Method for protecting layer by forming hydrocarbon-based extremely thin film

• US 9,899,291 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2015
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V. (ASM International NV)
• Original Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V. (ASM International NV)
• Inventors: Kato, Richika, Okuro, Seiji, Namba, Kunitoshi, Nonaka, Yuya, Nakano, Akinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Dulka, John P
• Application Number:
  US14/798,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20170018477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02274 in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0228 deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE, pulsed CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/324 Thermal treatment for modifying the properties of semiconductor bodies, e.g. annealing, sintering H01L21/20 - H01L21/288 and H01L21/302 - H01L21/322 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3192 Multilayer coating

Abstract

A method for protecting a layer includes: providing a substrate having a target layer and forming a protective layer on the target layer, said protective layer contacting and covering the target layer and containing a hydrocarbon-based layer constituting at least an upper part of the protective layer, which hydrocarbon-based layer is formed by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) using an alkylaminosilane precursor and a noble gas without a reactant.

Claims

1. A method for protecting a layer, comprising:

providing a substrate having a target layer; and

forming a protective layer on the target layer, said protective layer contacting and covering the target layer and containing a hydrocarbon-based layer constituting at least an upper part of the protective layer, said hydrocarbon-based layer being formed by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) using solely an alkylaminosilane precursor and a noble gas as process gas.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hydrocarbon-based layer is constituted by a hydrocarbon polymer containing silicon and nitrogen.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the target layer is a dopant-doped layer.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the doped layer is a doped silicate glass layer.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the alkylaminosilane is selected from the group consisting of bisdiethylaminosilane (BDEAS), biszimethylaminosilane (BDMAS), hexylethylaminosilane (HEAD), tetraethylaminosilane (TEAS), tert-butylaminosilane (TBAS), bistert-butylaminosilena (BTBAS), bisdimethylaminodimethylaminosilane (BDMADMS), heptametyhlsilazane (HMDS), trimethysylyldiethlamine (TMSDEA), trimethylsyledimethlamine (TMSDMA), trimethyltoribinylcycletrisilazane (TMTVCTS), tristrimetylhydroxyamine (TTMSHA), bisdimethylsaminomethylsilane (BDMAMS), and dimetyhlsilyldimethlamine (DMSDMA).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the protective layer consists essentially of the hydrocarbon-based layer.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a thickness of the hydrocarbon-based layer is more than zero but less than about 5 nm.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing the substrate and the step of forming the protective layer are conducted in the same reaction chamber.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising annealing the protective layer.

8. A method for protecting a layer, comprising:

providing a substrate having a target layer; and

forming a protective layer on the target layer, said protective layer contacting and covering the target layer and containing a hydrocarbon-based layer constituting at least an upper part of the protective layer, said hydrocarbon-based layer being formed by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) using an alkylaminosilane precursor and a noble gas without a reactant,

wherein the target layer is a non-porous layer.

9. A method for protecting a layer, comprising:

providing a substrate having a target layer; and

forming a protective layer on the target layer, said protective layer contacting and covering the target layer and containing a hydrocarbon-based layer constituting at least an upper part of the protective layer, said hydrocarbon-based layer being formed by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) using an alkylaminosilane precursor and a noble gas without a reactant,

wherein the protective layer is comprised of two discrete layers constituted by a primary layer and a secondary layer contacting and covering the primary layer, said secondary layer being the hydrocarbon-based layer, wherein the step of forming the protective layer comprises;

forming a silicon nitride or oxide layer as the primary layer on the target layer; and

continuously forming the hydrocarbon-based layer as the secondary layer on the primary layer.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein a thickness of the primary layer is about 1 nm to about 10 nm, and a thickness of the secondary layer is more than zero and less than about 1.0 nm.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the primary layer is constituted by silicon nitride or non-doped silicate glass.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the primary layer is formed by plasma-enhanced cyclic deposition using a precursor, a reactant gas, and a noble gas, wherein the precursor contains silicon and hydrocarbon, and the secondary layer is formed using the precursor and the noble gas without the reactant gas.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the secondary layer is formed without using any gas other than those used for forming the primary layer.

14. A method for protecting a layer, comprising:

providing a substrate having a target layer, and

forming a protective layer on the target layer, said protective layer contacting and covering the target layer and containing a hydrocarbon-based layer constituting at least an upper part of the protective layer, said hydrocarbon-based layer being formed by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) using an alkylaminosilane precursor and a noble gas without a reactant,

wherein the target layer is a dopant-doped layer,

wherein the doped layer is a doped silicate glass layer,

wherein the doped silicate glass layer is constituted by borosilicate glass or phosphosilicate glass.