Method and system for growing a thin film using a gas cluster ion beam
First Claim
1. A method of growing a silicon-containing thin film on a substrate, comprising:
- providing a substrate in a reduced-pressure environment;
generating a gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) in said reduced-pressure environment from a pressurized gas mixture comprising an oxygen-containing gas, a nitrogen-containing gas, a carbon-containing gas, a hydrogen-containing gas, a silicon-containing gas, or a germanium-containing gas, or a combination of two or more thereof;
establishing a first data set relating a thickness of a grown silicon-containing thin film resulting from a growth process as a function of beam acceleration potential and beam dose, wherein said thickness increases with an increase in said beam acceleration potential and/or said beam dose;
establishing a second data set relating a surface roughness of an upper surface of said grown silicon-containing thin film from said growth process as a function of said beam acceleration potential, wherein said surface roughness decreases with a decrease in said beam acceleration potential, and wherein establishing said first and second data sets includes relating said thickness and surface roughness to a beam energy distribution of said GCIB;
based on said first and second data sets, selecting said beam acceleration potential and said beam dose for said growth process to achieve a target thickness of said grown silicon-containing thin film and to achieve a target surface roughness of said upper surface of said grown silicon-containing thin film;
accelerating said GCIB according to said selected beam acceleration potential;
irradiating said accelerated GCIB onto at least a portion of said substrate according to said selected beam dose;
modifying said beam energy distribution of said accelerated GCIB for said growth process based on said first and second data sets to achieve said target thickness of said grown silicon-containing thin film, or said target surface roughness of said upper surface of said grown silicon-containing thin film, or both, wherein said modifying said beam energy distribution is accompanied by increasing said beam acceleration potential; and
growing said silicon-containing thin film on said at least a portion of said substrate by said growth process to achieve said grown silicon-containing thin film having said target thickness and said target surface roughness.
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Abstract
A method of forming a thin film on a substrate is described. The method comprises providing a substrate in a reduced-pressure environment, and generating a gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) in the reduced-pressure environment from a pressurized gas mixture. A beam acceleration potential and a beam dose are set to achieve a thickness of the thin film ranging up to about 300 angstroms and to achieve a surface roughness of an upper surface of the thin film that is less than about 20 angstroms. The GCIB is accelerated according to the beam acceleration potential, and the accelerated GCIB is irradiated onto at least a portion of the substrate according to the beam dose. By doing so, the thin film is grown on the at least a portion of the substrate to achieve the thickness and the surface roughness.
28 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of growing a silicon-containing thin film on a substrate, comprising:
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providing a substrate in a reduced-pressure environment; generating a gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) in said reduced-pressure environment from a pressurized gas mixture comprising an oxygen-containing gas, a nitrogen-containing gas, a carbon-containing gas, a hydrogen-containing gas, a silicon-containing gas, or a germanium-containing gas, or a combination of two or more thereof; establishing a first data set relating a thickness of a grown silicon-containing thin film resulting from a growth process as a function of beam acceleration potential and beam dose, wherein said thickness increases with an increase in said beam acceleration potential and/or said beam dose; establishing a second data set relating a surface roughness of an upper surface of said grown silicon-containing thin film from said growth process as a function of said beam acceleration potential, wherein said surface roughness decreases with a decrease in said beam acceleration potential, and wherein establishing said first and second data sets includes relating said thickness and surface roughness to a beam energy distribution of said GCIB; based on said first and second data sets, selecting said beam acceleration potential and said beam dose for said growth process to achieve a target thickness of said grown silicon-containing thin film and to achieve a target surface roughness of said upper surface of said grown silicon-containing thin film; accelerating said GCIB according to said selected beam acceleration potential; irradiating said accelerated GCIB onto at least a portion of said substrate according to said selected beam dose; modifying said beam energy distribution of said accelerated GCIB for said growth process based on said first and second data sets to achieve said target thickness of said grown silicon-containing thin film, or said target surface roughness of said upper surface of said grown silicon-containing thin film, or both, wherein said modifying said beam energy distribution is accompanied by increasing said beam acceleration potential; and growing said silicon-containing thin film on said at least a portion of said substrate by said growth process to achieve said grown silicon-containing thin film having said target thickness and said target surface roughness. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of forming growing a silicon-containing thin film on a substrate, comprising:
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providing a substrate in a reduced-pressure environment; generating a gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) in said reduced-pressure environment from a pressurized gas mixture comprising an oxygen-containing gas, a nitrogen-containing gas, a carbon-containing gas, a hydrogen-containing gas, a silicon-containing gas, or a germanium-containing gas, or a combination of two or more thereof; establishing a first data set relating a thickness of a grown silicon-containing thin film resulting from a growth process as a function of beam acceleration potential, beam dose, and beam energy distribution, wherein said thickness increases with an increase in said beam acceleration potential and/or said beam dose; establishing a second data set relating a surface roughness of an upper surface of said grown silicon-containing thin film from said growth process as a function of said beam acceleration potential and said beam energy distribution, wherein said surface roughness decreases with a decrease in said beam acceleration potential and a broadening of said beam energy distribution; based on said first and second data sets, selecting said beam acceleration potential, said beam dose, and said beam energy distribution for said growth process to achieve a target thickness of said grown silicon-containing thin film and identifying a predicted surface roughness of said upper surface of said grown silicon-containing thin film achievable by said selected beam acceleration potential, beam dose, and beam energy distribution; decreasing said predicted surface roughness to a target surface roughness while substantially achieving said target thickness at said selected beam dose by increasing said selected beam acceleration potential and further adjusting said selected beam energy distribution; accelerating said GCIB according to said increased beam acceleration potential and said adjusted beam energy distribution; irradiating said accelerated GCIB onto at least a portion of said substrate according to said selected beam dose; and growing said silicon-containing thin film on said at least a portion of said substrate by said growth process to achieve said grown silicon-containing thin film having said target thickness and said target surface roughness. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification