# US 9,520,284 B1 · Ion beam activated directional deposition > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,520,284 B1 - Document ID: US9520284B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 14/940,980 - Filed: 2015-11-13 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2015-11-13 - Assignees: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. - Applicants: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. - Inventors: Tsung-Liang Chen; Mark Saly - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9520284B1 ## CPC - H10P 14/6339: {deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE or pulsed CVD} - C23C 16/045: {Coating cavities or hollow spaces, e.g. interior of tubes; Infiltration of porous substrates} - C23C 16/345: {Silicon nitride} - C23C 16/45534: {Use of auxiliary reactants other than used for contributing to the composition of the main film, e.g. catalysts, activators or scavengers} - C23C 16/4554: {Plasma being used non-continuously in between ALD reactions (C23C16/56 takes precedence)} - C23C 16/507: using external electrodes, e.g. in tunnel type reactors - H10P 14/6338: {the reactions being activated by other means than plasma or thermal, e.g. photo-CVD} - H10P 14/6682: {the compound being a silane, e.g. disilane, methylsilane or chlorosilane} - H10P 14/69433: {the material being a silicon nitride not containing oxygen, e.g. SixNy or SixByNz} - 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 Approaches herein provide precise areal surface reaction with directional ion beam activation. Exemplary approaches include selectively forming a material within a trench of a semiconductor device using a plurality of successive deposition and activation cycles. Each of the plurality of deposition and activation cycles includes forming a precursor conformally along a set of surfaces of the trench, reacting the precursor with a capping compound to form a capping layer along the set of surfaces of the trench, and performing an ion implant to the semiconductor device to activate just a portion of the capping layer. In one approach, the ion implant activates just a portion of the capping layer along a bottom surface of the trench. In another approach, the ion implant activates just a portion of the capping layer along an upper section of a sidewall of the trench. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: exposing a trench of a semiconductor device to a first precursor; forming a capping layer along a set of surfaces of the trench by reacting the first precursor with a capping compound; performing an ion implant to the semiconductor device to activate a portion of the capping layer by breaking up a capping molecule of the capping compound; and exposing the trench to a second precursor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, the portion of the capping layer disposed along a bottom surface of the trench. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, the portion of the capping layer further disposed along a top surface of the semiconductor device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, further comprising implanting ions into the portion of the capping layer at an angle substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, the portion of the capping layer disposed along an upper portion of a sidewall of the trench. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, further comprising implanting ions into the portion of the capping layer along the upper portion of the sidewall of the trench at an angle substantially non-parallel to the sidewall of the trench and non-parallel to the bottom surface of the trench. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, further comprising removing the capping layer along the bottom surface of the trench and a bottom portion of the sidewall of the trench. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the capping compound is ethylenediamine and the first and second precursor include silicon tetrabromide. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the capping layer is configured to be unreactive to a thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) and to a low energy radical-based ALD, and reactive to high energy ions for breaking up the capping molecule of the capping compound. ### Claim 10 A method comprising: selectively growing a trench material within a trench of a semiconductor device using a plurality of successive cycles, each of the plurality of successive cycles including: chemisorbing a precursor along a set of surfaces of the trench; reacting the precursor with a capping compound to form a capping layer along the set of surfaces of the trench; and performing an ion implant to the semiconductor device to activate just a portion of the capping layer by breaking up a capping molecule of the capping compound. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, the portion of the capping layer disposed along a bottom surface of the trench and along a top surface of the semiconductor device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, further comprising implanting ions into the portion of the capping layer disposed along the bottom surface of the trench at an angle substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface of the trench. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, the portion of the capping layer disposed along an upper portion of a sidewall of the trench. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, further comprising implanting ions into the portion of the capping layer along the upper portion of the sidewall of the trench at an angle substantially non-parallel to the sidewall of the trench and non-parallel to the bottom surface of the trench. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, further comprising removing the capping layer along the bottom surface of the trench and a bottom portion of the sidewall of the trench. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the capping compound is ethylenediamine, the precursor is silicon tetrabromide, and the trench material is silicon nitride. ### Claim 17 A method comprising: selectively growing a trench-fill material within a trench of a semiconductor device by performing a plurality of successive cycles, each of the plurality of successive cycles including: chemisorbing a precursor conformally along a set of surfaces of the trench; reacting the precursor with a capping compound to form a capping layer along the set of surfaces of the trench; and performing an ion implant to the semiconductor device to activate just a portion of the capping layer by breaking up a capping molecule of the capping compound. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, further comprising implanting ions into the portion of the capping layer, disposed along a bottom surface of the trench, at an angle substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface of the trench. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method according to claim 18, further comprising implanting ions into the portion of the capping layer, disposed along an upper portion of a sidewall of the trench, at an angle substantially non-parallel to the sidewall of the trench and non-parallel to the bottom surface of the trench.