Method for forming composite dielectric layer
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsChi-Chun Chen, Tze-Liang Lee, Shih-Chang Chen
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Abstract
A method for forming a dielectric layer provides that a oxidizable substrate has formed thereupon a thermal oxide layer in turn having formed thereupon a deposited nitride layer. The deposited nitride/thermal oxide stack layer is then sequentially: (1) annealed within a nitriding atmosphere; (2) annealed within an oxidizing atmosphere; and (3) treated with a vaporous hydrofluoric acid atmosphere. The annealed and treated stack layer provides, for example, a gate dielectric layer with diminished thickness and enhanced performance.
Claims14
A method for forming a dielectric layer comprising:
- providing an oxidizable substrate;
- thermally oxidizing the oxidizable substrate to form a thermal oxide layer thereupon;
- depositing upon the thermal oxide layer a nitride layer to form a composite deposited nitride/thermal oxide stack layer upon the oxidizable substrate;
- annealing the composite deposited nitride/thermal oxide stack layer within a nitriding atmosphere to form therefrom a nitrided composite deposited nitride/thermal oxide stack layer;
- annealing the nitrided composite deposited nitride/thermal oxide stack layer within an oxidizing atmosphere to form therefrom an oxidized nitrided composite deposited nitride/thermal oxide stack layer;
- and
- treating the oxidized nitrided composite deposited nitride/thermal oxide stack layer with a vaporous hydrofluoric acid material.
A method for forming a gate dielectric layer comprising:
- providing a semiconductor substrate;
- thermally oxidizing the semiconductor substrate to form a thermal oxide layer thereupon;
- depositing upon the thermal oxide layer a nitride layer to form a composite deposited nitride/thermal oxide stack layer upon the semiconductor substrate;
- annealing the composite deposited nitride/thermal oxide stack layer within a nitriding atmosphere to form therefrom a nitrided composite deposited nitride/thermal oxide stack layer;
- annealing the nitrided composite deposited nitride/thermal oxide stack layer within an oxidizing atmosphere to form therefrom an oxidized nitrided composite deposited nitride/thermal oxide stack layer;
- and
- treating the oxidized nitrided composite deposited nitride/thermal oxide stack layer with a vaporous hydrofluoric acid material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.