High Temperature Silicon Oxide Atomic Layer Deposition Technology

• US 20160099143A1
• Filed: 10/01/2015
• Published: 04/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Yan, Wenbo, Trinh, Cong, Li, Ning, Nguyen, Victor, Balseanu, Mihaela, Xia, Li-Qun, Saly, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 9,875,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 16/45551 for relative movement of the substrate and the gas injectors or half-reaction reactor compartments
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45553 characterized by the use of precursors specially adapted for ALD
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45031 Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45232 CMP chemical mechanical polishing of wafer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02164 the material being a silicon oxide, e.g. SiO2
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0234 treatment by exposure to a plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02348 treatment by exposure to UV light
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68764 characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating caroussel

Abstract

Processes for depositing SiO₂ films on a wafer surface utilizing an aminosilane compound as a silicon precursor are described.

Claims

1. A method of depositing a film comprising:

positioning a wafer having a surface within a reaction chamber;

heating the wafer to a predetermined temperature within a reaction chamber;

exposing at least a portion of the wafer to a silicon precursor for a predetermined period of time to form a silicon layer on the wafer, the silicon precursor comprising a compound with the general formula R₃Si;

NY₃, wherein each R is independently selected from hydrogen, a halide selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I, a linear or branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a linear or branched C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group, and a C₆-C₁₀ aryl group, and each Y is independently a hydrogen, a halide selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I, a linear or branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a linear or branched C₁-C₁₀ alkylsilyl group, and/or a C₆-C₁₀ aryl group;

exposing at least a portion of the wafer to an oxygen plasma and/or an oxygen source gas to react with the silicon layer on the wafer to form a silicon oxide film.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined temperature of the wafer is in a range of about 50°

C. to about 1000°

C.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the silicon precursor is a compound with the formula Me₃Si:

L, where Me is a methyl group and L is a primary or secondary amine, and the predetermined temperature of the wafer is in a range of about 400°

C. to about 700°

C.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the silicon precursor is a compound with the formula X₃Si:

L, where X is a halogen selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br, I, and a combination thereof, L is a primary or secondary amine, and the predetermined temperature of the wafer is in a range of about 400°

C. to about 700°

C.

5. The method of claim 4, which further comprises heating the silicon precursor to a temperature in the range of about 20°

C. to about 200°

C. to provide the continuous stream of the silicon precursor as a vapor to the reaction chamber.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reaction chamber comprises a plurality of processing regions, each of the plurality of processing regions separated from adjacent processing regions by a gas curtain, and the silicon precursor and the oxygen plasma and/or oxygen source gas are flowed into separate processing regions.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the gas curtains comprises a purge gas flow with a vacuum source on each side of the purge gas flow.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the stream of silicon precursor passes into two or more processing regions, and the oxygen plasma and/or an oxygen source gas is provided in two or more different processing regions, wherein the silicon precursor is flowed into processing regions that alternate spatially with the processing regions in which the oxygen plasma and/or oxygen source gas flow.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wafer surface comprises one or more device features with an aspect ratio in the range of about 10:

1 to about 100;

1, and the silicon precursor forms a conformal layer on the one or more device features.

10. A method of depositing a SiO₂ film on a wafer comprising:

exposing a wafer surface to a silicon precursor, wherein the silicon precursor comprises R₃Si;

NY₃, wherein each R is independently selected from hydrogen, a halide selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I, a linear or branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a linear or branched C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group, and/or a C₆-C₁₀ aryl group, and each Y is independently selected from hydrogen, a halide selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I, a linear or branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a linear or branched C₁-C₁₀ alkylsilyl group, and/or a C₆-C₁₀ aryl group, and wherein at least a portion of the silicon precursor absorbs onto the wafer surface;

heating the wafer surface to a temperature in the range of about 450°

C. to about 650°

C., so the absorbed silicon precursor decomposes on the wafer surface to form a monolayer or sub-monolayer silicon film; and

exposing the monolayer or sub-monolayer silicon film and wafer surface to a source of oxygen, wherein the source of oxygen reacts with the monolayer or sub-monolayer silicon film to form a monolayer or sub-monolayer SiO₂ film.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein exposing the wafer surface to a silicon precursor comprises passing the silicon precursor through a shower head, and passing the wafer beneath the showerhead.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wafer is a silicon wafer, and the silicon wafer is supported by a susceptor that rotates, so the wafer surface is exposed to the silicon precursor for a predetermined amount of time by passing beneath the showerhead.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the source of oxygen is an oxygen plasma and/or a gas comprising ozone.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the source of oxygen is the oxygen plasma in combination with the gas comprising ozone.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the wafer surface comprises one or more device features with an aspect ratio in the range of about 10:

1 to about 100;

1, and the silicon precursor forms a conformal layer on the one or more device features.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more device features are trenches having a trench depth in the range of about 1 μ

m to about 3.5 μ

m.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more device features are trenches having a trench depth in the range of about 100 nm to about 700 nm.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the monolayer or sub-monolayer SiO₂ film formed conformally on the device features contains essentially no carbon or nitrogen contaminants.

19. A method of forming a highly stable SiO₂ film on a silicon wafer by ALD, comprising:

placing at least one silicon wafer into a susceptor within a reaction chamber;

heating the at least one silicon wafer to a temperature in the range of about 450°

C. to about 650°

C.;

introducing a continuous stream of a silicon precursor into the reaction chamber through a showerhead, wherein the silicon precursor comprises R₃Si;

NY₃, wherein each R is independently selected from hydrogen, a halide selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I, a linear or branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a linear or branched C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy group, and/or a C₆-C₁₀ aryl group, and each Y is independently selected from hydrogen, a halide selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I, a linear or branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl group, a linear or branched C₁-C₁₀ alkylsilyl group, and/or a C₆-C₁₀ aryl group;

providing an oxygen plasma and/or an oxygen source gas in at least one processing region of the reaction chamber;

rotating the susceptor, so the at least one silicon wafer passes beneath the showerhead, wherein at least a portion of the silicon precursor absorbs onto a surface of the silicon wafer, and the oxygen plasma and/or an oxygen source gas, wherein the oxygen plasma and/or an oxygen source gas reacts with the absorbed silicon precursor to form a SiO₂ film.

20. The method of claim 19, which further comprises subsequently treating the SiO₂ film with a post deposition treatment comprising one or more of a UV cure, a thermal anneal, a post steam anneal, and/or a plasma treatment.