ALD metal oxide deposition process using direct oxidation

US7569501B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Craig Metzner · Fremont, US
• Shreyas Kher · Campbell, US
• Vidyut Gopal · Sunnyvale, US
• Shixue Han · Milpitas, US
• Shankarram Athreya · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 31, 2006
• Grant date: Aug 4, 2009
• Expiry date: Jul 17, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01L21/0228
• WIPO field: Surface technology, coating
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide methods for forming hafnium materials, such as oxides and nitrides, by sequentially exposing a substrate to hafnium precursors and active oxygen or nitrogen species (e.g., ozone, oxygen radicals, or nitrogen radicals). The deposited hafnium materials have significantly improved uniformity when deposited by these atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. In one embodiment, an ALD chamber contains an expanding channel having a bottom surface that is sized and shaped to substantially cover a substrate positioned on a substrate pedestal. During an ALD process for forming hafnium materials, process gases form a vortex flow pattern while passing through the expanding channel and sweep across the substrate surface. The substrate is sequentially exposed to chemical precursors that are pulsed into the process chamber having the vortex flow.