Methods and apparatus for processing germanium containing material, a iii-v compound containing material, or a ii-vi compound containing material disposed on a substrate using a hot wire source

#Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to semiconductor substrate processing, and more particularly, to methods for cleaning a substrate surface.

#Semiconductor device fabrication requires multiple process steps to complete a finished device. However, process steps or intervening conditions may produce unwanted materials (e.g., native oxide layers, contaminants, residues, or the like) that may deposit or form on structures of the device. Such materials are typically removed via substrate cleaning processes. Conventional substrate treating/cleaning processes typically include exposing the substrate to a plasma formed from a process gas (e.g. a fluorine containing gas) under high temperate and/or pressure. However, the inventors have observed that such methods may result in unacceptable damage to the substrate.

#Therefore, the inventors have provided improved methods of cleaning device surfaces.

#Embodiments of the present invention, briefly summarized above and discussed in greater detail below, can be understood by reference to the illustrative embodiments of the invention depicted in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

#FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a method for processing a substrate in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

#FIGS. 2A-D are illustrative cross-sectional views of a substrate during different stages of the method of FIG. 1 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

#To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. The figures are not drawn to scale and may be simplified for clarity. It is contemplated that elements and features of one embodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments without further recitation.

#Methods and apparatus for processing germanium containing materials, III-V compound containing materials, or II-VI compound containing materials disposed on substrates are provided herein. Embodiments of the inventive process may advantageously allow for removal of contaminants or undesired layers from substrates while causing less damage to the substrate as compared to conventional treating processes utilizing, for example, one or more of a plasma, a high temperature treatment or a fluorine based chemistry. Embodiments of the inventive process may further advantageously allow for the formation of nitrogen containing layers atop germanium containing material that display a conformal growth with smooth surfaces and sharp interfaces, as compared to nitrogen containing layers formed via conventional nitridation processes, for example such as a plasma nitridation process. Moreover, by utilizing a process chamber that utilizes a hot wire source to produce atomic hydrogen and/or atomic nitrogen, the inventors have observed that the hot wire processing chamber may advantageously produce a higher density population of atomic hydrogen and/or atomic nitrogen (e.g., such as 1.3 to about 3 times higher) as compared to methods conventionally used in the semiconductor industry to produce atomic hydrogen and/or atomic nitrogen.

#FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a method 100 for processing a germanium material or a III-V or II-VI compound containing material on a substrate in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. FIGS. 2A-D are illustrative cross-sectional views of the device having high aspect ratio structures during different stages of the processing sequence of FIG. 1 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. The inventive methods may be performed in any apparatus suitable for processing semiconductor substrates in accordance with embodiments of the present invention, such as the apparatus discussed below with respect to FIGS. 3 and 4.