SELECTIVE GROWTH OF METAL-CONTAINING HARDMASK THIN FILMS

• US 20200006073A1
• Filed: 06/28/2018
• Published: 01/02/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, David Charles, Henri, Jon, Hausmann, Dennis M., Lemaire, Paul C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,643,846 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/04 Coating on selected surface areas, e.g. using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/042 using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/045 Coating cavities or hollow spaces, e.g. interior of tubes; Infiltration of porous substrates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/14 Deposition of only one other metal element
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/24 Deposition of silicon only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/26 Deposition of carbon only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/32 Carbides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/36 Carbonitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45534 Use of auxiliary reactants other than used for contributing to the composition of the main film, e.g. catalysts, activators or scavengers
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/3321 CVD [Chemical Vapor Deposition]
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32449 Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32715 Workpiece holder
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02115 the material being carbon, e.g. alpha-C, diamond or hydrogen doped carbon
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02175 characterised by the metal H01L21/02197 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02178 the material containing aluminium, e.g. Al2O3
• 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 21/02282 liquid deposition, e.g. spin-coating, sol-gel techniques, spray coating
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0332 characterised by their composition, e.g. multilayer masks, materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0335 : characterised by their behaviour during the process, e.g. soluble masks, redeposited masks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0337 : characterised by the process involved to create the mask, e.g. lift-off masks, sidewalls, or to modify the mask, e.g. pre-treatment, post-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0338 : Process specially adapted to improve the resolution of the mask
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31055 : the removal being a chemical etching step, e.g. dry etching etching per se H01L21/311
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31138 : by dry-etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76834 : formation of thin insulating films on the sidewalls or on top of conductors H01L21/76831 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for selectively growing metal-containing hard masks are provided herein. Methods include providing a substrate having a pattern of spaced apart features, each feature having a top horizontal surface, filling spaces between the spaced apart features with carbon-containing material to form a planar surface having the top horizontal surfaces of the features and carbon-containing material, selectively depositing a metal-containing hard mask on the top horizontal surfaces of the features relative to the carbon-containing material, and selectively removing the carbon-containing material relative to the metal-containing hard mask and features.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a patterned semiconductor substrate having features spaced apart on an underlying material to be etched;

filling spaces between the features with an ashable fill such that top horizontal surfaces of the features are exposed and sidewalls of the features contact the ashable fill;

after filling the spaces between the features, selectively depositing a metal-containing hard mask on the exposed top horizontal surfaces of the features relative to the ashable fill; and

removing the ashable fill relative to the features and metal-containing hard mask.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the filling between the features is performed to form a planar surface comprising the top horizontal surfaces of the features and the ashable fill.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the filling between the features is done by spin-on.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the spin-on is performed by injecting a carbon-containing fluid mixture onto the patterned semiconductor substrate followed by heat curing.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the filling between the features is done by spin-on followed by planarization to expose the top horizontal surfaces of the features.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the filling between the features is done by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the filling between the features further comprises planarizing the patterned semiconductor substrate after the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the filling by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition comprises exposing the features to a hydrocarbon precursor having a formula C_xH_y, wherein X is an integer between and including 2 and 10, and Y is an integer between and including 2 and 24.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively depositing of the metal-containing hard mask is performed at a substrate temperature between about 200°

C. and about 400°

C.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively depositing of the metal-containing hard mask is performed by one or more cycles of atomic layer deposition.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein one cycle of atomic layer deposition comprises exposure to a silicon-containing precursor and exposure to a tungsten-containing precursor.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the silicon-containing precursor is silane.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the tungsten-containing precursor is a tungsten halide.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the tungsten-containing precursor is selected from the group consisting of tungsten hexafluoride, tungsten pentachloride, tungsten hexachloride, and combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the features comprise a dielectric material.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the features comprise silicon.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal-containing hard mask comprises tungsten.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the metal-containing hard mask is selected from the group consisting of tungsten, tungsten carbide, tungsten carbonitride, and combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein spaces between features have an aspect ratio of at least about 4:

1.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a process chamber comprising a showerhead and a substrate support,

a plasma generator, and

a controller having at least one processor and a memory,

wherein the at least one processor and the memory are communicatively connected with one another,

the at least one processor is at least operatively connected with flow-control hardware, and

the memory stores machine-readable instructions for;

causing introduction of flow of a carbon-containing deposition precursor and causing generation of a first plasma;

after causing introduction of the carbon-containing deposition precursor, causing stopping of the flow of the carbon-containing deposition precursor; and

after stopping the flow of the carbon-containing deposition precursor, causing introduction of temporally separated pulses of a silicon-containing precursor flow and a tungsten-containing precursor flow.