NANOLAYER DEPOSITION USING BIAS POWER TREATMENT

• US 20100285237A1
• Filed: 05/19/2010
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASM International NV
• Original Assignee: Tegal Corp. (Rennova Health, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Tue, Nguyen, Tai Dung, Ditizio, Robert Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 9,708,707 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/569
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/34 Nitrides C23C16/303 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45523 Pulsed gas flow or change of composition over time
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/507 using external electrodes, e.g. in tunnel type reactors

Abstract

A hybrid deposition process of CVD and ALD, called NanoLayer Deposition (NLD) is provided. The NLD process is a cyclic sequential deposition process, comprising introducing a first plurality of precursors to deposit a thin layer with the deposition process not self limiting, followed by introducing a second plurality of precursors for plasma treating the thin deposited layer. The plasma can be isotropic, anisotropic, or a combination of isotropic and anisotropic to optimize the effectiveness of the treatment of the thin deposited layers.

Claims

1. A deposition method to deposit a thin film comprising:

introducing into a chamber a first plurality of precursors to deposit a first layer on a substrate in a non-self-limiting deposition process; and

introducing a second plurality of precursors in a plasma ambient that modify the deposited first layer in a vapor phase modification process,

wherein the plasma ambient comprises applying at least one a bias power and a bias voltage to a substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plasma modification process incorporates impurities to the deposited layer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the plasma modification process removes impurities from the deposited layer.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the plasma modification process replaces elements from the deposited layer with same elements from the plasma ambient.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plasma modification process changes one or more properties or characteristics of the film.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plasma ambient comprises powering the substrate with power levels that are less than a sputtering threshold power.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the plasma ambient comprises powering the substrate with power levels that are approximately equal to a sputtering threshold power.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the plasma ambient comprises powering the substrate with a pulsed power source.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the plasma ambient comprises powering the substrate with a pulsed power source in which a portion of the duty cycle uses bias power levels that are higher than a sputtering threshold power and a portion of the duty cycle uses bias power levels that are below the sputtering threshold power.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the plasma ambient comprises powering the substrate with a power level of less than about 300 W at 13.56 MHz

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the plasma ambient comprises powering the substrate with a bias frequency in the range of 0.1 to 100 MHz

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the plasma ambient further comprises a high density plasma source with powering the substrate.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

repeating the sequence for at least one subsequent layer.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

repeating the sequence for at least one subsequent layer, wherein the subsequent layer incorporates at least one of a different first precursors, different second precursors, and different plasma modification conditions.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

repeating the sequence for the first layer and the at least one subsequent layer.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein plasma modifying is performed in a time-varying ambient in which at least one of pressure, flow rate, plasma power, plasma frequency, bias duty cycle, and precursor selection is varied over the duration of the plasma modification.

17. A deposition method to deposit a thin film comprising:

depositing a first layer on a substrate in a non-self-limiting deposition process; and

plasma treating the deposited layer with a pulsed bias applied to the substrate.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the plasma treating performs at least one of incorporating impurities to the deposited layer, removing impurities from the deposited layer, replacing elements from the deposited layer with same elements from the plasma ambient, and changing one or more properties or characteristics of the film.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the pulsed bias powers the substrate with power levels that are less than a sputtering threshold power.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the pulsed bias powers the substrate with power levels that are approximately equal to a sputtering threshold power.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the pulsed bias powers the substrate with a pulsed plasma source in which a portion of the duty cycle uses bias power levels that are higher than a sputter threshold and a portion of the duty cycle uses bias power levels that are below the sputter threshold.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein the pulsed bias powers the substrate with a power level of less than about 300 W at 13.56 MHz.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein the pulsed bias powers the substrate with a bias frequency in the range of 0.1 to 100 MHz.

24. The method of claim 17 further comprising a high density plasma source for plasma treating the deposited layer.

25. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

repeating the sequence for at least one subsequent layer.

26. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

repeating the sequence for at least one subsequent layer, wherein the subsequent layer incorporates at least one of a different first precursors, different second precursors, and different plasma modification conditions.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

repeating the sequence for the first layer and the at least one subsequent layer.

28. The method of claim 17 wherein plasma treating the deposited layer is performed in a time-varying in which at least one of pressure, flow rate, plasma power, plasma frequency, bias duty cycle, and precursor selection is varied over the duration of the plasma treatment.

29. A deposition method to deposit a thin film comprising:

introducing into a chamber a first plurality of precursors to deposit a first layer on a substrate in a non-self-limiting deposition process; and

introducing a second plurality of precursors in a plasma ambient that modify the deposited first layer in a vapor phase modification process,

wherein the plasma ambient comprises pulsing at least one of a bias power and bias voltage on the substrate between at least one power level above a sputtering threshold power and at least one power level below the sputtering threshold power.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising:

repeating the sequence for at least one subsequent layer.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the plasma modifying performs at least one of incorporating impurities to the deposited layer, removing impurities from the deposited layer, replacing elements from the deposited layer with same elements from the plasma ambient, and changing one or more properties or characteristics of the film.

32. The method of claim 29 further comprising powering the substrate with power levels that are less than the sputtering threshold power.

33. The method of claim 29 wherein the at least one of a bias power and a bias voltage deliver power to the substrate with a power level of less than about 300 W at 13.56 MHz.

34. The method of claim 29 wherein the at least one of a bias power and a bias voltage deliver power to the substrate with a frequency in the range of 0.1 to 100 MHz.

35. The method of claim 29 further comprising a high density plasma source for modifying the deposited layer.

36. The method of claim 29 further comprising:

repeating the sequence for at least one subsequent layer, wherein the subsequent layer incorporates at least one of a different first precursors, different second precursors, and different plasma modification conditions.

37. The method of claim 36 further comprising:

repeating the sequence for the first layer and the at least one subsequent layer.

38. The method of claim 29 wherein plasma modifying is performed in a time-varying ambient in which at least one of pressure, flow rate, plasma power, plasma frequency, bias duty cycle, and precursor selection is varied over the duration of the plasma modification.