Pretreatment process for plasma immersion ion implantation

• US 6,458,430 B1
• Filed: 12/22/1999
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Axcelis Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Axcelis Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Bernstein, James D., Denholm, Alec S., Kellerman, Peter L.
• Primary Examiner(s): PADGETT, MARIANNE L
• Application Number:
  US09/469,661
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 427/524, 427/525, 427/526, 427/527, 427/531, 427/534, 427/491, 427/504, 427/552, 427/536, 438/514, 438/515, 438/520, 438/527, 438/528, 438/531
• US Class Current: 427/525
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/042 using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/48 Ion implantation
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32174 Circuits specially adapted for controlling the RF discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32311 Circuits specially adapted for controlling the microwave discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32412 Plasma immersion ion implantation
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32422 Arrangement for selecting ions or species in the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32871 Means for trapping or directing unwanted particles
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/2236 from or into a plasma phase
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/266 using masks H01L21/26586 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for use with a plasma immersion ion implantations systems wherein a substrate W having a patterned photoresist P thereon is implanted. The method includes ionizing a first gas in a chamber 12 to produce electrically inactive ions and reacting the electrically active ions with the photoresist P to produce outgassing 64. The outgassed material 64 is continuously evacuated until outgassing is substantially completed. The method further includes ionizing a second gas to produce electrically active ions and implanting a positively charged species of the electrically active ions into the substrate. Also disclosed is a method for curing the photoresist prior to ion implantation. A gas is ionized in the chamber 12 to produce positively and electrons. The electrons are first attracted to a substrate in the chamber having patterned photoresist P thereon for hardening the photoresist. The positively charged ions are then implanted into substrate W wherein photoresist outgassing is substantially prevented.

Claims

1. In a plasma immersion ion implantation process for implanting dopant ions into a surface of a substrate having an organic photoresist which forms a photoresist mask thereon, wherein said plasma immersion ion implantation process includes placing the substrate having the photoresist mask thereon into a chamber having walls of electrically conductive material, generating an implant plasma of ions from a first ionizable source wherein said ions include electrically active dopants when implanted into the substrate, and applying voltage pulses between the chamber walls and the substrate independently of the generating of the implant plasma for selectively implanting the electrically active dopant ions into the surface of the substrate, wherein the substrate is pretreated prior to the step of generating the implant plasma so as to substantially prevent implantation of carbon ions resulting from a reaction of the electrically active ions with the organic photoresist, said pretreatment process comprising the steps of:

a) generating a pretreating plasma from a second ionizable source to produce pretreatment ions that become electrically inactive when implanted in the substrate;

b) reacting the pretreatment ions with the organic photoresist to cause outgassing of an organic reactant product of said pretreatment ions and said photoresist; and

c) evacuating said chamber to remove the organic reactant product.

2. The process according to claim 1 wherein the second source is a noble gas.

3. The process according to claim 2 wherein the noble gas is selected from the group consisting of argon, helium, and neon.

4. The process according to claim 1 wherein the first source is an ionizable gas and flows into the chamber 12 at a rate of about 0.5 sccm.

5. The process according to claim 1 wherein the substrate is a silicon semiconductor wafer.

6. The process according to claim 1 wherein said first ionizable source includes an implant gas selected from the group consisting of arsine, vaporized antimony, phosphine, diborane, boron trifluoride or trichloride, silicon tetrachloride, vaporized gallium, vaporized indium, ammonia, hydrogen and nitrogen.

7. The process according to claim 1 wherein said steps (b) and (c) are performed simultaneously.

8. The process according to claim 1 wherein the pretreatment process occurs in the chamber.

9. The process according to claim 1 wherein the second source flows into the chamber at a rate greater than 50 sccm.

10. A method for use with a plasma ion immersion Implanter for selectively implanting dopant ions into a surface of a substrate having an organic photoresist thereon partially covering the surface of the substrate, said method comprising the steps of:

a) placing the substrate having an organic photoresist thereon into a chamber;

b) flowing a first ionizable gas into the chamber;

c) ionizing the first gas in the chamber to produce pretreatment ions that become electrically inactive when implanted in the substrate;

d) reacting the pretreatment ions with the photoresist to produce an outgas material and continuously diluting and evacuating the outgassed material from the chamber so as to substantially prevent ionizing the outgassed material;

e) turning off the flow of the first gas;

f) flowing a second gas into the chamber;

g) ionizing the second gas in the chamber to produce electrically active dopant ions;

h) selectively implanting the electrically active dopant ions into the substrate surface;

i) turning off the second gas flow, and

j) unloading the substrate from the chamber.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the first gas is selected from the group consisting of helium, neon and argon.

12. The method according to claim 10 wherein the electrically inactive species when implanted into the substrate is ₄₀Ar⁺.

13. The method according to claim 10 wherein the first ionizable source includes an implant gas selected from the group consisting of arsine, vaporized antimony, phosphine, diborane, boron trifluoride or trichloride, silicon tetrachloride, vaporized gallium, vaporized indium, ammonia, hydrogen and nitrogen.

14. The method according to claim 10 further comprising flowing the first gas into the chamber 12 at a rate greater than 50 sccm and flowing the second gas at a rate of about 0.5 sccm.

15. The method according to claim 10 wherein said steps (b)-(e)are completed in less than 15 seconds.

16. The method according to claim 10 further comprising monitoring an emission signal of carbon species produced during the outgassing occurring during said step (d) and turning off the first gas when the carbon emission signal is no longer detectable.

17. The method according to claim 10 wherein the electrically active ions comprise positively charged ions.

18. A method of curing photoresist for use with a plasma ion immersion implanter, said method comprising the steps of:

a) placing the substrate in an evacuated chamber;

b) ionizing a gas to produce positive ions and electrons; and

c) extracting and accelerating the electrons to a surface of the substrate having the patterned photoresist for curing the photoresist by periodically pulsing a positive voltage pulse to a platen holding the substrate.

19. The method according to claim 18 further comprising extracting and accelerating only positive ions to the surface of the substrate having the patterned photoresist for doping the positive ions into the surface.

20. A method of curing photoresist and implanting ions into a surface of a substrate having an organic photoresist patterned thereon with a plasma ion immersion implanter, said method comprising:

a) placing a substrate in an evacuated chamber;

b) ionizing a gas to produce positive ions and electrons;

c) extracting and accelerating the electrons to the surface of the substrate having the patterned photoresist to cure the photoresist; and

,

d) extracting and accelerating the positive ions to the surface of the substrate having the patterned photoresist for doping the positive ions into the surface by periodically applying a negative voltage pulse to a platen holding the substrate.