Plasma immersion ion implantation process

• US 7,465,478 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2005
• Issued: 12/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Ramaswamy, Kartik, Hanawa, Hiroji, Collins, Kenneth S., Nguyen, Andrew, Al-Bayati, Amir, Gallo, Biagio
• Primary Examiner(s): Padgett; Marianne L
• Application Number:
  US11/046,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20060081558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 427/523
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32082 Radio frequency generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394 and H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/321 the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/906 Cleaning of wafer as interim step

Abstract

A method of processing a workpiece includes placing the workpiece on a workpiece support pedestal in a main chamber with a gas distribution showerhead, introducing a process gas into a remote plasma source chamber and generating a plasma in the remote plasma source chamber, transporting plasma-generated species from the remote plasma source chamber to the gas distribution showerhead so as to distribute the plasma-generated species into the main chamber through the gas distribution showerhead, and applying plasma RF power into the main chamber.

Claims

1. A method of processing a workpiece, comprising:

providing a main reactor chamber having a ceiling gas distribution plate facing a wafer support and side gas injectors below said gas distribution plate, and providing a remote source chamber enclosed separately from the main reactor chamber;

evacuating said main reactor chamber and evacuating said remote source chamber;

placing a wafer on said wafer support in said main chamber and, while said wafer is on said wafer support, providing a plasma in said main chamber having ions that impinge on said wafer by introducing a process gas through said side gas injectors in said main reactor chamber and applying RF power to external transverse reentrant conduits having chamber entry ports on opposite sides of said main reactor chamber, so as to produce an oscillating plasma current in a closed reentrant path that encircles said gas distribution plate;

increasing dissociation of species in said main reactor chamber independently of said RF power, by generating a remote plasma in said remote source chamber and introducing through said ceiling gas distribution plate excited radicals from said remote plasma into said main reactor chamber.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

prior to placing the wafer on the support, depositing a seasoning film on interior surfaces of said main reactor chamber by generating an seasoning oscillating plasma current in said closed reentrant path with a seasoning species gas.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

after placing the wafer on said wafer support but before generating the plasma of reactive species in said main reactor chamber, performing a wafer clean step by generating a plasma of wafer cleaning species in said remote source chamber and introducing radicals of the wafer cleaning species from the remote source chamber into the main chamber to clean undesired materials from said wafer.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

generating the plasma of reactive species in said main reactor chamber within a sufficiently short time following completion of said wafer clean step to prevent re-growth of native oxide on said wafer.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

coupling RF bias power to the wafer of a sufficient power level to perform plasma immersion ion implantation of a species derived from said process gas to a desired implant depth.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

controlling the temperature of the wafer by clamping the wafer to the wafer support by generating an electrostatic wafer clamping force in the wafer support, and regulating the temperature of the wafer by regulating the electrostatic wafer clamping force.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

providing a polished continuous wafer support surface on said wafer support uninterrupted by open channels;

prior to placing the wafer on the wafer support, depositing a cushioning layer on said wafer support surface.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein depositing a cushioning layer is performed while maintaining the wafer support surface at a temperature conducive for deposition of said cushioning film, so as to deposit said cushioning film on said wafer support surface and not on other interior surfaces of said main chamber.

9. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

during the deposition of the seasoning film, maintaining the interior surfaces of said main chamber at a temperature conducive for depositing said seasoning film;

depositing a cushioning layer on a wafer support surface of said wafer support while maintaining a wafer support surface of said wafer support at a temperature conducive for deposition of said cushioning film, so as to deposit said cushioning film on said wafer support surface and not on other interior surfaces of said main chamber.

10. A method of processing a workpiece, comprising:

providing a main reactor chamber having a ceiling gas distribution plate facing a wafer support and side gas injectors below said gas distribution plate, and providing a remote source chamber enclosed separately from the main reactor chamber;

evacuating said main reactor chamber and evacuating said remote source chamber;

placing a wafer on said wafer support in said main chamber and, while said wafer is on said wafer support, generating a plasma in said main chamber having ions that impinge on said wafer by introducing a process gas through said side gas injectors in said main reactor chamber and applying RF power to external transverse reentrant conduits having chamber entry ports on opposite sides of said main reactor chamber, so as to produce an oscillating plasma current in a closed reentrant path that encircles said gas distribution plate;

regulating the proportion of reactive ions to reactive radicals independently of said RE power, by generating a remote plasma in said remote source chamber and introducing through said ceiling gas distribution plate reactive radicals from said remote plasma into said main reactor chamber.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

prior to placing the wafer on the support, depositing a seasoning film on interior surfaces of said main reactor chamber by generating an seasoning oscillating plasma current in said closed reentrant path with a seasoning species gas.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

after placing the wafer on said wafer support but before generating the plasma of reactive species in said main reactor chamber, performing a wafer clean step by generating a plasma of wafer cleaning species in said remote source chamber and introducing radicals of the wafer cleaning species from the remote source chamber into the main chamber to clean undesired materials from said wafer.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

generating the plasma of reactive species in said main reactor chamber within a sufficiently short time following completion of said wafer clean step to prevent re-growth of native oxide on said wafer.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

coupling RF bias power to the wafer of a sufficient power level to perform plasma immersion ion implantation of a species derived from said process gas to a desired implant depth.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

controlling the temperature of the wafer by clamping the wafer to the wafer support by generating an electrostatic wafer clamping force in the wafer support, and regulating the temperature of the wafer by regulating the electrostatic wafer clamping force.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

providing a polished continuous wafer support surface on said wafer support uninterrupted by open channels;

prior to placing the wafer on the wafer support, depositing a cushioning layer on said wafer support surface.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein depositing a cushioning layer is performed while maintaining the wafer support surface at a temperature conducive for deposition of said cushioning film, so as to deposit said cushioning film on said wafer support surface and not on other interior surfaces of said main chamber.

18. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

during the deposition of the seasoning film, maintaining the interior surfaces of said main chamber at a temperature conducive for depositing said seasoning film;

depositing a cushioning layer on a wafer support surface of said wafer support while maintaining a wafer support surface of said wafer support at a temperature conducive for deposition of said cushioning film, so as to deposit said cushioning film on said wafer support surface and not on other interior surfaces of said main chamber.