Method and system for forming a layer with controllable spstial variation

• US 20070066084A1
• Filed: 09/21/2005
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Wajda, Cory, O'Meara, David, Igeta, Masanobu
• Application Number:
  US11/231,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20070066084A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/765
• 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 21/02238 silicon in uncombined form, i.e. pure silicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02247 formation by nitridation, e.g. nitridation of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02252 formation by plasma treatment, e.g. plasma oxidation of the substrate after treatment of an insulating film by plasma H01L21/3105 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02255 formation by thermal treatment H01L21/02252 takes precedence; after treatment of an insulating film H01L21/3105 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02337 treatment by exposure to a gas or vapour
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3105 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3144 on silicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3145 formed by deposition from a gas or vapour
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31662 of silicon in uncombined form
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3185 of siliconnitrides

Abstract

A method and processing system for treating a surface of a substrate. The surface is exposed to at least two radicals from at least two radical sources. The radicals generated from the respective radical sources interact with different areas of the substrate surface. The invention suitably improves uniformity of oxidation, nitridation, or both.

Claims

1. A method of treating a substrate surface, the surface having a center portion and an edge portion, the method comprising:

exposing the center portion to first radicals produced by a first radical source; and

exposing the edge portion to second radicals produced by a second radical source;

wherein the first and second radicals flow substantially parallel to the surface and at least one property of the edge portion exposing and at least one property of the center portion exposing are set to control the spatial variation of the treatment of the substrate surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one property of the edge portion exposing and the at least one property of the center are set so that the treatment is uniform.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the center portion is exposed to the first radicals before the edge portion is exposed to the second radicals.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the edge portion is exposed to the second radicals before the center portion is exposed to the first radicals.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the center portion and edge portion are exposed contemporaneously.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one property of the center portion exposing comprises a flow rate of the first radicals, an electron temperature of the first radicals, a composition of the first radicals, a power input of the first radical source, a UV intensity of the first radical source, a UV wavelength of the first radical source, a frequency of the first radical source, or a density of the first radicals, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one property of the edge portion exposing comprises a flow rate of the second radicals, an electron temperature of the second radicals, a composition of the second radicals, a power input of the second radical source, a UV intensity of the second radical source, a UV wavelength of the second radical source, a frequency of the second radical source, or a density of the second radicals, or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the treating comprises forming a film on at least a part of the surface, or removing a film from at least a part of the surface, or both.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the treating comprises forming a film on at least a part of the surface.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the treating comprises forming a film on at least a part of the surface, wherein the center portion exposing and the edge portion exposing cause film thickness, film uniformity, or film composition, or any combination thereof, to vary spatially over the surface.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the treating comprises forming an oxide film on at least a part of the surface, and wherein the center portion exposing and the edge portion exposing cause uniformity of oxygen concentration in the oxide film, depth of the oxide film, or thickness of the oxide film, or any combination thereof, to vary spatially over the surface.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate surface is a silicon surface, an oxide surface, a silicon oxide surface, an oxynitride surface, a nitride surface, or a silicon nitride surface, or any combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radicals, or the second radicals, or both, comprise oxygenradicals.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radicals, or the second radicals, or both, comprise nitrogen radicals.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radicals or the second radicals or both flow in a laminar flow across the substrate surface.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising rotating the substrate in a plane of the substrate surface at a rate of about 1 to about 60 rpm.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the treating is carried out at a substrate temperature of about 25°

to about 1200°

C.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the treating is carried out at a pressure of about 1 mT to about 800 T.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radical source or the second radical source, or both, generates radicals by plasma induced dissociation of at least one process gas or UV induced dissociation of at least one process gas, or both.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radical source or the second radical source, or both, generates radicals by plasma induced dissociation of at least one process gas, and wherein the plasma induced dissociation comprises the local, remote or upstream generation of at least one plasma including Radio Frequency (RF) plasma, inductively coupled plasma, plasma torch, capacitively coupled plasma, microwave plasma, capacitive microwave plasma, microwave induced plasma, or slot plane antenna plasma, surface wave plasma or helicon wave plasma, or any combination thereof.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radical source or the second radical source, or both, generates radicals by plasma induced dissociation of at least one process gas, and wherein the plasma induced dissociation comprises the local, remote or upstream generation of at least one Radio Frequency (RF) plasma.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radical source or the second radical source, or both, generates radicals by plasma induced dissociation of at least one process gas, and wherein the plasma induced dissociation comprises the local, remote or upstream generation of at least one plasma by microwave irradiation of at least one process gas via a plane antenna member having a plurality of slots.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radical source or the second radical source, or both, generates radicals by plasma induced dissociation of at least one process gas comprising O₂, N₂, NO, NO₂, or N₂O, or any combination thereof, and optionally H₂, Ar, He, Ne, Xe, or Kr, or any combination thereof.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radical source or the second radical source, or both, generates radicals by plasma induced dissociation of at least one process gas, and wherein the plasma in the plasma induced dissociation has an electron temperature of less than about 3 eV.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radical source or the second radical source, or both, generates radicals by plasma induced dissociation of at least one process gas, and wherein the plasma in the plasma induced dissociation has a density of about 1×

10¹¹ to about 1×

10¹³ cm<sup>−

3</sup> and density uniformity of ±

3% or less.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radical source or the second radical source, or both, generates radicals by plasma induced dissociation of at least one process gas, wherein the plasma induced dissociation comprises the local, remote or upstream generation of at least one plasma by microwave irradiation of at least one process gas via a plane antenna member having a plurality of slots.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radical source or the second radical source, or both, generates radicals by UV radiation induced dissociation of at least one process gas.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radical source or the second radical source, or both, generates radicals by UV radiation induced dissociation of at least one process gas, wherein the UV radiation comprises 172 nm radiation.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radical source or the second radical source, or both, generates radicals by UV radiation induced dissociation of at least one process gas, wherein the UV radiation originates from two or more ultraviolet radiation sources.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radical source or the second radical source, or both, generates radicals by UV radiation induced dissociation of at least one process gas comprising O₂, N₂, NO, NO₂, or N₂O, or any combination thereof, and optionally H₂, Ar, He, Ne, Xe, or Kr, or any combination thereof.

31. The method of claim 1, further comprising more than one first radical source.

32. The method of claim 1, further comprising more than one second radical source.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the edge portion is also exposed to the first radicals, and the center portion is not exposed to the second radicals.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the treating comprises forming a film selected from the group consisting of oxide film, silicon oxide film, oxynitride film, silicon nitride film, nitride film, poly-silicon, amorphous-silicon, SiGe, or any combination thereof.

35. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to the treating, carrying out at least one cleaning step, including wet chemical cleaning or forming a bare silicon surface on the substrate surface by cleaning followed by contacting the substrate surface with HF or removing a native oxide from the substrate surface or removing SiO₂ from the substrate surface, or any combination thereof.

36. A method for making a semiconductor or electronic device, comprising the method of claim 1.

37. A processing system for treating a substrate surface, comprising:

means for exposing a central portion of the substrate surface to first radicals in a flow substantially parallel to the substrate surface; and

means for exposing an edge portion of the substrate surface to second radicals in a flow substantially parallel to the substrate surface;

wherein at least one property of the edge portion exposing and at least one property of the center portion exposing are set to control the spatial variation of the treatment of the substrate surface.

38. The processing system of claim 37, wherein the flow of first radicals and the flow of second radicals are substantially parallel to each other.

39. A processing system for treating a substrate surface, the surface having a center portion and an edge portion, the system comprising:

a first radical source configured to expose the center portion to first radicals in a flow substantially parallel to the surface; and

a second radical source configured to expose the edge portion to second radicals in a flow substantially parallel to the substrate surface;

wherein at least one property of the edge portion exposing and at least one property of the center portion exposing are set to control the spatial variation of the treatment of the substrate surface.

40. The processing system of claim 39, wherein the flow of first radicals and the flow of second radicals are substantially parallel to each other.