Method of cleaning surface of semiconductor substrate, method of manufacturing thin film, method of manufacturing semiconductor device, and semiconductor device

Abstract

A technique that enables the formation of a low resistivity barrier film at low temperatures, and a technique that enables the removal of impurities (such as, oxides, fluorides, carbides, and nitrides) from the surfaces of semiconductor substrates and metal thin films at low temperatures. A catalyst is placed inside a vacuum chamber and heated, a raw material gas and a reactive gas are introduced alternately into the vacuum chamber, and a reaction is effected between the raw material gas adsorbed to the surface of an object, and radicals generated by decomposition of the reactive gas on contact with the catalyst, thereby depositing a thin film on the object. A low resistivity barrier film can be obtained at low temperatures. H2 gas, NH3 gas, SiH4 gas, or the like can be used as the reactive gas. Furthermore, the catalyst is placed in a vacuum atmosphere, and with the catalyst being heated, a treatment gas having a hydrogen atom in its chemical structure is brought into contact with the catalyst, thereby generating radicals. By exposing the surface of an object to be treated to these radicals, impurities (such as, oxides, fluorides or the like) are removed. Because the generated radicals are extremely reactive, a superior cleaning effect is achieved, even with the object being at low temperatures.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.