Method of forming thin silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride gate dielectrics
US6136654A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 4, 1997 |
| Grant date | Oct 24, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 4, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH10D64/685
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An embodiment of the instant invention is a method of forming a dielectric layer, the method comprising the steps of: providing a semiconductor substrate (substrate 12), the substrate having a surface; forming an oxygen-containing layer (layer 14) on the semiconductor substrate; and subjecting the oxygen-containing layer to a nitrogen containing plasma (plasma 16) so that the nitrogen is either incorporated into the oxygen-containing layer (see regions 18, 19, and 20) or forms a nitride layer at the surface of the substrate (region 22). Using this embodiment of the instant invention, the dielectric layer can be substantially free of hydrogen. Preferably, the oxygen-containing layer is an SiO.sub.2 layer or it is comprised of oxygen and nitrogen (preferably an oxynitride layer). The plasma is, preferably, a high-density plasma. Preferably, a source of nitrogen is introduced to the plasma to form the nitrogen containing plasma. The source of nitrogen is preferably comprised of a material consisting of: N.sub.2, NH.sub.3, NO, N.sub.2 O, or a mixture thereof.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.