Enhanced deposition of layer on substrate using radicals
AssigneeVeeco ALD Inc.
InventorSang In Lee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments relate to using radicals to at different stages of deposition processes. The radicals may be generated by applying voltage across electrodes in a reactor remote from a substrate. The radicals are injected onto the substrate at different stages of molecular layer deposition (MLD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to improve characteristics of the deposited layer, enable depositing of material otherwise not feasible and/or increase the rate of deposition. Gas used for generating the radicals may include inert gas and other gases. The radicals may disassociate precursors, activate the surface of a deposited layer or cause cross-linking between deposited molecules.
Claims19
A method of performing a molecular layer deposition, comprising:
- (a) injecting a first source precursor onto a substrate;
- (b) injecting a first reactant precursor on the substrate injected with the first source precursor to deposit a layer of metal-containing hybrid organic-inorganic polymer on the substrate, wherein the first reactant precursor comprises an organic compound;
- (c) generating radicals of a gas or a mixture of gases;
- (d) injecting the generated radicals onto the deposited layer to place the deposited layer in a reactive state, the generated radicals different from the first reactant precursor;
- and
- (e) injecting a second source precursor onto the substrate with the deposited layer in the reactive state, the adsorption of the second source precursor on the deposited layer facilitated by an increased number of nucleation sites on the deposited layer generated by placing the deposited layer in the reactive state.
A method of performing atomic layer deposition, comprising:
- injecting source precursor onto a substrate;
- generating and injecting radicals of inert gas onto the substrate to disassociate molecules of the source precursor adsorbed on the substrate after injecting the source precursor onto the substrate;
- and
- after injecting the radicals of inert gas, injecting reactant precursor onto the substrate injected with the radicals to deposit a layer on the substrate by reacting or replacing the disassociated molecules on the substrate.
A method of performing a molecular layer deposition, comprising:
- (a) injecting aromatic hydrocarbon as source precursor onto a surface of a substrate;
- (b) injecting purge gas after injecting the aromatic hydrocarbon on the surface of the substrate to remove physisorbed aromatic hydrocarbon from the surface of the substrate;
- (c) after purging the aromatic hydrocarbon, injecting radicals of inert gas onto the surface of the substrate injected with the aromatic hydrocarbon to break hydrocarbon rings on the surface of the substrate and render the surface reactive;
- and
- (d) repeating (a) through (c) to form a polymeric layer on the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.