# US 10,121,966 B2 · Semiconductor device structures including silicon-containing dielectric materials

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- Number: US 10,121,966 B2
- Document ID: US10121966B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/130,550
- Filed: 2016-04-15
- Published: 2016-08-11
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2013-07-01
- Assignees: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Applicants: Micron Technology, Inc.
- Inventors: Thomas R. Omstead; Cole S. Franklin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10121966B2

## CPC

- H10N 70/8265: {on sidewalls of dielectric structures, e.g. mesa-shaped or cup-shaped devices}
- C23C 16/345: {Silicon nitride}
- C23C 16/36: Carbonitrides
- C23C 16/45534: {Use of auxiliary reactants other than used for contributing to the composition of the main film, e.g. catalysts, activators or scavengers}
- C23C 16/45542: {Plasma being used non-continuously during the ALD reactions}
- H10B 63/84: {arranged in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, e.g. 3D cell arrays}
- H10N 70/235: {between different crystalline phases, e.g. cubic and hexagonal}
- H10N 70/8413: {adapted for resistive heating}
- H10N 70/882: {Compounds of sulfur, selenium or tellurium, e.g. chalcogenides}
- H10P 14/40: of conductive or resistive materials
- H10P 14/6336: {in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]}
- H10P 14/6339: {deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE or pulsed CVD}
- H10P 14/6514: {by exposure to a plasma}
- H10P 14/6905: {being a silicon carbide or silicon carbonitride and not containing oxygen, e.g. SiC or SiC:H}
- H10P 14/69215: {the material being a silicon oxide, e.g. SiO2}
- H10P 14/6922: {the material containing Si, O and at least one of H, N, C, F or other non-metal elements, e.g. SiOC, SiOC:H or SiONC}
- H10P 14/69433: {the material being a silicon nitride not containing oxygen, e.g. SixNy or SixByNz}
- H10N 70/011: {Manufacture or treatment of multistable switching devices}
- H10N 70/231: {based on solid-state phase change, e.g. between amorphous and crystalline phases, Ovshinsky effect}
- H10N 70/801: {Constructional details of multistable switching devices}
- H10N 70/826: {adapted for essentially vertical current flow, e.g. sandwich or pillar type devices}
- H10W 20/074: {of dielectric parts comprising thin functional dielectric layers, e.g. dielectric etch-stop, barrier, capping or liner layers}
- H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- 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)
- H10B: ELECTRONIC MEMORY DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A method of forming a silicon-containing dielectric material. The method includes forming a plasma comprising nitrogen radicals, absorbing the nitrogen radicals onto a substrate, and exposing the substrate to a silicon-containing precursor in a non-plasma environment to form monolayers of a silicon-containing dielectric material on the substrate. Additional methods are also described, as are semiconductor device structures including the silicon-containing dielectric material and methods of forming the semiconductor device structures.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A semiconductor device structure comprising:
stacks separated from one another by a distance of from 50 Å to 220 Å; and
at least one conformal silicon-containing dielectric material on each of the stacks, wherein the at least one conformal silicon-containing dielectric material comprises a thickness of from 10 Å to 1000 Å.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device structure of claim 1 wherein the at least one conformal silicon-containing dielectric material comprises from 30% to 70% silicon, from 4% to 25% carbon, and from 5% to 66% oxygen.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device structure of claim 1, wherein the at least one conformal silicon-containing dielectric material comprises at least one of a silicon oxide material, a silicon nitride material, a silicon carbon nitride material, or a silicon carbon oxide material.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor device structure of claim 1, wherein each of the stacks comprises tungsten, a first electrode on the tungsten, a first chalcogenide material on the first electrode, a second electrode on the first chalcogenide material, a second chalcogenide material on the second electrode, and a third electrode on the second chalcogenide material.

### Claim 5

A semiconductor device structure comprising:
stacks separated from one another by a distance of from 50 Å to 220 Å; and
at least one conformal silicon-containing dielectric material on each of the stacks, wherein the at least one conformal silicon-containing dielectric material comprises from 10% to 90% silicon and from 10% to 90% nitrogen.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The semiconductor device structure of claim 5 wherein the at least one conformal silicon-containing dielectric material comprises from 30% to 70% silicon, from 4% to 25% carbon, and from 5% to 66% nitrogen.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The semiconductor device structure of claim 5 wherein the at least one conformal silicon-containing dielectric material comprises silicon carbon nitride comprising 50% silicon, 20% carbon, and 30% nitrogen.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The semiconductor device structure of claim 5
wherein each of the stacks comprises tungsten, a first electrode on the tungsten, a first chalcogenide material on the first electrode, a second electrode on the first chalcogenide material, a second chalcogenide material on the second electrode, and a third electrode on the second chalcogenide material; and
wherein each of the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode comprises carbon.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The semiconductor device structure of claim 8, wherein the silicon-containing dielectric material comprises SiCxNy, wherein each of x and y is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

### Claim 10 (depends on 5)

The semiconductor device structure of claim 5 wherein the at least one conformal silicon-containing dielectric material comprises a first silicon containing dielectric material comprising silicon carbon nitride, a second silicon-containing dielectric material comprising one of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon carbon oxide, and a third silicon-containing dielectric material comprising another of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon carbon oxide.

### Claim 11 (depends on 5)

The semiconductor device structure of claim 5 wherein the stacks are separated from one another by a distance of from 180 Å to 200 Å.

### Claim 12 (depends on 5)

The semiconductor device structure of claim 5, wherein each of the stacks comprises tungsten, a first electrode on the tungsten, a first chalcogenide material on the first electrode, a second electrode on the first chalcogenide material, a second chalcogenide material on the second electrode, and a third electrode on the second chalcogenide material and a silicon carbon nitride material in contact with the tungsten, first electrode, first chalcogenide material, second electrode, second chalcogenide material and third electrode of the stack.

### Claim 13

A semiconductor device structure comprising:
stacks comprising carbon and chalcogenide materials on a material, the stacks separated from one another by a distance of from 50 Å to 220 Å; and
a silicon carbon nitride material in direct contact with the carbon and chalcogenide materials of the stacks.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The semiconductor device structure of claim 13, wherein the silicon carbon nitride material comprises monolayers of silicon bonded to absorbed nitrogen on the material.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The semiconductor device structure of claim 13, wherein the silicon carbon nitride material comprises monolayers of silicon bonded to chemisorbed nitrogen on the material.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The semiconductor device structure of claim 13, wherein the silicon carbon nitride material comprises monolayers of silicon bonded to absorbed oxygen on the material.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The semiconductor device structure of claim 13, wherein the silicon carbon nitride material comprises monolayers of silicon bonded to chemisorbed oxygen on the material.

### Claim 18

A semiconductor device structure comprising:
stacks separated from one another by a distance of from 50 Å to 220 Å, the stacks comprising tungsten, a first carbon electrode on the tungsten, a first chalcogenide material on the first carbon electrode, a second carbon electrode on the first chalcogenide material, a second chalcogenide material on the second carbon electrode, and a third carbon electrode on the second chalcogenide material; and
a silicon carbon nitride material in direct contact with the carbon and chalcogenide materials of the stacks.