# US 7,611,976 B2 · Gate electrode dopant activation method for semiconductor manufacturing

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- Number: US 7,611,976 B2
- Document ID: US7611976B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/428,758
- Filed: 2006-07-05
- Published: 2006-12-21
- Granted: 2009-11-03
- Earliest claimed: 2004-02-23
- Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Inventors: Yi Ma; Khaled Z. Ahmed; Kevin L. Cunningham; Robert C. McIntosh; Abhilash J. Mayur; Haifan Liang; Mark Yam; Toi Yue Becky Leung; Christopher Olsen; Shulin Wang; Majeed Foad; Gary Eugene Miner
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7611976B2

## CPC

- H10P 34/42: with electromagnetic radiation, e.g. laser annealing (laser cutting H10P54/20)
- H10D 64/01306: {the conductor comprising a layer of silicon contacting the insulator, e.g. polysilicon}
- H10P 95/90: Thermal treatments, e.g. annealing or sintering
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

## Abstract

Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method for forming a doped silicon-containing material on a substrate. In one embodiment, the method provides depositing a polycrystalline layer on a dielectric layer and implanting the polycrystalline layer with a dopant to form a doped polycrystalline layer having a dopant concentration within a range from about 1×1019 atoms/cm3 to about 1×1021 atoms/cm3, wherein the doped polycrystalline layer contains silicon or may contain germanium, carbon, or boron. The substrate may be heated to a temperature of about 800° C. or higher, such as about 1,000° C., during the rapid thermal anneal. Subsequently, the doped polycrystalline layer may be exposed to a laser anneal and heated to a temperature of about 1,000° C. or greater, such within a range from about 1,050° C. to about 1,400° C., for about 500 milliseconds or less, such as about 100 milliseconds or less.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for forming a doped silicon-containing material on a substrate, comprising:
depositing a dielectric layer on a substrate;
exposing the dielectric layer to a nitridation process to form a nitrided dielectric layer;
depositing a polycrystalline layer on the nitrided dielectric layer;
implanting the polycrystalline layer with a dopant to form a doped polycrystalline layer having a dopant concentration within a range from about 1×1019 atoms/cm3 to about 1×1021 atoms/cm3;
exposing the substrate to a rapid thermal anneal; and
exposing the doped polycrystalline layer to a laser anneal.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, hafnium oxide, hafnium silicate, aluminum oxide, aluminum silicate, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a thickness within a range from about 5 Å to about 50 Å.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the nitrided dielectric layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of silicon oxynitride, hafnium oxynitride, nitrided hafnium silicate, aluminum oxynitride, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein the nitridation process is a decoupled plasma nitridation process and the nitrided dielectric layer comprises silicon oxynitride.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the nitrided dielectric layer comprises a nitrogen concentration within a range from about 1×1014 atoms/cm2 to about 1×1016 atoms/cm2.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the doped polycrystalline layer is heated to a temperature of about 1,000° C. or greater during the laser anneal.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the temperature is about 1,050° C. or greater during the laser anneal.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the temperature is within a range from about 1,050° C. to about 1,400° C. during the laser anneal.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the doped polycrystalline layer is exposed to the laser anneal for about 500 milliseconds or less.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the doped polycrystalline layer is exposed to the laser anneal for about 100 milliseconds or less.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is heated to a temperature of about 800° C. or higher during the rapid thermal anneal.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the temperature is about 1,000° C. or higher during the rapid thermal anneal.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the doped polycrystalline layer has an electrical resistively of less than about 400 ohms/cm2.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the doped polycrystalline layer comprises boron at the dopant concentration.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the doped polycrystalline layer comprises silicon and carbon.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the doped polycrystalline layer comprises silicon and germanium.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the doped polycrystalline layer further comprises carbon.

### Claim 19

A method for forming a doped silicon-containing material on a substrate, comprising:
depositing a polycrystalline layer on a dielectric layer;
implanting the polycrystalline layer with a dopant to form a doped polycrystalline layer having a dopant concentration within a range from about 1×1019 atoms/cm3 to about 1×1021 atoms/cm3, wherein the doped polycrystalline layer comprises silicon, carbon, and boron;
exposing the substrate to a rapid thermal anneal; and
exposing the doped polycrystalline layer to a laser anneal.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, hafnium oxide, hafnium silicate, aluminum oxide, aluminum silicate, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a thickness within a range from about 5 Å to about 50 Å.

### Claim 22 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, wherein the dielectric layer is exposed to a nitridation process to form a nitrided dielectric layer comprising a material selected from the group consisting of silicon oxynitride, hafnium oxynitride, nitrided hafnium silicate, aluminum oxynitride, derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, wherein the nitridation process is a decoupled plasma nitridation process and the nitrided dielectric layer comprises silicon oxynitride.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein the nitrided dielectric layer comprises a nitrogen concentration within a range from about 1×1014 atoms/cm2 to about 1×1016 atoms/cm2.

### Claim 25 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, wherein the doped polycrystalline layer is heated to a temperature of about 1,000° C. or greater during the laser anneal.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The method of claim 25, wherein the temperature is about 1,050° C. or greater during the laser anneal.

### Claim 27 (depends on 26)

The method of claim 26, wherein the temperature is within a range from about 1,050° C. to about 1,400° C. during the laser anneal.

### Claim 28 (depends on 27)

The method of claim 27, wherein the doped polycrystalline layer is exposed to the laser anneal for about 500 milliseconds or less.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The method of claim 28, wherein the doped polycrystalline layer is exposed to the laser anneal for about 100 milliseconds or less.

### Claim 30 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, wherein the substrate is heated to a temperature of about 800° C. or higher during the rapid thermal anneal.

### Claim 31 (depends on 30)

The method of claim 30, wherein the temperature is about 1,000° C. or higher during the rapid thermal anneal.

### Claim 32

A method for forming a doped silicon-containing material on a substrate, comprising:
depositing a silicon-containing layer on a substrate;
implanting the silicon-containing layer with a dopant to form a doped silicon-containing layer containing a dopant concentration within a range from about 1×1019 atoms/cm3 to about 1×1021 atoms/cm3, wherein the doped silicon-containing layer further comprises carbon;
exposing the doped silicon-containing layer to a rapid thermal anneal; and
heating the doped silicon-containing layer to a temperature of about 1,000° C. or greater during a laser anneal.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the doped silicon-containing layer is a polycrystalline layer.

### Claim 34 (depends on 33)

The method of claim 33, wherein the doped silicon-containing layer further comprises germanium.

### Claim 35 (depends on 34)

The method of claim 34, wherein the doped silicon-containing layer further comprises boron.

### Claim 36 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the doped silicon-containing layer further comprises boron.

### Claim 37 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the temperature is about 1,050° C. or greater during the laser anneal.

### Claim 38 (depends on 37)

The method of claim 37, wherein the doped silicon-containing layer is heated to a temperature within a range from about 1,050° C. to about 1,400° C. during the laser anneal.

### Claim 39 (depends on 38)

The method of claim 38, wherein the doped silicon-containing layer is exposed to the laser anneal for about 100 milliseconds or less.

### Claim 40 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the doped silicon-containing layer is heated to a temperature of less than about 1,415° during the laser anneal.

### Claim 41 (depends on 40)

The method of claim 40, wherein the doped silicon-containing layer is heated to a temperature of about 1,350° during the laser anneal.

### Claim 42 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32, wherein the substrate is heated to a temperature of about 800° or higher during the rapid thermal anneal.

### Claim 43 (depends on 42)

The method of claim 42, wherein the temperature is about 1,000° or higher during the rapid thermal anneal.