Method of forming ruthenium and ruthenium oxide films on a semiconductor structure

• US 6,844,261 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2002
• Issued: 01/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management)
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Uhlenbrock, Stefan, Marsh, Eugene P.
• Primary Examiner(s): MEEKS, TIMOTHY HOWARD
• Application Number:
  US10/322,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20030092262A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 438/681, 438/686, 438/758, 438/778, 427/252, 427/255.31, 427/901
• US Class Current: 438/681
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/18 from metallo-organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/40 Oxides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/28556 by chemical means, e.g. CVD, LPCVD, PECVD, laser CVD H01L21/28518 - H01L21/28537 and H01L21/28568 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 28/60 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 427/101 Liquid Source Chemical Depostion, i.e. LSCVD or Aerosol Chemical Vapor Deposition, i.e. ACVD

Abstract

A method is provided for forming a film of ruthenium or ruthenium oxide to the surface of a substrate by employing the techniques of chemical vapor deposition to decompose ruthenium precursor formulations. The ruthenium precursor formulations of the present invention include a ruthenium precursor compound and a solvent capable of solubilizing the ruthenium precursor compound. A method is further provided for making a vaporized ruthenium precursor for use in the chemical vapor deposition of ruthenium and ruthenium-containing materials onto substrates, wherein a ruthenium precursor formulation having a ruthenium-containing precursor compound and a solvent capable of solubilizing the ruthenium-containing precursor compound is vaporized.

Claims

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

providing a ruthenium precursor formulation comprising tricarbonyl ruthenium dissolved in a solvent;

vaporizing said ruthenium precursor formulation to form a vaporized precursor compound; and

directing said vaporized precursor compound toward said semiconductor substrate to form a ruthenium film on a surface of said semiconductor substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing said tricarbonyl ruthenium as a liquid.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing said tricarbonyl ruthenium to have a freezing point around room temperature.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said tricarbonyl ruthenium decomposes at a temperature greater than room temperature.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting said semiconductor substrate from the group consisting of a semiconductor wafer, a semiconductor on an insulator substrate, and a semiconductor on a sapphire substrate.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising vaporizing said ruthenium precursor formulation using a hot wall-type chemical deposition technique.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising vaporizing said ruthenium precursor formulation using a cold wall-type chemical deposition technique.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising containing said semiconductor substrate within a reaction chamber having a pressure of about 0.1 torr to about 10 torr.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising containing said semiconductor substrate within a reaction chamber having a pressure of about 1 atmosphere.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing said ruthenium precursor formulation to further contain an oxidizing agent.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing said tricarbonyl ruthenium to further contain oxygen.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising directing said vaporized precursor compound in combination with at least one oxidizing gas toward said semiconductor substrate to form a ruthenium oxide film on said surface of said semiconductor substrate.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing oxygen as said at least one oxidizing gas.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising selecting said at least one oxidizing gas from the group consisting of O₂, N₂O, O₃, NO, NO₂, H₂O₂, H₂O, SO₂, SO₃, organic peroxides, and combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising injecting said ruthenium precursor formulation into a vaporizer to vaporize said ruthenium precursor formulation.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising injecting said ruthenium precursor formulation into a flash vaporizer to vaporize said ruthenium precursor formulation.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting said solvent from the group consisting of hexane, hexanes, pentane, heptane, and butylacetate.

18. A method of forming a ruthenium film on a semiconductor structure, the method comprising:

providing a ruthenium precursor formulation comprising cyclohexadienetricarbonyl ruthenium dissolved in a solvent;

vaporizing said ruthenium precursor formulation to form a vaporized precursor compound; and

directing said vaporized precursor compound toward said semiconductor structure to form a ruthenium film on a surface of said semiconductor structure.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising selecting said solvent from the group consisting of hexane, hexanes, pentane, heptane, and butylacetate.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising selecting said semiconductor structure from the group consisting of a semiconductor wafer, a semiconductor on an insulator substrate, and a semiconductor on a sapphire substrate.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising selecting said ruthenium precursor formulation to contain an oxidizing agent.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing said ruthenium precursor formulation to further contain oxygen.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising directing said vaporized precursor compound in combination with at least one oxidizing gas toward said semiconductor structure to form a ruthenium oxide film on said surface of the semiconductor structure.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising providing oxygen as said at least one oxidizing gas.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising selecting said at least one oxidizing gas from the group consisting of O₂, N₂O, O₃, NO, NO₂, H₂O₂, H₂O, SO₂, SO₃, organic peroxides, and combinations thereof.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein vaporizing said ruthenium precursor formulation comprises injecting said ruthenium precursor formulation into a vaporizer.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein vaporizing said ruthenium precursor formulation comprises injecting said ruthenium precursor formulation into a flash vaporizer.