DEPOSITING TUNGSTEN INTO HIGH ASPECT RATIO FEATURES
First Claim
1. A method of filling a high aspect ratio feature provided on a partially manufactured semiconductor substrate, the method comprising:
- introducing a tungsten-containing precursor and a reducing agent into a processing chamber;
depositing a layer of a tungsten-containing material on the partially manufactured semiconductor substrate via a chemical vapor deposition reaction between the tungsten-containing precursor and the reducing agent, such that the layer partially fills the high aspect ratio feature;
introducing an activated etching material into the processing chamber;
removing a portion of the layer using the activated etching material to form a remaining layer;
reintroducing the tungsten-containing precursor and the reducing agent into the processing chamber; and
selectively depositing an additional layer of the tungsten-containing material on the partially manufactured semiconductor substrate via a chemical vapor deposition reaction between the tungsten-containing precursor and the reducing agent such that the additional layer is thicker inside the feature than near the feature opening.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatuses for filling high aspect ratio features with tungsten-containing materials in a substantially void-free manner are provided. In certain embodiments, the method involves depositing an initial layer of a tungsten-containing material followed by selectively removing a portion of the initial layer to form a remaining layer, which is differentially passivated along the depth of the high-aspect ration feature. In certain embodiments, the remaining layer is more passivated near the feature opening than inside the feature. The method may proceed with depositing an additional layer of the same or other material over the remaining layer. The deposition rate during this later deposition operation is slower near the feature opening than inside the features due to the differential passivation of the remaining layer. This deposition variation, in turn, may aid in preventing premature closing of the feature and facilitate filling of the feature in a substantially void free manner.
-
Citations
24 Claims
-
1. A method of filling a high aspect ratio feature provided on a partially manufactured semiconductor substrate, the method comprising:
-
introducing a tungsten-containing precursor and a reducing agent into a processing chamber; depositing a layer of a tungsten-containing material on the partially manufactured semiconductor substrate via a chemical vapor deposition reaction between the tungsten-containing precursor and the reducing agent, such that the layer partially fills the high aspect ratio feature; introducing an activated etching material into the processing chamber; removing a portion of the layer using the activated etching material to form a remaining layer; reintroducing the tungsten-containing precursor and the reducing agent into the processing chamber; and selectively depositing an additional layer of the tungsten-containing material on the partially manufactured semiconductor substrate via a chemical vapor deposition reaction between the tungsten-containing precursor and the reducing agent such that the additional layer is thicker inside the feature than near the feature opening. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A method of filling a high aspect ratio feature provided on a partially manufactured semiconductor substrate, the method comprising:
-
introducing a tungsten-containing precursor and a reducing agent into a processing chamber; depositing a layer of a tungsten-containing material on the partially manufactured semiconductor substrate via a chemical vapor deposition reaction between the tungsten-containing precursor and the reducing agent, such that the layer partially fills the high aspect ratio feature; introducing an activated etching material into the processing chamber; and selectively removing a portion of the layer to form a remaining layer of the tungsten-containing material, the remaining layer having a varying level of passivation along a depth of the high aspect ratio feature and being more passivated near a feature opening than inside the feature. - View Dependent Claims (17)
-
-
18. A method of processing a partially manufactured semiconductor substrate, the method comprising:
-
providing the partially manufactured semiconductor substrate into a processing chamber, the partially manufactured semiconductor substrate comprising a high aspect ratio feature having a size of less than about 50 nanometers and an aspect ratio of at least about 4 and a protective layer deposited at least within the high aspect ratio feature; introducing a tungsten-containing precursor and a reducing agent into the processing chamber; depositing a layer of a tungsten-containing material on the partially manufactured semiconductor substrate via a chemical vapor deposition reaction between the tungsten-containing precursor and the reducing agent, wherein the layer has a thickness of less than about half the size of the high aspect ratio feature; introducing an activated etching material into the processing chamber; and removing a portion of the layer using the activated etching material at a pressure of less than 5 Torr for a period of time; introducing the tungsten-containing precursor and the reducing agent into the processing chamber; and selectively depositing an additional layer of the tungsten-containing material on the partially manufactured semiconductor substrate via the chemical vapor deposition reaction between the tungsten-containing precursor and the reducing agent such that an interior deposition rate inside the feature is at least twice higher than an exterior deposition rate near the feature opening, wherein the selective deposition is configured to fill at least a bottom half of the feature. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. A semiconductor processing apparatus for filling a high aspect ratio feature provided on a partially manufactured semiconductor substrate, the apparatus comprising:
-
a first processing chamber having one or more deposition stations for positioning the substrate, said first processing chamber configured to deposit a layer of a tungsten-containing material or an additional layer of the tungsten-containing material on the partially manufactured semiconductor substrate via a chemical vapor deposition reaction, said one or more deposition stations comprising a deposition heating element for controlling a temperature of the substrate during deposition; a second processing chamber having one or more etching stations for positioning the substrate, said second processing chamber configured to selectively remove a portion of the layer, said one or more etching stations comprising an etching heating element for controlling the temperature of the substrate during etching; and a controller comprising program instructions for; introducing a tungsten-containing precursor and a reducing agent into the first processing chamber; after introducing the tungsten-containing precursor and the reducing agent into the first processing chamber, introducing an activated etching material into the second processing chamber at a pressure of less than 5 Torr for a period of between about 1 second and 10 seconds; and after introducing an activated etching material into the second processing chamber, introducing the tungsten-containing precursor and the reducing agent into the first processing chamber or another processing chamber. - View Dependent Claims (23)
-
-
24. A non-transitory computer machine-readable medium comprising program instructions for control of a semiconductor processing apparatus for filling a high aspect ratio feature provided on a partially manufactured semiconductor substrate, the program instructions comprising,
code for introducing the tungsten-containing precursor and the reducing agent into the first processing chamber; -
code for introducing an activated etching material into the second processing chamber at a pressure of less than 5 Torr for a period of between about 1 second and 10 seconds; and code for introducing the tungsten-containing precursor and the reducing agent into the first processing chamber or another processing chamber.
-
Specification