Process for forming a silicon-based film on a substrate using a temperature gradient across the substrate axis

• US 6,794,275 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2002
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sano, Masafumi, Sakai, Akira, Hayashi, Ryo, Sugiyama, Shuichiro, Koda, Yuzo, Moriyama, Koichiro, Kondo, Takaharu, Okabe, Shotaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Kielin, Erik J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smoot, Stephen W.
• Application Number:
  US10/113,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20030104664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 438/485, 438/486, 438/488, 438/647, 438/657, 438/680, 438/684
• US Class Current: 438/485
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/46 characterised by the method used for heating the substrate C23C16/48, C23C16/50 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/463 Cooling of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/505 using radio frequency discharges
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/545 for coating elongated substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02422 Non-crystalline insulating materials, e.g. glass, polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02425 Conductive materials, e.g. metallic silicides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02491 Conductive materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02505 consisting of more than two layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02529 Silicon carbide
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02532 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66765 Lateral single gate single channel transistors with inverted structure, i.e. the channel layer is formed after the gate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/075 the potential barriers being only of the PIN type, e.g. amorphous silicon PIN solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/076 Multiple junction or tandem solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1804 comprising only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1824 Special manufacturing methods for microcrystalline Si, uc-Si
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1884 Manufacture of transparent electrodes, e.g. TCO, ITO
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/202 including only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/545 Microcrystalline silicon PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/547 : Monocrystalline silicon PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/548 : Amorphous silicon PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 : Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

In a process for forming a silicon-based film on a substrate according to the present invention, the substrate has a temperature gradient in the thickness direction thereof in the formation of the silicon-based film and the temperature gradient is made such that a deposition surface of the substrate has a higher temperature than a backside or the direction of the temperature gradient is reversed. With this configuration, the present invention provides a silicon-based thin film having good properties at a high deposition rate and provides a semiconductor device including it. The present invention also provides a semiconductor device including the silicon-based thin films that has good adhesion and weather-resisting properties and that can be manufactured in a short tact time.

Claims

1. A process for forming a silicon-based film on a substrate, comprising providing a temperature gradient in the thickness direction of the substrate in the formation of the silicon-based film,

wherein the temperature gradient is made such that a deposition surface of the substrate has a higher temperature than a backside, and

wherein the silicon-based film is formed on the substrate loaded in a vacuum vessel, using a plasma CVD technique that involves introducing a source gas containing hydrogen and at least one of a hydrogenated silicon gas and a fluorinated silicon gas into the vacuum vessel and introducing high frequency waves into a high frequency input unit in the vacuum vessel.

2. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the temperature gradient C is defined by C=Δ

T/d, d representing a thickness of the substrate and Δ

T representing a temperature difference between the deposition surface and the backside of the substrate, and wherein a value of C is in a range between 500°

C./m and 100,000°

C./m, both inclusive.

3. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 1, wherein heat sources are provided on the deposition surface side of the substrate and the backside thereof, the heat sources being used to apply heat to the substrate in the formation of the silicon-based film.

4. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cooling mechanism is provided on the deposition surface side of the substrate and/or the backside thereof in the formation of the silicon-based film.

5. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the temperature of the backside of the substrate is reduced in the course of forming the silicon-based film.

6. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the silicon-based film is a silicon-based film including a crystalline phase.

7. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 6, wherein the silicon-based film including the crystalline phase has a region of which ratio of the diffraction intensity of (220) planes in the crystalline phase is 80% or higher with respect to the total diffraction intensity obtained using an x-ray or an electron beam.

8. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the high frequency waves have a frequency between 10 MHz and 10 GHz, both inclusive.

9. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 8, wherein the high frequency waves have a frequency between 20 MHz and 300 MHz, both inclusive.

10. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 1, wherein a distance between the high frequency input unit and the substrate is equal to or larger than 3 mm but not larger than 30 mm.

11. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pressure in forming the silicon-based film is equal to or higher than 100 Pa (0.75 Torr) but not higher than 5,000 Pa (37.5 Torr).

12. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 1, wherein a residence time of the source gas in forming the silicon-based film is equal to or longer than 0.01 seconds but not longer than 10 seconds.

13. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 12, wherein the residence time of the source gas in forming the silicon-based film is equal to or longer than 0.1 seconds but not longer than 3 seconds.

14. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 1, wherein a power density in forming the silicon-based film is equal to or higher than 0.01 W/cm³ but not higher than 2 W/cm³.

15. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 14, wherein the power density in forming the silicon-based film is equal to or higher than 0.1 W/cm³ but not higher than 1 W/cm³.

16. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the silicon-based film contains at least one of oxygen atoms, carbon atoms and nitrogen atoms, and wherein the total amount thereof is equal to or larger than 1.5×

10¹⁸ atoms/cm³ but not larger than 5.0×

10¹⁹ atoms/cm³.

17. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 1, wherein the silicon-based film contains fluorine atoms in an amount equal to or larger than 1.0×

10¹⁹ atoms/cm³ but not larger than 2.5×

10²⁰ atoms/cm³.

18. A process for forming a silicon-based film on a substrate, comprising providing a temperature gradient in the thickness direction of the substrate in the formation of the silicon-based film wherein the direction of the temperature gradient is reversed during the formation of the silicon-based film.

19. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 18, wherein the temperature gradient C is defined by C=Δ

T/d, d representing a thickness of the substrate and Δ

T representing a temperature difference between the deposition surface and the backside of the substrate, and wherein a value of C is varied within a range not larger than 100,000°

C./m.

20. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 18, wherein in the process where the direction of the temperature gradient is reversed during the formation of the silicon-based film, the temperature gradient C includes a range of at least 500°

C./m in a process where the deposition surface of the substrate has a higher temperature than the backside and in a process where the backside has a higher temperature than the deposition surface.

21. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 18, wherein heat sources are provided on the deposition surface side of the substrate and the backside thereof, the heat sources being used to apply heat to the substrate in the formation of the silicon-based film.

22. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 18, wherein a cooling mechanism is provided on the deposition surface side of the substrate and/or the backside thereof in the formation of the silicon-based film.

23. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 18, wherein the temperature of the backside of the substrate is reduced in the course of forming the silicon-based film.

24. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 18, wherein the silicon-based film is a silicon-based film including a crystalline phase.

25. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 24, wherein the silicon-based film including the crystalline phase has a region of which ratio of the diffraction intensity of (220) planes in the crystalline phase is 80% or higher with respect to the total diffraction intensity obtained using an x-ray or an electron beam.

26. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 18, wherein the silicon-based film is formed on the substrate loaded in a vacuum vessel, using a plasma CVD technique that involves introducing a source gas containing hydrogen and at least one of a hydrogenated silicon gas and a fluorinated silicon gas into the vacuum vessel and introducing high frequency waves into a high frequency input unit in the vacuum vessel.

27. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 26, wherein the high frequency waves have a frequency between 10 MHz and 10 GHz, both inclusive.

28. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 27, wherein the high frequency waves have a frequency between 20 MHz and 300 MHz, both inclusive.

29. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 26, wherein a distance between the high frequency input unit and the substrate is equal to or larger than 3 mm but not larger than 30 mm.

30. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 26, wherein a pressure in forming the silicon-based film is equal to or higher than 100 Pa (0.75 Torr) but not higher than 5,000 Pa (37.5 Torr).

31. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 26, wherein a residence time of the source gas in forming the silicon-based film is equal to or longer than 0.01 seconds but not longer than 10 seconds.

32. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 31, wherein the residence time of the source gas in forming the silicon-based film is equal to or longer than 0.1 seconds but not longer than 3 seconds.

33. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 26, wherein a power density in forming the silicon-based film is equal to or higher than 0.01 W/cm³ but not higher than 2 W/cm³.

34. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 33, wherein the power density in forming the silicon-based film is equal to or higher than 0.1 W/cm³ but not higher than 1 W/cm³.

35. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 26, wherein the silicon-based film contains at least one of oxygen atoms, carbon atoms and nitrogen atoms, and wherein the total amount thereof is equal to or larger than 1.5×

10¹⁸ atoms/cm³ but not larger than 5.0×

10¹⁹ atoms/cm³.

36. The process for forming a silicon-based film as claimed in claim 26, wherein the silicon-based film contains fluorine atoms in an amount equal to or larger than 1.0×

10¹⁹ atoms/cm³ but not larger than 2.5×

10²⁰ atoms/cm³.

37. A process for forming a silicon-based film on a substrate, comprising providing a temperature gradient in the thickness direction of the substrate in the formation of the silicon-based film,

wherein the temperature gradient is made such that a deposition surface of the substrate has a higher temperature than a backside, and

wherein the temperature of the backside of the substrate is reduced in the course of forming the silicon-based film.