Method for manufacturing thin film using atomic layer deposition

• US 6,270,572 B1
• Filed: 08/09/1999
• Issued: 08/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Chang-soo, Lee, Sang-min, Kim, Yeong-kwan, Lee, Sang-in
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Shrive
• Assistant Examiner(s): CLEVELAND, MICHAEL B
• Application Number:
  US09/371,709
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 117/102, 117/89, 117/93
• US Class Current: 117/93
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/44 characterised by the method of coating C23C16/04 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 16/45561 Gas plumbing upstream of the reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02145 the material containing aluminium, e.g. AlSiOx
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02164 the material being a silicon oxide, e.g. SiO2
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02178 the material containing aluminium, e.g. Al2O3
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02181 the material containing hafnium, e.g. HfO2
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02183 the material containing tantalum, e.g. Ta2O5
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02186 the material containing titanium, e.g. TiO2
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02189 the material containing zirconium, e.g. ZrO2
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02192 the material containing at least one rare earth metal element, e.g. oxides of lanthanides, scandium or yttrium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02197 the material having a perovskite structure, e.g. BaTiO3
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0228 deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE, pulsed CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02381 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0254 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02631 Physical deposition at reduced pressure, e.g. MBE, sputtering, evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31604 Deposition from a gas or vapour H01L21/31691, H01L21/31695 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31691 with perovskite structure
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/04 Sealing arrangements , e.g. against humidity

Abstract

A thin film manufacturing method is provided. The method includes the step of chemically adsorbing a first reactant on a substrate by injecting the first reactant into a chamber in which the substrate is loaded. Physisorbed first reactant on the chemically adsorbed first reactant is removed by purging or pumping the chamber. After the first reactant is densely chemically adsorbed on the substrate by re-injecting the first reactant into the chamber, the physisorbed first reactant on the dense chemisorbed first reactant is removed by purging or pumping the chamber. A second reactant is chemically adsorbed onto the surface of the substrate by injecting the second reactant into the chamber. Physisorbed second reactant on the chemisorbed first reactant and the second reactant is removed by purging or pumping the chamber. A solid thin film is formed by chemical exchange through densely adsorbing the second reactant onto the substrate by re-injecting the second reactant into the chamber. According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a precise stoichiometric thin film having a high film density, since the first reactant and the second reactant are densely adsorbed and the impurities are substantially removed by pumping or purging

Claims

1. A thin film manufacturing method comprising:

(a) initially injecting a first reactant into a chamber in which a substrate with chemisorption sites on its surface is loaded, thereby chemically adsorbing a first portion of the first reactant onto the surface of the substrate;

(b) removing physisorbed first reactant from the chamber to expose unfilled chemisorption sites on the surface of the substrate;

(c) re-injecting the first reactant into the chamber, thereby chemically adsorbing a second portion of the first reactant onto the unfilled chemisorption sites on the surface of the substrate;

(d) removing physisorbed first reactant from the chemically adsorbed first reactant;

(e) injecting a second reactant into the chamber, thereby chemically adsorbing a first portion of the second reactant onto the surface of the substrate and forming a first portion of a monolayer solid thin film by chemical exchange;

(f) removing physisorbed second reactant from the chemically adsorbed first reactant and the chemically adsorbed second reactant; and

(g) re-injecting the second reactant into the chamber, thereby chemically adsorbing a second portion of the second reactant onto the surface of substrate and forming a second portion of the monolayer solid thin film by chemical exchange.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step (h) of removing the physically adsorbed second reactant and residuals generated during the chemical exchange in the step (g), by purging or pumping the chamber.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the steps (g), and (h) are sequentially repeated one or more times.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps (c), and (d) are sequentially repeated one or more times.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the time spent injecting the first reactant in step (c) is equal to or shorter than the time spent injecting the first reactant in step (a).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the time spent injecting the second reactant in the step (g) is equal to or shorter than the time spent injecting the second reactant in step (e).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second reactants each have a structure comprising a chemical ligand and an atom for constructing the solid thin film.

8. The method of clain 1, wherein the solid thin film is comprised of a material selectcd from the group consisting of a single element, an oxide of a single element, a composite oxide, a nitride of a single element, and a composite nitride.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the single element thin film is one selected from the group consisting of Mo, Al, Cu, Ti, Ta, Pt, Ru, Rh, Ir, W, and Ag.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the oxide of a single element is one selected from the group consisting of Al₂O₃, TiO₂, Ta₂O₅, ZrO₂, HfO₂, Nb₂O₅, CeO₂, Y₂O₃, SiO₂, In₂O₃, RuO₂, and IrO₂.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the refractive index of a film comprised of Al₂O₃ is 1.67 to 1.73 in a wavelength range of 400 to 800 nm.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the composite oxide is one selected from the group consisting of SrTiO₃, PbTiO₃, SrRuO₃, CaRuO₃, (Ba,Sr)TiO₃, Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃, (Pb.La)(Zr,Ti)O₃, (Sr,Ca)RuO₃, In₂O₃ doped with Sn, In₂O₃ doped with Fe, and In₂O₃ with Zr.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the nitride of a single element is one selected from the group consisting of SiN, NbN, ZrN, TaN, Ya₃N₅, AlN, GaN, WN, and BN.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the composite nitride is one selected from the group consisting of WBN, WSiN, TiSiN, TaSiN, AlSiN, and AlTiN.