Thin film forming method and thin film forming device

• US 7,482,283 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2001
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Kawano, Yumiko, Yamasaki, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu; Chuong A.
• Application Number:
  US10/450,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20040029379A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,604 Days
• Field of Search: 438/758, 438/685, 438/764, 438/778
• US Class Current: 438/758
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/0218 in a reactive atmosphere C23C16/0227 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/34 Nitrides C23C16/303 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45525 Atomic layer deposition [ALD]
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45531 specially adapted for making ternary or higher compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
• 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 21/28568 the conductive layers comprising transition metals H01L21/28518 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming a thin film using the ALD process. Prior to the ALD process where each of a plurality of source gasses is supplied one by one, plural times, a pretreatment process is performed in which the source gasses are simultaneously supplied to shorten an incubation period and improve throughput.

Claims

1. A method for forming a thin film on a substrate by causing a plurality of source gasses to react on the substrate, comprising:

(a) pretreating the substrate by simultaneously supplying at least two source gasses of said plurality of source gasses; and

(b) after pretreating the substrate, separately supplying each different source gas of said plurality of source gasses a predetermined number of times to form the thin film;

wherein there is no separate supplying of source gasses before the pretreatment step.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

(c) evacuating or supplying another different gas, between the separately supplying of said each source gas.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said source gasses are WF₆ gas, NH₃ gas and SiH₄ gas.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein a supply period for the step of simultaneously supplying at least two source gasses of said plurality of source gasses has a lower limit and an upper limit, and the lower limit is 0.1 second and the upper limit is the time it takes for a 2.0 nm thick film to be formed.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said source gasses are TiCl₄ gas and NH₃ gas.

6. A method for forming a thin film on a substrate by causing a plurality of source gasses to react on the substrate comprising:

(a) pretreating the substrate by simultaneously supplying a first source gas having an ingredient of the thin film and a second source gas reacting with the first source gas; and

(b) performing an atomic layer deposition step after the pretreatment by separately supplying a third source gas having an ingredient of the thin film and a fourth source gas reacting with the third gas a predetermined number of times;

wherein there is no separate supplying of source gasses before the pretreatment step.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first source gas and the third source gas are the same.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said second source gas and the fourth source gas are the same.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising, before the pretreatment step, providing the substrate in a chamber having a predetermined pressure and heating the substrate to a predetermined temperature.

10. A method for pretreating a substrate for an atomic layer deposition process used to form a thin film, the pretreating method comprising:

providing the substrate in a chamber having a predetermined pressure;

heating the substrate to a predetermined temperature; and

after heating the substrate, simultaneously supplying first and second source gasses, the first source gas having an ingredient of the thin film, the second source gas reacting with the first source gas;

wherein there is no separately supplying of the first and second source gasses prior to the simultaneously supplying step.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first and second source gasses are simultaneously supplied for at least 0.1 seconds.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first and second source gasses are simultaneously supplied for a longer limit period of time corresponding to the time it takes to form a 2.0 nm thickness pretreatment film.