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US 10,319,624 B2Granted
Oxidative volumetric expansion of metals and metal containing compounds
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsSusmit Singha Roy, Yihong Chen, Kelvin Chan, Abhijit Basu Mallick, Srinivas Gandikota, Pramit Manna
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Abstract
Methods comprising forming a film on at least one feature of a substrate surface are described. The film is expanded to fill the at least one feature and cause growth of the film from the at least one feature. Methods of forming self-aligned vias are also described.
Claims18
A processing method comprising:
- providing a substrate surface having at least one feature therein, the at least one feature extending a depth from the substrate surface to a bottom surface, the at least one feature having a width defined by a first sidewall and a second sidewall;
- forming a film on the substrate surface and the first sidewall second sidewall and bottom surface of the at least one feature;
- and
- expanding the film to fill the at least one feature and cause the film to expand straight up from the at least one feature and form a gap between the substrate surface and the film.
1 more element
A processing method comprising:
- providing a substrate surface having at least one feature thereon, the at least one feature extending a depth from the substrate surface to a bottom surface, the at least one feature having a width defined by a first sidewall and a second sidewall;
- forming a metal film on the substrate surface and the first sidewall, second sidewall and bottom surface of the at least one feature;
- and
- expanding the metal film to fill the at least one feature so that a top portion of the film comprises a metal oxide, metal nitride, metal silicide and/or metal-germanium species and the bottom portion of the film comprises the metal film.
1 more element
A processing method comprising:
- providing a substrate surface having at least one feature thereon, the at least one feature extending a depth from the substrate surface to a bottom surface, the at least one feature having a width defined by a first sidewall and a second sidewall, the substrate surface including a film filling the at least one feature and extending above the substrate surface;
- removing the film above the substrate surface to leave the substrate surface and film in the features exposed;
- expanding the film in the features to cause straight up growth of the film to form pillars of the film extending from the at least one feature;
- forming a material layer on the substrate surface;
- and
- removing the pillars of the film to leave the at least one feature with the material layer thereon.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.