Plasma activated conformal film deposition

US8728956B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Novellus Systems, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Adrien LaVoie · Newberg, US
• Shankar Swaminathan · Hillsboro, US
• Hu Kang · Tualatin, US
• Ramesh Chandrasekharan · Portland, US
• Tom Dorsh · McMinnville, US
• Dennis M. Hausmann · Lake Oswego, US
• Jon Henri · West Linn, US
• Thomas G. Jewell · Tualatin, US
• Ming Li · Cave Creek, US
• Bryan Schlief · Tualatin, US
• Antonio Xavier · Mulino, US
• Thomas W. Mountsier · San Jose, US
• Bart J. van Schravendijk · Sunnyvale, US
• Easwar Srinivasan · Beaverton, US
• Mandyam Sriram · Beaverton, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 11, 2011
• Grant date: May 20, 2014
• Expiry date: Aug 17, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01L21/76898
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Methods of depositing a film on a substrate surface include surface mediated reactions in which a film is grown over one or more cycles of reactant adsorption and reaction. In one aspect, the method is characterized by the following operations: (a) exposing the substrate surface to a first reactant in vapor phase under conditions allowing the first reactant to adsorb onto the substrate surface; (b) exposing the substrate surface to a second reactant in vapor phase while the first reactant is adsorbed on the substrate surface; and (c) exposing the substrate surface to plasma to drive a reaction between the first and second reactants adsorbed on the substrate surface to form the film.