UV pretreatment process for ultra-thin oxynitride formation
US6451713B1 · kind B1 · utility
467Cited by
10References
14Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 17, 2001 |
| Grant date | Sep 17, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 17, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/02271
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The oxynitride or oxide layer formed on a semiconductor substrate is pre-treated with UV-excited gas (such as chlorine or nitrogen) to improve the layer surface condition and increase the density of nucleation sites for subsequent silicon nitride deposition. The pre-treatment is shown to reduce the root mean square surface roughness of thinner silicon nitride films (with physical thicknesses below 36 å, or even below 20 å that are deposited on the oxynitride layer by chemical vapor deposition (CVD).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.