Method of Forming Insulation Film by Modified PEALD

• US 20100124621A1
• Filed: 11/13/2009
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASM Japan K.K. (ASM International NV)
• Original Assignee: ASM Japan K.K. (ASM International NV)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Nobuyoshi, Lee, Woo-Jin, Shimizu, Akira, Kobayashi, Akiko
• Granted Patent: US 10,378,106 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/579
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/325 Silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/345 Silicon nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/402 Silicon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45542 Plasma being used non-continuously during the ALD reactions
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45553 characterized by the use of precursors specially adapted for ALD
• 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 21/02274 in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0228 deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE, pulsed CVD

Abstract

A method of forming an insulation film by alternating multiple times, respectively, a process of adsorbing a precursor onto a substrate and a process of treating the adsorbed surface using reactant gas and a plasma, wherein a plasma is applied in the process of supplying the precursor.

Claims

1. A method of forming an insulation film by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), comprising:

(i) introducing a precursor into a reaction space where a substrate is placed;

(ii) treating the precursor with a plasma;

(iii) adsorbing the plasma-treated precursor onto a surface of the substrate;

(iv) treating the adsorbed surface using a reactant gas and a plasma to form and fix a film, wherein steps (i) to (iv) constitute one cycle; and

(v) repeating the one cycle multiple times until an atomic layer of a desired thickness is obtained.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein no reactant gas is supplied in steps (i) to (iii).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a purge process is conducted between step (iii) and step (iv).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the precursor is at least one type of compound containing silicon.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the insulation film is constituted by a silicon compound.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reactant gas is NO₂, O₂, H₂, CO₂, N₂O, N₂ and/or NH₃.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the silicon compound is SiO, SiN, SiC, SiON, SiCON, SiCO, SiBN, SiBO or SiCN.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the compound containing silicon is an aminosilane compound.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reactant gas is also supplied in steps (i) to (iii).

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein RF power generating the plasma in step (ii) is lower than RF power generating the plasma in step (iv).

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the RF power generating the plasma in step (ii) is less than 1/10 of the RF power generating the plasma in step (iv).

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the RF power generating the plasma in step (ii) is less than 0.07 W/cm² per area of the substrate.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the process pressures in steps (i) to (iv) are in a range of 50 to 2000 Pa.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plasmas in steps (ii) and (iv) are generated in a gap between capacitively-coupled parallel plate electrodes.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the one cycle, a duration of step (ii) is 0.2 to 5 seconds, a duration of step (iv) is 0.2 to 5 seconds, and an interval between step (ii) and step (iv) is 0 to 5 seconds.