Plasma poisoning to enable selective deposition

• US 9,716,005 B1
• Filed: 03/18/2016
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Kaufman-Osborn, Tobin, Godet, Ludovic, Nemani, Srinivas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Diallo, Mamadou
• Application Number:
  US15/075,046
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0228 deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE, pulsed CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02315 treatment by exposure to a plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0243 Surface structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02639 Preparation of substrate for selective deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0274 Photolithographic processes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/263 with high-energy radiation H01L21/261 takes precedence
• 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 21/28562 Selective deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3105 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/321 After treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76834 formation of thin insulating films on the sidewalls or on top of conductors H01L21/76831 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76849 the layer being positioned on top of the main fill metal

Abstract

Atomic layer deposition in selected zones of a workpiece surface is accomplished by transforming the surfaces outside the selected zones to a hydrophobic state while the materials in the selected zones remain hydrophilic.

Claims

1. A method of performing atomic layer deposition, comprising:

providing in selected zones of a workpiece a first material of a first type that is initially hydrophilic and that becomes hydrophobic upon treatment with a fluoro-carbon plasma or fluoro-carbon ion beam;

providing in other zones of said workpiece a surface of a second material that remains hydrophilic upon treatment with a fluoro-carbon plasma or fluoro-carbon ion beam;

performing a plasma treatment on said workpiece using a plasma derived from a fluoro-carbon species; and

performing an atomic layer deposition process on said workpiece, and growing an atomic layer of a growth material on surfaces of said selected zones while generally avoiding growth of an atomic layer of growth material in said other zones.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first material is selected from a group of materials comprising but not limited to W, Co, SiN, T-oxide, TEOS and Si.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said second material is selected from a second group of materials comprising but not limited to Cu and TiN.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said growth material comprises any one of a third group of materials comprising but not limited to:

a non-metal, a metal, an oxide, a nitride, a semiconductor, HfO2, ZrO2, TiO2, SiO2, ZnO.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising repeating the operations of claim 1 until a desired thickness of said growth material is reached.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising removing growth material defects in said other zones.