High deposition rate recipe for low dielectric constant films

• US 6,136,685 A
• Filed: 06/03/1997
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Murugesh, Laxman, Qiao, Jianmin, Narwankar, Pravin, Sahin, Turgut, Orczyk, Maciek
• Primary Examiner(s): Whitehead, Jr., Carl
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUERRERO, MARIA F
• Application Number:
  US08/868,595
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 438/761, 438/695, 438/623, 438/788, 438/784, 438/763, 438/624, 427/573, 427/579
• US Class Current: 438/624
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/401 containing silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/505 using radio frequency discharges
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02131 the material being halogen doped silicon oxides, e.g. FSG
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02211 the compound being a silane, e.g. disilane, methylsilane or chlorosilane
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02274 in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31629 Deposition of halogen doped silicon oxide, e.g. fluorine doped silicon oxide

Abstract

An insulating film with a low dielectric constant is more quickly formed on a substrate by reducing the co-etch rate as the film is deposited. The process gas is formed into a plasma from silicon-containing and fluorine-containing gases. The plasma is biased with an RF field to enhance deposition of the film. Deposition and etching occur simultaneously. The relative rate of deposition to etching is increased in the latter portion of the deposition process by decreasing the bias RF power, which decreases the surface temperature of the substrate and decreases sputtering and etching activities. Processing time is reduced compared to processes with fixed RF power levels. Film stability, retention of water by the film, and corrosion of structures on the substrate are all improved. The film has a relatively uniform and low dielectric constant and may fill trenches with aspect ratios of at least 4:1 and gaps less than 0.5 μm.

Claims

1. A method for forming a film on a substrate having a gap, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) flowing a silicon-containing gas, a halogen-containing gas, and oxygen into a chamber at a first flow rate;

(b) creating a plasma in said chamber with an RF source generator;

(c) applying RF bias power at a first bias power level to said plasma with an RF bias generator;

(d) depositing a first portion of the film on the substrate at a first deposition-to-etch ratio, said first portion of the film partially filling the gap in the substrate;

(e) increasing said first flow rate of said silicon-containing gas and said halogen-containing gas and said oxygen to a second flow rate;

(f) reducing said RF bias power to a second bias power level; and

(g) depositing a second portion of the film on the substrate at a second deposition-to-etch ratio wherein said second deposition-to-etch ratio is greater than said first deposition-to-etch ratio, said first and second portions of the film filling the gap in the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said RF source generator operates at a source frequency of about 2 MHz and a source power level of between about 12-16 W/cm², and said RF bias generator operates at a frequency of about 13.56 MHz and a bias power level of between about 7-13 W/cm².

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said silicon-containing gas is SiH₄ and said halogen-containing gas is SiF₄.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step (f) of reducing said RF bias power to the second bias power level is performed while maintaining the RF source power substantially constant.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the RF source generator is operated at a frequency of nominally 2 MHz to create the plasma.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the RF bias generator is operated at a frequency of 13.56 MHz to apply the RF bias power.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the RF bias power is reduced to the second bias power level to decrease an etch rate of the film by decreasing activity of etchant species produced from the gases in the chamber and to increase a deposition rate of the film by reducing surface temperature of the substrate.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said process gas further comprises a sputtering gas.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the sputtering gas comprises argon.

10. A method for forming a film on a substrate having a gap, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) flowing a process gas comprising silicon, a halogen, and oxygen into a chamber, wherein the halogen and the silicon are in a first ratio, the process gas deriving from a silicon source, a halogen source, and an oxygen source;

(b) depositing a first portion of the film over the substrate, said first portion of the film partially filling the gap in the substrate;

(c) reducing the first ratio of the halogen to the silicon to a second ratio of the halogen to the silicon; and

(d) depositing a second portion of the film, said first and second portions of the film filling the gap in the substrate.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of forming a plasma from the process gas.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said silicon source comprises SiH₄ and said halogen source comprises fluorine.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said silicon source comprises SiH₄, said halogen source comprises SiF₄, said first ratio is between about 0.6-0.8 SiF₄ to SiH₄, and said second ratio is between about 0.4-0.6 SiF₄ to SiH₄.

14. A method suitable for depositing material in high aspect ratio trenches on a substrate, the method comprising:

(a) flowing a process gas into the process zone, wherein the process gas introduced into the process zone comprises a deposition component and an etchant component;

(b) establishing a plasma with power from an RF source generator;

(c) applying an RF bias power at a first power level to the plasma;

(d) maintaining the process gas and plasma at process conditions suitable for depositing material on the substrate while simultaneously etching a first portion of the material to form a second portion of the material on the substrate to partially fill the trenches; and

(e) reducing the RF bias power to a second power level to form a third portion of the material on the substrate to fill the trenches.