Remote plasma burn-in

• US 8,551,891 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2012
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Liang, Jingmei, Ji, Lili, Ingle, Nitin K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picardat, Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US13/527,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20130084711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 438/761, 438/763, 438/765, 438/76, 438/771, 438/774, 438/775, 438/776
• US Class Current: 438/763
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/345 Silicon nitride
• 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 16/56 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32357 Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32862 In situ cleaning of vessels and/or internal parts
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02164 the material being a silicon oxide, e.g. SiO2
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02211 the compound being a silane, e.g. disilane, methylsilane or chlorosilane
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02219 the compound comprising silicon and nitrogen
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02274 in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02326 into a nitride layer, e.g. changing SiN to SiON

Abstract

Methods of treating the interior of a plasma region are described. The methods include a preventative maintenance procedure or the start-up of a new substrate processing chamber having a remote plasma system. A new interior surface is exposed within the remote plasma system. The (new) interior surfaces are then treated by sequential steps of (1) forming a remote plasma from hydrogen-containing precursor within the remote plasma system and then (2) exposing the interior surfaces to water vapor. Steps (1)-(2) are repeated at least ten times to complete the burn-in process. Following the treatment of the interior surfaces, a substrate may be transferred into a substrate processing chamber. A dielectric film may then be formed on the substrate by flowing one precursor through the remote plasma source and combining the plasma effluents with a second precursor flowing directly to the substrate processing region.

Claims

1. A method of treating a remote plasma system fluidly coupled to a substrate processing region of a substrate processing chamber, the method comprising the sequential steps of:

(1) flowing a hydrogen-containing precursor into the remote plasma system while forming a first plasma in the remote plasma system during a hydrogen-containing plasma exposure,

(2) flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into the remote plasma system during an oxygen-containing exposure, and

repeating steps (1) and (2) until the total number of cycles is about ten or more;

wherein the remote plasma system comprises a remote plasma region within the substrate processing chamber and fluidly coupled to the substrate processing region by way of a showerhead.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the hydrogen-containing precursor comprises ammonia (NH₃).

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the hydrogen-containing precursor comprises hydrogen (H₂).

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the oxygen-containing precursor comprises water vapor (H₂O).

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the oxygen-containing precursor comprises at least one of water vapor (H₂O), oxygen (O₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and/or ozone (O₃).

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the remote plasma system comprises an external remote plasma system outside the substrate processing chamber and fluidly coupled to the remote plasma region.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of flowing the hydrogen-containing precursor comprises flowing the hydrogen-containing precursor at a flow rate greater than or about 50 sccm.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of flowing the oxygen-containing precursor comprises flowing the oxygen-containing precursor at a flow rate greater than or about 50 sccm.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein, after the total number of cycles, the the method further comprises forming a silicon-nitrogen-and-hydrogen-containing layer by:

flowing a nitrogen-and/or-hydrogen-containing precursor into a plasma region to produce a radical-nitrogen-and/or-hydrogen precursor;

combining a silicon-containing precursor with the radical-nitrogen-and/or-hydrogen precursor in a plasma-free substrate processing region; and

depositing the silicon-nitrogen-and-hydrogen-containing layer on the substrate.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the silicon-containing precursor is a carbon-free silicon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the nitrogen-and/or-hydrogen-containing precursor comprises at least one of N₂H₂, NH₃, N₂ and H₂.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the silicon-containing precursor comprises a silicon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the silicon-containing precursor comprises H₂N(SiH₃), HN(SiH₃)₂, and N(SiH₃)₃.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein a duration of step (1) is greater than or about thirty seconds and less than or about one hour.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein a duration of step (2) is greater than or about two seconds and less than or about two minutes.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the operation of forming the first plasma comprises a plasma power between about 100 watts and about 3000 watts.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of flowing the oxygen-containing precursor further comprises forming a second plasma in the remote plasma system.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the second plasma occurs during a first portion of the step of flowing the oxygen-containing precursor and essentially no plasma power is applied to the remote plasma system during a subsequent portion.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the operation of forming the second plasma comprises a plasma power between about 100 watts and about 3000 watts.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein a pressure in the remote plasma region during each of the hydrogen-containing plasma exposure and the oxygen-containing exposure is greater than or about 0.5 Torr and less than or about 100 Torr.