Methods for forming metal oxide layers with enhanced purity

• US 6,395,650 B1
• Filed: 10/23/2000
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gousev, Evgeni Petrovich, Zabel, Theodore Harold, Doany, Fuad Elias, Callegari, Alessandro Cesare
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghyka, Alexander G.
• Application Number:
  US09/694,173
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 438/771,785,795,906 134/1,1.3
• US Class Current: 438/785
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/40 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4402 Reduction of impurities in the source gas
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/482 using incoherent light, UV to IR, e.g. lamps
• 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 21/02192 the material containing at least one rare earth metal element, e.g. oxides of lanthanides, scandium or yttrium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02271 deposition by decomposition or reaction of gaseous or vapour phase compounds, i.e. chemical vapour deposition H01L21/02266 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02337 treatment by exposure to a gas or vapour
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02348 treatment by exposure to UV light
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02354 using a coherent radiation, e.g. a laser
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3105 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31604 Deposition from a gas or vapour H01L21/31691, H01L21/31695 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3162 on a silicon body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31662 of silicon in uncombined form
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31683 of metallic layers, e.g. Al deposited on the body, e.g. formation of multi-layer insulating structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31691 with perovskite structure

Abstract

Within: (1) a method for purifying a metal oxide layer; and (2) a method for forming with enhanced purity a metal oxide layer, there is employed an irradiation of either: (1) a metal oxide layer; or (2) a substrate in the presence of at least one of an oxidant and a metal source material, such as to either: (1) reduce a concentration of a contaminant material within a metal oxide base material from which is formed a metal oxide layer; or (2) inhibit in a first instance formation of a contaminant material within a metal oxide layer. The metal oxide layer having incorporated therein the reduced concentration of contaminant material is particularly useful as a capacitive dielectric layer within a capacitive device within a microelectronic fabrication.

Claims

1. A method for purifying a metal oxide layer comprising:

providing a substrate having formed thereover a metal oxide layer, the metal oxide layer being formed of a metal oxide base material having incorporated and uniformly distributed therein a concentration of a contaminant material susceptible to reaction with an oxidant to form a volatile contaminant material;

positioning the substrate within a reactor chamber;

introducing into the reactor chamber the oxidant;

irradiating within the reactor chamber the metal oxide layer and the oxidant with a radiation source such as to reduce within the metal oxide base material the concentration of the contaminant material and thus form from the metal oxide layer a purified metal oxide layer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate is employed within a fabrication selected from the group consisting of microelectronic fabrications, optical fabrications and decorative fabrications.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the metal oxide base material is selected from the group consisting of silicon oxides, aluminum oxides, zirconium oxides, hafnium oxides, tantalum oxides, yttrium oxides, titanium oxides, lanthanum oxides, gadolinium oxides, lanthanum-aluminum oxides, zirconium-aluminum oxides, yttrium-aluminum oxides, hafnium-aluminum oxides, titanium-aluminum oxides, barium-strontium-titanium oxides, lead-zirconium-titanium oxides, zirconium-silicon oxides, hafnium-silicon oxides, zirconium oxynitrides, yttrium oxynitrides, hafnium oxynitrides, tantalum oxynitrides, titanium oxynitrides, aluminum oxynitrides, zirconium-silicon oxynitrides, yttrium-silicon oxynitrides, hafnium-silicon oxynitrides, tantalum-silicon oxynitrides, titanium-silicon oxynitrides and aluminum-silicon oxynitrides.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the contaminant is selected from the group consisting of carbon contaminants, sulfur contaminants and hydrogen contaminants.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the oxidant is selected from the group consisting of oxygen containing oxidants and halogen containing oxidants.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the radiation source is an ultraviolet radiation source selected from the group consisting of ultraviolet laser radiation sources, ultraviolet lamp radiation sources and ultraviolet plasma radiation sources.

7. A method for forming a metal oxide layer comprising:

providing a reactor chamber;

positioning within the reactor chamber a substrate;

forming over the substrate within the reactor chamber, while irradiating the substrate within the reactor chamber in the presence of at least one of an oxidant and a metal source material within the reactor chamber, a metal oxide layer, where the metal source material has incorporated therein a contaminant material susceptible to reaction with the oxidant to form a volatile contaminant material.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein by irradiating the substrate with the radiation source while forming over the substrate the metal oxide layer, a contaminant concentration within the metal oxide layer is decreased.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the substrate is employed within a fabrication selected from the group consisting of microelectronic fabrications, optical fabrications and decorative fabrications.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the oxidant is selected from the group consisting of oxygen containing oxidants and halogen containing oxidants.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the metal source material is a metal and carbon containing source material selected from the group consisting of organometallic source materials, metal alkoxide source materials and metal chelate source materials.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the contaminant is selected from the group consisting of carbon contaminants, sulfur contaminants and hydrogen contaminants.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the radiation source is selected from the group consisting of ultraviolet laser radiation sources, ultraviolet lamp radiation sources and ultraviolet plasma radiation sources.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein the metal oxide layer is formed employing a method selected from the group consisting of thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) methods, digital chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods, reactive sputtering methods, atomic layer deposition (ALD) methods and molecular layer deposition (MLD) methods.

15. The method of claim 7 wherein the metal oxide layer is formed employing a discontinuous deposition method and the irradiation of the substrate is coordinated with a discontinuity within the discontinuous deposition method.

16. The method of claim 7 wherein the metal oxide layer is formed from a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of silicon oxides, aluminum oxides, zirconium oxides, hafnium oxides, tantalum oxides, yttrium oxides, titanium oxides, lanthanum oxides, gadolinium oxides, lanthanum-aluminum oxides, zirconium-aluminum oxides, yttrium-aluminum oxides, hafnium-aluminum oxides, titanium-aluminum oxides, barium-strontium-titanium oxides, lead-zirconium-titanium oxides, zirconium-silicon oxides, hafnium-silicon oxides, zirconium oxynitrides, yttrium oxynitrides, hafnium oxynitrides, tantalum oxynitrides, titanium oxynitrides, aluminum oxynitrides, zirconium-silicon oxynitrides, yttrium-silicon oxynitrides, hafnium-silicon oxynitrides, tantalum-silicon oxynitrides, titanium-silicon oxynitrides and aluminum-silicon oxynitrides.