Patent · US Active

Methods and apparatuses for uniform reduction of the in-feature wet etch rate of a silicon nitride film formed by ALD

US9214333B1 · kind B1 · utility

496Cited by
62References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 24, 2014
Grant dateDec 15, 2015
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 24, 2034

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/0234
  • WIPO fieldSurface technology, coating
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods of depositing a SiN film having a reduced wet etch rate. The methods may include adsorbing a film precursor comprising Si onto a semiconductor substrate in a processing chamber to form an adsorption-limited layer of precursor, and then removing unadsorbed precursor from the volume surrounding the adsorbed precursor. The adsorbed precursor may then be reacted by exposing it to a plasma comprising N-containing ions and/or radicals to form a SiN film layer on the substrate, and the SiN film layer may then be densified by exposing it to a He plasma. The foregoing steps may then be repeated to form another densified SiN film layer on the substrate. Also disclosed herein are apparatuses for depositing SiN films having reduced wet etch rates on semiconductor substrates which employ the foregoing techniques.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.