METHOD FOR FORMING SILICON-CONTAINING MATERIALS DURING A PHOTOEXCITATION DEPOSITION PROCESS

• US 20100018460A1
• Filed: 10/13/2009
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Ranish, Joseph M., Singh, Kaushal K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,387,557 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/620
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/0227 by cleaning or etching
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/308 Oxynitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/345 Silicon nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45519 Inert gas curtains
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45591 Fixed means, e.g. wings, baffles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/482 using incoherent light, UV to IR, e.g. lamps
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/488 Protection of windows for introduction of radiation into the coating chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 25/02 Epitaxial-layer growth
• CPC Class Codes: C30B 29/06 Silicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02126 the material containing Si, O, and at least one of H, N, C, F, or other non-metal elements, e.g. SiOC, SiOC:H or SiONC
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0214 the material being a silicon oxynitride, e.g. SiON or SiON:H
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02164 the material being a silicon oxide, e.g. SiO2
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0217 the material being a silicon nitride not containing oxygen, e.g. SixNy or SixByNz H01L21/02126 and H01L21/0214 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02219 the compound comprising silicon and nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02277 the reactions being activated by other means than plasma or thermal, e.g. photo-CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02301 in-situ cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0231 treatment by exposure to electromagnetic radiation, e.g. UV light
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02348 treatment by exposure to UV light
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02529 Silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02532 : Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02576 : N-type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02579 : P-type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 : Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02636 : Selective deposition, e.g. simultaneous growth of mono- and non-monocrystalline semiconductor materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3121 : Layers comprising organo-silicon compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3143 : composed of alternated layers or of mixtures of nitrides and oxides or of oxinitrides, e.g. formation of oxinitride by oxidation of nitride layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31612 : on a silicon body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3185 : of siliconnitrides

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method for depositing films or layers using a UV source during a photoexcitation process. The films are deposited on a substrate and usually contain a material, such as silicon (e.g., epitaxy, crystalline, microcrystalline, polysilicon, or amorphous), silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or other silicon-containing materials. The photoexcitation process may expose the substrate and/or gases to an energy beam or flux prior to, during, or subsequent a deposition process. Therefore, the photoexcitation process may be used to pre-treat or post-treat the substrate or material, to deposit the silicon-containing material, and to enhance chamber cleaning processes. Attributes of the method that are enhanced by the UV photoexcitation process include removing native oxides prior to deposition, removing volatiles from deposited films, increasing surface energy of the deposited films, increasing the excitation energy of precursors, reducing deposition time, and reducing deposition temperature.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising:

a processing chamber having a substrate support disposed therein;

an energy source suitable for emitting UV energy;

a window positioned to allow UV energy emitted from the source to reach a substrate disposed on the substrate support; and

a means for controlling at least one of the wavelength, angle of incidence, or cycle of UV energy directed towards the substrate support.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the window is disposed in a lid of the chamber.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy source comprises a plurality of lamps.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the window comprises sapphire or magnesium fluoride.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a baffle plate disposed between the window and the substrate support.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the baffle plate has an aperture aligned with the window.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the aperture has a diameter that is less than a diameter of the window.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy source comprises a temperature control conduit coupled to a source of heat transfer medium.

9. A chamber for processing semiconductor substrates, comprising:

a substrate support disposed inside the chamber;

a window disposed in a lid of the chamber;

a photoexcitation system positioned above the window; and

an apertured baffle plate disposed between the window and the substrate support.

10. The chamber of claim 9, wherein the photoexcitation system comprises a UV source.

11. The chamber of claim 10, wherein the UV source is a continuous UV source.

12. The chamber of claim 9, further comprising a shutter plate between the photoexcitation system and the substrate support.

13. The chamber of claim 9, wherein the apertured baffle plate and the lid cooperatively define a purge plenum that has a source of purge gas coupled thereto.

14. The chamber of claim 13, wherein the aperture of the baffle plate is aligned with the window, and the purge plenum comprises a purge gas flow path that crosses the aperture of the baffle plate.

15. The chamber of claim 10, wherein the UV source comprises a lamp within a housing, the housing further comprising a conduit for a temperature control medium.

16. The chamber of claim 15, further comprising a reflector or a refractor positioned to direct light from the lamp at a desired angle to the window.

17. The chamber of claim 13, wherein the apertured baffle plate further comprises a weir positioned between the source of purge gas and the aperture.

18. The chamber of claim 15, wherein the apertured baffle plate and the lid cooperatively define a purge plenum that has a source of purge gas coupled thereto, and the source of purge gas is also coupled to the temperature control conduit.

19. An apparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate, comprising:

a chamber with a lid;

a substrate support disposed in the chamber and facing the lid;

a source of UV energy comprising a housing and a lamp coupled to the lid;

a window disposed in the lid between the UV source and the substrate support;

a baffle plate coupled to the lid, and together with the lid cooperatively defining a purge gas pathway across a surface of the window; and

a purge gas source coupled to the lid in fluid communication with the purge gas pathway.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the housing comprises a conduit for a cooling medium, and the conduit is in fluid communication with the purge gas source.