Film forming process and film forming apparatus
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorTakayuki Karakawa
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Abstract
In a film forming apparatus (10), plasma-assisted ALD sequences are carried out to form a nitride film on a substrate (W) through the nitration of the silicon (Si) resulting from dichlorosilane (DCS), and then the first to fourth gas-feeding processes and plasma-feeding processes are successively carried out as plasma-assisted post-treatment. The gas to be fed in the first to fourth gas-feeding processes in the plasma-assisted post-treatment is a modifier gas consisting of either a gas selected from among N2, NH3, Ar and H2 or a mixed gas obtained by suitably mixing some of these gases. After the completion of the plasma-assisted ALD sequences, a plasma formed from the modifier gas is fed onto the nitride film on the substrate (W) to improve the film quality of the nitride film.
Claims20
A film forming process of atomic layer deposition (ALD) that forms a film by causing a first gas to be adsorbed on a substrate, and to be reacted with active species of a second gas using a film forming apparatus, the film forming process comprising:
- a step in which the substrate is placed;
- an adsorption step in which a precursor gas is chemically adsorbed on a surface of the substrate to form an adsorption layer;
- a first reaction step in which a first active species is generated by generating plasma of a reaction gas, and the adsorption layer is reacted with the first active species to form a film;
- and
- a second reaction step in which a second active species is generated by generating plasma of a modifier gas, and the film is modified by the second active species.
A film forming process performed by a film forming apparatus configured to form a film on a surface of a substrate, the film forming process comprising:
- an adsorption step in which a precursor gas is chemically adsorbed on the surface of the substrate mounted on a mounting table provided within a hermetically sealed processing container;
- a first reaction step in which a reaction gas is supplied into the processing container to generate plasma of the reaction gas, and the plasma of the reaction gas is reacted with the surface of the substrate;
- and
- a second reaction step in which any of an ammonia gas, an argon gas, a nitrogen gas, and a hydrogen gas, or a gas obtained by mixing the ammonia gas, the argon gas, the nitrogen gas, and the hydrogen gas is supplied as a modifier gas into the processing container to generate plasma of the modifier gas, and the plasma of the modifier gas is reacted with the surface of the substrate.
A film forming apparatus comprising:
- a hermetically sealed processing container;
- a mounting table provided within the processing container and configured to mount a substrate thereon;
- a supply unit configured to supply a precursor gas, a reaction gas, and a modifier gas which is any of an ammonia gas, an argon gas, a nitrogen gas, and a hydrogen gas, or a gas obtained by mixing the ammonia gas, the argon gas, the nitrogen gas, and the hydrogen gas into the processing container;
- a plasma generating section configured to generate plasma of the reaction gas and the modifier gas which are supplied into the processing container by the supply unit;
- and
- a control unit configured to perform an adsorption step, a first reaction step, and a second reaction step, wherein in the adsorption step, the control unit controls the supply unit to supply the precursor gas into the processing container so that the precursor gas is chemically adsorbed on a surface of the substrate, in the first reaction step, the control unit controls the supply unit to supply the reaction gas into the processing container and controls the plasma generating section to generate plasma of the reaction gas so that the surface of the substrate is reacted with the plasma of the reaction gas, and in the second reaction step, the control unit controls the supply unit to supply the modifier gas into the processing container, and controls the plasma generating section to generate plasma of the modifier gas so that the surface of the substrate is reacted with the plasma of the modifier gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.