METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HEAT-TREATING HIGH DIELECTRIC CONSTANT FILM

• US 20160195333A1
• Filed: 12/21/2015
• Published: 07/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: KAWARAZAKI, Hikaru
• Granted Patent: US 9,557,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F27B 17/0025 Especially adapted for treating semiconductor wafers
• CPC Class Codes: F27D 11/00 Arrangement of elements for electric heating in or on furnaces electric heating per se H05B
• 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 21/02247 formation by nitridation, e.g. nitridation of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02255 formation by thermal treatment H01L21/02252 takes precedence; after treatment of an insulating film H01L21/3105 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02329 introduction of nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02337 treatment by exposure to a gas or vapour
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02345 treatment by exposure to radiation, e.g. visible light
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/28202 in a nitrogen-containing ambient, e.g. nitride deposition, growth, oxynitridation, NH3 nitridation, N2O oxidation, thermal nitridation, RTN, plasma nitridation, RPN
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3105 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67115 mainly by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6719 characterized by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67248 Temperature monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68742 characterised by a lifting arrangement, e.g. lift pins
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/513 the variation being perpendicular to the channel plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/518 the insulating material containing nitrogen, e.g. nitride, oxynitride, nitrogen-doped material

Abstract

A substrate in which a high-dielectric-constant gate insulator is formed on a silicon substrate with an interface layer film sandwiched in between is housed in a chamber. A mixed gas of ammonia and nitrogen gas is supplied to the chamber to form an ammonia atmosphere, and flash light is applied in the ammonia atmosphere from flash lamps to the surface of the substrate for an emission time of 0.2 milliseconds to one second. This allows the high-dielectric-constant gate insulator to be heated in the ammonia atmosphere and accelerates nitriding of the high-dielectric-constant gate insulator. Since the time for which flash light is applied is an extremely short time, nitrogen will not reach and nitride the interface layer film, which is formed as a base of the high-dielectric-constant gate insulator.

Claims

1. A heat treatment method for heating a substrate in which a high dielectric constant film is deposited on a base material with an interface layer film sandwiched in between, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) housing said substrate in a chamber;

(b) supplying ammonia to said chamber to form an ammonia atmosphere; and

(c) applying flash light to a surface of said substrate housed in said chamber to heat said high dielectric constant film.

2. The heat treatment method according to claim 1, wherein

the flash light applied in said step (c) has a spectral distribution that has a peak in a wavelength range of 200 to 300 nm.

3. The heat treatment method according to claim 1, wherein

the flash light applied in said step (c) has a spectral distribution showing that relative intensity at a wavelength of 300 nm is 20% or more higher than an intensity at a wavelength of 500 nm.

4. The heat treatment method according to claim 1, wherein

said high dielectric constant film is heated in an ammonia atmosphere in said step (c) to accelerate nitriding of said high dielectric constant film.

5. The heat treatment method according to claim 1, wherein

in said step (b), the ammonia atmosphere is formed by reducing pressure in said chamber to less than atmospheric pressure.

6. The heat treatment method according to claim 1, wherein

a time for which flash light is applied in said step (c) is 0.2 milliseconds or more and one second or less.

7. The heat treatment method according to claim 1, wherein

said high dielectric constant film is annealed prior to said step (c).

8. The heat treatment method according to claim 1, wherein

said high dielectric constant film is annealed after said step (c).

9. A heat treatment apparatus for heating a substrate in which a high dielectric constant film is deposited on a base material with an interface layer film sandwiched in between, the apparatus comprising:

a chamber in which said substrate is housed;

an atmosphere forming part that supplies ammonia to said chamber to form an ammonia atmosphere; and

a flash lamp that applies flash light to a surface of said substrate housed in said chamber.

10. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said flash lamp emits flash light with a spectral distribution that has a peak in a wavelength range of 200 to 300 nm.

11. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said flash lamp emits flash light with a spectral distribution showing that relative intensity at a wavelength of 300 nm is 20% or more higher than an intensity at a wavelength of 500 nm.

12. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

a time for which said flash lamp emits flash light is 0.2 milliseconds or more and one second or less.

13. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said chamber has a window made of synthetic quartz, the window passing through the flash light emitted from said flash lamp.