicon and nitrogen-containing film; and

photoexciting the surface of the substrate disposed in the processing chamber with a second beam or flux of energy after the deposition of the silicon and nitrogen-containing film.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of generating and transferring further comprises:

flowing a first energy delivery gas through a first beam or flux of energy;

flowing the energized first energy delivery gas into the processing chamber prior to deposition of the silicon and nitrogen-containing film;

flowing a second energy delivery gas through a second beam or flux of energy; and

flowing the energized second energy delivery gas into the processing chamber after deposition of the silicon and nitrogen-containing film.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of generating and transferring further comprises:

photoexciting the surface of the substrate disposed in the processing chamber with a first beam or flux of energy prior to deposition of the silicon and nitrogen-containing film; and

photoexciting the surface of the substrate disposed in the processing chamber with a second beam or flux of energy after the deposition of the silicon and nitrogen-containing film.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of generating and transferring further comprises:

photoexciting the surface of the substrate disposed in the processing chamber with a first beam or flux of energy prior to deposition of the silicon and nitrogen-containing film;

flowing a second energy delivery gas through a second beam or flux of energy; and

flowing the energized second energy delivery gas into the processing chamber after deposition of the silicon and nitrogen-containing film.

29. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of removing native oxides from the surface of the substrate further comprises:

flowing a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon into the processing chamber in the presence of the beam or flux of energy.