METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CHARACTERIZING METAL OXIDE REDUCTION
First Claim
1. A method of characterizing metal oxide reduction, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a substrate with a metal seed layer formed thereon in a processing chamber;
(b) generating an oxygen plasma;
(c) exposing the substrate to the oxygen plasma in the processing chamber to form a metal oxide of the metal seed layer, wherein a temperature of the substrate is below an agglomeration temperature of the metal seed layer; and
(d) exposing the substrate to a reducing treatment under conditions that reduce the metal oxide to metal in the form of a film integrated with the metal seed layer.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Method and apparatus for characterizing metal oxide reduction using metal oxide films formed by exposure to an oxygen plasma are disclosed. A substrate including a metal seed layer is exposed to the oxygen plasma to form a metal oxide of the metal seed layer, where the exposure can take place at a low temperature and low pressure. Oxidized substrates formed in this manner provide metal oxides that are repeatable, uniform, and stable. The oxidized substrates can be stored for later use or exposed to a reducing treatment to the metal oxide to metal. In some implementations, exposure to the reducing treatment includes exposure to plasma of a reducing gas species, where the plasma of the reducing gas species and the oxygen plasma can both be produced in a remote plasma source.
-
Citations
21 Claims
-
1. A method of characterizing metal oxide reduction, the method comprising:
-
(a) providing a substrate with a metal seed layer formed thereon in a processing chamber; (b) generating an oxygen plasma; (c) exposing the substrate to the oxygen plasma in the processing chamber to form a metal oxide of the metal seed layer, wherein a temperature of the substrate is below an agglomeration temperature of the metal seed layer; and (d) exposing the substrate to a reducing treatment under conditions that reduce the metal oxide to metal in the form of a film integrated with the metal seed layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. An apparatus for characterizing metal oxide reduction, the apparatus comprising:
-
a processing chamber; a substrate support for holding a substrate in the processing chamber, wherein the substrate includes a metal seed layer; a remote plasma source over the substrate support; and a controller configured with instructions for performing the following operations; (a) generating an oxygen plasma in the remote plasma source; (b) exposing the substrate to the oxygen plasma in the processing chamber to form a metal oxide of the metal seed layer in the processing chamber; (c) generating a plasma of a reducing gas species in the remote plasma source, wherein the plasma of the reducing gas species comprises one or more of;
radicals, ions, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the reducing gas species; and(d) exposing the substrate to the plasma of the reducing gas species to reduce the metal oxide to metal in the form of a film integrated with the metal seed layer. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
Specification