Plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition with pulsed plasma exposure

US9076646B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Lam Research Corporation · US

Inventors

• James S. Sims · Tigard, US
• Jon Henri · West Linn, US
• Kathryn M. Kelchner · Portland, US
• Sathish Babu S. V. Janjam · Albany, US
• Shane Tang · West Linn, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 30, 2013
• Grant date: Jul 7, 2015
• Expiry date: Dec 30, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01L21/76829
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

The embodiments herein focus on plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) processes using pulsed plasmas. While conventional PEALD processes use continuous wave plasmas during the plasma exposure/conversion operation, the embodiments herein utilize a pulsed plasma during this operation to achieve a film with high quality sidewalls. Because conventional PEALD techniques result in films having high quality at the bottom and top of a feature, but low quality on the sidewalls, this increased sidewall quality in the disclosed methods corresponds to a film that is overall more uniform in quality compared to that achieved with conventional continuous wave plasma techniques.