Plasma treatment of silicon nitride and silicon oxynitride
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorMatthew Scott Rogers
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of forming a semiconductor device is disclosed. Nitrogen layers of an IPD stack are deposited using silane and a nitrogen plasma to yield a nitride layer plasma treated through its entire thickness. In addition to nitriding the bottom nitride layer of the stack, the middle nitride layer may also be nitrided. Depositing silicon from silane in a nitrogen plasma may be accomplished using high density plasma, ALD, or remote plasma processes. Elevated temperature may be used during deposition to reduce residual hydrogen in the deposited layer.
Claims18
A method of forming a device, comprising:
- forming a first polysilicon layer on a thermal oxide layer of a substrate;
- nitriding the first polysilicon layer using a plasma nitridation process to form a nitrided polysilicon layer;
- forming a nitride layer over the nitrided polysilicon layer;
- removing hydrogen from the nitride layer in a thermal or plasma process while forming the nitride layer;
- and
- forming a second polysilicon layer on the nitride layer.
A method of preventing electron leakage in a capacitive device, comprising:
- forming first, second, and third nitride layers of the capacitive device, the second nitride layer positioned between the first and the third nitride layers;
- and
- removing hydrogen from the second nitride layer of the capacitive device by exposing the second nitride layer to a plasma treatment while forming the second nitride layer.
A method of forming a floating gate device, comprising:
- forming a first polysilicon layer on a thermal oxide layer of a substrate;
- nitriding the first polysilicon layer to form a nitride layer by exposing the first polysilicon layer to a plasma process;
- subjecting the substrate to a rapid thermal process while nitriding the first polysilicon layer;
- forming a second nitride layer over the nitrided polysilicon layer and removing hydrogen from the second nitride layer in a thermal or plasma process while forming the second nitride layer;
- and
- forming a second polysilicon layer on the second nitride layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.