SELECTIVE DEPOSITION OF ALUMINUM AND NITROGEN CONTAINING MATERIAL

• US 20170154806A1
• Filed: 02/14/2017
• Published: 06/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V. (ASM International NV)
• Original Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V. (ASM International NV)
• Inventors: Zhu, Chiyu, Asikainen, Timo, Wang, Han, Xie, Qi, Longrie, Delphine, Hsieh, Julian, de Roest, David, Kachel, Krzysztof, Profijt, Harald, Maes, Jan Willem
• Granted Patent: US 10,121,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/00 Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes reactive sputtering or vacuum evaporation C23C14/00
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/04 Coating on selected surface areas, e.g. using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/34 Nitrides C23C16/303 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45527 characterized by the ALD cycle, e.g. different flows or temperatures during half-reactions, unusual pulsing sequence, use of precursor mixtures or auxiliary reactants or activations
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/56 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02178 the material containing aluminium, e.g. Al2O3
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02205 the layer being characterised by the precursor material for deposition
• 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 21/02315 treatment by exposure to a plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0234 treatment by exposure to a plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31122 of layers not containing Si, e.g. PZT, Al2O3
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31144 using masks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76834 formation of thin insulating films on the sidewalls or on top of conductors H01L21/76831 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/7685 the layer covering a conductive structure H01L21/76849 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76897 Formation of self-aligned vias or contact plugs, i.e. involving a lithographically uncritical step self-aligned silicidation on field effect transistors H01L29/665
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/53266 Additional layers associated with refractory-metal layers, e.g. adhesion, barrier, cladding layers

Abstract

Methods are provided for selectively depositing Al and N containing material on a first conductive surface of a substrate relative to a second, dielectric surface of the same substrate. In some aspects, methods of forming an Al and N containing protective layer or etch stop layer for use in integrated circuit fabrication are provided.

Claims

1. A process for selectively forming AlN on a first surface relative to a second different surface, the process comprising one or more super-cycles comprising:

selectively depositing AlN on a first surface relative to a second different surface;

etching the deposited AlN;

wherein etching the deposited AlN removes substantially all of the deposited AlN from the second surface of the substrate and does not remove substantially all of the AlN from the first surface of the substrate.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the super-cycle further comprises repeating the selectively depositing AlN and etching deposited AlN steps until an AlN thin film of a desired thickness has been formed on the first surface.

3. The process of claim 1, the super-cycle further comprising exposing the substrate to a pretreatment reactant prior to selectively depositing AlN.

4. The process of claim 3, wherein the pretreatment reactant comprises plasma.

5. The process of claim 4, wherein the plasma is generated from a gas comprising H₂.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein selectively depositing AlN on a first surface relative to a second different surface comprises performing one or more selective deposition sub-cycles comprising:

contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase precursor comprising aluminum;

contacting the substrate with a second vapor phase precursor comprising nitrogen; and

wherein the AlN is deposited on the first surface of the substrate relative to the second dielectric surface of the same substrate with a selectivity greater than about 5%.

7. The process of claim 6, the selective deposition sub-cycle further comprising repeating the selective deposition sub-cycle until AlN of a desired thickness is deposited on the first surface.

8. The process of claim 6, wherein selectively depositing AlN comprises repeating the selective deposition sub-cycle until the selective deposition sub-cycle is no longer selective.

9. The process of claim 6, wherein the first vapor phase precursor comprising aluminum comprises one of tritertbutylaluminum (TTBA), trimethylaluminum (TMA) or triethylaluminum (TEA).

10. The process of claim 6, wherein the second vapor phase precursor comprising nitrogen comprises NH₃.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein etching the deposited AlN comprises an atomic layer etching (ALE) process comprising one or more etching sub-cycles comprising:

contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase halide etch reactant; and

contacting the substrate with a second vapor phase etch reactant comprising aluminum.

12. The process of claim 11, wherein the first vapor phase halide etch reactant comprises NF₃ or NbF₅.

13. The process of claim 11, wherein the second vapor phase etch reactant comprising aluminum comprises trimethylaluminum (TMA) or triethylaluminum (TEA).

14. The process of claim 11, wherein the etching sub-cycle is carried out at a process temperature of about 300°

C.

15. The process of claim 1, wherein the first surface comprises W and the second surface comprises SiO₂.

16. The process of claim 1, wherein the first surface comprises TiN and the second surface comprises SiO₂.

17. The process of claim 1, wherein AlN is selectively formed on the first surface of the substrate relative to the second surface with a selectivity greater than about 99%.

18. The process of claim 1, wherein selectively depositing AlN on a first surface relative to a second different surface comprises performing a selective deposition sub-cycle, wherein the selective deposition sub-cycle is repeated from 1 to about 300 times;

wherein etching the deposited AlN comprises an atomic layer etching (ALE) process in which an etch sub-cycle is repeated from 1 to about 150 times.

19. A process for selectively forming AlN on a first surface of a substrate relative to a second different surface of the same substrate, the process comprising a super-cycle comprising:

a selective deposition sub-cyle comprising;

alternately and sequentially contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase precursor comprising aluminum and a second vapor phase precursor comprising nitrogen such that the AlN is deposited on the first surface of the substrate relative to the second different surface of the same substrate with a selectivity greater than about 5%; and

an atomic layer etch sub-cycle comprising;

alternately and sequentially contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase halide etch reactant and a second vapor phase etch reactant comprising aluminum such that the atomic layer etch sub-cycle removes substantially all of the deposited AlN from the second surface of the substrate and does not remove substantially all of the AlN from the first surface of the substrate.

20. The process of claim 19, wherein the super-cycle is repeated one or more times.

21. The process of claim 19, the super-cycle further comprising exposing the substrate to a plasma generated from a gas comprising H₂ prior to the selective deposition sub-cycle.

22. The process of claim 19, wherein the first vapor phase precursor comprising aluminum comprises TMA, the second vapor phase precursor comprising nitrogen comprises NH₃, the first vapor phase halide etch reactant comprises NF₃, and the second vapor phase etch reactant comprising aluminum comprises TMA.

23. The process of claim 19, wherein the first surface is a conductive surface and the second surface is a dielectric surface.