Metal-doped carbon hardmasks

A deposition method comprising:

• delivering a transition-metal-containing precursor and a hydrogen-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein at least one of the transition-metal-containing precursor or the hydrogen-containing precursor comprises carbon;
• forming a plasma of all precursors within the processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber;
• and
• depositing a transition-metal-and-carbon material on a substrate disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein a temperature of the substrate is maintained above or about 450° C. during the depositing the transition-metal-and-carbon material on the substrate, and wherein the transition-metal-and-carbon material is characterized by an as-deposited surface roughness of less than or about 1.5 nm.

A deposition method comprising:

• delivering a transition-metal-containing precursor and a hydrogen-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein at least one of the transition-metal-containing precursor or the hydrogen-containing precursor comprises carbon;
• forming a plasma of all precursors within the processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber;
• depositing a transition-metal-and-carbon material on a substrate disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein a temperature of the substrate is maintained above or about 450° C. during the depositing the transition-metal-and-carbon material on the substrate, wherein the transition-metal-and-carbon material is characterized by an as-deposited surface roughness of less than or about 1.5 nm, and wherein the transition-metal-and-carbon material is characterized by a transition metal concentration of greater than or about 55 at. %;
• and
• ashing the transition-metal-and-carbon material from the substrate, wherein the ashing is performed with ozone or plasma-enhanced oxygen.