Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080216743 | CHEMICAL PRECURSOR AMPOULE FOR VAPOR DEPOSITION PROCESSES - Embodiments of the invention provide chemical precursor ampoules that may be used during vapor deposition processes. In one embodiment, an apparatus for generating a chemical precursor gas used in a vapor deposition processing system is provided which includes a canister having a sidewall, a top, and a bottom forming an interior volume and a solid precursor material at least partially contained within a lower region of the interior volume. The apparatus further contains an inlet port and an outlet port in fluid communication with the interior volume and an inlet tube connected to the inlet port and positioned to direct a carrier gas towards the sidewall and away form the outlet port. In one example, the solid precursor contains pentakis(dimethylamido) tantalum (PDMAT). In another example, the apparatus contains a plurality of baffles that form an extended mean flow path between the inlet port and the outlet port. | 09-11-2008 |
20080227291 | FORMATION OF COMPOSITE TUNGSTEN FILMS - Embodiments of the invention provide methods for depositing tungsten materials. In one embodiment, a method for forming a composite tungsten film is provided which includes positioning a substrate within a process chamber, forming a tungsten nucleation layer on the substrate by subsequently exposing the substrate to a tungsten precursor and a reducing gas containing hydrogen during a cyclic deposition process, and forming a tungsten bulk layer during a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PE-CVD) process. The PE-CVD process includes exposing the substrate to a deposition gas containing the tungsten precursor while depositing the tungsten bulk layer over the tungsten nucleation layer. In some example, the tungsten nucleation layer has a thickness of less than about 100 Å, such as about 15 Å. In other examples, a carrier gas containing hydrogen is constantly flowed into the process chamber during the cyclic deposition process. | 09-18-2008 |
20080237029 | Oxidized Barrier Layer - A method and resultant produce of forming barrier layer based on ruthenium tantalum in a via or other vertical interconnect structure through a dielectric layer in a multi-level metallization. The RuTa layer in a RuTa/RuTaN bilayer, which may form discontinuous islands, is actively oxidized, preferably in an oxygen plasma, to thereby bridge the gaps between the islands. Alternatively, ruthenium tantalum oxide is reactive sputtered onto the RuTaN or directly onto the underlying dielectric by plasma sputtering a RuTa target in the presence of oxygen. | 10-02-2008 |
20080268635 | PROCESS FOR FORMING COBALT AND COBALT SILICIDE MATERIALS IN COPPER CONTACT APPLICATIONS - Embodiments of the invention described herein generally provide methods for forming cobalt silicide layers and metallic cobalt layers by using various deposition processes and annealing processes. In one embodiment, a method for forming a cobalt silicide material on a substrate is provided which includes treating the substrate with at least one preclean process to expose a silicon-containing surface, depositing a cobalt silicide material over the silicon-containing surface, and depositing a copper material over the cobalt silicide material. In another embodiment, a metallic cobalt material may be deposited over the cobalt silicide material prior to depositing the copper material. In one example, the copper material may be formed by depositing a copper seed layer and a copper bulk layer on the substrate. The copper seed layer may be deposited by a PVD process and the copper bulk layer may be deposited by an ECP process or an electroless deposition process. | 10-30-2008 |
20080274299 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR HYBRID CHEMICAL PROCESSING - In one embodiment, an apparatus for performing an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process is provided which includes a chamber body containing a substrate support, a lid assembly attached to the chamber body, a remote plasma system (RPS) in fluid communication with the reaction zone, a centralized expanding conduit extending through the lid assembly and expanding radially outwards, a first gas delivery sub-assembly configured to deliver a first process gas, and a second gas delivery sub-assembly configured to deliver a second process gas into the centralized expanding conduit. The first gas delivery sub-assembly contains an annular channel encircling and in fluid communication with the centralized expanding conduit, wherein the annular channel is adapted to deliver the first process gas through a plurality of passageways and nozzles and into the centralized expanding conduit. The second gas delivery sub-assembly contains a gas inlet in fluid communication to the centralized expanding conduit. | 11-06-2008 |
20080280438 | METHODS FOR DEPOSITING TUNGSTEN LAYERS EMPLOYING ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION TECHNIQUES - In one embodiment of the invention, a method for forming a tungsten-containing layer on a substrate is provided which includes positioning a substrate containing a barrier layer disposed thereon in a process chamber, exposing the substrate to a first soak process for a first time period and depositing a nucleation layer on the barrier layer by flowing a tungsten-containing precursor and a reductant into the process chamber. The method further includes exposing the nucleation layer to a second soak process for a second time period and depositing a bulk layer on the nucleation layer. In one example, the barrier layer contains titanium nitride, the first and second soak processes independently comprise at least one reducing gas selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, silane, disilane, dichlorosilane, borane, diborane, derivatives thereof and combinations thereof and the nucleation layer may be deposited by an atomic layer deposition process or a pulsed chemical vapor deposition process while the bulk layer may be deposited by a chemical vapor deposition process or a physical vapor deposition process. | 11-13-2008 |
20090087982 | SELECTIVE RUTHENIUM DEPOSITION ON COPPER MATERIALS - Embodiments of the invention provide processes for selectively forming a ruthenium-containing film on a copper surface over exposed dielectric surfaces. Thereafter, a copper bulk layer may be deposited on the ruthenium-containing film. In one embodiment, a method for forming layers on a substrate is provided which includes positioning a substrate within a processing chamber, wherein the substrate contains a copper-containing surface and a dielectric surface, exposing the substrate to a ruthenium precursor to selectively form a ruthenium-containing film over the copper-containing surface while leaving exposed the dielectric surface, and depositing a copper bulk layer over the ruthenium-containing film. | 04-02-2009 |
20090107834 | CHALCOGENIDE TARGET AND METHOD - A sputtering target for a sputtering chamber comprises a sputtering plate composed of a chalcogenide material comprising an average yield strength of from about 40 MPa to about 120 MPa and a thermal conductivity of at least about 2.8 W/(m·K). In one version the sputtering plate is composed of a chalcogenide material with a stoichiometric ratio that varies by less than about 5% throughout the body of the sputtering plate. In another version, the sputtering plate is composed of a chalcogenide material having an average grain size of at least 20 microns, and an oxygen content of less than 600 weight ppm. The sputtering target is sputtered by applying a pulsed DC voltage to the sputtering target. | 04-30-2009 |
20090156004 | METHOD FOR FORMING TUNGSTEN MATERIALS DURING VAPOR DEPOSITION PROCESSES - In one embodiment, a method for forming a tungsten material on a substrate surface is provide which includes positioning a substrate within a deposition chamber, heating the substrate to a deposition temperature, and exposing the substrate sequentially to diborane and a tungsten precursor gas to form a tungsten nucleation layer on the substrate during an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. The method further provides exposing the substrate to a deposition gas comprising hydrogen gas and the tungsten precursor gas to form a tungsten bulk layer over the tungsten nucleation layer during a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Examples are provided which include ALD and CVD processes that may be conducted in the same deposition chamber or in different deposition chambers. | 06-18-2009 |
20090202710 | ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION OF TANTALUM-CONTAINING MATERIALS USING THE TANTALUM PRECURSOR TAIMATA - In one embodiment, a method for forming a tantalum-containing material on a substrate is provided which includes heating a liquid tantalum precursor containing tertiaryamylimido-tris(dimethylamido) tantalum (TAIMATA) to a temperature of at least 30° C. to form a tantalum precursor gas and exposing the substrate to a continuous flow of a carrier gas during an atomic layer deposition process. The method further provides exposing the substrate to the tantalum precursor gas by pulsing the tantalum precursor gas into the carrier gas and adsorbing the tantalum precursor gas on the substrate to form a tantalum precursor layer thereon. Subsequently, the tantalum precursor layer is exposed to at least one secondary element-containing gas by pulsing the secondary element-containing gas into the carrier gas while forming a tantalum barrier layer on the substrate. The tantalum barrier layer may contain tantalum, tantalum nitride, tantalum silicon nitride, tantalum boron nitride, tantalum phosphorous nitride or tantalum oxynitride. | 08-13-2009 |
20090215264 | PROCESS FOR SELECTIVE GROWTH OF FILMS DURING ECP PLATING - Methods of controlling deposition of metal on field regions of a substrate in an electroplating process are provided. In one aspect, a dielectric layer is deposited under plasma on the field region of a patterned substrate, leaving a conductive surface exposed in the openings. Electroplating on the field region is reduced or eliminated, resulting in void-free features and minimal excess plating. In another aspect, a resistive layer, which may be a metal, is used in place of the dielectric. In a further aspect, the surface of the conductive field region is modified to change its chemical potential relative to the sidewalls and bottoms of the openings. | 08-27-2009 |
20090269507 | SELECTIVE COBALT DEPOSITION ON COPPER SURFACES - Embodiments of the invention provide processes to selectively form a cobalt layer on a copper surface over exposed dielectric surfaces. In one embodiment, a method for capping a copper surface on a substrate is provided which includes positioning a substrate within a processing chamber, wherein the substrate contains a contaminated copper surface and a dielectric surface, exposing the contaminated copper surface to a reducing agent while forming a copper surface during a pre-treatment process, exposing the substrate to a cobalt precursor gas to selectively form a cobalt capping layer over the copper surface while leaving exposed the dielectric surface during a vapor deposition process, and depositing a dielectric barrier layer over the cobalt capping layer and the dielectric surface. In another embodiment, a deposition-treatment cycle includes performing the vapor deposition process and subsequently a post-treatment process, which deposition-treatment cycle may be repeated to form multiple cobalt capping layers. | 10-29-2009 |
20090308318 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR HYBRID CHEMICAL PROCESSING - In one embodiment, an apparatus for performing an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process is provided which includes a chamber body containing a substrate support, a lid assembly attached to the chamber body, a remote plasma system (RPS) in fluid communication with the reaction zone, a centralized expanding conduit extending through the lid assembly and expanding radially outwards, a first gas delivery sub-assembly configured to deliver a first process gas, and a second gas delivery sub-assembly configured to deliver a second process gas into the centralized expanding conduit. The first gas delivery sub-assembly contains an annular channel encircling and in fluid communication with the centralized expanding conduit, wherein the annular channel is adapted to deliver the first process gas through a plurality of passageways and nozzles and into the centralized expanding conduit. The second gas delivery sub-assembly contains a gas inlet in fluid communication to the centralized expanding conduit. | 12-17-2009 |
20100075494 | INTEGRATION OF ALD TANTALUM NITRIDE FOR COPPER METALLIZATION - A method and apparatus for depositing a tantalum nitride barrier layer is provided for use in an integrated processing tool. The tantalum nitride is deposited by atomic layer deposition. The tantalum nitride is removed from the bottom of features in dielectric layers to reveal the conductive material under the deposited tantalum nitride. Optionally, a tantalum layer may be deposited by physical vapor deposition after the tantalum nitride deposition. Optionally, the tantalum nitride deposition and the tantalum deposition may occur in the same processing chamber. | 03-25-2010 |
20100093170 | METHOD FOR FORMING TUNGSTEN MATERIALS DURING VAPOR DEPOSITION PROCESSES - In one embodiment, a method for forming a tungsten material on a substrate surface is provide which includes positioning a substrate within a deposition chamber, heating the substrate to a deposition temperature, and exposing the substrate sequentially to diborane and a tungsten precursor gas to form a tungsten nucleation layer on the substrate during an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. The method further provides exposing the substrate to a deposition gas comprising hydrogen gas and the tungsten precursor gas to form a tungsten bulk layer over the tungsten nucleation layer during a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Examples are provided which include ALD and CVD processes that may be conducted in the same deposition chamber or in different deposition chambers. | 04-15-2010 |
20100099270 | ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION APPARATUS - A method and apparatus for atomic layer deposition (ALD) is described. The apparatus comprises a deposition chamber and a wafer support. The deposition chamber is divided into two or more deposition regions that are integrally connected one to another. The wafer support is movable between the two or more interconnected deposition regions within the deposition chamber. | 04-22-2010 |
20100130007 | BOTTOM UP PLATING BY ORGANIC SURFACE PASSIVATION AND DIFFERENTIAL PLATING RETARDATION - Embodiments of the present invention generally relates to an apparatus and a method for processing semiconductor substrates. One embodiment provides a method provides a method for processing a substrate comprising forming a seed layer over a substrate having trench or via structures formed therein, coating a portion of the seed layer with an organic passivation film, and immersing the trench or via structures in a plating solution to deposit a conductive material over the seed layer not covered by the organic passivation film. | 05-27-2010 |
20100247767 | GAS DELIVERY APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION - Apparatus and method for forming thin layers on a substrate are provided. A processing chamber has a gas delivery assembly that comprises a lid with a cap portion and a covering member that together define an expanding channel at a central portion of the lid, the covering member having a tapered bottom surface extending from the expanding channel to a peripheral portion of the covering member. Gas conduits are coupled to the expanding channel and positioned at an angle from a center of the expanding channel to form a circular gas flow through the expanding channel. The bottom surface of the chamber lid is shaped and sized to substantially cover the substrate receiving surface. One or more valves are coupled to the passageway, and one or more gas sources are coupled to each valve. A choke is disposed on the chamber lid adjacent a perimeter of the tapered bottom surface. | 09-30-2010 |
20110052833 | GAS DISTRIBUTION SHOWERHEAD AND METHOD OF CLEANING - During a deposition process, material may deposit not only on the substrate, but also on other chamber components. In a MOCVD chamber, one of those components is the gas distribution showerhead. The showerhead may be cleaned by bombarding the showerhead with radicals generated by a plasma that includes an inert gas and chlorine. In order to generate the plasma, the showerhead may be negatively biased or floating relative to the substrate support. The showerhead may comprise stainless steel and be coated with a ceramic coating. | 03-03-2011 |
20110070730 | SEQUENTIAL DEPOSITION OF TANTALUM NITRIDE USING A TANTALUM-CONTAINING PRECURSOR AND A NITROGEN-CONTAINING PRECURSOR - Embodiments of the invention provide a method for forming tantalum nitride materials on a substrate by employing an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. The method includes heating a tantalum precursor within an ampoule to a predetermined temperature to form a tantalum precursor gas and sequentially exposing a substrate to the tantalum precursor gas and a nitrogen precursor to form a tantalum nitride material. Thereafter, a nucleation layer and a bulk layer may be deposited on the substrate. In one example, a radical nitrogen compound may be formed from the nitrogen precursor during a plasma-enhanced ALD process. A nitrogen precursor may include nitrogen or ammonia. In another example, a metal-organic tantalum precursor may be used during the deposition process. | 03-24-2011 |
20110111603 | ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION APPARATUS - A method and apparatus for atomic layer deposition (ALD) is described. The apparatus comprises a deposition chamber and a wafer support. The deposition chamber is divided into two or more deposition regions that are integrally connected one to another. The wafer support is movable between the two or more interconnected deposition regions within the deposition chamber. | 05-12-2011 |
20110117728 | METHOD OF DECONTAMINATION OF PROCESS CHAMBER AFTER IN-SITU CHAMBER CLEAN - A method and apparatus for removing deposition products from internal surfaces of a processing chamber, and for preventing or slowing growth of such deposition products. A halogen containing gas is provided to the chamber to etch away deposition products. A halogen scavenging gas is provided to the chamber to remove any residual halogen. The halogen scavenging gas is generally activated by exposure to electromagnetic energy, either inside the processing chamber by thermal energy, or in a remote chamber by electric field, UV, or microwave. A deposition precursor may be added to the halogen scavenging gas to form a deposition resistant film on the internal surfaces of the chamber. Additionally, or alternately, a deposition resistant film may be formed by sputtering a deposition resistant metal onto internal components of the processing chamber in a PVD process. | 05-19-2011 |
20110259750 | METHOD OF DIRECT PLATING OF COPPER ON A RUTHENIUM ALLOY - A method is disclosed for depositing a copper seed layer onto a substrate surface. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a substrate having a barrier layer disposed on a substrate surface, wherein the barrier layer has a barrier surface comprising a material selected from the group consisting of cobalt, ruthenium, tungsten, titanium, and a compound of two or more thereof, and exposing the substrate to a non-complexed, acid electrochemical plating solution with a plating bias applied across the substrate surface to deposit a copper-containing seed layer directly on the barrier surface without intervening layer disposed therebetween. | 10-27-2011 |
20110308551 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INDUCING TURBULENT FLOW OF A PROCESSING CHAMBER CLEANING GAS - Embodiments of the invention generally relate to apparatus and methods for cleaning chamber components using a cleaning plate. The cleaning plate is adapted to be positioned on a substrate support during a cleaning process, and includes a plurality of turbulence-inducing structures. The turbulence-inducing structures induce a turbulent flow of cleaning gas while the cleaning plate is rotated during a cleaning process. The cleaning plate increases the retention time of the cleaning gas near the showerhead during cleaning. Additionally, the cleaning plate reduces concentration gradients within the cleaning plate to provide a more effective clean. The method includes positioning a cleaning plate adjacent to a showerhead, and introducing cleaning gas to the space between the showerhead and the cleaning plate. A material deposited on the surface of the showerhead is then heated and vaporized in the presence of the cleaning gas, and then exhausted from the processing chamber. | 12-22-2011 |
20120000490 | METHODS FOR ENHANCED PROCESSING CHAMBER CLEANING - Methods and apparatus for cleaning a showerhead and other chamber components used in a chemical vapor deposition process are provided. The methods comprise establishing a thermal gradient in a chamber having a showerhead assembly with deposited material thereon, providing a halogen containing cleaning gas to the chamber, wherein the thermal gradient causes a turbulent or convective flow of the cleaning gas, removing the coating of deposited material from the showerhead assembly by reacting the halogen containing cleaning gas with the deposited material, and exhausting reaction by-products from the chamber. | 01-05-2012 |
20120006265 | ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION APPARATUS - A method and apparatus for atomic layer deposition (ALD) is described. In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a vacuum chamber body having a contiguous internal volume comprised of a first deposition region spaced-apart from a second deposition region, the chamber body having a feature operable to minimize intermixing of gases between the first and the second deposition regions, a first gas port formed in the chamber body and positioned to pulse gas preferentially to the first deposition region to enable a first deposition process to be performed in the first deposition region, and a second gas port formed in the chamber body and positioned to pulse gas preferentially to the second deposition region to enable a second deposition process to be performed in the second deposition region is provided. | 01-12-2012 |
20120118225 | EPITAXIAL GROWTH TEMPERATURE CONTROL IN LED MANUFACTURE - Apparatus and method for control of epitaxial growth temperatures during manufacture of light emitting diodes (LEDs). Embodiments include measurement of a substrate and/or carrier temperature during a recipe stabilization period; determination of a temperature drift based on the measurement; and modification of a growth temperature based on a temperature offset determined in response to the temperature drift exceeding a threshold criteria. In an embodiment, a statistic derived from a plurality of pyrometric measurements made during the recipe stabilization over several runs is employed to offset each of a set of growth temperatures utilized to form a multiple quantum well (MQW) structure. | 05-17-2012 |
20120234238 | INTEGRATED METROLOGY FOR WAFER SCREENING - Integrated wafer or substrate bow measurement modules are described. For example, a multi-chamber system includes a chamber housing a bow measurement module. In another example, a method of pre-screening a wafer includes inserting a wafer or a substrate into a multi-chamber system. A bow parameter of the wafer or the substrate is measured in a bow measurement module housed in a chamber of the multi-chamber system. | 09-20-2012 |
20120315741 | ENHANCED MAGNESIUM INCORPORATION INTO GALLIUM NITRIDE FILMS THROUGH HIGH PRESSURE OR ALD-TYPE PROCESSING - Enhanced magnesium incorporation into gallium nitride films through high pressure or ALD-type processing is described. In an example, a method of fabricating a group III-nitride film includes flowing a group III precursor, a nitrogen precursor, and a p-type dopant precursor into a reaction chamber having a substrate therein. A p-type doped group III-nitride layer is formed in the reaction chamber, above the substrate, while a total pressure in the reaction chamber is approximately in the range of 300-760 Torr. | 12-13-2012 |
20130005118 | FORMATION OF III-V MATERIALS USING MOCVD WITH CHLORINE CLEANS OPERATIONS - Methods of forming III-V materials using metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) with chlorine cleans operations are described. A chlorine-clean operation may further season an MOCVD process for improved throughput for high volume manufacturing. | 01-03-2013 |
20130023079 | FABRICATION OF LIGHT EMITTING DIODES (LEDS) USING A DEGAS PROCESS - Methods of fabricating light emitting diodes using a degas process are described. For example, a method includes providing a partially formed group III-V material layer stack of an LED. Contaminants are removed from the partially formed group III-V material layer stack by a degas process. Formation of the group III-V material layer stack of the LED is then completed. | 01-24-2013 |
20140116470 | METHOD OF DECONTAMINATION OF PROCESS CHAMBER AFTER IN-SITU CHAMBER CLEAN - A method and apparatus for removing deposition products from internal surfaces of a processing chamber, and for preventing or slowing growth of such deposition products. A halogen containing gas is provided to the chamber to etch away deposition products. A halogen scavenging gas is provided to the chamber to remove any residual halogen. The halogen scavenging gas is generally activated by exposure to electromagnetic energy, either inside the processing chamber by thermal energy, or in a remote chamber by electric field, UV, or microwave. A deposition precursor may be added to the halogen scavenging gas to form a deposition resistant film on the internal surfaces of the chamber. Additionally, or alternately, a deposition resistant film may be formed by sputtering a deposition resistant metal onto internal components of the processing chamber in a PVD process. | 05-01-2014 |
20140130739 | ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION APPARATUS - A method and apparatus for atomic layer deposition (ALD) is described. In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a vacuum chamber body having a contiguous internal volume comprised of a first deposition region spaced-apart from a second deposition region, the chamber body having a feature operable to minimize intermixing of gases between the first and the second deposition regions, a first gas port formed in the chamber body and positioned to pulse gas preferentially to the first deposition region to enable a first deposition process to be performed in the first deposition region, and a second gas port formed in the chamber body and positioned to pulse gas preferentially to the second deposition region to enable a second deposition process to be performed in the second deposition region is provided. | 05-15-2014 |