# US 10,870,911 B2 · High pressure ammonia nitridation of tunnel oxide for 3DNAND applications > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,870,911 B2 - Document ID: US10870911B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/292,925 - Filed: 2019-03-05 - Published: 2019-07-04 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2016-06-01 - Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc. - Applicants: Applied Materials, Inc. - Inventors: Christopher S. Olsen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10870911B2 ## CPC - C23C 8/36: using ionised gases, e.g. ionitriding - C23C 8/02: Pretreatment of the material to be coated (C23C8/04 takes precedence) - H10B 69/00: Erasable-and-programmable ROM [EPROM] devices not provided for in groups H10B41/00 - H10B63/00, e.g. ultraviolet erasable-and-programmable ROM [UVEPROM] devices - H10P 14/6519: {the substance being oxygen} - H10P 14/6532: {by exposure to a plasma} - H10P 32/20: Diffusion for doping of insulating layers - H10W 20/076: {in via holes or trenches} - H10W 20/081: {by forming openings in the dielectric parts} - H10W 20/089: {using processes for implementing desired shapes or dispositions of the openings, e.g. double patterning} - H10W 20/096: {by contacting with gases, liquids or plasmas} - 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 Embodiments disclosed herein generally related to system for forming a semiconductor structure. The processing chamber includes a chamber body, a substrate support device, a quartz envelope, one or more heating devices, a gas injection assembly, and a pump device. The chamber body defines an interior volume. The substrate support device is configured to support one or more substrates during processing. The quartz envelope is disposed in the processing chamber. The quartz envelope is configured to house the substrate support device. The heating devices are disposed about the quartz envelope. The gas injection assembly is coupled to the processing chamber. The gas injection assembly is configured to provide an NH3 gas to the interior volume of the processing chamber. The pump device is coupled to the processing chamber. The pump device is configured to maintain the processing chamber at a pressure of at least 10 atm. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of forming a semiconductor structure, comprising: forming an oxide layer with a thickness between 1.5 nm and 3 nm on a surface of a substrate; forming a via in the oxide layer, the via extending at least partially into the oxide layer; exposing the oxide layer to NH3 to perform a plasma nitridation process on the oxide layer; and maintaining a chamber pressure of at least 10 atm while exposing the oxide layer to NH3 during the plasma nitridation process. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a chamber temperature of at least 600° C. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the chamber temperature is about 1000° C. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the chamber pressure is maintained between about 10 atm and 20 atm. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the NH3 is provided to a chamber containing the substrate at a flow rate between 1 slm to 20 slm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the oxide layer comprises silicon oxide. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein, the oxide layer is deposited on the substrate by at least one of chemical vapor deposition (CVD), rapid thermal-CVD (RT-CVD), plasma enhanced-CVD (PECVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), and atomic layer deposition (ALD). ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein about 40% of oxygen in the oxide layer is replaced with nitrogen. ### Claim 9 A method of forming a semiconductor structure, comprising: positioning a plurality of substrates in a quartz envelope disposed in an interior volume of a chamber, the substrate having a surface with an oxide layer formed thereon, the oxide layer having a via extending at least partially therein; and introducing a flow of NH3 to inside the quartz envelope, the introducing the flow of NH3 to inside the quartz envelope comprising: providing NH3 to a gas injection assembly disposed in the interior volume of the chamber; flowing the NH3 to the interior volume outside of the quartz envelope and then to the inside of the quartz envelope at a flow rate; and maintaining a pressure of at least 10 atm in the interior volume while flowing the NH3 to the interior volume outside of the quartz envelope and then to the inside of the quartz envelope to perform a plasma nitridation process on the plurality of substrates. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising maintaining a temperature of at least 600° C. in the interior volume while flowing the NH3 to the interior volume outside of the quartz envelope and then to the inside of the quartz envelope. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the temperature is about 1000° C. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the pressure is maintained between about 10 atm and 20 atm. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the flow rate is between 1 slm to 20 slm. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the oxide layer comprises silicon oxide. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein, the oxide layer is deposited on the substrate by at least one of chemical vapor deposition (CVD), rapid thermal-CVD (RT-CVD), plasma enhanced-CVD (PECVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), and atomic layer deposition (ALD). ### Claim 16 A method of forming a semiconductor structure, comprising: positioning a plurality of substrates in contact with a substrate holder in a quartz envelope disposed in an interior volume of a chamber, the substrates each having a surface with an oxide layer formed thereon, the oxide layer having a via extending at least partially therein; heating the plurality of substrates with a heater positioned within the interior volume of the chamber and outside of the quartz envelope; and introducing a flow of NH3 to inside the quartz envelope, the introducing the flow of NH3 to inside the quartz envelope comprising: providing NH3 to a gas injection assembly disposed in the interior volume of the chamber; flowing the NH3 to the interior volume outside of the quartz envelope and then to the inside of the quartz envelope at a flow rate; maintaining a temperature of at least 600° C. in the interior volume while flowing the NH3 to the interior volume outside of the quartz envelope and then to the inside of the quartz envelope; and maintaining a pressure of at least 10 atm in the interior volume while flowing the NH3 to the interior volume outside of the quartz envelope and then to the inside of the quartz envelope to perform a plasma nitridation process on the plurality of substrates. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the temperature is about 1000° C. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the pressure is maintained between about 10 atm and 20 atm. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the flow rate is between 1 slm to 20 slm. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the oxide layer comprises silicon oxide.