TWI643971B - Film deposition using spatial atomic layer deposition or pulsed chemical vapor deposition - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an atomic layer deposition method for depositing a film using a circular batch processing chamber having a plurality of sections separated by an air curtain such that each section independently has a process condition.

Description

Thin film deposition using space atomic layer deposition or pulsed chemical vapor deposition

Embodiments of the present disclosure are generally directed to an apparatus for processing a substrate. More specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a batch processing platform for performing atomic layer deposition (ALD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on a substrate.

The process of forming a semiconductor device is typically performed in a substrate processing platform having a plurality of chambers. In some cases, the purpose of a multi-chamber processing platform or cluster tool is to perform two or more processes sequentially on a substrate in a controlled environment. In other cases, however, the multi-chamber processing platform can perform only a single processing step on multiple substrates; the additional chamber is intended to maximize the rate at which the platform processes the substrate. In the latter case, the process performed on multiple substrates is typically a batch process in which a relatively large number of substrates (e.g., 25 or 50) are simultaneously processed in a given chamber. Batch processing is particularly beneficial for processes that are too time consuming to perform on individual substrates in an economically viable manner, such as for ALD processes and some chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes.

The efficiency of a substrate processing platform or system is typically quantified by cost of ownership (COO). Although affected by many factors, COO Mainly affected by the system footprint (ie, the total footprint required for the operating system in the manufacturing plant) and system throughput (ie, the number of substrates processed per hour). The footprint typically includes the access area of adjacent systems required for maintenance. Thus, although the substrate processing platform can be relatively small, the effective footprint of the system can still be excessive if it needs to be accessed from all sides for operation and maintenance.

As semiconductor devices shrink in size, the semiconductor industry's tolerance to process variability continues to decrease. To meet these more stringent process requirements, the industry has developed numerous new processes that meet the more stringent process window requirements, but these processes typically take longer to complete. For example, for conformal formation of a copper diffusion barrier layer on a surface of a high aspect ratio, 65 nm or less interconnect feature, it may be necessary to use an ALD process. The ALD-based CVD variant exhibits superior step coverage compared to CVD. ALD is based on atomic layer epitaxy (ALE), which was originally used to fabricate electroluminescent displays. ALD employs chemisorption to deposit a saturated monolayer of reactive precursor molecules on the surface of the substrate. This is accomplished by alternating a pulsed cycle of a suitable reactive precursor into the deposition chamber. Each injection of reactive precursor is typically separated by inert gas purge to provide a new atomic layer to the previously deposited layer to form a uniform layer of material on the surface of the substrate. The recycling of the reactive precursor and the inert purge gas is repeated to form a layer of material to the desired thickness. The biggest disadvantage of ALD technology is that the deposition rate is at least an order of magnitude lower than typical CVD techniques. For example, some ALD processes may require a chamber processing time of from about 10 minutes to about 200 minutes to deposit a high quality layer on the surface of the substrate. When such ALD processes and epitaxial processes are selected for better device performance, the cost of manufacturing devices in conventional single substrate processing chambers will increase due to very low substrate processing throughput. therefore, Continuous substrate processing approaches must be economically viable when such processes are implemented.

There is a continuing need in the art for an apparatus and method for uniformly depositing a thin film on a substrate in an efficient and cost effective manner.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a method of processing comprising: placing a substrate having a surface in a processing chamber, the chamber including a plurality of segments, each segment being adjacent to an adjacent segment by an air curtain Separating; exposing at least a portion of the surface to a first process condition comprising one or more of a temperature change or a first reactive gas to deposit a first film on a surface in the first section of the processing chamber Passing the substrate surface laterally through the air curtain to the second section of the processing chamber; and exposing the first film to a second process condition comprising one or more of a temperature change or a second reactive gas for processing Forming a second film in the second section of the chamber, wherein the first portion of the surface is exposed to the first portion while exposing the second portion of the surface to the second process condition and exposing the intermediate portion of the substrate to the air curtain In the process conditions.

Additional embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a method of processing comprising: placing a substrate having a surface in a processing chamber, the chamber including a plurality of segments circumferentially arranged about a central axis, each of which is Separating the segment from the adjacent segment; and rotating the substrate about the central axis to expose at least a portion of the substrate surface to a first process condition comprising one or more of a temperature change or a first reactive gas to deposit on the surface a first film exposed to a second process condition comprising one or more of a temperature change or a second reactive gas to react with the first film to form a second film in the second section of the processing chamber, Wherein the second portion of the surface is exposed to the second process condition and the substrate is While the intermediate portion is exposed to the air curtain, the first portion of the surface is exposed to the first process conditions.

A further embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to a method of processing comprising: placing a substrate having a surface in a processing chamber, the chamber including a plurality of segments circumferentially arranged about a central axis, each of which is Separating the segment from the adjacent segment; exposing the substrate to a first process condition in the first section of the processing chamber to form a first film, the first process condition comprising one of the first reactive gas or temperature change or More preferably; rotating the substrate about a central axis of the processing chamber to move the substrate from the first section through the air curtain to a second section of the processing chamber having the second process condition such that at some point during the movement, Exposing at least one portion of the substrate to the first process condition while exposing at least one portion of the substrate to the second process condition and exposing the intermediate portion of the substrate to the air curtain; exposing the substrate to the processing chamber Forming a second film in a second process condition in the second section, the second process condition comprising one or more of the second reactive gas or temperature change; rotating about a central axis of the processing chamber The plate moves the substrate from the second section through the air curtain to the third section of the processing chamber such that at some point during the movement, at least one portion of the substrate is exposed to the third process condition and the substrate is Exposing at least one portion of the substrate to the second process condition while the intermediate portion is exposed to the air curtain; exposing the substrate to a third process condition in the third section of the processing chamber to form a third film, third The process conditions comprise one or more of a third reactive gas or temperature change; rotating the substrate about a central axis of the processing chamber to move the substrate from the third section through the air curtain to a fourth section of the processing chamber such that At some point during the movement, at least one portion of the substrate is exposed to the fourth process condition While exposing the intermediate portion of the substrate to the air curtain, exposing at least one portion of the substrate to the third process condition; exposing the substrate to a fourth process condition in the fourth portion of the processing chamber to form the first a fourth film, the fourth process condition comprising one or more of a fourth reactive gas or temperature change; rotating the substrate about a central axis of the processing chamber to move the substrate from the fourth segment through the air curtain to the first segment, And without passing through the second section or the third section, wherein one or more of the first reactive gas, the second reactive gas, the third reactive gas, or the fourth reactive gas comprises decane, and Defect formation in the four films is significantly reduced compared to processes that require purification of the process chamber between reactive gas exposures.

20‧‧‧Processing chamber

30‧‧‧Gas distribution components

32‧‧‧ Path

33‧‧‧ Interior perimeter edge

34‧‧‧External peripheral edge

40‧‧‧Air curtain

60‧‧‧Substrate

61‧‧‧Top surface/first surface

65‧‧‧ Shuttle

66‧‧‧crystal seat

67‧‧‧ top surface

68‧‧‧ recess

70‧‧‧ Track

80‧‧‧First Processing Station

82‧‧‧Load lock

84‧‧‧ area

85‧‧‧Second processing station

90‧‧‧radiation heating lamp

100‧‧‧Processing chamber

120‧‧‧Syringe

125‧‧‧ gas 埠

130‧‧‧Syringe

135‧‧‧ gas 埠

140‧‧‧Syringe

145‧‧‧ gas 埠

150‧‧‧ pumping system

155‧‧‧vacuum

160‧‧‧Parts

200‧‧‧Processing chamber

210‧‧‧ gap

220‧‧‧Gas distribution components

221‧‧‧Syringe unit

225‧‧‧ positive

227‧‧‧ Interior perimeter edge

228‧‧‧External peripheral edge

230‧‧‧Crystal assembly

231‧‧‧OD area

232‧‧‧Actuator

239‧‧‧Inner diameter area

240‧‧‧Axis

241‧‧‧ top surface

243‧‧‧ recess

260‧‧‧ wafer

261‧‧‧ top surface

Therefore, the present disclosure is briefly described in detail with reference to the embodiments, However, it should be noted that the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated by the accompanying drawings, and therefore, the drawings are not intended to be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure, as this disclosure may permit other equally effective embodiments. .

1 is a cross-sectional side view of a spatial atomic layer deposition chamber in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; and FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a crystal holder in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of a pie-shaped gas distribution assembly in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 4 is configured in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. A schematic plan view of a substrate processing system for four gas distribution module units and a loading station; FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing system configured with three gas distribution assembly units; FIG. 6 illustrates one of the present disclosures or A cross-sectional view of a processing chamber of a further embodiment; FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a crystal holder assembly and a gas distribution assembly unit in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 8 illustrates a A cross-sectional view of a processing chamber of one or more embodiments; and a ninth diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of a pie-shaped gas distribution assembly in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a substrate processing system for continuous substrate deposition to maximize throughput and improve processing efficiency and uniformity. The substrate processing system can also be used for deposition of pre-substrate processing and post-deposition substrate processing. Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to apparatus and methods for increasing deposition uniformity in a batch processor.

Using the batch processor in accordance with the described embodiments, the inventors have discovered that high yields can be exhibited with ALD TiN deposition. Similar superior results can be found using other processes such as ALD TiO ₂ , TiSiN, TiAlN, AlN, W, WN, Ta ₂ O ₅ , TaN. Various syringe configurations can also be used to fabricate metal or conductive films that require plasma processing, such as pulsed CVD Co, PECVD, and PEALD TiN that require plasma processing. Other processes requiring plasma may be used, including but not limited to PEALD TaN with hydrogen plasma, PEALD copper with hydrogen plasma, and the like. In the plasma capacity, in-situ cleaning with NF ₃ remote plasma can be used to etch TiN, Co, TaN, TiSiN, W, WN, and the like. For AlN, TiAlN and Ta ₂ O ₅ , in-situ cleaning can be carried out using BCl ₃ and Cl ₂ plasma. For TiO ₂ , direct plasma of NF ₃ and NH ₃ in a ruthenium environment can be used. The foregoing films and chemicals represent only some of the deposition and etching processes that can be used.

As used in this specification and the accompanying claims, the terms "substrate" and "wafer" are used interchangeably and both indicate a portion of the surface or surface on which the process is performed. It should also be understood by those skilled in the art that reference to a substrate may also refer only to a portion of the substrate unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, in the spatially separated ALD described with respect to Figure 1, each precursor is delivered to the substrate, but any individual precursor stream is only delivered to a portion of the substrate at any given time. Additionally, reference to depositing on a substrate can refer to both a bare substrate and a substrate on which one or more films or features are deposited or formed.

As used in this specification and the accompanying claims, the terms "reactive gas", "precursor" and "reactant" and the like are used interchangeably to mean A gas that is a reactive substance in a layer deposition process. For example, the first "reactive gas" may be adsorbed only on the surface of the substrate and may be used for further chemical reaction with the second reactive gas.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a processing chamber 20 in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. The processing chamber 20 is generally a sealable outer casing that is operable under vacuum or at least low pressure conditions. Processing chamber 100 includes a gas distribution assembly 30 that is capable of dispensing one or more gases across a top surface 61 of the substrate 60. The gas distribution assembly 30 can be any suitable component known to those skilled in the art, and the particular gas distribution assembly described should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The output face of the gas distribution assembly 30 faces the first surface 61 of the substrate 60.

The substrate used in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be any suitable substrate. In some embodiments, the substrate is a rigid, discrete, generally planar substrate. As used in this specification and the accompanying claims, the term "discrete" when referring to a substrate means that the substrate has a fixed size. The substrate in one or more embodiments is a semiconductor substrate, such as a 200 mm or 300 mm diameter germanium substrate. In some embodiments, the substrate is one or more of tantalum, niobium, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, tantalum, gallium phosphide, indium phosphide, sapphire, or tantalum carbide.

The gas distribution assembly 30 includes a plurality of gas gases for delivering one or more gas streams to the substrate 60, and a plurality of vacuum ports disposed between the gas gases for conveying gas flow out of the processing chamber 20. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, gas distribution assembly 30 includes a first precursor injector 120, a second precursor injector 130, and a purge gas injector 140. The injectors 120, 130, 140 can be controlled by a system computer (such as a host) (not shown) or by a chamber-specific controller such as a programmable logic controller. The precursor injector 120 injects a continuous stream (or pulse stream) of the reactive precursor of Compound A into the processing chamber 20 via a plurality of gas crucibles 125. The precursor injector 130 injects a continuous stream (or pulse stream) of the reactive precursor of Compound B into the processing chamber 20 via a plurality of gas helium 135. The purge gas injector 140 passes a continuous stream (or pulse stream) of non-reactive gas or purge gas through a plurality of gases The crucible 145 is injected into the processing chamber 20. The purge gas removes reactive materials and reactive byproducts from the processing chamber 20. The purge gas is typically an inert gas such as nitrogen, argon and helium. A gas crucible 145 is disposed between the gas crucible 125 and the gas crucible 135 to separate the precursor of the compound A from the precursor of the compound B, thereby avoiding cross-contamination between the precursors.

In another aspect, a distal plasma source (not shown) can be coupled to the precursor injector 120 and the precursor injector 130 prior to injecting the precursor into the processing chamber 20. A plasma of reactive species can be produced by applying an electric field to the compound in a remote plasma source. Any power source capable of activating the intended compound can be used. For example, a power supply using a DC, radio frequency (RF), and microwave (MW) based discharge technology can be used. If an RF power source is used, it can be capacitively coupled or inductively coupled. Activation can also be produced by heat-based techniques, gas decomposition techniques, high energy sources (eg, ultraviolet energy), or exposure to x-ray sources. Exemplary distal plasma sources are commercially available from suppliers such as MKS Instruments, Inc. and Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.

Processing chamber 100 further includes a pumping system 150 coupled to processing chamber 20. The pumping system 150 is generally configured to draw air flow from the processing chamber 20 via one or more vacuum ports 155. A vacuum crucible 155 is placed between each gas crucible to draw air flow from the processing chamber 20 after the gas stream reacts with the substrate surface and further restrict cross-contamination between the precursors.

The processing chamber 100 includes a plurality of dividers 160 disposed on the processing chamber 20 between the turns. The lower portion of each of the spacers extends proximate to the first surface 61 of the substrate 60, for example about 0.5 from the first surface 61. Mm or larger. In this manner, the lower portion of the spacer 160 is separated from the substrate surface by a distance sufficient to allow the gas stream to flow around the lower portion toward the vacuum crucible 155 after reacting with the substrate surface. Arrow 198 indicates the direction of the airflow. Since the operating partition 160 acts as a physical barrier to airflow, the dividers also limit cross-contamination between the precursors. The illustrations are merely illustrative and are not to be considered as limiting the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the illustrated gas distribution system is only one possible dispensing system and that other types of sprinkler heads and gas distribution components can be employed.

An atomic layer deposition system of this type (i.e., in which multiple gases are simultaneously flowing toward the substrate separately) is referred to as space ALD. In operation, substrate 60 (e.g., by a robot) is delivered into processing chamber 20, and the substrate can be placed on shuttle 65 either before or after entering the processing chamber. The shuttle 65 moves along the track 70 or some other suitable moving mechanism through the processing chamber 20 and is delivered below (or above) the gas distribution assembly 30. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the shuttle 65 is moved through the chamber in a linear path. As will be explained further below, FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment in which a wafer is moved through a rotating rack processing system in a circular path.

Referring back to FIG. 1, when the substrate 60 moves through the processing chamber 20, the first surface 61 of the substrate 60 is repeatedly exposed to the reactive gas A from the gas crucible 125 and the reactive gas B from the gas crucible 135 and from The gas 埠145 is in the purge gas between the two. The injection of purge gas is designed to remove unreacted material from the previous precursor prior to exposing the substrate surface 110 to the next precursor. After each exposure to various gas streams (eg, reactive gases or purge gases), the air stream is pumped through pumping system 150 via vacuum crucible 155. Since the vacuum crucible can be placed on both sides of each gas crucible, the air flow is pumped through the vacuum crucible 155 on both sides. Thus, the gas stream flows vertically downward from the respective gas crucible toward the first surface 61 of the substrate 60, across the substrate surface 110 and around the lower portion of the separator 160, and finally upwardly toward the vacuum crucible 155. In this way, each gas can be evenly distributed across the substrate surface 110. Arrow 198 indicates the direction of gas flow. The substrate 60 can also be rotated while being exposed to various gas streams. Rotation of the substrate can be used to prevent strip formation in the formed layer. The rotation of the substrate can be continuous or in a separate step, and can occur while the substrate is being transferred under the gas distribution assembly 30 or when the substrate is in the region before and/or after the gas distribution assembly 30.

After the gas distribution assembly 30, generally sufficient space is provided to ensure complete exposure to the final gas helium. Once the substrate 60 has been completely transferred under the gas distribution assembly 30, the first surface 61 has been completely exposed to each gas enthalpy in the processing chamber 20. The substrate can then be transferred back in the opposite direction or forwarded. If the substrate 60 is moved in the opposite direction, the substrate surface may be exposed again to the reactive gas A, the purge gas, and the reactive gas B in the order in which the first exposure is reversed.

The extent to which substrate surface 110 is exposed to each gas can be determined, for example, by the rate of flow of each gas from the gas enthalpy and the rate of movement of substrate 60. In one embodiment, the flow rate of each gas is controlled to avoid removal of the adsorbed precursor from the substrate surface 61. The width between the dividers, the number of gas imperfections disposed on the processing chamber 20, and the number of passes of the substrate across the gas distribution assembly may also determine the extent to which the substrate surface 61 is exposed to various gases. Therefore, the quantity and product of the deposited film can be optimized by changing the above mentioned factors. quality.

While the process of directing gas directed downwardly toward the substrate disposed below the gas distribution assembly has been described for gas distribution assembly 30, it will be appreciated that this orientation may vary. In some embodiments, the gas distribution assembly 30 directs gas flow upwardly toward the surface of the substrate. As used in this specification and the accompanying claims, the term "transferring" means that the substrate has been moved from one side of the gas distribution assembly to the other such that the entire surface of the substrate is exposed to each of the gas distribution plates. In the airflow. The term "transverse" does not imply any particular orientation of the gas distribution component, gas flow, or substrate location without additional description.

In some embodiments, shuttle 65 is used to carry crystal holder 66 of substrate 60. In general, the crystal holder 66 is a carrier that assists in forming a uniform temperature across the substrate. The crystal holder 66 is movable in both directions (from left to right and from right to left with respect to the arrangement of Fig. 1) or in the annular direction (relative to Fig. 3). The crystal holder 66 has a top surface 67 for carrying the substrate 60. The crystal holder 66 can be a heated crystal holder such that the substrate 60 can be heated for processing. As an example, the crystal holder 66 can be heated by a radiant heat lamp 90, a heater plate, a resistive coil, or other heating device disposed below the crystal seat 66.

In yet another embodiment, the top surface 67 of the receptacle 66 includes a recess 68 to accommodate the substrate 60, as shown in FIG. The crystal holder 66 is generally thicker than the thickness of the substrate such that a wafer material is present beneath the substrate. In some embodiments, the recess 68 is sized such that the first surface 61 of the substrate 60 is flush or substantially coplanar with the top surface 67 of the mount 66 when the substrate 60 is disposed within the recess 68. In other words, the recesses 68 of some embodiments are sized such that when the substrate is placed internally At 60 o'clock, the first surface 61 of the substrate 60 does not protrude above the top surface 67 of the crystal holder 66. As used in this specification and the accompanying claims, the term "substantially coplanar" means that the top surface of the wafer is coplanar with the top surface of the wafer assembly within ± 0.2 mm. In some embodiments, the top surface is coplanar within ±0.15 mm, ±0.10 mm, or ±0.05 mm.

Figure 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a processing chamber in which individual gas enthalpies are illustrated. This embodiment can be a linear processing system in which the width of individual gas turns is substantially the same as the entire width of the gas distribution plate; or a pie-shaped segment in which individual gas turns vary in width to conform to the pie shape. FIG. 3 illustrates a portion of the pie-shaped gas distribution assembly 30. The substrate will be passed across the gas distribution assembly 30 in an arcuate path 32. Each of the individual gas crucibles 125, 135, 145, 155 has a narrower width adjacent the inner peripheral edge 33 of the gas distribution assembly 30 and a larger width adjacent the outer peripheral edge 34 of the gas distribution assembly 30. The shape or aspect ratio of the individual turns may be proportional or different than the shape or aspect ratio of the gas distribution assembly 30 section. In some embodiments, the individual turns are shaped such that each point of the wafer that is routed across gas distribution assembly 30 following path 32 will have approximately the same residence time under each gas helium. The path of the substrate can be perpendicular to the gas enthalpy. In some embodiments, each of the gas distribution assemblies includes a plurality of elongated gas gases that extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to a path traversing the substrate. As used in this specification and the accompanying claims, the term "substantially perpendicular" means that the general direction of movement is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the gas enthalpy. For a pie-shaped gas crucible, the axis of the gas crucible can be viewed as a line defining the line as the midpoint of the width of the crucible extending along the length of the crucible. As will be further described below, each of the individual pie segments can be configured to deliver a single reactive gas or space fraction The multiple reactive gases are either delivered in combination (eg, as in a typical CVD process).

A processing chamber having multiple gas injectors can be used to process multiple wafers simultaneously, causing the wafers to undergo the same process flow. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the processing chamber 100 has four gas distribution assemblies 30 and four substrates 60. At the beginning of the process, the substrate 60 can be placed between the gas distribution assemblies 30. Rotating the crystal holder 66 of the rotating rack 45° will cause each substrate 60 to move to the gas distribution assembly 30 (also referred to as a syringe assembly) for film deposition. This is the position shown in Figure 4. Another 45° rotation moves the substrate 60 away from the gas distribution assembly 30. In the case of a spatial ALD injector, a thin film is deposited on the wafer during movement of the wafer relative to the syringe assembly. In some embodiments, the crystal seat 66 is rotated such that the substrate 60 does not stop below the gas distribution assembly 30. The number of substrates 60 and gas distribution assemblies 30 can be the same or different. In some embodiments, the number of wafers being processed is the same as the number of gas distribution components. In one or more embodiments, the number of wafers being processed is an integer multiple of the number of gas distribution components. For example, if there are four gas distribution components, there are 4x wafers being processed, where x is an integer value greater than or equal to one.

The processing chamber 100 illustrated in FIG. 4 represents only one possible configuration and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Here, the processing chamber 100 includes a plurality of gas distribution assemblies 30. In the illustrated embodiment, four gas distribution assemblies 30 are evenly spaced around the processing chamber 100. The processing chamber 100 is illustrated as being octagonal, however, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that this is a possible shape and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The illustrated gas distribution assembly 30 is rectangular, but it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the gas distribution assembly can be a pie-shaped region. Paragraph, as shown in Figure 3. Additionally, each section can be configured to align the delivery gas in a spatial type, wherein a plurality of different reactive gases flow from the same section, or are configured to deliver a single reactive gas or a mixture of reactive gases.

Processing chamber 100 includes a substrate support device, which is illustrated as a circular crystal seat 66 or a crystal mount assembly. The substrate support apparatus or crystal holder 66 is capable of moving a plurality of substrates 60 under each of the gas distribution assemblies 30. A load lock 82 can be coupled to one side of the processing chamber 100 to allow the substrate 60 to be loaded/unloaded from the chamber 100.

Processing chamber 100 can include a plurality or a set of first processing stations 80 disposed between any or each of a plurality of gas distribution assemblies 30. In some embodiments, each of the first processing stations 80 provides the same processing to the substrate 60.

The number of processing stations and the number of different types of processing stations may vary depending on the process. For example, there may be one, two, three, four, five, six, seven or more processing stations disposed between the gas distribution assemblies 30. Each processing station can independently provide different processing than all other group processing stations, or there can be a mix of the same type and different types of processing. In some embodiments, one or more of the individual processing stations provide different processing than one or more of the other individual processing stations. The embodiment illustrated in Figure 4 illustrates four gas distribution assemblies, the spacing between which may include some type of processing station. However, it is readily contemplated by this figure that the processing chamber can be easily combined with the eight gas distribution assemblies having an air curtain therebetween.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 5, a set of second processing stations 85 are disposed between the first processing station 80 and the gas distribution assembly 30 such that via the processing chamber The substrate 60 rotated by the chamber 100 will encounter the gas distribution assembly 30, the first processing station 80, and the second processing station 85 depending on the starting position of the substrate 60, and then encounter a second any of these components. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, if the substrate starts at the first processing station 80, the first processing station 80, the gas distribution assembly 30, and the second processing station 85 will be sequentially seen, and then the second one will be encountered. The first processing station 80.

The processing station can provide any suitable type of processing to the substrate, film or wafer mount on the substrate. For example, ultraviolet lamps, flash lamps, plasma sources, and heaters. The wafer is then moved between locations having the gas distribution assembly 30 to a location having, for example, a showerhead that delivers the plasma to the wafer. The plasma station is referred to as a processing station 80. In one or more examples, a tantalum nitride film can be formed by plasma treatment after each deposited layer. Since the ALD reaction is theoretically self-limiting, as long as the surface is saturated, additional exposure to the deposition gas will not cause damage to the film.

The rotation of the rotating rack can be continuous or discontinuous. In a continuous process, the wafer is continuously rotated so that it is sequentially exposed to each of the injectors. In discontinuous processing, the wafer can be moved to the syringe region and stopped, and then moved to the region 84 between the syringes and stopped. For example, the rotatable rotatable rack moves the wafer from the inter-injector region across the syringe (or adjacent to the syringe) and to the next inter-syringe region where the wafer can be paused again. The pause between the injectors provides time for additional processing steps between each layer deposition (eg, exposure to plasma).

In some embodiments, the processing chamber includes a plurality of air curtains 40. Each air curtain 40 creates a barrier to prevent or minimize migration of process gases from the gas distribution assembly 30 from the gas distribution assembly region and gas from the processing station 80. Handling the movement of station area migrations. The air curtain 40 can include any suitable combination of airflow and vacuum flow that can isolate individual treatment sections from adjacent sections. In some embodiments, the air curtain 40 is a purified (or inert) gas stream. In one or more embodiments, the air curtain 40 is a vacuum flow that removes gas from the processing chamber. In some embodiments, the air curtain 40 is a combination of a purge gas and a vacuum stream such that there is a purge gas stream, a vacuum stream, and a purge gas stream in sequence. In one or more embodiments, the curtain 40 is a combination of a vacuum stream and a purge stream such that there is a vacuum stream, a purge stream, and a vacuum stream in sequence. The air curtain 40 shown in Fig. 4 is disposed between the gas distribution assembly 30 and each of the processing stations 80, but it should be understood that the curtains can be placed at any point or points along the processing path.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a processing chamber 200 that includes a gas distribution assembly 220 (also referred to as a syringe) and a crystal holder assembly 230. In this embodiment, the base assembly 230 is a rigid body. The rigid body of some embodiments has a reduced tolerance of no more than 0.05 mm. For example, the release actuator 232 is disposed at three locations within the outer diameter region of the wafer mount assembly 230. As used in this specification and the accompanying claims, the terms "outer diameter" and "inner diameter" mean regions near the outer peripheral edge and inner edge, respectively. The outer diameter is not a specific location at the extreme outer edge of the wafer mount assembly 230 (eg, near the axis 240), but rather a region near the outer edge 231 of the wafer mount assembly 230. This is visible from the placement of the actuator 232 in Figure 6. The number of actuators 232 can vary from one to any number, which will apply to the available physical space. Some embodiments have two, three, four, or five sets of actuators 232 disposed in the outer diameter region 231. As used in this specification and the accompanying claims, the term "actuator" means any single element or multi-element mechanism that is capable of The wafer mount assembly 230 or a portion of the base mount assembly 230 is moved toward or away from the gas distribution assembly 220. For example, the actuator 232 can be used to ensure that the base assembly 230 is substantially parallel to the syringe assembly 220. As used in this specification and the accompanying claims, the term "substantially parallel" as used herein means that the parallelism of the elements does not vary by more than 5% relative to the distance between the elements.

Once the pressure is applied to the wafer mount assembly 230 from the actuator 232, the mount assembly 230 can be flushed. When the actuator 232 applies pressure, the gap 210 can be set to be in the range of from about 0.1 mm to about 2.0 mm, or in the range of from about 0.2 mm to about 1.8 mm, or in the range of from about 0.3 mm to about 1.7 mm. Within, or in the range of from about 0.4 mm to about 1.6 mm, or in the range of from about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 mm, or in the range of from about 0.6 mm to about 1.4 mm, or in the range of from about 0.7 mm to about 1.3 mm Within the range of from about 0.8 mm to about 1.2 mm, or in the range of from about 0.9 mm to about 1.1 mm, or about 1 mm.

A crystal holder assembly 230 is disposed below the gas distribution assembly 220. The wafer mount assembly 230 includes at least one recess 243 in the top surface 241 and optionally the top surface 241. The recess 243 can be any suitable shape and size depending on the shape and size of the wafer 260 being processed. In the illustrated embodiment, the recess 241 has a stepped region that surrounds the outer peripheral edge of the recess 243. The steps can be sized to support the outer peripheral edge of the wafer 260. The amount of outer peripheral edge of the wafer 260 supported by the steps can vary depending, for example, on the thickness of the wafer and the presence of features that have occurred on the back side of the wafer.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, the recess 243 in the top surface 241 of the base assembly 230 is sized such that it is supported in the recess 243. Wafer 260 has a top surface 261 that is substantially coplanar with top surface 241 of wafer holder assembly 230. As used in this specification and the accompanying claims, the term "substantially coplanar" means that the top surface of the wafer is coplanar with the top surface of the wafer assembly within ± 0.2 mm. In some embodiments, the top surface is coplanar within ±0.15 mm, ±0.10 mm, or ±0.05 mm.

The shade assembly 230 of FIG. 6 includes a post 240 that can lift, lower, and rotate the base assembly 230. The wafer mount assembly 230 can include a heater or gas line, or an electrical component within the center of the post 240. The struts 240 can be the primary means of increasing or decreasing the gap between the pedestal assembly 230 and the gas distribution assembly 220, moving the pedestal assembly 230 into a rough position. Actuator 232 can then fine tune the position of the wafer mount assembly to create the desired gap.

The processing chamber 100 illustrated in FIG. 6 is a rotating rack type chamber in which the wafer assembly 230 can hold a plurality of wafers 260. The gas distribution assembly 220 can include a plurality of individual injector units 221 that are capable of depositing a portion of a film or film on the wafer 260 as the wafer is moved under the injector unit 221. Figure 7 illustrates a perspective view of a rotating rack type processing chamber 200. Two pie-shaped injector units 221 disposed on and above substantially opposite sides of the base assembly 230 are illustrated. This number of injector units 221 is shown for illustrative purposes only. It will be appreciated that more or fewer injector units 221 may be included. In some embodiments, a sufficient number of pie-shaped injector units 221 are present to form a shape that conforms to the shape of the base assembly 230. In some embodiments, each of the individual pie injector units 221 can be independently moved, removed, and/or replaced without affecting any other syringe unit 221. For example, a section can be lifted to allow the robot to enter and exit the base assembly 230 and the gas An area between the components 220 is dispensed to load/unload the wafer 260.

Figure 8 illustrates another embodiment of the present disclosure in which the wafer mount assembly 230 is not a rigid body. In some embodiments, the crystal holder assembly 230 has a reduced tolerance of up to about 0.1 mm, or up to about 0.05 mm, or up to about 0.025 mm, or up to about 0.01 mm. Here, the actuator 232 is disposed in the outer diameter region 231 and the inner diameter region 239 of the wafer holder assembly 230. The actuator 232 can be placed at any suitable number of locations around the inner perimeter and outer perimeter of the wafer mount assembly 230. In some embodiments, the actuator 232 is disposed at three locations within both the outer diameter region 231 and the inner diameter region 239. Actuator 232 at both outer diameter region 231 and inner diameter region 239 applies pressure to wafer mount assembly 230.

Figure 9 illustrates an embodiment of a processing chamber that includes a circular gas distribution assembly having a flow splitter and a crystal holder assembly. A circular gas distribution assembly 220 is disposed within the processing chamber (a portion of the gas distribution assembly 220 is visible in FIG. 9), and the gas distribution assembly includes a plurality of elongated gas gases 125, 135 in the front side 225 of the gas distribution assembly 220, 145. A plurality of elongated gas imperfections 125, 135, 145 extend from a region of adjacent inner peripheral edge 227 toward a region of outer peripheral edge 228 of adjacent gas distribution assembly 220. The plurality of gas gases shown in FIG. 9 include a first reactive gas crucible 125, a second reactive gas crucible 135, and a purge gas crucible 145 surrounding each of the first reactive gas crucible and the second reactive gas crucible. And vacuum 埠155.

A crystal holder assembly 230 is disposed within the processing chamber to rotate the at least one substrate in a substantially circular path about the axis of rotation. As used in this specification and the accompanying claims, the term "substantially circular" means that the path is intended to be circular if the substrate is completely rotated. The wafer holder assembly has an inner peripheral edge 229 And a top surface 241 defined by the outer peripheral edge 231 (as shown in FIG. 8). The wafer assembly 230 is disposed below the gas distribution assembly 220 such that the top surface 241 of the wafer assembly 230 faces the front side 225 of the gas distribution assembly 220.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to methods of processing substrates. The substrate is placed in a processing chamber having a plurality of sections separated by an air curtain from adjacent sections. The terms "section", "area" and "sector" are used interchangeably to describe the area within the batch processing chamber as used in the specification and accompanying claims. After entering the processing chamber, the substrate (also referred to as a wafer) can be in any individual segment. Each segment may have the same or different processing conditions as the adjacent segments. As used in this specification and the accompanying claims, the term "processing conditions" means the sum of the conditions within the individual segments. For example, processing conditions include, but are not limited to, gas composition, pressure, flow rate, temperature, and plasma. Processing conditions can be configured, for example, by deposition, etching, and processing (eg, densification, annealing).

In the first section, a portion of the substrate or substrate is exposed to the first process conditions to deposit a first film on the surface of the substrate. The substrate surface can be a bare substrate surface or any layer previously deposited on the surface. For example, the surface can have a mixed composition with one portion being metal and the other portion being dielectric. Individual surface compositions may vary and are not to be considered as limiting the scope of this disclosure. The first process condition in the first section comprises one or more of a temperature change or a first reactive gas. As used in the specification and accompanying claims, the use of the first process conditions and the first reactive gas in other sections of the processing chamber means composition, pressure, flow rate, direct plasma, remote plasma And combinations of the above.

Any film deposited or formed may be a complete film such as a metal or dielectric film, or may be a partial film as in the first step of a two-step reaction. An example of a partial film will be to chemically adsorb the compound to the surface of the substrate which will later be reduced or oxidized to produce the final film. The first film can be part of an atomic layer deposition process in which the first film is partially or intact; or is part of a chemical vapor deposition process. In the CVD process, the first process conditions may include a mixture of reactive gases that react in the gas phase to produce an activating species that is subsequently deposited onto the surface of the substrate. In some processes, the film formed in the segment has an improved quality compared to the film in the entry segment. For example, the film formed in the third section can be exposed to a densification process in the fourth section. The resulting film can be from a chemical process, a physical process, or a combination of such processes.

After forming the first film, the substrate is moved laterally through the air curtain to a second section of the processing chamber. In the second section, the first film is exposed to a second process condition to form a second film. The second process condition comprises one or more of a temperature change or a second reactive gas to form a second film. As in the second step of the two-step reaction, the second film may be different in composition from the first film; or as in the mixed film, the second film may be a film having a completely different composition.

During the movement from the first section to the second section, the substrate is exposed to the first process condition, the second process condition, and the air curtain, the air curtain separating the two process conditions. The air curtain can be, for example, a combination of an inert gas and a vacuum to ensure a minimum (if present) gas phase reaction between the first process condition and the second process condition. At some point during the movement, a portion of the surface is exposed to the first process condition, another portion of the surface is exposed to the second process condition, and the base is The intermediate portion between the other two portions of the plate is exposed to the air curtain.

Each of the first process conditions, the second process conditions, and any other process conditions is selected from the group consisting of a single reactive gas comprising a first reactive gas, a reactive gas mixture comprising a first reactive gas, The distal plasma of the first reactive gas, comprising a direct plasma of the first reactive gas, a temperature change, and combinations thereof. As used in this specification and the accompanying claims, the term "direct plasma" means the plasma ignited in the processing chamber, and the term "distal plasma" means igniting and flowing into the processing chamber outside the processing chamber. In the plasma.

The exposure to the first process conditions and the second process conditions may be repeated in order to grow a film of the desired thickness. For example, the batch processing chamber may contain two sections of the first process condition of the alternating mode and two sections of the second process condition such that substrate rotation around the central axis of the processing chamber induces surface sequential and Repeated exposure to the first process conditions and the second process conditions causes each exposure to initiate film thickness (for deposition) growth.

In some embodiments, the substrate is moved laterally from the second section through the air curtain to a third section of the processing chamber. The third section has a third process condition, and the third process condition may be the same as or different from the first process condition or the second process condition. The third process condition includes one or more of a third reactive gas or temperature change in the third section of the processing chamber. The third process condition is such that a third film is formed on the surface of the substrate. The third film may, for example, be different from the composition of the first film or the second film or be a treatment of the first film or the second film. Exposing the first portion of the surface while exposing the second portion of the surface to the third process condition and exposing the intermediate portion of the substrate to the air curtain during transfer In the second process conditions. As used in this specification and the accompanying claims, the term "intermediate portion" as used herein means a portion of a substrate that is exposed between a first portion of a process condition and a second portion that is exposed to different process conditions.

In an exemplary process, the first process conditions deposit a portion of the film onto the surface. Part of the film is completed in the second process conditions. For example, the first part and the second part of the two-step atomic layer deposition process. The third process condition can be, for example, a process (eg, densification) or another film that can be deposited by chemical vapor deposition. The processing conditions can be used to modify the film formed in the second section or to alter the composition of the film formed in the second section.

In a further embodiment, the substrate is moved laterally from the third section through the air curtain to a fourth section of the processing chamber. The third film is exposed to the fourth process condition to form a fourth film. The fourth film can be a different composition or modification of the prior film. The fourth process condition includes one or more of a fourth reactive gas or temperature change in the fourth section of the processing chamber. During the movement, the first portion of the surface is exposed to the third process condition while exposing the second portion of the surface to the fourth process condition and exposing the intermediate portion of the surface to the air curtain.

The direction of motion of the substrate can be unidirectional or reciprocal. As used in this context, one-way means moving the substrate in one direction on a macro scale. For example, the substrate can be rotated clockwise around the processing chamber, but can have a small portion that is counterclockwise. If the general direction of motion is clockwise, the movement is one-way. The same situation will occur if the motion is counterclockwise and has a periodic clockwise rotation. In one embodiment of this class, the substrate can be moved laterally from the fourth section of the processing chamber to the first section of the processing chamber without exposure to the second or third section in. In one or more embodiments, the substrate is moved directly from the fourth segment to the first segment and repeatedly exposed to the first process condition, the second process condition, the third process condition, and the fourth process condition. This can be carried out many times to deposit a film of the desired thickness.

In some embodiments, the directions of rotation are reciprocal on a macro scale. This means that the overall motion will be clockwise through all segments and then reversed to all segments of the processing chamber counterclockwise. In one or more embodiments, the motion is a combination of unidirectional and reciprocal. For example, the substrate can be moved through the first section of the processing chamber in a single direction, and then reciprocally moved back and forth between the second section or, for example, between the second section and the third section. Move and then move to the fourth section. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous individual rotation/motion modes available.

The processes occurring in the first section, the second section, the third section, and the fourth section may be similar or different depending on the desired film. For example, the first segment and the third segment can both deliver Compound A to the substrate surface and the second and fourth segments transport Compound B to the surface. In a conventional ALD type reaction in which A chemisorption (or other process) to the substrate surface and B reacts with A, this will cause deposition of the two layers. In another embodiment, the first section and the third section can deliver the same substance A, while the second section transports the substance B and the third section delivers the substance C. This will cause the formation of a mixed film. For example, the formation of the oxynitride film may include the same substance A and oxygen as B and nitrogen as C. In some embodiments, the first two sections deposit a thin film and at least one of the third and fourth sections etch the film. For example, the first segment and the second segment cause a nitride film on the hybrid surface (eg, a portion of the metal and a portion of the dielectric) Product, which favors a surface. The nitrided film can then be selectively etched from one of the surface portions using the third and fourth segments to retain the selectively deposited film.

Any of the first film, the second film, the third film, and the fourth film may be a metal, a nitride, a telluride, an oxide, a tantalum nitride, an alloy, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, at least one of the deposited films comprises: Al, Co, Mn, W, Ta, Ga, Ge, Ti, Hf, Cu, and Si; Al, Co, Mn, W, Ta, Ga, Ge, A nitride of Ti, Hf, Cu, and Si; an oxide of Al, Co, Mn, W, Ta, Ga, Ge, Ti, Hf, Cu, and Si; Al, Co, Mn, W, Ta, Ga, Ge, a telluride of Ti, Hf, Cu, and Si; or a tantalum nitride of Al, Co, Mn, W, Ta, Ga, Ge, Ti, Hf, Cu, and Si.

In some embodiments, the second film comprises one or more of TiN, Co, TaN, TiSiN, W or WN, and the etched second film comprises a pair of distal NF ₃ plasma and direct NF ₃ plasma, ammonia, One or more of the distal ammonia plasma or direct ammonia plasma is exposed. In some embodiments, the second film comprises one or more of TiN, Co, TaN, TiSiN, W or WN, and the etched second film comprises one of a remote NF ₃ plasma or a remote ammonia plasma or More people are exposed. In some embodiments, the etching comprises exposure to the distal NF ₃ plasma and/or the distal ammonia plasma.

In one or more embodiments, the second film comprises one or more of AlN, TiAlN, or Ta ₂ O ₅ , and etching the second film comprises exposing BCl ₃ and Cl ₂ .

In some embodiments, the second film comprises TiO ₂ and the etched second film comprises one or more of direct NF ₃ plasma, remote NF ₃ plasma, ammonia, direct ammonia plasma, and remote ammonia plasma. Exposure. In some embodiments, the second film comprises TiO ₂ and etching the second film comprises exposing one or more of the direct NF ₃ plasma or the direct ammonia plasma. In some embodiments, the etching comprises direct NF ₃ plasma and/or direct ammonia plasma exposure.

Typical films deposited using the described apparatus include, but are not limited to, metal films and dielectric films. Typical metal films include, but are not limited to, tantalum, titanium, tantalum, aluminum, copper, tungsten, silver, gold, manganese, chromium, and alloys and combinations thereof. Typical dielectric films include, but are not limited to, oxides, nitrides, tellurides, and hafnium nitrides of tantalum, titanium, aluminum, copper, tungsten, silver, chromium, and combinations thereof. These are merely exemplary films that can be deposited and are not to be considered as limiting the scope of the disclosure.

Exemplary ruthenium precursors include ruthenium compounds containing a ligand such as an alkanoylamino group, a cyclopentadienyl group, a halogen, an alkyl group, an alkoxide, and combinations thereof. The alkylguanamine oxime compound used as the ruthenium precursor includes (RR'N) ₄ Hf, wherein R and R' are independently hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl or butyl. Some specific ruthenium precursors include (Et ₂ N) ₄ Hf, (Me ₂ N) ₄ Hf, (EtMeN) ₄ Hf, ( t -BuC ₅ H ₄ ) ₂ HfCl ₂ , (C ₅ H ₅ ) ₂ HfCl ₂ , (EtC ₅ H ₄ ) ₂ HfCl ₂ , (Me ₅ C ₅ ) ₂ HfCl ₂ , (Me ₅ C ₅ )HfCl ₃ , ( i -PrC ₅ H ₄ ) ₂ HfCl ₂ , ( i -PrC ₅ H ₄ )HfCl ₃ , ( t -BuC ₅ H ₄ ) ₂ HfMe ₂ , (acac) ₄ Hf, (hfac) ₄ Hf, (tfac) ₄ Hf, (thd) ₄ Hf, Br ₄ Hf, Cl ₄ Hf, I ₄ Hf, (NO ₃ ) ₄ Hf, ( t -BuO) ₄ Hf, ( i -PrO) ₄ Hf, (EtO) ₄ Hf and (MeO) ₄ Hf.

Typical aluminum precursors include, but are not limited to, aluminum trichloride, aluminum tribromide, aluminum trifluoride, aluminum triiodide, trimethylaluminium (TMA), dimethylaluminium hydride (DMAH). , tris (diethylamino) aluminum (TDEAA), trimethylamine alane (TMAA), triethyl-amine alane (triethyl-amine) Alane; TEAA), dimethylethylamine alane (DMEAA), triisobutylaluminum, triethylaluminum, dimethylaluminum hydride and diethylaluminum chloride.

Typical gallium precursors include, but are not limited to, trimethyl gallium (TMG), gallium tribromide, gallium trichloride, triethyl gallium, triisopropyl gallium, germanium (dimethylamino) gallium And tri-tert-butyl gallium.

Typical titanium compounds used as reducing agents include, but are not limited to, titanium halides such as TiCl ₃ and TiI ₃ ; cyclopentadienyl complexes such as Ti(C ₅ H ₅ ) ₃ , Ti(C ₅ H ₅ ) ₂ Cl; titanium sulfate (Ti ₂ (SO ₄ ) ₃ ); and titanium hydroxide (Ti(OH) ₃ ) and titanium salts.

Suitable ruthenium precursors include, but are not limited to, ruthenium-based organometallic precursors or derivatives thereof, such as pentadimethylamino-tantalum (PDMAT; Ta(NMe ₂ ) ₅ ), pentaethylmethylamino- Pent (pentaethylmethylamino-tantalum; PEMAT; Ta[N(C ₂ H ₅ CH ₃ ) ₂ ] ₅ ), pentadiethylamino-tantalum (PDEAT; Ta(NEt ₂ ) ₅ ), TBTDET (Ta ( NEt ₂ ) ₃ NC ₄ H ₉ or C ₁₆ H ₃₉ N ₄ Ta) and hydrazine halides, and any and all of the derivatives of the compounds listed above.

Suitable ruthenium precursors include, but are not limited to, decane, dioxane, trimethyl decane, mixed organic decane, decane salts, and combinations thereof. Suitable copper, tungsten, silver, gold, manganese, chromium and other metal precursors include, but are not limited to, halides and organometallic compounds. Typical ruthenium precursors include, but are not limited to, decane, dioxane, and tetramethylguanidine.

The tungsten precursor can be any suitable tungsten-containing gas including, but not limited to, a halogen-based tungsten precursor or a metal organic-based tungsten precursor. For example, in some embodiments, the tungsten precursor may comprise tungsten pentachloride (WCl ₅ ), a compound of the empirical formula with WCl ₅ (eg, W ₂ Cl ₁₀ , W ₃ Cl ₁₅ ), tungsten hexachloride (WCl ₆ ), a compound having an empirical formula of WCl ₆ (for example, W ₂ Cl ₁₂ ), tungsten hexafluoride (WF ₆ ).

An exemplary plasma or remote plasma etch process can include one or more etchants such as carbon tetrafluoride (CF ₄ ), trifluoromethane (CHF ₃ ), sulfur hexafluoride (SF ₆ ), hydrogen ( H ₂ ) or the like, and the processes can be performed with or without a heated chuck.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a method of depositing a titanium nitride film using a batch processing chamber. One section transports the titanium precursor and the subsequent section transports ammonia. A single layer deposition of titanium nitride is produced for each exposure of the titanium precursor followed by ammonia. For a processing chamber with two sets of titanium and ammonia injectors, two layers will be deposited per rotation. In some embodiments, the titanium precursor comprises titanium tetrachloride diluted in nitrogen or another inert gas. The ammonia can be diluted in nitrogen or another inert gas. The crystal holders of some embodiments are maintained at a temperature in the range of from about 350 °C to about 550 °C. Some embodiments have a thickness of about 100 Å and a resistivity of about 160 micro ohm-cm.

In some embodiments, one or more layers may be formed during a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) process. In some processes, the use of plasma provides sufficient energy to promote the entry of a substance into an excited state in which surface reactions become advantageous and possible. The plasma can be introduced into the process continuously or pulsed. In some embodiments, the precursor (or reactive gas) and plasma are used to sequentially process the layers. In some embodiments, the reagent may be localized (ie, within the treatment zone) or distally (also That is, it is ionized outside the processing area. In some embodiments, distal ionization can occur upstream of the deposition chamber such that ions or other excitation or light emissive materials are not in direct contact with the deposited film. In some PEALD processes, plasma is generated from outside the processing chamber, such as by a remote plasma generator system. The plasma can be produced by any suitable plasma generation process or technique known to those skilled in the art. For example, the plasma can be generated by one or more of a microwave (MW) frequency generator or a radio frequency (RF) generator. The frequency of the plasma can be tuned depending on the particular reactive species used. Suitable frequencies include, but are not limited to, 2 MHz, 13.56 MHz, 40 MHz, 60 MHz, and 100 MHz. Although plasma may be used during the deposition process disclosed herein, care should be taken that plasma may not be needed. Even other embodiments relate to deposition processes that do not require plasma under very mild conditions.

According to one or more embodiments, the substrate is subjected to processing before and/or after forming the layer. This process can be performed in the same chamber or in one or more separate processing chambers. In some embodiments, the substrate is moved from the first chamber to a separate second chamber for further processing. The substrate can be moved directly from the first chamber to the separate processing chamber, or the substrate can be moved from the first chamber to the one or more transfer chambers and subsequently moved to the desired separate processing chamber. Thus, the processing device can include a plurality of chambers in communication with the transfer station. Devices in this category may be referred to as "cluster tools" or "cluster systems" and the like.

In general, a cluster tool system includes a plurality of chamber module systems that perform various functions including substrate center exploration and orientation, degassing, annealing, deposition, and/or etching. According to one or more embodiments, the cluster tool includes at least a first chamber and a central transfer chamber. The central transfer chamber can house a robot that can shuttle the substrate between the processing chamber and the load lock chamber. The transfer chamber is typically maintained under vacuum and the transfer chamber provides an intermediate stage for shuttle transfer of the substrate from one chamber to the other and/or to the load lock chamber at the front end of the cluster tool. This disclosure is applicable to both the well-known cluster tools for Centura ^® and Endura ^®, both available to buy from Applied Materials, Inc. of Santa Clara, California. The details of a vacuum substrate processing apparatus of this type are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,186,718, issued to the U.S. Patent No. 5,186,. However, the precise arrangement and combination of chambers can be varied to be used to perform the specific steps of the processes described herein. Other processing chambers that may be used include, but are not limited to, cyclical layer deposition (CLD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), etching, pre-cleaning, Chemical cleaning, heat treatment such as RTP, plasma nitridation, degassing, orientation, hydroxylation, and other substrate processes. By performing the process in a chamber on the cluster tool, substrate surface contamination of atmospheric impurities can be avoided without oxidation prior to deposition of the subsequent film.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, the substrate is continuously under vacuum or "load lock" conditions and is not exposed to ambient air when moving from one chamber to the next. The transfer chamber is therefore under vacuum and pumped down under vacuum pressure. An inert gas may be present in the processing chamber or transfer chamber. In some embodiments, an inert gas is used as the purge gas to remove some or all of the reactants after forming a layer on the surface of the substrate. According to one or more embodiments, the purge gas is injected at the outlet of the deposition chamber to prevent reactants from moving from the deposition chamber to the transfer chamber and/or the additional processing chamber. Therefore, the flow of inert gas A curtain is formed at the exit of the chamber.

The substrate can be heated or cooled during processing. This heating or cooling can be accomplished by any suitable means including, but not limited to, varying the temperature of the substrate support (e.g., the crystal holder) and flowing the heating or cooling gas to the substrate surface. In some embodiments, the substrate support includes a heater/cooler that can be controlled to conductively change the substrate temperature. In one or more embodiments, the gas (reactive gas or inert gas) employed is heated or cooled to locally change the substrate temperature. In some embodiments, a heater/cooler is placed within the chamber of an adjacent substrate surface to convectively change the substrate temperature.

The substrate may also be stationary or rotating during processing. The substrate can be rotated continuously or in a separation step. For example, the substrate can be rotated throughout the process, or the substrate can be rotated a small amount between exposure to different reactive or purge gases. Rotating the substrate (continuous or stepwise) during processing can help produce more uniform deposition or etching by minimizing the effects of local variability in, for example, gas flow geometry.

While the above is directed to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the present disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope of the disclosure, and the disclosure is determined by the scope of the following claims. The scope.

Claims (20)

A processing method comprising the steps of: placing a plurality of substrates in a plurality of recesses of a wafer holder assembly in a processing chamber, the chamber comprising a plurality of segments, each substrate having a surface, Separating each section of the processing chamber from an adjacent section by an air curtain comprising a vacuum stream and a purge stream; exposing at least a portion of the surface to one of a temperature change or a first reactive gas or In a first process condition, a first film is deposited on the surface in a first section of the processing chamber; the substrate surface is laterally moved through the curtain to the processing chamber a second section; and exposing the first film to a second process condition comprising one or more of a temperature change or a second reactive gas to be in the second section of the processing chamber Forming a second film, wherein the first portion of one of the surfaces is exposed while exposing a second portion of the surface to the second process conditions and exposing an intermediate portion of the substrate to the air curtain The first process Member. The processing method of claim 1, wherein the first process conditions are selected from the group consisting of: a single reactive gas comprising the first reactive gas, comprising a reactivity of the first reactive gas A gas mixture comprising a remote plasma of the first reactive gas, a direct plasma comprising the first reactive gas, a temperature change, and combinations thereof. The processing method of claim 1, wherein the second process conditions are selected from the group consisting of: a single reactive gas comprising the second reactive gas, comprising a reactivity of the second reactive gas A gas mixture comprising a remote plasma of the second reactive gas, a direct plasma comprising the second reactive gas, a temperature change, and combinations thereof. The processing method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: exposing the first process conditions and the additional sequential conditions of the second process conditions. The processing method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: moving the surface of the substrate laterally through the air curtain to a third section of the processing chamber, and exposing the surface of the substrate to the processing chamber The third section includes a third reactive gas or a third process condition of one or more of the temperature changes, wherein the second portion of the surface is exposed to the third process conditions and While exposing the intermediate portion of the substrate to the air curtain, the first portion of one of the surfaces is exposed to the second process conditions. The processing method of claim 5, wherein the third processing conditions form a process to improve the second film. The processing method of claim 5, wherein the third processing condition deposits a third film on the surface. The processing method of claim 7, further comprising the step of moving the surface of the substrate laterally through the air curtain to a fourth section of the processing chamber and exposing the surface to a fourth process condition Forming a fourth film, the fourth process condition comprising one or more of a fourth reactive gas or temperature change in the fourth section of the processing chamber, wherein one of the surfaces is The first portion of the surface is exposed to the third process conditions while the two portions are exposed to the fourth process conditions and the intermediate portion of the surface is exposed to the air curtain. The processing method of claim 8, further comprising the step of laterally moving the substrate surface from the fourth section of the processing chamber to the first section of the processing chamber and repeatedly exposing to the first Process conditions, second process conditions, third process conditions, and fourth process conditions. The processing method of claim 9, wherein the step of moving the surface from the fourth section of the processing chamber to the first section of the processing chamber comprises the step of moving through the air curtain while No need to be exposed in the third section or the second section. The processing method of claim 8, wherein the third process condition and the fourth process condition etch the second film. The processing method of claim 11, wherein the second film comprises one or more of TiN, Co, TaN, TiSiN, W or WN, and the step of etching the second film comprises the following steps: NF ₃ plasma and / or ammonia plasma exposure. The processing method of claim 11, wherein the second film comprises one or more of AlN, TiAlN or Ta ₂ O ₅ , and the step of etching the second film comprises the steps of: exposing BCl ₃ and Cl ₂ . The processing method of claim 11, wherein the second film comprises TiO ₂ , and the step of etching the second film comprises the step of exposing a direct or distal NF ₃ plasma and/or ammonia plasma. The processing method of claim 1, wherein the second film comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, W, Al, Ta, Co, Cu, Hf, and combinations and alloys thereof. The processing method of claim 1, wherein the second film comprises a dielectric material selected from the group consisting of titanium, aluminum, tungsten, tantalum, cobalt, copper, rhenium, and combinations thereof. An oxide, a nitride, a telluride, a tantalum nitride or a combination thereof. A processing method comprising the steps of: placing a plurality of substrates in a processing chamber, the chamber comprising a plurality of segments arranged circularly around a central axis, each segment being associated with an air curtain phase Separating the adjacent segments, the air curtain comprising one or more purge gas streams and a vacuum stream, each substrate having a surface and disposed in a recess of a crystal holder assembly; and rotating the substrate about the central axis to surface the substrate At least a portion of which is exposed to a first process condition comprising one or more of a temperature change or a first reactive gas to deposit a first film on the surface and to be exposed to a temperature change or a second reaction a second process condition of one or more of the gas to react with the first film to form a second film, wherein the second portion of the surface is exposed to the second process condition and While a middle portion of the substrate is exposed to the air curtain, a first portion of the surface is exposed to the first process condition. The processing method of claim 17, wherein each rotation of the substrate in the processing chamber alternately exposes the substrate to the first process condition and the second process condition. The processing method of claim 17, wherein the second film comprises: a metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, W, Al, Ta, Co, Cu, Hf, and combinations and alloys thereof; Or a dielectric material selected from the group consisting of titanium, aluminum, tungsten, tantalum, cobalt, copper, ruthenium, and one of the foregoing oxides, nitrides, tellurides, tantalum nitrides or Combination of the above. A processing method that includes the following steps: Placing a plurality of substrates in a plurality of recesses in a wafer holder assembly in a processing chamber, the processing chamber including a plurality of segments arranged circularly about a central axis, each segment being replaced by an air curtain Separating from adjacent segments, the air curtain comprising one or more purge gas streams and a vacuum stream, each substrate having a surface; exposing the substrate to a first process condition in a first section of the processing chamber Forming a first film, the first process condition comprising one or more of a first reactive gas or temperature change; rotating the substrate around the central axis of the processing chamber to cause the substrate to be from the first The segment moves through an air curtain to a second section of the processing chamber having a second process condition such that at some point during the movement, at least a portion of the substrate is exposed to the second process condition Exposing at least a portion of the substrate to the first process condition while exposing an intermediate portion of the substrate to the air curtain; exposing the substrate to the second portion of the processing chamber In the second process condition Forming a second film, the second process condition comprising one or more of a second reactive gas or temperature change; rotating the substrate about the central axis of the processing chamber to cause the substrate to be from the second segment Moving through an air curtain to a third section of the processing chamber such that at some point during the movement, exposing at least a portion of the substrate to a third process condition and the intermediate portion of the substrate Exposing at least one portion of the substrate to the second process condition while exposing to the air curtain; exposing the substrate to the third process condition in the third section of the processing chamber to form a a third film, the third process condition comprising one or more of a third reactive gas or temperature change; Rotating the substrate about the central axis of the processing chamber to move the substrate from the third section through an air curtain to a fourth section of the processing chamber such that at some point during the movement, Exposing at least one portion of the substrate to a fourth process condition and exposing the intermediate portion of the substrate to the air curtain, exposing at least a portion of the substrate to the third process condition; exposing the substrate Forming a fourth film in the fourth process condition in the fourth section of the processing chamber, the fourth process condition comprising one or more of a fourth reactive gas or temperature change; The central axis of the processing chamber rotates the substrate to move the substrate from the fourth segment through an air curtain to the first segment without passing through the second segment or the third segment, Wherein one or more of the first reactive gas, the second reactive gas, the third reactive gas or the fourth reactive gas comprises decane, and the defect formation in the fourth film is required to react Purification between sexual gas exposure A process chamber is significantly reduced compared to the process.