Forming tin thin films using remote activated specie generation
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsRoderick C. Mosely, Jim Van Gogh, Karl A. Littau
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a vapor deposition chamber which holds a substrate for processing, a method including the steps of forming a layer of material on the surface of the substrate, wherein the layer of material is made of Ti atoms; remotely activating a source gas containing nitrogen so as to produce activated nitrogen gas species; and while forming the layer of material on the substrate, injecting the activated nitrogen species into the processing chamber to increase the population of activated nitrogen species that is incorporated into the layer of material that is being formed.
Claims29
In a physical vapor deposition chamber which holds a substrate for processing, a method comprising:
- generating a plasma in the chamber;
- using the plasma to deposit TiN onto the substrate;
- remotely activating a source gas containing nitrogen so as to produce activated nitrogen gas species;
- and
- injecting the activated nitrogen species into the plasma processing chamber to increase the population of activated nitrogen species that is incorporated into the TiN layer that is being deposited.
In a chemical vapor deposition chamber which holds a substrate for processing, a method comprising:
- remotely activating a source gas containing N.sub.2 to produce an activated nitrogen species;
- depositing, through a chemical vapor deposition technique, a layer of TiN onto the substrate;
- and
- injecting the activated nitrogen species into the chamber so as to increase the population of activated nitrogen species that is incorporated into the deposited TiN layer that, wherein the step of infecting is performed after and separate from the step of depositing.
A chemical vapor deposition system comprising:
- a process chamber;
- a susceptor in the process chamber which during operation holds a substrate that is to be processed;
- a first gas injection port through which a first gas is injected directly into the process chamber;
- a second gas injection port through which a second gas is injected directly into the process chamber;
- a first pulse valve which controls the flow of the first gas into the process chamber through the first gas injection port;
- a second pulse valve which controls the flow of the second gas into the process chamber through the second gas injection port;
- and
- a remote excitation chamber connected between the first gas injection port and the first pulse valve so that the first pulse valve controls a flow of the first gas into the remote excitation chamber and then into the process chamber.
A physical deposition system comprising:
- a process chamber which has an injection port;
- a source assembly which during operation holds a sputter target;
- a platform which during operation holds a substrate that is to be processed in the process chamber;
- a remote activation source coupled to the process chamber through the injection port;
- a pulse valve connected to the remote activation source and which controls the flow of a first gas into the remote activation source and then into the process chamber through the injection port;
- and
- a controller which is programmed to operate the pulse valve in a pulsed mode of operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.