Low temperature plasma film deposition using dielectric chamber as source material
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorMonti E. Aklufi
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Abstract
A chemical vapor deposition system utilizes a microwave carrying dielectric member and inner chamber that are both placed within a reaction chamber. The inner chamber is used as a semiconductor source material, which in one particular embodiment is reactive with atomic hydrogen to form volatile hydrides or other gaseous compounds which react to form a desired film composition. The invention is useful for, but not limited to, submicron dimension integrated circuit fabrication, in particular, low temperature, cold wall reactor environments. By constraining the semiconductor production reaction between the inner chamber source material and an integrated circuit substrate, particulate formation is minimized, thereby reducing integrated circuit particle yield losses.
Claims53
A method using plasma to form a thin film within a reaction vessel, said method including the steps of:
- generating a plasma within said reaction vessel, said reaction vessel containing an inner chamber of a material desired to be made a part of said thin film;
- and
- introducing a reactive gas into said reaction vessel, said reactive gas reacting with said inner chamber so that said thin film results at least in part from said reaction.
A method for generating a thin film from an apparatus including
- a nonconductive member for carrying electromagnetic energy and for emitting said electromagnetic energy;
- a substantially electromagnetically transparent inner chamber enclosing said nonconductive member, said inner chamber including a material desired to be a part of said thin film;
- and
- an outer reaction chamber enclosing said inner chamber,
- said reaction chamber defining a reaction chamber volume, the method comprising the steps of:
- evacuating said reaction chamber volume to a pressure less than atmospheric pressure;
- introducing a plasma producing gas into said reaction chamber volume;
- establishing a source of electromagnetic energy;
- carrying said electromagnetic energy in said dielectric member and emitting said electromagnetic energy from said dielectric member to generate a plasma from said plasma producing gas, said plasma being confined to the outside surface of said inner chamber;
- and
- introducing a reactive gas into said reaction chamber volume, said reactive gas including one or more elements desired to be made a part of said thin film,
- in which said plasma causes said reactive gas to react with said inner chamber to produce said thin film.
A method for generating a silicon dioxide thin film on a substrate from an apparatus including
- a nonconductive dielectric member for carrying microwave energy and for emitting said microwave energy;
- a substantially electromagnetically transparent inner chamber enclosing said nonconductive member, said inner chamber defining an inner chamber volume and being made of silicon dioxide;
- and
- an outer low temperature, cold wall reaction chamber enclosing said inner chamber, said reaction chamber defining a reaction chamber volume;
- the method comprising the steps of:
- placing a substrate within said reaction chamber volume;
- evacuating said reaction chamber volume to a pressure less than atmospheric pressure;
- maintaining said inner chamber at atmospheric pressure;
- introducing a plasma producing argon gas into said reaction chamber volume;
- establishing a source of microwave energy;
- carrying said microwave energy in said dielectric member and emitting said microwave energy from said dielectric member to generate a plasma from said plasma producing argon gas, said plasma being confined to the outside surface of said inner chamber;
- and
- introducing a reactive gas into said reaction chamber volume, said reactive gas including hydrogen and oxygen, in which said plasma causes said reactive gas to react with said silicon dioxide inner chamber to produce said silicon dioxide thin film on said substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.