GAP-FILL DEPOSITIONS IN THE FORMATION OF SILICON CONTAINING DIELECTRIC MATERIALS

• US 20070212850A1
• Filed: 03/15/2007
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Ingle, Nitin, Yieh, Ellie, Yuan, Zheng, Bhatia, Sidharth, Bang, Won, Venkatraman, Shankar
• Application Number:
  US11/686,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20070212850A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/435
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/045 Coating cavities or hollow spaces, e.g. interior of tubes; Infiltration of porous substrates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/402 Silicon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/448 characterised by the method used for generating reactive gas streams, e.g. by evaporation or sublimation of precursor materials
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02164 the material being a silicon oxide, e.g. SiO2
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02271 deposition by decomposition or reaction of gaseous or vapour phase compounds, i.e. chemical vapour deposition H01L21/02266 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02274 in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02337 treatment by exposure to a gas or vapour
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31612 on a silicon body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76224 using trench refilling with dielectric materials trench filling with polycristalline silicon H01L21/763; together with vertical isolation, e.g. trench refilling in a SOI substrate H01L21/76264
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76837 Filling up the space between adjacent conductive structures; Gap-filling properties of dielectrics

Abstract

A chemical vapor deposition method for forming a dielectric material in a trench formed on a substrate, where the method includes the steps of generating water vapor by contacting hydrogen gas and oxygen gas with a water vapor generation catalyst, and providing the water vapor to the process chamber. The method also includes flowing a silicon-containing precursor into the process chamber housing the substrate, flowing an oxidizing gas into the chamber, and causing a reaction between the silicon-containing precursor, the oxidizing gas and the water vapor to form the dielectric material in the trench. The method may also include increasing over time a ratio of the silicon-containing precursor to the oxidizing gas flowed into the chamber to alter a rate of deposition of the dielectric material.

Claims

1. A chemical vapor deposition method for forming a dielectric material in a trench formed on a substrate, the method comprising:

generating water vapor by contacting hydrogen gas and oxygen gas with a water vapor generation catalyst, and providing the water vapor to a process chamber;

flowing a silicon-containing precursor into the process chamber housing the substrate;

flowing an oxidizing gas into the chamber; and

causing a reaction between the silicon-containing precursor, the oxidizing gas and the water vapor to form the dielectric material in the trench; and

increasing over time a ratio of the silicon-containing precursor to the oxidizing gas flowed into the chamber to alter a rate of deposition of the dielectric material.

2. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 1, wherein the water vapor generation catalyst comprises platinum.

3. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises diluting the water vapor with a carrier gas before providing the water vapor to the process chamber.

4. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 3, wherein the water vapor is diluted in a carrier gas to a concentration of less than about 250 torr partial pressure before being provided to the process chamber.

5. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 3, wherein the water vapor is provided in a carrier gas to the process chamber at a flow rate of about 5000 to 15000 sccm.

6. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 3, wherein the carrier gas comprises an inert gas.

7. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 6, wherein the carrier gas comprises nitrogen gas.

8. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises adjusting a temperature of the hydrogen gas and oxygen gas to a range of about 50°

C. to about 500°

C.

9. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 8, wherein the method comprises adjusting the temperature of the hydrogen gas and oxygen gas to about 350°

C.

10. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises adjusting a temperature of the water vapor to a range of about 100°

C. to about 200°

C.

11. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 10, wherein the method comprises adjusting the temperature of the hydrogen gas and oxygen gas to about 350°

C.

12. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises increasing over time a ratio of the silicon-containing precursor to the water vapor flowing into the chamber.

13. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing hydrogen peroxide to the process chamber.

14. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises annealing the dielectric material in the trench at a temperature of about 800°

C. to about 1400°

C.

15. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 1, wherein the dielectric material is formed in the trench at about 400°

C. to about 600°

C.

16. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 1, wherein the silicon-containing precursor comprises silane, dimethylsilane, trimethylsilane, tetramethylsilane, diethylsilane, tetramethylorthosilicate (TMOS), tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), octamethyltetrasiloxane (OMTS), octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS), tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (TOMCATS), or mixtures thereof.

17. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 1, wherein the oxidizing gas comprises O₂, O₃, NO, NO₂ or mixtures thereof.

18. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises flowing a dopant precursor into the chamber.

19. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 1, wherein the dopant precursor comprises triethylborate (TEB), triethylphosphate (TEPO) or diborane.

20. A chemical vapor deposition method for forming dielectric layers on a substrate, the method comprising:

generating water vapor by contacting hydrogen gas and oxygen gas with a water vapor generation catalyst, and providing the water vapor to a chamber housing the substrate;

providing a silicon-containing precursor, an oxidizing processing gas, and the water vapor to the chamber, wherein the silicon-containing precursor, the oxidizing processing gas, and the water vapor react to form a first dielectric layer on the substrate;

varying over time a ratio of the silicon-containing precursor to the oxidizing processing gas flowed into the chamber to alter a deposition rate of the first dielectric layer; and

discontinuing the flow of the water vapor into the chamber and forming a second dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer, wherein the second dielectric layer is formed without the water vapor.

21. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 20, wherein the silicon precursor comprises tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and the oxidizing processing gas comprises ozone (O₃).

22. The chemical vapor deposition method of claim 20, wherein varying the ratio of the silicon-containing precursor to the oxidizing processing gas comprises increasing a flow rate of the silicon-containing precursor relative to a flow rate of the oxidizing processing gas.

23. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a substrate support configured to support a substrate within a processing chamber;

a gas delivery system configured to receive a silicon-containing precursor, an oxidizing processing gas, and water vapor and deliver them to the processing chamber;

a water vapor generator that provides the water vapor to the gas delivery system, wherein the generator comprises a catalyst that produces the water vapor by from a mixture of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas; and

a controller configured to control the gas delivery system and the substrate support, wherein the controller introduces the silicon-containing precursor, the water vapor and the oxidizing processing gas into the processor chamber to form a dielectric layer on the substrate, and alter the position of the substrate support relative to the gas delivery system during the deposition of the dielectric layer.

24. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 23, wherein the controller varies the concentration of the silicon-containing precursor to the oxidizing processing gas over time during the deposition of the dielectric layer on the substrate, as the silicon-containing precursor gas is continuously flowed into the chamber.

25. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 23, wherein the controller moves the substrate support closer to the gas delivery system during the deposition of the dielectric layer to increase a deposition rate for the dielectric layer.

26. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 23, wherein the gas delivery system comprises separate channels to deliver the silicon-containing precursor and the water vapor to the processing chamber.

27. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 23, wherein the silicon-containing precursor comprises tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), and the oxidizing processing gas comprises ozone.

28. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 23, wherein the catalyst comprises platinum.