# US 10,121,683 B2 · Light-irradiation heat treatment method and heat treatment apparatus

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- Number: US 10,121,683 B2
- Document ID: US10121683B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/245,662
- Filed: 2016-08-24
- Published: 2017-03-02
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2015-08-26
- Assignees: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Takayuki Aoyama; Hikaru Kawarazaki; Masashi Furukawa; Shinichi Kato; Kazuhiko Fuse; Hideaki Tanimura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10121683B2

## CPC

- H10P 72/0436: {mainly by radiation}
- C23C 16/4412: {Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps}
- C23C 16/45557: {Pulsed pressure or control pressure}
- C23C 16/482: {using incoherent light, UV to IR, e.g. lamps}
- H10D 64/01338: {with a treatment, e.g. annealing, after the formation of the conductor}
- H10D 64/0134: {with a treatment, e.g. annealing, after the formation of the insulator and before the formation of the conductor}
- H10P 14/6544: {to change the morphology of the insulating materials, e.g. transformation of an amorphous layer into a crystalline layer}
- H10P 72/0434: {mainly by convection}
- H10P 72/0602: {Temperature monitoring}
- H10P 95/90: Thermal treatments, e.g. annealing or sintering
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

## Abstract

Over a front surface of a silicon semiconductor wafer is deposited a high dielectric constant film with a silicon oxide film, serving as an interface layer, provided between the semiconductor wafer and the high dielectric constant film. After a chamber houses the semiconductor wafer, a chamber's pressure is reduced to be lower than atmospheric pressure. Subsequently, a gaseous mixture of ammonia and nitrogen gas is supplied into the chamber to return the pressure to ordinary pressure, and the front surface is irradiated with a flash light, thereby performing post deposition annealing (PDA) on the high dielectric constant film. Since the pressure is reduced once to be lower than atmospheric pressure and then returned to ordinary pressure, a chamber's oxygen concentration is lowered remarkably during the PDA. This restricts an increase in thickness of the silicon oxide film underlying the high dielectric constant film by oxygen taken in during the PDA.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of irradiating a substrate including a high dielectric constant film deposited thereover with a flash of light to heat said substrate, the method comprising:
(a) transporting a substrate including a high dielectric constant film deposited thereover into a chamber;
(b) reducing a pressure in said chamber to a first pressure lower than atmospheric pressure;
(c) returning the pressure in said chamber from the first pressure to a second pressure higher than the first pressure; and
(d) irradiating a front surface of said substrate with a flash of light from a flash lamp while maintaining the pressure in said chamber at the second pressure, wherein a reactive gas including ammonia is introduced into said chamber in said step (c).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1,
wherein the first pressure is not greater than one-hundredth of the second pressure.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, further comprising
(e) before said step (d), raising a temperature of said substrate to a predetermined preheating temperature,
wherein a supply of the reactive gas into said chamber is performed in said step (e), and the supply of the reactive gas into said chamber is stopped after said step (d).

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method according to claim 3,
wherein the supply of the reactive gas is stopped, and simultaneously, the reducing the pressure in said chamber is started.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1,
wherein the second pressure is higher than the first pressure and lower than atmospheric pressure.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1,
wherein the second pressure comprises atmospheric pressure.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1,
wherein the second pressure is higher than atmospheric pressure.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1,
wherein an exhaust flow rate from said chamber is increased with time in said step (b).

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1,
wherein a supply flow rate into said chamber is increased with time in said step (c).

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1,
wherein after said step (d), when a gas in said chamber is discharged and then an inert gas is supplied into said chamber so that the pressure in said chamber returns to atmospheric pressure, the inert gas is caused to flow at a flow rate ranging from 50 to 100 liters per minute in said chamber.