In-situ of dichloroethene and NH3 in an H2O steam based oxidation system to provide a source of chlorine
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorDon Carl Powell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of using dichloroethene and ammonia to provide chlorine and nitrogen during the growth of an in-situ hardened gate dielectric. The method provides a gaseous source of gettering agent and a gaseous source of dielectric strengthening agent that are compatible with each other and can be used during the formation of in-situ hardened dielectric or the strengthening of an already formed dielectric.
Claims11
A process for simultaneously strengthening and gettering a semiconductor dielectric comprising:
- producing a gaseous gettering agent selected to getter contaminants in the dielectric;
- producing a gaseous strengthening agent so as to strengthen the dielectric while producing the gettering agent wherein the gaseous strengthening agent is selected so as to inhibit rapid oxidation of the gaseous strengthening agent by the gettering agent;
- and
- simultaneously exposing the dielectric to the gaseous gettering agent and the gaseous strengthening agent so as to strengthen the dielectric while simultaneously gettering the dielectric.
A process for producing a nitrogen strengthened solid dielectric material in a semiconductor substrate comprising:
- producing a gaseous gettering agent;
- producing a gaseous nitrogen agent wherein the gaseous nitrogen agent being produced in a form that is not rapidly oxidizable by the gettering agent;
- oxidizing the semiconductor substrate in the presence of the gaseous gettering agent and the gaseous nitrogen agent such that the gettering agent getters contaminants and the nitrogen bonds with the oxidized semiconductor substrate during the oxidation act such that the dielectric is formed from the oxidized semiconductor substrate material and the bonded nitrogen.
A process for forming a SiOxNy dielectric layer on a silicon substrate surface, the process comprises the steps of:
- positioning the silicon substrate in a processing unit;
- providing a reactant gas stream comprising dichloroethene (DCE), ammonia (NH3), and H2O steam to the processing unit;
- heating the processing unit to a predetermined elevated temperature;
- pressurizing the processing unit to a predetermined pressure;
- reacting DCE with ammonia NH3 at the predetermined temperature and pressure to produce chlorine;
- decomposing NH3 at the predetermined temperature and pressure to release nitrogen;
- using chlorine as a gettering agent to getter contaminants;
- using nitrogen as a strengthening agent to strengthen the dielectric layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.