PARTICLE BEAM ASSISTED MODIFICATION OF THIN FILM MATERIALS

• US 20090124064A1
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Incorporated (Applied Materials Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Incorporated (Applied Materials Incorporated)
• Inventors: Godet, Ludovic, Dorai, Rajesh, ENGLAND, Jonathan G.
• Application Number:
  US12/269,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20090124064A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/486
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 1/023 from solids with amorphous structure
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/06 Silicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0237 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02422 Non-crystalline insulating materials, e.g. glass, polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02532 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02689 using particle beams
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/268 using electromagnetic radiation, e.g. laser radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0747 comprising a heterojunction of crystalline and amorphous materials, e.g. heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/182 Special manufacturing methods for polycrystalline Si, e.g. Si ribbon, poly Si ingots, thin films of polycrystalline Si
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/202 including only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/546 Polycrystalline silicon PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

Several examples of a method for processing a substrate are disclosed. In a particular embodiment, the method may include: disposing a substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface on a platen contained in a chamber; generating a plasma containing a plurality of charged particles above the upper surface of the substrate, the plasma having a cross sectional area equal to or greater than a surface area of the upper surface of the substrate; applying a first bias voltage to the substrate to attract the charged particles toward the upper surface of the substrate; introducing the charged particles to a region extending under entire upper surface of the substrate; and initiating, concurrently, a first phase transformation in the region from the amorphous phase to a crystalline phase.

Claims

1. A method for processing a substrate in an amorphous phase, the method comprising:

disposing a substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface on a platen contained in a chamber;

generating a plasma containing a plurality of charged particles above the upper surface of the substrate, the plasma having a cross sectional area equal to or greater than a surface area of the upper surface of the substrate;

applying a first bias voltage to the substrate to attract the charged particles toward the upper surface of the substrate;

introducing the charged particles to a region extending under entire upper surface of the substrate; and

initiating, concurrently, a first phase transformation in the region from the amorphous phase to a crystalline phase.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the charged particles are introduced to the region at a rate of approximately 5×

10¹⁴ particles/cm² sec or greater.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting the bias applied to the substrate whilst the introducing of the particles to the first region.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the adjusting comprises increasing the bias.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting temperature of the substrate prior to introducing the particles to the region.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the adjusting the temperature comprises decreasing the temperature.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the charged particles comprises one or more species selected from a group consisting of:

He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, and Rn.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the charged particles comprises molecular ions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the charged particles comprises Ga ions.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the region comprises Si and wherein the charged particles comprises one or more species selected from a group consisting of C and Ge ions, so as to convert the region to a stressed region.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the region comprises a material selected from Group IV elements and wherein the charged particles comprises one or more species chosen from a group consisting of B, Ga, In, P, As, Sb, and Bi, so as to change an electrical property of the region.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the region comprises a material selected from Group IV elements and wherein the charged particles comprises one or more species chosen from a group consisting of Yb, Ti, Zr, Hf, Pd, Pt, and Al, so as to change a bandgap property of the region.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the region comprises a material selected from Group IV elements and the charged particles comprises one or more species chosen from a group consisting of C containing ions, Si containing ions, Ge containing ions, F containing ions, N containing ions, H containing ions, He containing ions, Sn containing ions, and Pb containing ions, so as to prevent changing of an electrical property of the region.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the region comprises a material selected from Group IV elements and the charged particles comprises metallic ions so as to increase a rate of the transformation of the region from the amorphous phase to the crystalline phase.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transforming phase of entire region from the amorphous phase to the crystalline phase, the region being less than entire substrate.

15. The method of claim 15, the metallic ions comprises Ni ions.

17. The method of claim 17, wherein the region comprises at least one crystal.

18. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

extending a boundary of the at least one crystal beyond the region of the substrate until a phase of the entire substrate is transformed to the crystalline phase.