Sequential pulse deposition

• US 6,613,656 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2001
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management)
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Li, Weimin
• Primary Examiner(s): Zarabian, Amir
• Assistant Examiner(s): VOCKRODT, JEFF B
• Application Number:
  US09/782,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20020110991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 438/584, 438/650, 438/686
• US Class Current: 438/584
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4408 by purging residual gases from the reaction chamber or gas lines
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45523 Pulsed gas flow or change of composition over time
• 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 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/28506 of conductive layers

Abstract

A method for growing films on substrates using sequentially pulsed precursors and reactants, system and devices for performing the method, semiconductor devices so produced, and machine readable media containing the method.

Claims

1. A method of forming a film on a substrate, comprising:

flowing a precursor gas into a reaction chamber containing the substrate;

flowing a reactant gas into the reaction chamber;

reacting the precursor gas with the reaction gas adjacent the substrate to deposit a layer of the film on the substrate;

wherein flowing the reactant gas into the chamber occurs after stopping the flow of the precursor gas; and

wherein flowing the precursor gas and flowing the reactant gas are performed without completely purging the remaining reactant gas and the precursor gas from the preceding steps.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if necessary, the above process is repeated until the film has a desired thickness;

and flowing precursor gas into the chamber occurs after stopping precursor gas flow into the chamber while repeating the steps.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the steps are performed in the listed order.

4. A method of forming a film on a substrate, comprising:

flowing a precursor gas into a reaction chamber containing the substrate;

flowing a reactant gas into the reaction chamber;

reacting the precursor gas with the reaction gas adjacent the substrate to deposit a layer of the film on the substrate;

wherein flowing the reactant gas into the chamber occurs after stopping the flow of the precursor gas; and

wherein reacting the precursor with the reactant forms a layer on the substrate at a rate greater than 100 Å

/cycle.

5. A method of forming a film on substrate, comprising:

flowing a PT and Rh precursor gases into a reaction chamber containing the substrate;

flowing a N₂O gas into the reaction chamber; and

wherein the Pt and Rh precursor gases and the N₂O gas are sequentially pulsed into the chamber.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, if necessary, the above process is repeated until the film has a desired thickness, flowing N₂O gas into the chamber occurs after stopping Pt and Rh precursor gas flows into the chamber while repeating the process, and flowing the Pt and Rh precursor gases and flowing the N₂O gas are performed without completely purging the remaining N₂O gas and the Pt and Rh precursor gases from the preceding process.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising flowing an inert purge gas into the chamber in between flowing the Pt and Rh precursor gases and the N₂O gas.

8. A method of forming a film on a substrate, comprising:

flowing a precursor gas containing platinum and rhodium into a reaction chamber containing the substrate;

flowing a reactant gas into the reaction chamber;

wherein the precursor gas and the reactant gas are sequentially pulsed into the chamber;

wherein flowing precursor gas includes saturating precursor near the surface of the substrate so that steps in the substrate are generally covered by precursor; and

wherein flowing the precursor gas and flowing the reactant gas are performed without completely purging the remaining reactant gas and the precursor gas from the preceding flowing steps.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein CVD chemistry occurs near the surface of the substrate to deposit the film on the substrate and reduce gas phase interaction of the precursor and the reactant.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein flowing the precursor gas uniformly covers the steps in the substrate such that precursor material is adjacent essentially the entire surface of the step.

11. A method of forming a film on a substrate, comprising:

flowing a precursor gas containing platinum and rhodium into a reaction chamber containing the substrate;

flowing a reactant gas into the reaction chamber;

heating the chamber to facilitate the chemical reaction of the precursor and the reactant to deposit a film on the substrate;

wherein the precursor gas and the reactant gas are sequentially pulsed into the chamber; and

wherein the precursor and the reactant react to grow a film a rate of at least 10 Å

/cycle.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein heating the chamber includes heating the chamber to at least 100 degrees (C.).

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein heating the chamber includes heating the chamber to at least 200 degrees (C.).

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein heating the chamber includes heating the chamber to at least 300 degrees (C.).

15. A method of forming a film on a substrate, comprising:

flowing a precursor gas containing platinum and rhodium into a reaction chamber containing the substrate;

flowing a reactant gas into the reaction chamber;

heating the chamber to facilitate the chemical reaction of the precursor and the reactant to deposit a film on the substrate;

wherein the precursor gas and the reactant gas are sequentially pulsed into the chamber;

wherein heating the chamber includes heating the chamber to at least 100 degrees (C.); and

wherein the precursor and the reactant react to grow a film a rate of at least 10 Å

/cycle.

16. A method of forming a film on a substrate, comprising:

flowing a precursor gas into a reaction chamber containing the substrate;

stopping flow of the precursor gas;

flowing a reactant gas into the reaction chamber;

reacting the precursor gas with the reaction gas adjacent the substrate to deposit a layer of the film on the substrate;

wherein flowing the reactant gas into the chamber occurs essentially simultaneously with stopping the flow of the precursor gas; and

wherein the precursor gas contains Pt and Rh precursors and the reactant gas contains N2O.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, if necessary to grow the film to a desired thickness, the above process steps are repeated, and flowing precursor gas into the chamber occurs simultaneously with stopping reactant gas flow when repeating the process steps.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein purge gas flows while flowing the precursor gas and the reactant gas.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein flowing precursor gas includes saturating the precursor near the surface of the substrate so that steps in the substrate are covered by precursor.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein saturating the precursor near the surface of the substrate includes CVD chemistry occurring predominantly near the surface of the substrate to deposit the layer on the substrate in order to reduce gas phase interaction of the precursor and the reactant.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein flowing the purge gas maintains an essentially constant chamber pressure.

22. A method of forming a film on a substrate, comprising:

flowing Pt and Rh gases into a reaction chamber containing the substrate;

flowing a reactant gas into the reaction chamber;

wherein flowing the reactant gas occurs essentially simultaneously with stopping the flow of the Pt and Rh gases; and

wherein the reactant gas is one of N2O, O2, and H2.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein, if necessary, the above process is repeated until the film has a desired thickness, flowing Pt and Rh gases into the chamber occurs after stopping reactant gas flow into the chamber while repeating the process.

24. The method according to claim 22, further comprising flowing an inert purge gas into the chamber while flowing the Pt and Rh gases and the reactant gas.

25. A method of forming a film on a substrate, comprising:

flowing a precursor gas into a reaction chamber containing the substrate;

stopping flow of the precursor gas;

flowing a reactant gas into the reaction chamber;

wherein flowing the reactant gas into the chamber occurs essentially simultaneously with stopping the flow of the precursor gas; and

wherein the precursor includes at least one of a metal selected from the group consisting of rhenium ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, silver, osmium, iridium, platinum and gold;

wherein saturating the precursor near the surface of the substrate includes CVD chemistry occurring predominantly near the surface of the substrate to deposit the film on the substrate and reduce gas phase interaction of the precursor and the reactant; and

wherein the above steps are repeated, and flowing the precursor gas and flowing the reactant gas are performed without completely purging the remaining reactant gas and the precursor gas from the preceding flowing steps.

26. A method of forming a film on a substrate, comprising:

flowing a precursor gas containing platinum and rhodium into a reaction chamber containing the substrate;

flowing a reactant gas into the reaction chamber;

heating the chamber to facilitate the chemical reaction of the precursor and the reactant to deposit a film on the substrate;

wherein flowing the reactant gas into the chamber occurs essentially simultaneously with stopping the flow of the precursor gas; and

wherein the precursor and the reactant react to grow a film a rate of at least 5 Å

/cycle.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the chamber is heated to at least 300 degrees (C.).

28. A method of forming a film on a substrate, comprising:

flowing a precursor gas containing platinum and rhodium into a reaction chamber containing the substrate;

flowing a reactant gas into the reaction chamber;

heating the chamber to facilitate the chemical reaction of the precursor and the reactant to deposit a film on the substrate;

wherein flowing the reactant gas into the chamber occurs essentially simultaneously with stopping the flow of the precursor gas;

wherein the chamber is heated to at least 300 degrees (C.); and

wherein the precursor and the reactant react to grow a film a rate of at least 5 Å

/cycle.

29. A method of forming a metal or dielectric film on a substrate, comprising:

flowing a precursor gas into a reaction chamber containing the substrate so that the precursor gas is adjacent the substrate, the precursor gas containing one of platinum, rhodium and a dielectric to be deposited on the substrate;

flowing a reactant gas into the reaction chamber;

reacting the precursor gas with the reaction gas adjacent the substrate to deposit multiple atomic layers of the film during each reacting step;

repeating the above steps until the film has a desired thickness; and

the flowing of the reactant gas into the chamber occurs after stopping the flow of the precursor gas.

30. A method of forming a film on a substrate, comprising:

flowing a precursor gas containing platinum and rhodium into a reaction chamber containing the substrate;

flowing a reactant gas into the reaction chamber;

wherein the precursor gas and the reactant gas are sequentially pulsed into the chamber;

wherein the amount of at least one of the precursor gas and the reactant gas exceeds the amount required to form the film on the substrate;

wherein flowing the byproduct gases includes flowing the excess one of the precursor gas and the reactant gas from the reaction chamber; and

wherein flowing the precursor, flowing the reactant, and flowing the byproduct gas together include growing the film at a rate greater than about 5 Å

per each cycle of flowing the precursor, flowing the reactant, and flowing the byproduct gas.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein flowing the precursor gas includes reacting the precursor and reactant gases together to form the film, and thereafter flowing byproduct gas from the reaction chamber.

32. The method according to claim 30, wherein growing the film includes growing the film at a rate of about 100 Å

per each cycle.

33. The method according to claim 30, wherein flowing the precursor gas into a reaction chamber containing the substrate includes flowing a precursor gas containing a metal component into the reaction chamber.