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US 6,660,659 B1Granted
Plasma method and apparatus for processing a substrate
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsPhilip Allan Kraus, Thai Cheng Chua, John Holland, James P. Cruse
Life of this patent
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Abstract
According to one aspect of the invention, a method is provided of processing a substrate, including locating the substrate in a processing chamber, creating a nitrogen plasma in the chamber, the plasma having an ion density of at least 1010 cm−3, and a potential of less than 20 V, and exposing a layer on the substrate to the plasma to incorporate nitrogen of the plasma into the layer.
Claims20
A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
- creating a nitrogen-containing plasma in the chamber, the plasma having an ion density of at least 1010 cm−3 and a plasma potential of less than 20 V;
- and
- exposing a layer on the substrate to the plasma to incorporate nitrogen of the plasma into the layer on the substrate.
A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
- locating the substrate in a plasma-processing chamber;
- flowing a nitrogen-containing gas into the chamber;
- providing RF current to a coil to generate an RF field in the chamber, the RF field creating a nitrogen-containing RF plasma out of the gas, the amplitude of the RF current being varied between high and low states;
- and
- incorporating nitrogen from the plasma into a layer formed on the substrate.
2 more elements
A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
- locating the substrate in a plasma-processing chamber;
- flowing a nitrogen-containing gas into the chamber;
- providing RF current to a coil located externally adjacent to a dielectric wall of the chamber, an electrode plate being located between the coil and the dielectric wall and being at a voltage below 20 V, the RF field creating an RF plasma out of the gas;
- and
- incorporating nitrogen ions of the plasma into a layer on the substrate.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.