METHOD FOR REMOVING OXIDES

• US 20090111280A1
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Kao, Chien-Teh, Lu, Xinliang, Huston, Joel M., Chang, Mei, Chang, Yu, Wang, Wei W., Phan, See-Eng, Trinh, Son, Yuan, Xiaoxiong (John), Umotoy, Sal, Chou, Jing-Pei (Connie), Lai, Chiukin (Steven)
• Application Number:
  US12/328,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20090111280A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/761
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/022 by means of bombardment with energetic particles or radiation
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/50 Substrate holders
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/541 Heating or cooling of the substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2001 Maintaining constant desired temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32082 Radio frequency generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394 and H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32357 Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32522 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32541 Shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32568 Relative arrangement or disposition of electrodes; moving means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32862 In situ cleaning of vessels and/or internal parts
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02104 Forming layers deposition in general C23C; crystal growth in general C30B
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31116 by dry-etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67069 for drying etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67109 mainly by convection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

A method for removing native oxides from a substrate surface is provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises positioning a substrate having an oxide layer into a processing chamber, generating a plasma of a reactive species from a gas mixture within the processing chamber, exposing the substrate to the reactive species while forming a volatile film on the substrate and maintaining the substrate at a temperature below 65° C., heating the substrate to a temperature of at least about 75° C. to vaporize the volatile film and remove the oxide layer, and depositing a first layer on the substrate after heating the substrate.

Claims

1. A deposition method comprising:

positioning a substrate having an oxide layer into a processing chamber;

generating a plasma of a reactive species from a gas mixture within the processing chamber;

exposing the substrate to the reactive species while forming a volatile film on the substrate and maintaining the substrate at a temperature below 65°

C.;

heating the substrate to a temperature of at least about 75°

C. to vaporize the volatile film and remove the oxide layer; and

depositing a first layer on the substrate after heating the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first layer is deposited by a process selected from cyclical layer deposition, atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition and physical vapor deposition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises one or more of monocrystalline silicon and polycrystalline silicon.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises silicon oxide, germanium, carbon, gallium arsenide, glass, sapphire, conductive material and dielectric material.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the conductive material is selected from metal, metal nitride, metal alloy, and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the dielectric material is selected from silicon dioxide, organosilicates, carbon doped silicon oxides and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the substrate comprises silicon doped with a dopant selected from boron, arsenic, phosphorus, aluminum, gallium, germanium and carbon.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the processing is performed under vacuum in a processing system without breaking vacuum prior to the depositing step.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the processing occurs in a multi-chambered processing system.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is heated to a temperature of at least 100°

C.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the substrate is heated to a temperature in the range from about 100°

C. to about 200°

C.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the reactive species is selected from ammonia fluoride, ammonium hydrogen fluoride and combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the volatile film comprises ammonium hexafluorosilicate ((NH₄)₂SiF₆).

14. The method of claim 2, wherein the first layer is deposited by physical vapor deposition sputtering process.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first layer comprises a metal layer.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising forming an insulating layer on the metal layer.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the metal layer comprises a metal silicide layer selected from silicides of tungsten, tantalum, molybdenum and combinations thereof.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the metal layer comprises one of aluminum, copper, cobalt, nickel, silicon, titanium, palladium, hafnium, boron, tungsten, tantalum and combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the insulating layer comprises one of silicon oxide, borophosphosilicate glass and phosphosilicate glass.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is heated in close proximity to a gas distribution plate.