METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE, METHOD OF PROCESSING SUBSTRATE, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20130084712A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corp.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Incorporated (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: AKAE, Naonori, YUASA, Kazuhiro, TERASAKI, Masato
• Granted Patent: US 9,190,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/763
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/345 Silicon nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/402 Silicon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45529 specially adapted for making a layer stack of alternating different compositions or gradient compositions
• 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 21/022 the layer being a laminate, i.e. composed of sublayers, e.g. stacks of alternating high-k metal oxides adhesion layers or buffer layers H01L21/02304, H01L21/02362
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02211 the compound being a silane, e.g. disilane, methylsilane or chlorosilane
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0228 deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE, pulsed CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02532 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67109 mainly by convection

Abstract

A semiconductor manufacturing method includes forming an oxide film on a substrate by performing a first cycle a predetermined number of times, including supplying a first source gas, an oxidizing gas and a reducing gas to the substrate heated to a first temperature in a process container under a sub-atmospheric pressure; forming a seed layer on a surface of the oxide film by supplying a nitriding gas to the substrate in the process container, the substrate being heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the first temperature and equal to or lower than a second temperature; and forming a nitride film on the seed layer formed on the surface of the oxide film by performing a second cycle a predetermined number of times, including supplying a second source gas and the nitriding gas to the substrate heated to the second temperature in the process container.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

(a) forming an oxide film on a substrate by performing a first cycle a predetermined number of times, the first cycle including supplying a first source gas and supplying an oxidizing gas and a reducing gas to the substrate heated to a first temperature in a process container under a pressure lower than an atmospheric pressure;

(b) forming a seed layer on a surface of the oxide film by supplying a nitriding gas to the substrate in the process container, the substrate being heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the first temperature and equal to or lower than a second temperature; and

(c) forming a nitride film on the seed layer formed on the surface of the oxide film by performing a second cycle a predetermined number of times, the second cycle including supplying a second source gas and supplying the nitriding gas to the substrate heated to the second temperature in the process container.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an inner pressure of the process container in the step (b) is higher than that of the process container in the step (c).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein an inner pressure of the process container in the step (b) is higher than that of the process container in the supplying of the second source gas in the step (c).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein an inner pressure of the process container in the step (b) is higher than that of the process container in the supplying of the nitriding gas in the step (c).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature of the substrate in the step (b) is equal to the second temperature.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (b) comprises nitriding the surface of the oxide film.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (b) further comprises supplying the first source gas to the substrate in the process container, the substrate being heated to the temperature equal to or higher than the first temperature and equal to or lower than the second temperature,

wherein the seed layer is formed on the surface of the oxide film by performing each of the supplying of the first source gas and the supplying of the nitriding gas a predetermined number of times.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step (b) comprises alternately performing the supplying of the first source gas and the supplying of the nitriding gas.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a material constituting the first source gas is different from a material constituting the second source gas, and

a reactivity of the second source gas is lower than that of the first source gas.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (a) comprises alternately performing the supplying of the first source gas and the supplying of the oxidizing gas and the reducing gas.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (a) comprises:

alternately performing the supplying of the first source gas and the supplying of the oxidizing gas and the reducing gas; and

further supplying the oxidizing gas and the reducing gas.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (c) comprises alternately performing the supplying of the second source gas and the supplying of the nitriding gas.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (c) comprises simultaneously performing the supplying of the second source gas and the supplying of the nitriding gas.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming an oxide film on the nitride film by additionally performing the first cycle a predetermined number of times.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step (c) comprises forming the nitride film to a thickness greater than a finally desired thickness.

16. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:

(a) forming an oxide film on the substrate by performing a first cycle a predetermined number of times, the first cycle including supplying a first source gas and supplying an oxidizing gas and a reducing gas to the substrate heated to a first temperature in a process container under a pressure lower than an atmospheric pressure;

(b) forming a seed layer on a surface of the oxide film by supplying a nitriding gas to the substrate in the process container, the substrate being heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the first temperature and equal to or lower than a second temperature; and

(c) forming a nitride film on the seed layer formed on the surface of the oxide film by performing a second cycle a predetermined number of times, the second cycle including supplying a second source gas and supplying the nitriding gas to the substrate heated to the second temperature in the process container.

17. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

a process container configured to accommodate a substrate;

a heater configured to heat the substrate in the process container;

a source gas supply system configured to supply a first source gas and a second source gas to the substrate in the process container;

an oxidizing gas supply system configured to supply an oxidizing gas to the substrate in the process container;

a reducing gas supply system configured to supply a reducing gas to the substrate in the process container;

a nitriding gas supply system configured to supply a nitriding gas to the substrate in the process container;

a pressure adjustment unit configured to adjust an inner pressure of the process container; and

a control unit configured to control the heater, the source gas supply system, the oxidizing gas supply system, the reducing gas supply system, the nitriding gas supply system and the pressure adjustment unit so as to perform forming an oxide film on the substrate by performing a first cycle a predetermined number of times, the first cycle including supplying the first source gas and supplying the oxidizing gas and the reducing gas to the substrate heated to a first temperature in a process container under a pressure lower than an atmospheric pressure;

forming a seed layer on a surface of the oxide film by supplying the nitriding gas to the substrate in the process container, the substrate being heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the first temperature and equal to or lower than a second temperature; and

forming a nitride film on the seed layer formed on the surface of the oxide film by performing a second cycle a predetermined number of times, the second cycle including supplying the second source gas and supplying the nitriding gas to the substrate heated to the second temperature in the process container.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute:

(a) forming an oxide film on a substrate by performing a first cycle a predetermined number of times, the first cycle including supplying a first source gas and supplying an oxidizing gas and a reducing gas to the substrate heated to a first temperature in a process container under a pressure lower than an atmospheric pressure;

(b) forming a seed layer on a surface of the oxide film by supplying a nitriding gas to the substrate in the process container, the substrate being heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the first temperature and equal to or lower than a second temperature; and

(c) forming a nitride film on the seed layer formed on the surface of the oxide film by performing a second cycle a predetermined number of times, the second cycle including supplying a second source gas and supplying the nitriding gas to the substrate heated to the second temperature in the process container.