Low temperature process for polysilazane oxidation/densification
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorsJanos Fucsko, John A. Smythe, III, Li Li, Grady S. Waldo
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Abstract
Semiconductor devices, structures and systems that utilize a polysilazane-based silicon oxide layer or fill, and methods of making the oxide layer are disclosed. In one embodiment, a polysilazane solution is deposited on a substrate and processed with ozone in a wet oxidation at low temperature to chemically modify the polysilazane material to a silicon oxide layer.
Claims29
A method of forming a silicon oxide material, comprising:
- filling an opening in a substrate with a solution consisting of polysilazane in a solvent;
- removing the solvent from the solution to provide a polysilazane material consisting of silicon, hydrogen and nitrogen elements;
- and
- exposing the polysilazane material to water and ozone at a temperature of less than about 100° C. without an initial thermal anneal or oxidation at greater than the 100° C. temperature, to convert the polysilazane material to a silicon oxide material.
A method of forming a silicon oxide material, comprising:
- partially filling an opening with a material consisting of polysilazane;
- and
- wet oxidizing the polysilazane material at a temperature of less than about 100° C. without an initial thermal anneal or oxidation at greater than the 100° C. temperature to produce a silicon oxide material having an oxygen-rich surface and a decreasing oxygen profile thereafter.
A method of forming a silicon oxide material, comprising:
- forming a polysilazane material over a silicon oxide material on a floor and sidewalls of a trench in a substrate;
- and
- wet oxidizing the polysilazane material at a temperature of less than 100° C. to produce a silicon oxide material having an oxygen-rich surface with at least about 80% of N and H moieties replaced by oxygen as determined by XPS % atomic analysis or SIMS profiling analysis.
A method of forming a silicon oxide material, comprising:
- substantially filling an opening on a substrate with an undensified polysilazane consisting of silicon, hydrogen and nitrogen elements;
- and
- applying an aqueous ozone solution to the undensified polysilazane material at a temperature of less than about 100° C. to wet oxidize the undensified polysilazane material and form a silicon oxide material without an initial thermal anneal or oxidation at greater than the temperature.
A method of forming an oxide material, comprising:
- wet oxidizing a thickness of a polysilazane material to produce an oxygen-rich surface portion and a decreasing oxygen content thereafter;
- removing a thickness of the oxygen-rich surface portion of the oxide material;
- and
- wet oxidizing an additional thickness of the polysilazane material to increase the thickness of the oxygen-rich surface portion.
A wet-oxidized polysilazane-based oxide material filling an opening in a substrate and having a thickness of about 30-500 nm, an oxygen-rich surface comprising N and H moieties at up to 20% to a depth of about 20-150 nm, and a decreasing oxygen profile thereafter wherein the oxygen content decreases from the surface through the thickness of the oxide material, the polysilazane-based oxide material being wet oxidized at a temperature of less than 100° C.
A method of forming a silicon oxide material, comprising:
- filling at least a portion of a trench in a substrate with a material consisting of polysilazane, the trench having an aspect ratio of at least 5;
- and
- exposing the polysilazane material to water and ozone at a temperature of less than about 100° C. to produce a silicon oxide material without a thermal anneal and without a wet oxidation at greater than the 100° C. temperature.
A method of forming a silicon oxide material, comprising:
- oxidizing a material consisting of an undensified polysilazane in at least a portion of an opening at a temperature of less than about 100° C. without an initial thermal anneal or oxidation at greater than the 100° C. temperature to produce a silicon oxide material having a depth, an oxygen-rich surface comprising N and H moieties at up to 20%, and a decreasing oxygen profile thereafter wherein the oxygen content decreases from the surface through the depth of the silicon oxide material;
- and
- applying steam to the silicon oxide material to increase the oxygen content through the depth of the silicon oxide material.
A method of forming a silicon oxide material, comprising:
- applying steam in the presence of ozone at a temperature of about 100° C-200° C. and a pressure of 0.5 atm-20 atm and without an initial thermal anneal or oxidation at greater than the 100° C. temperature to a material consisting of polysilazane in a trench having an aspect ratio of at least 5, to produce a silicon oxide material having a depth, an oxygen-rich surface comprising N and H moieties at up to 20%, and a decreasing oxygen profile thereafter wherein the oxygen content decreases from the surface through the depth of the silicon oxide material.
A polysilazane-based oxide material filling an opening in a substrate and having a thickness of about 30-500 nm, and an oxygen-rich surface comprising N and H moieties at up to 20% to a depth of about 20-150 nm and a decreasing oxygen profile thereafter, the polysilazane-based oxide material being wet oxidized at a temperature of less than 100° C.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.