# US 12,014,921 B2 · Plasma enhanced wafer soak for thin film deposition

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- Number: US 12,014,921 B2
- Document ID: US12014921B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/309,014
- Filed: 2019-10-02
- Published: 2021-11-25
- Granted: 2024-06-18
- Earliest claimed: 2018-10-16
- Assignees: Lam Research Corporation
- Applicants: Lam Research Corporation
- Inventors: Arul N. Dhas; Ming Li; Tu Hong
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12014921B2

## CPC

- H10P 14/6336: {in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]}
- H10P 14/6504: {In-situ cleaning}
- C23C 16/0209: {by heating}
- C23C 16/0236: {by etching with a reactive gas}
- C23C 16/45536: {Use of plasma, radiation or electromagnetic fields}
- C23C 16/4586: {Elements in the interior of the support, e.g. electrodes, heating or cooling devices}
- C23C 16/46: characterised by the method used for heating the substrate (C23C16/48, C23C16/50 take precedence)
- C23C 16/481: {by radiant heating of the substrate}
- C23C 16/505: using radio frequency discharges
- C23C 16/52: Controlling or regulating the coating process {(C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence)}
- H01J 37/32165: {Plural frequencies}
- H01J 37/32357: {Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream}
- H01J 37/32449: {Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow}
- H01J 37/32724: {Temperature}
- H10P 14/6514: {by exposure to a plasma}
- H10P 14/6682: {the compound being a silane, e.g. disilane, methylsilane or chlorosilane}
- H10P 14/69215: {the material being a silicon oxide, e.g. SiO2}
- H10P 72/0402: {Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence)}
- H10P 72/0431: {Apparatus for thermal treatment}
- 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)
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)

## Abstract

Disclosed are apparatuses and methods for providing a substrate onto a substrate support in a processing chamber, generating an inert plasma in the processing chamber, and maintaining the inert plasma to heat the substrate to a steady state temperature, suitable for conducting plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), in less than 30 seconds from providing the substrate onto the substrate support. An apparatus may include a processing chamber, a process station that includes a substrate support, a process gas unit configured to flow an inert gas onto a substrate supported by the substrate support, a plasma source configured to generate an inert plasma in the process station, and a controller with instructions configured to flow the inert gas onto the substrate, generate the inert plasma in the first process station, and maintain the inert plasma to thereby heat the substrate.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
providing a substrate onto a substrate support in a processing chamber;
generating an inert plasma in the processing chamber;
maintaining the inert plasma to heat the substrate to a steady state temperature, suitable for conducting plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), in less than 30 seconds from providing the substrate onto the substrate support; and
depositing, while the substrate is at the steady state temperature and while a reactant plasma is generated in the processing chamber, a layer of material on the substrate by PECVD,
wherein the depositing comprises flowing a reactant process gas onto the substrate while maintaining the inert plasma and thereby changing the inert plasma to the reactant plasma without extinguishing the inert plasma.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein:
the substrate support is heated, and
the substrate is heated by a combination of the inert plasma and radiation from the substrate support.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the substrate is first heated by radiation from the substrate support and then heated by the combination of the inert plasma and radiation from the substrate support.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is heated from room temperature to a temperature of between 300° C. and 700° C.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the inert plasma comprises:
flowing an inert gas into the processing chamber, and
striking the inert plasma.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the inert gas is selected from the group consisting of helium, nitrogen, and a combination of helium and nitrogen.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein a chamber partial pressure during the flowing of the inert gas is 1-10 Torr.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the inert plasma is generated at a first power level and the reactant plasma is generated at a second power level.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
flowing, during the maintaining of the inert plasma, a surface treatment gas that comprises one or more of: a cleaning molecule and a surface treatment molecule,
wherein the cleaning molecule comprises ammonia, and
wherein the surface treatment molecule adds interfacial bonds and adhesion.

### Claim 10

An apparatus comprising:
a processing chamber;
a first process station that includes a first substrate support, wherein the first substrate support is configured to position a first substrate in the processing chamber;
a process gas unit configured to flow an inert gas onto the first substrate supported by the first substrate support;
a plasma source configured to generate an inert plasma in the first process station; and
a controller, wherein the controller includes instructions that are configured to:
provide the first substrate onto the first substrate support,
flow the inert gas onto the first substrate that is supported by the first substrate support,
generate, while the inert gas is flowed onto the first substrate that is supported by the first substrate support, the inert plasma in the first process station, and
maintain the inert plasma to thereby heat the first substrate to a steady state temperature, suitable for conducting plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, in less than 30 seconds from providing the first substrate onto the first substrate support,
wherein the plasma source is configured to generate the inert plasma at a power between 200 Watts and 2500 Watts.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:
the first substrate support is further configured to generate heat to heat the first substrate that is supported by the first substrate support, and
the controller further includes instructions that are configured to:
cause first substrate support to generate heat, and
maintain the inert plasma while the first substrate support generates heat to thereby heat the first substrate to a steady state temperature by a combination of the inert plasma and radiation from the first substrate support.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:
the process gas unit is further configured to flow a reactant gas onto the first substrate supported by the first substrate support,
the plasma source is configured to generate a reactant plasma in the first process station, and
the controller further includes instructions that are configured to:
flow the reactant gas onto the first substrate that is supported by the first substrate support; and
generate, while the reactant gas is flowed onto the first substrate that is supported by the first substrate support, the reactant plasma in the first process station to thereby deposit a layer of material on the first substrate.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a second process station, wherein:
the second process station includes a second substrate support, wherein the second substrate support is configured to position a second substrate in the processing chamber,
the process gas unit is further configured to flow the inert gas onto the second substrate supported by the second substrate support,
the plasma source is further configured to generate the inert plasma in the second process station, and
the controller further includes instructions that are configured to:
provide the second substrate onto the second substrate support,
flow the inert gas onto the second substrate that is supported by the second substrate support,
generate, while the inert gas is flowed onto the second substrate that is supported by the second substrate support, the inert plasma in the first process station, and
maintain the inert plasma in the second process station to thereby heat the second substrate to the steady state temperature in less than 30 seconds from providing the second substrate onto the second substrate support.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The apparatus of claim 13, wherein:
the second substrate support is further configured to generate heat to heat the second substrate that is supported by the second substrate support, and
the controller further includes instructions that are configured to:
cause second substrate support to generate heat, and
maintain the inert plasma while the second substrate support generates heat to thereby heat the second substrate to the steady state temperature by a combination of the inert plasma and radiation from the second substrate support.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:
the process gas unit is further configured to flow a reactant gas onto the second substrate supported by the second substrate support,
the plasma source is further configured to generate a reactant plasma in the second process station, and
the controller further includes instructions that are configured to:
flow the reactant gas onto the second substrate that is supported by the second substrate support; and
generate, while the reactant gas is flowed onto the second substrate that is supported by the second substrate support, the reactant plasma in the second process station to thereby deposit a layer of material on the second substrate.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the reactant gas comprises a silicon, a silane, a tetra-ethoxy-silane, and/or a tetra-methyl-silane.

### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the inert gas comprises one or more of: helium, nitrogen, and a combination of helium and nitrogen.

### Claim 18

A method comprising:
providing a substrate onto a substrate support in a processing chamber;
generating an inert plasma in the processing chamber;
maintaining the inert plasma to heat the substrate to a steady state temperature, suitable for conducting plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), in less than 30 seconds from providing the substrate onto the substrate support;
depositing, while the substrate is at the steady state temperature and while a reactant plasma is generated in the processing chamber, a layer of material on the substrate by PECVD; and
extinguishing the inert plasma after the substrate reaches the steady state temperature and before the depositing, wherein the depositing further comprises:
flowing, a reactant process gas onto the substrate, and
generating the reactant plasma in the processing chamber.