US 6,206,967 B1 · Low resistivity W using B2H6 nucleation step · patentgrep

Loading patent…

Abstract

A multiple step chemical vapor deposition process for depositing a tungsten film on a substrate. A first step of the deposition process includes a nucleation step in which a process gas including a tungsten-containing source, a group III or V hydride and a reduction agent are flowed into a deposition zone of a substrate processing chamber while the deposition zone is maintained at or below a first pressure level. During this first deposition stage, other process variables are maintained at conditions suitable to deposit a first layer of the tungsten film over the substrate. Next, during a second deposition stage after the first stage, the flow of the group III or V hydride into the deposition zone is stopped, and afterwards, the pressure in the deposition zone is increased to a second pressure above the first pressure level and other process parameters are maintained at conditions suitable for depositing a second layer of the tungsten film on the substrate. In a preferred embodiment, the flow of the tungsten-containing source is stopped along with the flow of the group III or V hydride and after a period of between 5 and 30 seconds, the flow of the tungsten-containing source is restarted when the pressure is in the deposition zone is increased to the second pressure level.

Claims32

Dependent claims

A chemical vapor deposition system comprising:

a housing configured to form a vacuum chamber;
a substrate holder, located within said housing, configured to hold a substrate in said vacuum chamber;
a substrate moving system configured to move said substrate into said vacuum chamber and position said substrate on said substrate holder;
a gas delivery system configured to introduce a process gas into said vacuum chamber to deposit a layer over said substrate;
a temperature control system configured to maintain a selected temperature within said vacuum chamber;
a pressure control system configured to maintain a selected pressure within said vacuum chamber;
a controller that controls said substrate moving system, said gas delivery system, said temperature control system and said pressure control system;
and
a memory coupled to said controller comprising a computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operation of said chemical vapor deposition system, said computer-readable program comprising:
instructions that control said substrate moving system to move said substrate onto said substrate holder and into said deposition zone;
instructions that control said gas delivery system to flow, during a first deposition stage, a process gas comprising a tungsten-containing source, a group III or V hydride and a reduction agent into said deposition zone;
instructions that control said temperature and pressure control systems to maintain, during said first deposition stage, a selected temperature and pressure within said vacuum chamber that are suitable for depositing a tungsten layer on said substrate, said pressure being maintained at or below a first pressure level;
instructions that control said gas delivery system to, during a second deposition stage subsequent to said first deposition stage, stop the flow of said group III or V hydride and said tungsten-containing source into said deposition zone;
instructions that control said pressure control system to, during said second deposition stage, increase the pressure in said deposition zone to a second pressure above said first pressure;
and
a sixth set of instructions for controlling said gas delivery system to, after said pressure is increased to said second pressure, restart the flow of said tungsten-containing source to deposit a second layer of the tungsten film on the substrate.

13 more elements

A chemical vapor deposition system comprising:

a housing configured to form a vacuum chamber;
a substrate holder, located within said housing, configured to hold a substrate in said vacuum chamber;
a substrate moving system configured to move said substrate into said vacuum chamber and position said substrate on said substrate holder;
a gas delivery system configured to introduce a process gas into said vacuum chamber to deposit a layer over said substrate;
a temperature control system configured to maintain a selected temperature within said vacuum chamber;
a pressure control system configured to maintain a selected pressure within said vacuum chamber;
a controller that controls said substrate moving system, said gas delivery system, said temperature control system and said pressure control system;
and
a memory coupled to said controller comprising a computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operation of said chemical vapor deposition system, said computer-readable program comprising:
instructions that control said substrate moving system to place said substrate in a deposition zone;
instructions that control said gas delivery system to flow, during a first deposition stage, a process gas comprising a tungsten-containing source, a group III or V hydride and an additional reduction agent into said deposition zone;
instructions that control said temperature and pressure control systems to maintain, during said first deposition stage, said deposition zone at or below a first pressure while maintaining other process variables at conditions suitable to deposit a first layer of the tungsten film;
instructions that control said gas delivery system to stop the flow, during a second deposition stage subsequent to said first deposition stage, of said group III or V hydride into said deposition zone;
and
instructions that control said pressure control system to increase, during said second deposition stage, the pressure in said deposition zone to a second pressure above said first pressure while maintaining other process variables at conditions suitable to deposit a second layer of the tungsten film.

12 more elements

A chemical vapor deposition system comprising:

a housing configured to form a vacuum chamber;
a substrate holder, located within said housing, configured to hold a substrate in said vacuum chamber;
a substrate moving system configured to move said substrate into said vacuum chamber and position said substrate on said substrate holder;
a gas delivery system configured to introduce a process gas into said vacuum chamber to deposit a layer over said substrate;
a temperature control system configured to maintain a selected temperature within said vacuum chamber;
a pressure control system configured to maintain a selected pressure within said vacuum chamber;
a controller that controls said substrate moving system, said gas delivery system, said temperature control system and said pressure control system;
and
a memory coupled to said controller comprising a computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operation of said chemical vapor deposition system, said computer-readable program comprising:
instructions that control said substrate moving system to place said substrate in a deposition zone;
instructions that control said gas delivery system to flow, during a first deposition stage, a process gas comprising a tungsten-containing source, diborane, a silane gas, a reduction agent and a carrier gas into the deposition zone;
instructions that control said pressure control system to maintain, during said first deposition stage, said deposition zone at a first pressure level below 50 Torr while maintaining other process variables at conditions suitable to deposit a first layer of the tungsten film on the substrate;
instructions that control said gas delivery system to stop the flow, during a second deposition stage subsequent to said first deposition stage, of said tungsten-containing source, said diborane and said silane gas;
instructions that control said pressure control system to increase, during said second deposition stage, the pressure in the deposition zone to a second pressure of at least 50 Torr;
and
instructions that control said gas delivery system to restart the flow, during said second deposition stage and between about 5 and 20 seconds after stopping the flows of said borane and said silane gases, of said tungsten-containing source to deposit a second layer of the tungsten film.

13 more elements

A chemical vapor deposition system comprising:

a housing configured to form a vacuum chamber;
a substrate holder, located within said housing, configured to hold a substrate in said vacuum chamber;
a substrate moving system configured to move said substrate into said vacuum chamber and position said substrate on said substrate holder;
a gas delivery system configured to introduce a process gas into said vacuum chamber to deposit a layer over said substrate;
a temperature control system configured to maintain a selected temperature within said vacuum chamber;
a pressure control system configured to maintain a selected pressure within said vacuum chamber;
a controller that controls said substrate moving system, said gas delivery system, said temperature control system and said pressure control system;
and
a memory coupled to said controller comprising a computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operation of said chemical vapor deposition system, said computer-readable program comprising:
instructions that control said substrate moving system to place said substrate in a deposition zone;
instructions that control said gas delivery system to flow, prior to a first deposition stage, a purge gas including a group III or V hydride and an inert gas into said deposition zone;
instructions that control said gas delivery system to flow, during a first deposition stage, a first process gas comprising a tungsten-containing source, and a first reduction agent into said deposition zone;
instructions that control said pressure control system to maintain, during said first deposition stage, said deposition zone at or below a first pressure while maintaining other process variables at conditions suitable to deposit a first layer of the tungsten film;
instructions that control said gas delivery system to flow, during a second deposition stage subsequent to said first deposition stage, a second process gas comprising a tungsten-containing source and a second reduction agent into said deposition zone;
and
instructions that control said pressure control system to maintain, during said second deposition stage, the pressure in said deposition zone at a pressure above said first pressure while maintaining other process variables at conditions suitable to deposit a second layer of the tungsten film.

13 more elements

A chemical vapor deposition system comprising:

a housing configured to form a vacuum chamber;
a substrate holder, located within said housing, configured to hold a substrate in said vacuum chamber;
a substrate moving system configured to move said substrate into said vacuum chamber and position said substrate on said substrate holder;
a gas delivery system configured to introduce a process gas into said vacuum chamber to deposit a layer over said substrate;
a temperature control system configured to maintain a selected temperature within said vacuum chamber;
a pressure control system configured to maintain a selected pressure within said vacuum chamber;
a controller that controls said substrate moving system, said gas delivery system, said temperature control system and said pressure control system;
and
a memory coupled to said controller comprising a computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program embodied therein for directing operation of said chemical vapor deposition system, said computer-readable program comprising:
instructions that control said gas delivery and said pressure control systems to deposit, at a first pressure level, a first layer of tungsten film by flowing a first process gas comprising a tungsten-containing source and a group III or V hydride reducing agent into the vacuum chamber;
and
instructions that control said gas delivery and said pressure control systems to deposit, at a second pressure level greater than said first pressure level, a second layer of tungsten film on said first layer by flowing a second process gas comprising a tungsten-containing source and a first reduction agent into the vacuum chamber wherein said second process gas does not include a group III or V hydride.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/594,234Filed 14 Jun 2000 · division
Priority: 2 Dec 1997
Granted: 27 Mar 2001
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

C23C 16/0281
Deposition of sub-layers, e.g. to promote the adhesion of the main coating: of metallic sub-layers
C23C 16/14
From metal halides: deposition of only one other metal element
H10P 14/43
Using a gas or vapour: chemical deposition, e.g. chemical vapour deposition [CVD]
C23C
Coating metallic material

Family

Application08/982,844Parent of this division · filed 2 Dec 1997
US 6,099,904 AParent of this division
US 6,206,967 B1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

Citations

Open elsewhere