# US 8,785,303 B2 · Methods for depositing amorphous silicon

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- Number: US 8,785,303 B2
- Document ID: US8785303B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/486,026
- Filed: 2012-06-01
- Published: 2013-12-05
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2012-06-01
- Assignees: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
- Applicants: Chi-Min Liao
- Inventors: Chi-Min Liao
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8785303B2

## CPC

- H10P 14/24: using chemical vapour deposition [CVD]
- C23C 16/24: Deposition of silicon only
- C23C 16/4405: {Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases}
- C23C 16/52: Controlling or regulating the coating process {(C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence)}
- H10P 14/3411: {Silicon, silicon germanium or germanium}
- H10P 14/3454: {Amorphous}
- H10P 14/38: {characterised by treatments done after the formation of the materials}
- H10P 72/0468: {comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process}
- H10P 14/416: {of highly doped semiconductor materials, e.g. polysilicon layers or amorphous silicon layers}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)

## Abstract

Methods for depositing an amorphous silicon layer on wafers are disclosed. A process wafer, a control wafer, and a dummy wafer may be loaded into a chamber where an amorphous silicon layer may be deposited on the process wafer. Afterwards, the process wafer and the control wafer may be removed from the chamber. The chamber and the dummy wafers are dry cleaned together. The dry cleaned dummy wafers are used in the next run for depositing amorphous silicon layer. The process may be controlled by a computer system issuing a control job comprising a first process job and a second process job, wherein the first process job is to deposit an amorphous silicon layer on the process wafer, and the second process job is to dry clean the chamber and the dummy wafer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for depositing a layer, comprising:
loading into a chamber a process wafer, a control wafer, and a dummy wafer, the dummy wafer including a silicon oxide layer;
depositing an amorphous silicon layer on the process wafer;
removing the process wafer and the control wafer from the chamber; and
dry cleaning the chamber and the dummy wafer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the amorphous silicon layer is deposited using silicon hydride.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein dry cleaning is performed using an F2 clean gas.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein dry cleaning is performed under a pressure at a value less than or equal to about 100 mTorr.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the method is controlled by a computer system.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein a first recipe is used by the computer system to control depositing the amorphous silicon layer, and a second recipe is used by the computer system to control dry cleaning the chamber and the dummy wafer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the computer system selects a dry cleaning recipe and executes the dry cleaning recipe for dry cleaning the chamber and the dummy wafer.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising loading the dummy wafer, the process wafer, and the control wafer onto a vertical boat.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein a plurality of dummy wafers, a plurality of process wafers, and a plurality of control wafers are loaded onto the vertical boat completely filling the vertical boat.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the amorphous silicon layer is deposited using silicon hydride and a doping gas.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the amorphous silicon layer is deposited under a temperature in a range of about 200° C. to 500° C.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
loading the dry cleaned dummy wafer, a second process wafer, and a second control wafer into the chamber;
depositing an amorphous silicon layer on the second process wafer;
removing the second process wafer and the second control wafer from the chamber; and
dry cleaning the chamber and the dry cleaned dummy wafer.

### Claim 13

A method for depositing an amorphous silicon layer, comprising:
loading into a chamber a process wafer, a control wafer, and a dummy wafer, the dummy wafer including a silicon oxide layer;
depositing an amorphous silicon layer on the process wafer;
removing the process wafer and the control wafer from the chamber;
dry cleaning the chamber and the dummy wafer;
loading a second process wafer, and a second control wafer into the chamber;
depositing an amorphous silicon layer on the second process wafer;
removing the second process wafer and the second control wafer from the chamber; and
dry cleaning the chamber and the dry cleaned dummy wafer.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein dry cleaning is performed using an F2 clean gas.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein dry cleaning is performed under a pressure at a value less than or equal to about 100 mTorr.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the method is controlled by a computer system, a first recipe is used by the computer system to control depositing the amorphous silicon layer, and a second recipe is used by the computer system to control dry cleaning the chamber containing the dummy wafer.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the dummy wafer, the process wafer, and the control wafer are loaded onto a vertical boat within the chamber.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the amorphous silicon layer is deposited using silicon hydride.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the amorphous silicon layer is deposited under a temperature in a range of about 200° C. to 500° C.

### Claim 20

A method for depositing an amorphous silicon layer, comprising:
loading into a chamber a process wafer, a control wafer, and a dummy wafer, the dummy wafer including a silicon oxide layer;
issuing by a computer system a control job comprising a first process job and a second process job, wherein the first process job is to deposit an amorphous silicon layer on the process wafer, and the second process job is to dry clean the chamber and the dummy wafer;
depositing an amorphous silicon layer on the process wafer according to the first process job;
removing the process wafer and the control wafer from the chamber; and
dry cleaning the chamber and the dummy wafer according to the second process job.