Gap fill dielectrics for electrical isolation of transistor structures in the manufacture of integrated circuits
US12087614B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 18, 2020 |
| Grant date | Sep 10, 2024 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 9, 2043 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10D84/834
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Transistors structures comprising a semiconductor features and dielectric material comprising silicon and oxygen in gaps or spaces between the features. The dielectric material may fill the gaps from bottom-up with an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process that includes a silicon deposition phase, and an oxidation phase augmented by N2:NH3 plasma activated nitrogen species. Being plasma activated, the nitrogen species have short mean free paths, and therefore preferentially passivate surfaces with low aspect ratios. This aspect-ratio dependent passivation may increase an energy barrier to surface reactions with a silicon precursor, resulting in a concomitant differential in deposition rate. With N2:NH3 plasma passivation, deposited dielectric material may have a nitrogen concentration that varies by at least order of magnitude as a function of the aspect ratio of the filled gaps.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.