Method for forming a thin film using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process

• US 6,815,350 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2003
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hyung, Yong-Woo, Ahn, Jae-Young, Kang, Man-Sung, Kim, Young-Seok
• Primary Examiner(s): GHYKA, ALEXANDER G
• Application Number:
  US10/378,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20030232514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 438/680, 438/788, 438/791, 438/792, 427/585, 427/255.28, 427/255.39
• US Class Current: 438/680
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/30 Deposition of compounds, mixtures or solid solutions, e.g. borides, carbides, nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45531 specially adapted for making ternary or higher compositions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02112 characterised by the material of the layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02274 in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0228 deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE, pulsed CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/318 composed of nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3185 of siliconnitrides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3211 Nitridation of silicon-containing layers

Abstract

A method for forming a ternary thin film using an atomic layer deposition process includes supplying a first and a second reactive material to a chamber containing a wafer, the first and second reactive materials being adsorbing on a surface of the wafer, supplying a first gas to the chamber to purge the first and second reactive materials that remain unreacted, supplying a third reactive material to the chamber to cause a reaction between the first and second reactive materials and the third reactive material to form a thin film monolayer, supplying a second gas to purge the third reactive material that remains unreacted and a byproduct, and repeating the above steps for forming the thin film monolayer a predetermined number of times to form a ternary thin film having a predetermined thickness on the wafer. Preferably, the ternary thin film is a SiBN film.

Claims

1. A method for forming a thin film for a semiconductor device using an atomic deposition process, comprising:

(a) supplying a first reactive material and a second reactive material to a chamber having a wafer therein, thereby adsorbing the first reative material and the second reactive material on a surface of the wafer;

(b) supplying a first gas to the chamber to purge the first reactive material and the second reactive material that remain unreacted;

(c) supplying a third reactive material to the chamber, thereby causing a reaction between the first and second materials and the third reactive material to form a monolayer of the thin film;

(d) supplying a second gas to the chamber to purge the third reactive material that remains unreacted in the chamber and a byproduct; and

(e) repeating (a) through (d) for forming the monolayer of the thin film a predetermined number of times to form a SiBN ternary thin film having a predetermined thickness on the wafer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first reactive material includes BCl₃, BBr₃, B₂H₆ or BF₃ gas.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first reactive material is supplied at a gas flow rate of 50 sccm.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second reactive material includes SiH₂Cl₂, SiCl₄, Si₂Cl₆ or SiH₄ gas.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second reactive material is supplied at a gas flow rate of 60 sccm.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second gases are an inert gas or N₂ gas.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second gases are continuously introduced into the chamber during (a) through (d).

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and second gases are introduced into the chamber only during (b) and (d), respectively.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the third reactive material is NH₃ or N₂H₄ gas.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the third reactive material is supplied at a gas flow rate of 500 sccm.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the third reactive material is N₂, H₂ and NH₃ gases and a mixture of these gases with a radical type.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the third reactive material is converted to plasma in the chamber by using an inductive coupled plasma (ICP) generation process, a direct current (DC) plasma generation process, a radio frequency (RF) plasma generation process or a microwave plasma generation process to increase a reaction rate between the first and second reactive materials and the third reactive material.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wafer is heated to a temperature in a range of about 400°

C. to 600°

C. and the chamber maintains an internal pressure in a range of about 1 to 3 torr.

14. A method for forming a thin film for a semiconductor device using an atomic deposition process, comprising:

(a) supplying a first reactive material and a second reactive material to a chamber having a wafer therein, thereby adsorbing the first reactive material and the second reactive material on a surface of the wafer;

(b) supplying a first gas to the chamber to purge the first reactive material and the second reactive material simultaneously that remain unreacted;

(c) supplying a third reactive material to the chamber, thereby causing a reaction between the first and second materials and the third reactive material to form a monolayer of the thin film;

(d) supplying a second gas to the chamber to purge the third reactive material that remains unreacted in the chamber and a byproduct; and

(e) repeating (a) through (d) for forming the monolayer of the thin film a predetermined number of times to form a ternary thin film having a predetermined thickness on the wafer,

wherein the third reactive material is converted to plasma in the chamber by using an inductive coupled plasma (ICP) generation process, a direct current (DC) plasma generation process, a radio frequency (RF) plasma generation process or a microwave plasma generation process to increase a reaction rate between the first and second reactive materials and the third reactive material.

15. A method for forming a thin film for a semiconductor device using an atomic deposition process, comprising:

(a) supplying a first reactive material and a second reactive material simultaneously to a chamber having a wafer therein, thereby adsorbing the first reactive material and the second reactive material on a surface of the wafer;

(b) supplying a first gas to the chamber to purge the first reactive material and the second reactive material simultaneously that remain unreacted;

(c) supplying a third reactive material to the chamber, thereby causing a reaction between the first and second materials and the third reactive material to form a monolayer of the thin film;

(d) supplying a second gas to the chamber to purge the third reactive material that remains unreacted in the chamber and a byproduct; and

(e) repeating (a) through (d) for forming the monolayer of the thin film a predetermined number of times to form a ternary thin film having a predetermined thickness on the wafer.