Plasma treating a process chamber

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10290504-B2
Application number	US-201715822435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2017
Priority date	Jun 5, 2015
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments described herein generally relate to a method and apparatus for plasma treating a process chamber. A substrate having a gate stack formed thereon may be placed in a process chamber, and hydrogen containing plasma may be used to treat the gate stack in order to cure the defects in the gate stack. As the result of hydrogen containing plasma treatment, the gate stack has lower leakage and improved reliability. To protect the process chamber from H x + ions and H* radicals generated by the hydrogen containing plasma, the process chamber may be treated with a plasma without the substrate placed therein and prior to the hydrogen containing plasma treatment. In addition, components of the process chamber that are made of a dielectric material may be coated with a ceramic coating including an yttrium containing oxide in order to protect the components from the plasma.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
introducing a first gas flow into a process chamber;
energizing the first gas flow to form a first plasma;
placing a substrate into the process chamber, wherein a gate stack is disposed on the substrate;
flowing a second gas into the process chamber, wherein the second gas flow consists of hydrogen gas; and
energizing the second gas to form a second plasma, wherein radicals in the first plasma bond with surfaces of components of the process chamber to form protected surface bonds that are resistive to attack by the second plasma.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first plasma comprises a plasma containing nitrogen or oxygen.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first gas flow comprises O 2 , N 2 , NH 3 , Ar, H 2 , or combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising treating the gate stack with the second plasma, wherein the gate stack is treated for about 10 to 360 seconds.

5. A method, comprising:
exposing a process chamber to a first plasma; then
placing a substrate into the process chamber, wherein a gate stack is disposed on the substrate; and then
plasma treating the gate stack disposed on the substrate to cure defects in the gate stack, wherein the plasma treating the gate stack comprises:
introducing a first gas flow into the process chamber, wherein the first gas flow consists essentially of hydrogen gas and argon gas; and
energizing the first gas flow to form a second plasma, wherein radicals in the first plasma bond with surfaces of components of the process chamber to form protected surface bonds that are resistive to attack by the second plasma.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first plasma comprises a plasma containing nitrogen or oxygen.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the plasma containing nitrogen or oxygen is formed by introducing a second gas flow into the process chamber and energizing the second gas flow.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the second gas flow comprises O 2 , N 2 , NH 3 , Ar, H 2 , or combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the plasma containing nitrogen or oxygen is formed in a remote plasma source.

10. The method of claim 5 , wherein the gate stack is treated for about 10 to 360 seconds.

11. The method of claim 5 , wherein the gate stack is treated for about 30 to 90 seconds.

12. A method, comprising:
placing a substrate into a process chamber, wherein a gate stack is disposed on the substrate; and
plasma treating the gate stack disposed on the substrate to cure defects in the gate stack, wherein the plasma treating the gate stack comprises:
introducing a first gas flow into the process chamber, wherein the first gas flow consists essentially of hydrogen gas and argon gas, wherein the hydrogen gas is flowed into the process chamber at about 25 standard cubic centimeters per minute and the argon gas is flowed into the process chamber at about 975 standard centimeters per minute; and
energizing the first gas flow to form a plasma.

13. A method, comprising:
introducing a first gas flow into a process chamber;
energizing the first gas flow to form a first plasma;
placing a substrate into the process chamber, wherein a stack is disposed on the substrate;
introducing a second gas flow into the process chamber, wherein the second gas flow consists essentially of hydrogen gas and argon gas; and
energizing the second gas flow to form a second plasma, wherein radicals in the first plasma bond with surfaces of components of the process chamber to form protected surface bonds that are resistive to attack by the second plasma.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first gas flow comprises O 2 , N 2 , NH 3 , Ar, H 2 , or combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the second plasma treats the stack to cure defects in the stack.

16. A method, comprising:
introducing a first gas flow into a process chamber;
energizing the first gas flow to form a first plasma;
placing a substrate into the process chamber, wherein a stack is disposed on the substrate;
introducing a second gas flow into the process chamber, wherein the second gas flow consists essentially of hydrogen gas and argon gas, wherein the hydrogen gas is flowed into the process chamber at about 25 standard cubic centimeters per minute and the argon gas is flowed into the process chamber at about 975 standard centimeters per minute; and
energizing the second gas flow to form a second plasma.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Liu Wei
• Guarini Theresa Kramer
• Nguyen Huy Q
• Bevan Malcolm
• Graoui Houda
• Bottini Philip A
• Hwang Bernard L
• Hawrylchak Lara
• George Rene

Classifications

• H10P95/00 Primary

  Generic processes or apparatus for manufacture or treatments not covered by the other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• H10D64/01338 Primary

  with a treatment, e.g. annealing, after the formation of the conductor · CPC title

• H01J37/32477

  characterised by the means for protecting vessels or internal parts, e.g. coatings · CPC title

• H01J37/3244

  Gas supply means · CPC title

• H01J37/32357

  Generation remote from the workpiece, e.g. down-stream · CPC title