Deposition apparatus and method for depositing film

• US 20070186849A1
• Filed: 02/09/2007
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Furuya, Akira
• Granted Patent: US 8,679,253 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/715
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/452 by activating reactive gas streams before their introduction into the reaction chamber, e.g. by ionisation or addition of reactive species
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45525 Atomic layer deposition [ALD]
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45542 Plasma being used non-continuously during the ALD reactions
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45561 Gas plumbing upstream of the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/515 using pulsed discharges

Abstract

An enhanced utilization efficiency of gases can be presented and an improved deposition characteristics are presented, when a film is deposited with a plurality of gases. A deposition apparatus 100 includes: a reaction chamber 102 for depositing a film; a first gas supply line 112 and a second gas supply line 152 for supplying a first source material A and a gas B to a reaction chamber 102, respectively; and an exciting unit 106 that is capable of exciting a gas supplied in the reaction chamber 102 to form a plasma. In the deposition apparatus 100 having such configuration, a deposition operation is performed by: a first operation for supplying a gas derived from a first source material A and a gas B in the reaction chamber 102 to cause the gas derived from a first source material A adsorbed on the substrate, thereby forming a deposition layer; and a second operation for supplying a second gas in reaction chamber 102, and treating the deposition layer with the gas in a condition of being plasma-excited.

Claims

1. A deposition apparatus, comprising:

a reaction chamber for deposition;

a gas supplying system for supplying a first gas and a second gas into said reaction chamber;

a switching unit for switching between a supply of said first gas to said reaction chamber in a first step in which said first gas and said second gas are supplied into said reaction chamber and a stopping of the supply of said first gas to said reaction chamber in a second step in which said second gas is selectively supplied into said reaction chamber;

an exciting unit for exciting a gas being supplied into said reaction chamber to create a plasma; and

a controller unit capable of controlling said exciting unit, so that an excitation of the gas into a plasma is not performed by said exciting unit during said first step in which said first gas is adsorbed on the substrate to form a deposition layer and an excitation of the gas into a plasma is performed by said exciting unit during said second step in which said second gas, with being excited into a plasma, treats said deposition layer.

2. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a flow rate controlling unit for controlling a flow rate of said second gas, so that a flow rate of said second gas supplied into said reaction chamber is substantially constant in both of said first stage and in said second step.

3. The deposition apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said flow rate controlling unit controls the flow rate of said second gas, so that a flow rate of said first gas supplied into said reaction chamber is equal to or lower than one-tenth of the flow rate of said second gas.

4. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said gas supplying system includes:

a first supply line being connected to said reaction chamber for supplying said first gas in said reaction chamber; and

a second supply line, including a first line connected to said reaction chamber for supplying said second gas into said reaction chamber and a second line branched from said first line and connected to said first supply line, and

wherein said switching unit includes a first switching unit and a second switching unit, said first switching unit being capable of supplying said second gas to said second line in said first step and of supplying said first gas to said first line in said second step, and said second switching unit being capable of supplying said first gas into said reaction chamber in said first step, and being capable of stopping the supply of said first gas into said reaction chamber in said second step.

5. The deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second gas is selected from a group including:

nitrogen (N₂);

ammonia (NH₃);

oxygen (O₂);

hydrogen (H₂);

a gaseous mixture thereof; and

a gaseous mixture thereof with argon (Ar) or helium (He).

6. A deposition apparatus, comprising:

a reaction chamber for conducting a deposition process;

a first supply line being connected to said reaction chamber for supplying a first gas into said reaction chamber;

a second supply line including a first line connected to said reaction chamber for supplying a second gas into said reaction chamber and a second line branched from said first line and connected to said first supply line;

a switching unit, being capable of switching between a first step and a second step, wherein, in said first step, said second gas is supplied to said second line and eventually supplied into said reaction chamber with said first gas, and wherein, in said second step, the supply of said first gas is stopped and said second gas is selectively supplied to said first line; and

an exciting unit for exciting the gas supplied from said first line of said second supply line into a plasma.

7. A method for depositing a film, comprising:

forming a deposition layer by supplying a first gas and a second gas into a reaction chamber and adsorbing said first gas on a substrate; and

treating said deposition layer with a plasma created by supplying said second gas into said reaction chamber and exciting said gas.

8. The method for depositing the film according to claim 7, wherein said forming the deposition layer and said treating the deposition layer are performed, while a substantially constant flow rate of said second gas is 5 maintained from the supplying unit for said second gas to said reaction chamber.

9. The method for depositing the film according to claim 7, wherein a flow rate of said first gas is equal to or lower than one-tenth of the flow rate of said second gas.

10. The method for depositing the film according to claim 8, wherein a flow rate of said first gas is equal to or lower than one-tenth of the flow rate of said second gas.

11. The method for depositing the film according to claim 7, wherein said second gas is selected from a group including:

nitrogen (N₂);

ammonia (NH₃);

oxygen (O₂);

hydrogen (H₂);

a gaseous mixture thereof; and

a gaseous mixture thereof with argon (Ar) or helium (He).