Nanolayer thick film processing system and method

• US 6,756,318 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2001
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ASM International NV
• Original Assignee: Tegal Corp. (Rennova Health, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Tue, Nguyen, Tai Dung
• Primary Examiner(s): Niebling, John F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUK, OLIVIA T
• Application Number:
  US09/954,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20030049375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 438/758, 438/627, 438/643, 438/653, 438/674, 438/678, 438/687, 438/787, 438/770, 427/255, 427/569
• US Class Current: 438/758
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/34 Nitrides C23C16/303 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45523 Pulsed gas flow or change of composition over time
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45542 Plasma being used non-continuously during the ALD reactions
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/507 using external electrodes, e.g. in tunnel type reactors
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/56 After-treatment

Abstract

A process to deposit a thin film by chemical vapor deposition includes evacuating a chamber of gases; exposing a device to a gaseous first reactant, wherein the first reactant deposits on the device to form the thin film having a plurality of monolayers in thickness; evacuating the chamber of gases; exposing the device, coated with the first reactant, to a gaseous second reactant under a plasma treatment, wherein the thin film is treated by the first reactant; and repeating the previous steps.

Claims

1. A process to deposit a thin film on a device by chemical vapor deposition, comprising:

evacuating a chamber of gases;

(a) exposing a device to a gaseous first reactant, wherein the first reactant deposits on the device to form a layer having a thickness of more than a monolayer;

(b) evacuating the chamber of gases;

(c) exposing the device, coated with the first reactant, to a gaseous second reactant under a plasma treatment, wherein the layer deposited by the first reactant is treated; and

(d) repeating steps (a)-(c) until the thin film comprising a plurality of layers is deposited.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the device is a wafer.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the plasma treatment enhances or maintains the thin film density or conformality.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the plasma is a high density plasma with higher than 5×

10⁹ ion/cm³.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein one of the reactants comprises a metal organic reactant.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein one of the reactants comprises an organic reactant.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the thin film comprises a metal film.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein the thin film comprises a metal nitride film or a metal oxide film.

9. The process of claim 1, wherein the second reactant is exposed under high pressure above approximately one hundred millitorr (100 mT).

10. The process of claim 1, further comprising pressurizing the chamber to a high pressure above approximately one hundred millitorr (100 mT).

11. The process of claim 1, wherein the first and second reactants react.

12. The process of claim 11, wherein the reaction creates a new compound.

13. The process of claim 1, wherein the thin film thickness is between a fraction of a nanometer and ten nanometers.

14. The process of claim 1, further comprising sequentially pulsing the plasma for each layer to be deposited.

15. The process of claim 1, further comprising exciting the plasma with a solid state RF plasma source.

16. The process of claim 1, further comprising purging a chamber containing the device.

17. A process to deposit a thin film by chemical vapor deposition, comprising:

(a) pre-cleaning a surface of a device;

(b) evacuating a chamber of gases;

(c) stabilizing precursor flow and pressure;

(d) exposing the device to a gaseous first reactant, wherein the first reactant deposits on the device to form a layer having a thickness of more than a monolayer;

(e) purging the chamber;

(f) evacuating the chamber of gases;

(g) striking the plasma;

(h) performing a plasma treatment for the deposition;

(i) exposing the device, coated with the first reactant, to a gaseous second reactant under the plasma treatment, the layer deposited by the first reactant is treated; and

(j) repeating steps (c)-(i) until the thin film comprising a plurality of layers is deposited.

18. An apparatus to perform nano-layer deposition (NLD), comprising:

a high density inductive coupled plasma generator to generate plasma; and

a process chamber housing the plasma generator, wherein the chamber exposes a device to a gaseous first reactant, wherein the first reactant deposits on the device to form a layer having a thickness of more than a monolayer and, after purging, exposes the device, coated with the first reactant, to a gaseous second reactant under plasma, the layer deposited by the first reactant is treated.

19. A process to deposit a thin film on a device by chemical vapor deposition, comprising:

evacuating a chamber of gases;

(a) exposing a device to a gaseous first reactant, wherein the first reactant deposits on the device to form a layer;

(b) evacuating the chamber of gases;

(c) exposing the device, coated with the first reactant, to a gaseous second reactant under a plasma treatment,

wherein the plasma is generated with a solid state RF plasma source having a helical ribbon electrode,

wherein the layer deposited by the first reactant is treated; and

(d) repeating steps (a)-(c) until the thin film comprising a plurality of layers is deposited.

20. An apparatus to perform nano-layer deposition (NLD), comprising:

a high density inductive coupled plasma generator to generate plasma, the plasma generator comprising a solid state RF plasma source with a helical ribbon electrode; and

a process chamber housing the plasma generator, wherein the chamber exposes a device to a gaseous first reactant, wherein the first reactant deposits on the device to form a layer and, after purging, exposes the device, coated with the first reactant, to a gaseous second reactant under plasma, the layer deposited by the first reactant is treated.