Situ oxide cap layer development

• US 7,273,823 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Issued: 09/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Balasubramanian, Ganesh, Kim, Bok Hoen, Schmitt, Francimar, Lakshmanan, Annamalai, Raj, Daemian
• Primary Examiner(s): GHYKA, ALEXANDER G
• Application Number:
  US11/145,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20060276054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 438/763, 438/788, 438/789
• US Class Current: 438/789
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/30 Deposition of compounds, mixtures or solid solutions, e.g. borides, carbides, nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/401 containing silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45523 Pulsed gas flow or change of composition over time
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02126 the material containing Si, O, and at least one of H, N, C, F, or other non-metal elements, e.g. SiOC, SiOC:H or SiONC
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02211 the compound being a silane, e.g. disilane, methylsilane or chlorosilane
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02216 the compound being a molecule comprising at least one silicon-oxygen bond and the compound having hydrogen or an organic group attached to the silicon or oxygen, e.g. a siloxane
• 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 21/02362 formation of intermediate layers, e.g. capping layers or diffusion barriers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31612 on a silicon body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31633 Deposition of carbon doped silicon oxide, e.g. SiOC
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76829 characterised by the formation of thin functional dielectric layers, e.g. dielectric etch-stop, barrier, capping or liner layers

Abstract

A method of processing a substrate including depositing a low dielectric constant film comprising silicon, carbon, and oxygen on the substrate and depositing an oxide rich cap on the low dielectric constant film is provided. The low dielectric constant film is deposited in the presence of low frequency RF power from a gas mixture including an organosilicon compound and an oxidizing gas. The low frequency RF power is terminated after the deposition of the low dielectric constant film. The oxide rich cap is deposited on the low dielectric constant film in the absence of low frequency RF power from another gas mixture including the organosilicon compound and the oxidizing gas used to deposit the low dielectric constant film.

Claims

1. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:

flowing an organosilicon compound and an oxidizing gas into a chamber;

depositing a low dielectric constant film comprising silicon, carbon, and oxygen on a substrate in the chamber using the organosilicon compound and the oxidizing gas as precursors in the presence of RE power comprising low frequency RF power;

turning off the low frequency RF power after the low dielectric constant film is deposited;

increasing a flow rate of the oxidizing gas into the chamber;

decreasing a flow rate of the organosilicon compound into the chamber; and

then

depositing an oxide rich cap on the low dielectric constant film in the chamber from the organosilicon compound and the oxidizing gas.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the chamber comprises a gas distribution manifold, and the oxide rich cap is deposited under conditions sufficient to provide a DC bias spike of the gas distribution manifold of about 70 V or less.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the DC bias spike is between about 10 V and about 50 V.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the organosilicon compound is octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane or trimethylsilane.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the organosilicon compound is octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane and the oxidizing gas is oxygen.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein increasing the flow rate of the oxidizing gas comprises increasing the flow rate of the oxidizing gas from a flow rate of between about 50 sccm and about 2000 sccm during the depositing the low dielectric constant film to a flow rate of between about 400 sccm and about 5000 sccm during the depositing the oxide rich cap.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein decreasing the flow rate of the organosilicon compound comprises decreasing the flow rate of the organosilicon compound from a flow rate of between about 50 sccm and about 1000 sccm during the depositing the low dielectric constant film to a flow rate of between about 5 sccm and about 100 sccm during the depositing the oxide rich cap.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising chemical mechanical polishing the oxide rich cap.

9. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:

flowing an organosilicon compound and an oxidizing gas into a chamber;

depositing a low dielectric constant film comprising silicon, carbon, and oxygen on a substrate in the chamber using the organosilicon compound and the oxidizing gas as precursors in the presence of RF power comprising low frequency RF power and high frequency RE power;

turning off the low frequency RE power after the low dielectric constant film is deposited;

increasing a flow rate of the oxidizing gas into the chamber;

decreasing a flow rate of the organosilicon compound into the chamber; and

then

depositing an oxide rich cap on the low dielectric constant film in the chamber from the organosilicon compound and the oxidizing gas while maintaining the high frequency RE power.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the chamber comprises a gas distribution manifold, and the oxide rich cap is deposited under conditions sufficient to provide a DC bias spike of the gas distribution manifold of about 70 V or less.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the low frequency RE power has a frequency between about 200 kHz and about 2 MHz, and the high frequency RF power has a frequency between about 500 kHz and about 13.56 MHz.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the low frequency power level during the deposition of the low dielectric constant film is between about 50 W and about 1000 W, and the high frequency power level during the deposition of the low dielectric constant film and during the deposition of the oxide rich cap is between about 50 W and about 3000 W.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the organosilicon compound is octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane and the oxidizing gas is oxygen.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising chemical mechanical polishing the oxide rich cap.

15. A method of processing a substrate, comprising:

flowing an organosilicon compound, an oxidizing gas, and a carrier gas into a chamber;

depositing a low dielectric constant film comprising silicon, carbon, and oxygen on a substrate in the chamber using the organosilicon compound and the oxidizing gas as precursors in the presence of RF power comprising low frequency RF power and high frequency RE power;

turning off the low frequency RE power after the low dielectric constant film is deposited;

increasing a flow rate of the oxidizing gas into the chamber;

decreasing a flow rate of the organosilicon compound into the chamber;

increasing a flow rate of the carrier gas in the chamber; and

then

depositing an oxide rich cap on the low dielectric constant film in the chamber from the organosilicon compound and the oxidizing gas while maintaining the high frequency RE power.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the chamber comprises a gas distribution manifold, and the oxide rich cap is deposited under conditions sufficient to provide a DC bias spike of the gas distribution manifold of about 70 V or less.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the organosilicon compound is octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, the oxidizing gas is oxygen, and the carrier gas is helium.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the low frequency RE power has a frequency between about 200 kHz and about 2 MHz, and the high frequency RF power has a frequency between about 500 kHz and about 13.56 MHz.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the low frequency power level during the deposition of the low dielectric constant film is between about 50 W and about 1000 W, and the high frequency power level during the deposition of the low dielectric constant film and during the deposition of the oxide rich cap is between about 50 W and about 3000 W.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising chemical mechanical polishing the oxide rich cap.