# US 12,183,581 B2 · Method of forming a semiconductor device by driving hydrogen into a dielectric layer from another dielectric layer

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- Number: US 12,183,581 B2
- Document ID: US12183581B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/358,609
- Filed: 2023-07-25
- Published: 2023-11-30
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2017-09-29
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Hongfa Luan; Yi-Fan Chen; Chun-Yen Peng; Cheng-Po Chau; Wen-Yu Ku; Huicheng Chang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12183581B2

## CPC

- H10D 64/0134: {with a treatment, e.g. annealing, after the formation of the insulator and before the formation of the conductor}
- H10D 30/021: {of FETs having insulated gates [IGFET]}
- H10D 30/024: {of fin field-effect transistors [FinFET]}
- H10D 30/62: Fin field-effect transistors [FinFET]
- H10D 30/6211: {having fin-shaped semiconductor bodies integral with the bulk semiconductor substrates}
- H10D 62/021: {Forming source or drain recesses by etching e.g. recessing by etching and then refilling}
- H10D 62/151: {of IGFETs (of IGFETs having LDD or DDD structure H10D30/601; of thin film transistors H10D30/6713)}
- H10D 64/01: Manufacture or treatment
- H10D 64/01338: {with a treatment, e.g. annealing, after the formation of the conductor}
- H10D 64/017: {using dummy gates in processes wherein at least parts of the final gates are self-aligned to the dummy gates, i.e. replacement gate processes}
- H10D 64/514: {characterised by the insulating layers}
- H10D 64/691: {comprising metallic compounds, e.g. metal oxides or metal silicates (insulators comprising nitrogen H10D64/693)}
- H10D 84/013: {Manufacturing their source or drain regions, e.g. silicided source or drain regions}
- H10D 84/0135: {Manufacturing their gate conductors}
- H10D 84/0144: {Manufacturing their gate insulating layers}
- H10D 84/0147: {Manufacturing their gate sidewall spacers}
- H10D 84/0158: {the components including FinFETs}
- H10D 84/038: {using silicon technology, e.g. SiGe}
- H10P 32/1408: {from or through or into an external applied layer, e.g. photoresist or nitride layers}
- H10P 32/171: {being group IV material}
- H10P 50/642: {Chemical etching}
- H10P 95/062: {involving a dielectric removal step}
- H10D 30/6219: {characterised by the source or drain electrodes}
- H10D 64/685: {being perpendicular to the channel plane}
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

Embodiment described herein provide a thermal treatment process following a high-pressure anneal process to keep hydrogen at an interface between a channel region and a gate dielectric layer in a field effect transistor while removing hydrogen from the bulk portion of the gate dielectric layer. The thermal treatment process can reduce the amount of threshold voltage shift caused by a high-pressure anneal. The high-pressure anneal and the thermal treatment process may be performed any time after formation of the gate dielectric layer, thus, causing no disruption to the existing process flow.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
forming a first dielectric layer over a substrate;
forming a second dielectric layer over the first dielectric layer;
after forming the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer, introducing hydrogen to the first dielectric layer;
after introducing hydrogen, driving hydrogen from the second dielectric layer into the first dielectric layer; and
after driving the hydrogen, forming conductive element over the second dielectric layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein introducing hydrogen is performed at least in part by a first anneal process performed in a first ambient, wherein the first ambient comprises hydrogen or deuterium.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein introducing hydrogen comprises passivating dangling bonds at an interface between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein introducing hydrogen comprises performing a first anneal, wherein driving the hydrogen comprises a second anneal, wherein the first anneal is a different anneal process than the second anneal.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the second anneal is performed at a lower pressure than the first anneal.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the first anneal comprises a high pressure anneal process is performed at a pressure in a range from 5 atmosphere to 70 atmosphere.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the first anneal is performed in a first ambient, wherein the second anneal is performed in a second ambient, wherein the first ambient is different than the second ambient.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the second ambient has less hydrogen than the first ambient.

### Claim 9

A method, comprising:
forming a dielectric structure over a substrate, wherein the dielectric structure includes a first dielectric layer over the substrate and a second dielectric layer over the first dielectric layer;
annealing the dielectric structure at a first pressure to introduce hydrogen to an interface between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer;
performing a post-anneal treatment on the dielectric structure at a second pressure to reduce hydrogen in the second dielectric layer, wherein the first pressure is higher than the second pressure; and
after performing the post-anneal treatment, forming a conductive feature over the second dielectric layer.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the first pressure is in a range from about 5 atmosphere to about 70 atmosphere, and the second pressure is in a range from about 1 mTorr to about 5 atmosphere.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein annealing the dielectric structure is performed in a first ambient, wherein the post-anneal treatment is performed in a second ambient, wherein the second ambient comprises less hydrogen than the first ambient.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the second ambient comprises nitrogen, argon, helium, hydrogen, deuterium, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the conductive feature is a gate electrode.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein after performing the post-anneal treatment, a peak concentration of hydrogen in the first dielectric layer is greater than a peak concentration of hydrogen in the second dielectric layer.

### Claim 15

A method comprising:
performing a high-pressure anneal process to a structure having a first dielectric layer formed over a substrate and a second dielectric layer formed over the first dielectric layer, the high-pressure anneal process introducing hydrogen near an interface between the first dielectric layer and substrate;
after performing the high-pressure anneal process, performing a post-anneal treatment to reduce hydrogen in the second dielectric layer; and
after performing the post-anneal treatment, forming a conductive feature over the second dielectric layer.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the post-anneal treatment is performed in a first ambient, the first ambient comprising hydrogen.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the high-pressure anneal process is performed in a second ambient, wherein the first ambient has a lower concentration of hydrogen than the second ambient.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the post-anneal treatment is performed in a first ambient, wherein the first ambient is free of hydrogen.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein after performing the post-anneal treatment, a peak concentration of hydrogen in the second dielectric layer is at an interface between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein after performing the post-anneal treatment, a peak concentration of hydrogen in the first dielectric layer is greater than a peak concentration of hydrogen in the second dielectric layer.