NOVEL METHOD FOR CONFORMAL PLASMA IMMERSED ION IMPLANTATION ASSISTED BY ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION

• US 20110159673A1
• Filed: 03/01/2011
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Foad, Majeed A., Hanawa, Hiroji, Cho, Seon-Mee
• Granted Patent: US 8,709,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/558
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45536 Use of plasma, radiation or electromagnetic fields
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/505 using radio frequency discharges
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/56 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/2236 from or into a plasma phase

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a novel apparatus and methods for forming a conformal doped layer on the surface of a substrate. A substrate is provided to a process chamber, and a layer of dopant source material is deposited by plasma deposition, atomic layer deposition, or plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition. The substrate is then subjected to thermal processing to activate and diffuse dopants into the substrate surface.

Claims

1. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:

(a) disposing the substrate in a process chamber;

(b) providing a first precursor material to the process chamber;

(c) reacting the first precursor material to form a layer of the first precursor on the substrate;

(d) providing a second precursor material to the process chamber;

(e) reacting the second precursor material with the layer of the first precursor to form a layer of dopant atoms on the substrate;

(f) repeating steps (b)-(e) in sequence until the layer of dopant atoms reaches a target thickness; and

(g) diffusing the layer of dopant atoms into the substrate by heating the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first precursor is a catalytic precursor.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second precursor is a dopant precursor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the dopant precursor is selected from the group consisting of a boron precursor, a phosphorus precursor, an arsenic precursor, a metal precursor, a fluorine precursor, or combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the dopant precursor is an organoboron compound.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the dopant precursor is an organophosphorus compound.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the dopant precursor is an organoarsenic compound.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the catalytic precursor is selected from the group consisting of O₂, O₃, N₂O, H₂O₂, NO, N₂O₅, alcohols, organic and inorganic peroxides, carboxylic acids, radical oxygen compounds, and combinations thereof.

9. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:

disposing the substrate in a process chamber;

cyclically providing a first precursor and a second precursor to the process chamber;

ionizing at least one of the first precursor and the second precursor into a plasma to cyclically form a layer of dopant atoms until the layer of dopant atoms reaches a target thickness; and

diffusing the dopants into the substrate.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first precursor comprises a boron compound, a phosphorus compound, an arsenic compound, a metal compound, a fluorine compound, or a mixture thereof.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising annealing the substrate.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the second precursor comprises a compound selected from the group consisting of O₂, O₃, N₂O, H₂O₂, NO, N₂O₅, alcohols, organic and inorganic peroxides, carboxylic acids, radical oxygen compounds.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein cyclically providing the first and second precursors to the process chamber comprises providing the first precursor to the chamber, stopping the first precursor, providing the second precursor to the process chamber, and stopping the second precursor.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein diffusing the dopants and annealing the substrate comprise heating at least a portion of the substrate to a temperature between about 700°

C. and about 1410°

C.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the plasma is generated by applying power less than about 1000 W to an inductively coupled plasma source.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a purge gas to the process chamber.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein annealing the substrate comprises heating one or more portions of the substrate to a temperature between about 700°

C. and about 1410°

C.

18. A method of forming a doped region on a surface of a semiconductor substrate, comprising:

(a) disposing the substrate in a process chamber;

(b) providing a catalytic precursor to the process chamber;

(c) ionizing the catalytic precursor into a catalytic precursor plasma;

(d) reacting the catalytic precursor plasma to form a layer of dopant precursor on the substrate;

(e) providing a purge gas to the process chamber;

(f) providing a dopant precursor to the process chamber;

(g) ionizing the dopant precursor into a dopant precursor plasma;

(h) reacting the dopant precursor plasma to form a layer of dopants on the substrate;

(i) repeating operations (b)-(h) until the layer of dopants reaches a target thickness; and

(j) diffusing the layer of dopants into the substrate by heating the substrate.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the dopant precursor is selected from the group consisting of a boron compound, a phosphorus compound, an arsenic compound, a metal compound, a fluorine compound, or combinations thereof.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the catalytic precursor is selected from the group consisting of O₂, O₃, N₂O, H₂O₂, NO, N₂O₅, alcohols, organic and inorganic peroxides, carboxylic acids, radical oxygen compounds, and combinations thereof.