METHOD FOR DEPOSITING THIN FILMS BY MIXED PULSED CVD AND ALD
First Claim
1. A method for depositing a multi-component thin film on a substrate in a reaction chamber, the method comprising:
- depositing a first component of the film on the substrate by flowing a first and second reactant into the reaction chamber in sequential and alternating pulses during a period A, the first and second reactants depositing self-limitedly on the substrate; and
depositing a second component of the film by flowing a third reactant into the reaction chamber while simultaneously flowing a fourth reactant into the reaction chamber during a period B, wherein the third and fourth reactants are mutually reactive, wherein a total exposure time of the substrate to the fourth reactant during the period B is longer than a total exposure time of the substrate to the third reactant during the period B.
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Abstract
Films are deposited on a substrate by a process in which atomic layer deposition (ALD) is used to deposit one layer of the film and pulsed chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is used to deposit another layer of the film. During the ALD part of the process, a layer is formed by flowing sequential and alternating pulses of mutually reactive reactants that deposit self-limitingly on a substrate. During the pulsed CVD part of the process, another layer is deposited by flowing two CVD reactants into a reaction chamber, with at least a first of the CVD reactants flowed into the reaction chamber in pulses, with those pulses overlapping at least partially with the flow of a second of the CVD reactants. The ALD and CVD parts of the process ca be used to deposit layers with different compositions, thereby forming, e.g., nanolaminate films. Preferably, high quality layers are formed by flowing the second CVD reactant into the reaction chamber for a longer total duration than the first CVD reactant. In some embodiments, the pulses of the third reactant at separated by a duration at least about 1.75 times the length of the pulse. Preferably, less than about 8 monolayers of material are deposited per pulse of the first CVD reactant.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A method for depositing a multi-component thin film on a substrate in a reaction chamber, the method comprising:
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depositing a first component of the film on the substrate by flowing a first and second reactant into the reaction chamber in sequential and alternating pulses during a period A, the first and second reactants depositing self-limitedly on the substrate; and depositing a second component of the film by flowing a third reactant into the reaction chamber while simultaneously flowing a fourth reactant into the reaction chamber during a period B, wherein the third and fourth reactants are mutually reactive, wherein a total exposure time of the substrate to the fourth reactant during the period B is longer than a total exposure time of the substrate to the third reactant during the period B. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 40)
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20. A method for depositing a film on a substrate, comprising:
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exposing the substrate to temporally separated pulses of at least two mutually reactive reactants during a period A to deposit a compound comprising elements of the at least two mutually reactive reactants, wherein about a monolayer or less of material is deposited per pulse; and exposing the substrate to one or more pulses of a third reactant while exposing the substrate to a fourth reactant during a period B, wherein the third and fourth reactants are mutually reactive, and wherein an interval between each of the pulses of the third reactant is at least about 1.75 times a duration of an immediately preceding pulse of the third reactant. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method for depositing a metal compound film on a substrate, comprising:
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exposing the substrate to one or more pulses of a metal source reactant while exposing the substrate to a first reactant reactive with the metal source reactant, thereby forming a film comprising a metal compound during a period A, wherein less than about 8 monolayers of the metal compound are deposited per pulse of the metal source reactant; and exposing the substrate to pulses of a second reactant reactive with the metal compound film during a period B, wherein the substrate is not exposed to a metal precursor during the period B. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification