Low cost flowable dielectric films

US8889566B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Amit Chatterjee · Redmond, US
• Abhijit Basu Mallick · Palo Alto, US
• Nitin K. Ingle · San Jose, US
• Brian Saxton Underwood · Monticello, US
• Kiran V. Thadani · Sunnyvale, US
• Xiaolin Chen · San Ramon, US
• Abhishek Dube · Fishkill, US
• Jingmei Liang · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 5, 2012
• Grant date: Nov 18, 2014
• Expiry date: Jul 17, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01L21/02219
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method of forming a dielectric layer is described. The method deposits a silicon-containing film by chemical vapor deposition using a local plasma. The silicon-containing film is flowable during deposition at low substrate temperature. A silicon precursor (e.g. a silylamine, higher order silane or halogenated silane) is delivered to the substrate processing region and excited in a local plasma. A second plasma vapor or gas is combined with the silicon precursor in the substrate processing region and may include ammonia, nitrogen (N2), argon, hydrogen (H2) and/or oxygen (O2). The equipment configurations disclosed herein in combination with these vapor/gas combinations have been found to result in flowable deposition at substrate temperatures below or about 200° C. when a local plasma is excited using relatively low power.