Silicon oxide film formation method

• US 6,955,836 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Issued: 10/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Anelva Corporation (Canon Inc.), NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: Anelva Corporation (Canon Inc.), NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kumagai, Akira, Ishibashi, Keiji, Mori, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): MEEKS, TIMOTHY HOWARD
• Application Number:
  US10/326,092
• Publication Number:
  US 20030118748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 427/579, 427/255.37
• US Class Current: 427/579
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/401 containing silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/452 by activating reactive gas streams before their introduction into the reaction chamber, e.g. by ionisation or addition of reactive species
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45591 Fixed means, e.g. wings, baffles

Abstract

A silicon oxide film formation method enhances the efficiency of generating atomic oxygen and improves film quality of a silicon film (SiO₂ film) in forming the silicon oxide film using an RS-CVD system. Nitrogen atom containing gas (N₂ gas, NO gas, N₂O gas, NO₂ gas or the like) is added to oxygen atom containing gas (O₂ gas, O₃ gas or the like) introduced into a plasma generating space in a vacuum container to produce plasmas with these gases and to thereby increase the quantity of atomic oxygen generated by the plasmas in the plasma generating space.

Claims

1. A silicon oxide film formation method using a CVD system having a vacuum container separated into two compartments by a conductive partition plate, one of the compartments forming a plasma generating space containing a high frequency electrode and the other compartment forming a film forming space containing a substrate holding mechanism for holding substrates, the conductive partition plate having plural penetration holes for communicating between the plasma generating space and the film forming space and an inner space separated from the plasma generating space and communicating with the film forming space through plural diffusion holes, said method comprising:

supplying a material gas into the inner space of the conductive partition plate and introducing the material gas into the film forming space through plural diffusion holes;

applying high frequency electric power to the high frequency electrode to generate plasma discharge in the plasma generating space and introducing products produced by the plasma in the plasma generating space into the film forming space through plural penetration holes in the conductive partition plate; and

forming a silicon oxide film on a substrate held by the substrate holding mechanism with the products and the material gas;

wherein, during said applying, oxygen atom containing gas and nitrogen atom containing gas are introduced into the plasma generating space to generate the plasma discharge, the nitrogen atom containing gas is introduced together with the oxygen containing gas and is mixed into the oxygen atom containing gas at a flow rate ratio of not more than 20%, the oxygen atom containing gas is one of O₂ and O₃, and the nitrogen atom containing gas is one of NO, N₂O and NO₂.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the flow rate ratio of the nitrogen atom containing gas is not more than 5 to 7%.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the products generated in the plasma generating space by generating the plasma discharge are radicals.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the products generated in the plasma generating space by generating the plasma discharge are radicals.