US 7,682,946 B2 · Apparatus and process for plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a method for forming a material on a substrate during an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, such as a plasma-enhanced ALD (PE-ALD) process. In one embodiment, a method is provided which includes flowing at least one process gas through at least one conduit to form a circular gas flow pattern, exposing a substrate to the circular gas flow pattern, sequentially pulsing at least one chemical precursor into the process gas and igniting a plasma from the process gas to deposit a material on the substrate. In one example, the circular gas flow pattern has circular geometry of a vortex, a helix, a spiral, or a derivative thereof. Materials that may be deposited by the method include ruthenium, tantalum, tantalum nitride, tungsten or tungsten nitride. Other embodiments of the invention provide an apparatus configured to form the material during the PE-ALD process.

Claims33

Dependent claims

A method for depositing a material on a substrate, comprising:

positioning a substrate on a substrate support within a process chamber comprising a showerhead assembly having an inner region and an outer region;
directing a first process gas to the inner region and a second process gas to the outer region;
maintaining flow of at least one carrier gas through the inner region and the outer region of the showerhead assembly to form a circular directional gas;
exposing the substrate to the circular directional gas;
and
depositing a material containing at least one element from at least one precursor onto the substrate by sequentially exposing the substrate to the at least one precursor and a plasma during a plasma-enhanced ALD process comprising sequentially pulsing the at least one precursor and generating the plasma, wherein the at least one precursor is pulsed into the at least one carrier gas flowing through the inner region and the plasma is generated from the circular directional gas comprising the at least one carrier gas.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and process for plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition

Life of this patent

Apparatus and process for plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims33