PLASMA AND THERMAL ANNEAL TREATMENT TO IMPROVE OXIDATION RESISTANCE OF METAL-CONTAINING FILMS

• US 20100120245A1
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Tjandra, Agus Sofian, Yokota, Yoshitaka, Olsen, Christopher S.
• Application Number:
  US12/267,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20100120245A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/660
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2038/0092 Metallizing
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2309/02 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2309/04 Time
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2309/105 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2319/00 Synthetic rubber
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2457/00 Electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/0008 Electrical discharge treatment, e.g. corona, plasma treatment; wave energy or particle radiation heat treatment B32B38/0036
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/0036 Heat treatment for heating or cooling of layers during lamination B32B37/06, B32B37/08
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/56 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/28061 the conductor comprising a metal or metal silicide formed by deposition, e.g. sputter deposition, i.e. without a silicidation reaction H01L21/28052 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/28247 passivation or protection of the electrode, e.g. using re-oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/28562 Selective deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76843 formed in openings in a dielectric
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76856 by treatment in plasmas or gaseous environments, e.g. nitriding a refractory metal liner
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76862 Bombardment with particles, e.g. treatment in noble gas plasmas; UV irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76864 Thermal treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/4941 with a barrier layer between the silicon and the metal or metal silicide upper layer, e.g. Silicide/TiN/Polysilicon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/4966 the conductor material next to the insulator being a composite material, e.g. organic material, TiN, MoSi2 H01L29/4908, H01L29/4983 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66181 Conductor-insulator-semiconductor capacitors, e.g. trench capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 12/038 the capacitor being in a trench in the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 12/485 : Bit line contacts

Abstract

Method and apparatus are provided for treatment of a deposited material layer. In one embodiment, a method is provided for processing a substrate including depositing a metal-containing layer using an atomic layer deposition technique, exposing the metal-containing layer to a plasma treatment process at a temperature of less than about 200° C., and exposing the metal-containing layer to a thermal anneal process at a temperature of about 600° C. or greater. The plasma treatment process and/or the thermal anneal process may use a nitrating gas, which may form a passivating surface or layer with the metal-containing layer.

Claims

1. A method of processing a substrate, comprising;

depositing a metal-containing layer using an atomic layer deposition technique;

exposing the metal-containing layer to a plasma treatment process at a temperature of less than about 200°

C.; and

exposing the metal-containing layer to a thermal anneal process at a temperature of about 600°

C. or greater.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the depositing a metal-containing layer using atomic layer deposition and the exposing the metal-containing layer to a plasma treatment are performed in the same chamber.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the depositing a metal-containing layer using atomic layer deposition, the exposing the metal-containing layer to a plasma treatment are performed in the same chamber, and the exposing the metal-containing layer to a thermal anneal process are performed in situ on the same processing tool.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the exposing the metal-containing layer to a plasma treatment and exposing the metal-containing layer to a thermal anneal process are performed on the same processing tool.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plasma treatment process is performed with a nitrogen gas.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the plasma treatment process is performed at an RF power from about 500 W to about 2100 W and a temperature from about 20°

C. to less than about 200°

C.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal anneal process is performed with a nitrogen gas.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal anneal process is performed at a temperature from about 600°

C. to about 1000°

C.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the thermal anneal process is performed at a temperature from about 900°

C. to about 1000°

C.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal-containing layer is tantalum nitride;

11. A method of processing a substrate, comprising;

depositing a metal-containing layer using an atomic layer deposition technique;

exposing the metal-containing layer to a plasma treatment process comprising a nitrating gas;

forming a passivation layer on the metal-containing layer; and

exposing the metal-containing layer to a thermal anneal process.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the nitrating gas is selected from the group consisting of activated-dinitrogen, ammonia, hydrazine, methylhydrazine, dimethylhydrazine, t-butylhydrazine, phenylhydrazine, azoisobutane, ethylazide, tert-butylamine, allylamine, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the plasma treatment process is performed at a temperature of less than about 200°

C. and the thermal anneal process is performed at a temperature of about 600°

C. or greater.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the exposing the metal-containing layer to a plasma treatment process comprising a nitrating gas, the forming a passivation layer on the meta-containing layer, and the exposing the metal-containing layer to a thermal anneal process are all performed in situ.

15. A method for forming a structure, comprising;

positioning a substrate in a processing chamber, and the substrate comprising a silicon substrate surface;

depositing a polysilicon layer on a silicon substrate surface;

depositing a first metal layer on the polysilicon layer;

depositing a tantalum nitride layer on the first metal layer;

treating a deposited tantalum nitride layer with a thermal anneal, a plasma, anneal, or both;

depositing a second metal layer on the treated tantalum nitride layer;

depositing a patterned hard mark layer on the metal layer;

selectively etching the second metal layer, the tantalum nitride layer, the first metal layer, and the polysilicon layer to expose vertical portions of the polysilicon layer; and

selectively oxidizing the silicon substrate surface and the vertical portions of the polysilicon material.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the exposing the tantalum nitride layer to a plasma treatment and exposing the tantalum nitride layer to a thermal anneal process are performed on the same processing tool.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the thermal anneal process is performed with a nitrogen gas at a temperature from about 600°

C. to about 1000°

C.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the plasma treatment process is performed with a nitrogen gas at an RF power from about 500 W to about 2100 W and a temperature from about 100°

C. to about 150°

C.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the thermal anneal process is performed at a temperature from about 900°

C. to about 1000°

C.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the selectively oxidizing process comprises:

introducing an amount of a hydrogen containing gas and an amount of an oxygen containing gas to the chamber to form a gas mixture, wherein the gas mixture comprises a hydrogen rich gas mixture;

pressurizing the chamber to a pressure greater than about 250 Torr;

heating the chamber to a processing temperature to cause the gas mixture to react inside the chamber; and

selectively oxidizing the exposed vertical portions of the polysiliocn layer.

21. A method for forming a structure, comprising;

positioning a substrate in a processing chamber, and the substrate comprising a silicon substrate surface;

depositing a high k dielectric material on a silicon substrate surface;

depositing a tantalum nitride layer on high k dielectric material;

treating a deposited tantalum nitride layer with a thermal anneal, a plasma, anneal, or both;

depositing a polysilicon layer on the treated tantalum nitride layer;

depositing a patterned hard mark layer on the polysilicon layer;

selectively etching the polysilicon layer, the tantalum nitride layer, the high k dielectric material to expose vertical portions thereof; and

selectively oxidizing the silicon substrate surface and the vertical portions of the polysilicon material.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the exposing the tantalum nitride layer to a plasma treatment and exposing the tantalum nitride layer to a thermal anneal process are performed on the same processing tool.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the thermal anneal process is performed with a nitrogen gas at a temperature from about 600°

C. to about 1000°

C.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the plasma treatment process is performed with a nitrogen gas at an RF power from about 500 W to about 2100 W and a temperature from about 100°

C. to about 150°

C.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the selectively oxidizing process comprises:

introducing an amount of a hydrogen containing gas and an amount of an oxygen containing gas to the chamber to form a gas mixture, wherein the gas mixture comprises a hydrogen rich gas mixture;

pressurizing the chamber to a pressure greater than about 250 Torr;

heating the chamber to a processing temperature to cause the gas mixture to react inside the chamber; and

selectively oxidizing the exposed polysilicon layer.