Loss prevention during atomic layer deposition
AssigneeLam Research Corporation
InventorsJason Alexander VARNELL, Joseph R. ABEL, Douglas Walter AGNEW
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Abstract
Methods of depositing silicon oxide on carbon-based films on a substrate involve adsorbing a silicon-containing reactant on the substrate surfaces, generating oxygen radicals from N2O, and exposing the adsorbed silicon-containing reactant to the oxygen radicals to form a silicon oxide film. In some embodiments, the carbon-based films form features having sidewalls. The methods result in low carbon loss and substantially vertical sidewalls. Embodiments of the methods are performed at high temperatures that facilitate high quality deposition.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- providing a substrate having carbon-based features thereon, the carbon-based features having exposed sidewall surfaces and being separated by gaps;
- depositing a silicon oxide liner film in the gaps by a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) process that comprises multiple cycles of (a) introducing a silicon-containing reactant into a reaction chamber having the substrate therein, and allowing the first reactant to adsorb onto substrate surfaces;
- (b) generating oxygen radicals from N2O, and (c) exposing the adsorbed silicon-containing reactant to the oxygen radicals to form the silicon oxide liner film in the gaps,
- wherein the substrate temperature during deposition is at least 100° C.
A method comprising:
- (a) providing a substrate having carbon-based features thereon, the carbon-based features having exposed sidewall surfaces and being separated by gaps;
- (b) performing multiple cycles of a (i) introducing a silicon-containing reactant into a reaction chamber having the substrate therein and allowing the first reactant to adsorb onto substrate surfaces, (ii) generating oxygen radicals from N2O, and (iii) exposing the adsorbed silicon-containing reactant to the oxygen radicals to form a silicon oxide liner film in the gaps;
- (c) after (b) exposing the gaps to an inhibition plasma.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.