Tritertbutyl aluminum reactants for vapor deposition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10875774-B2
Application number	US-201916721710-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2019
Priority date	Oct 2, 2015
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

Aluminum (Al) hydrocarbon precursor compositions are provided that can be used for vapor deposition of transition metal carbide thin films, for example aluminum-doped transition metal carbide thin films such as Al-doped titanium carbide thin films. In some embodiments, the precursor compositions comprise one or more isomers of tritertbutyl aluminum (TTBA). In some embodiments the precursor compositions comprise at least 50% of Isomer 1 of TTBA, at least 50% of Isomer 2 of TTBA, or at least 20% of a combination of Isomer 1 and Isomer 2, where Isomer 1 has the formula Al(tert-Bu)2(iso-Bu) and Isomer 2 has the formula Al(tert-Bu)(iso-Bu)2. A container containing a precursor composition comprising at least 50% of Isomer 1 or Isomer 2 or at least 20% of a combination of Isomer 1 and 2 of TTBA can be attached to a vapor deposition reactor and used to deposit transition metal carbide thin films such as Al-doped titanium carbide thin films by atomic layer deposition or chemical vapor deposition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of depositing a transition metal carbide thin film on a substrate in a reaction space, the method comprising:
contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase reactant formed by vaporizing a first precursor composition comprising at least 50% Isomer 1, at least 50% Isomer 2 or at least 20% of a combination of Isomer 1 and 2 of tris(2-methyl-2-propanyl)aluminum (TTBA), wherein Isomer 1 has a formula Al(tert-Bu) 2 (iso-Bu) and Isomer 2 has a formula Al(tert-Bu)(iso-Bu) 2 ; and
contacting the substrate with a second vapor phase reactant formed by vaporizing a second precursor comprising a transition metal halide.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is a chemical vapor deposition process.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is an atomic layer deposition process.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the method comprises at least one deposition cycle in which the substrate is alternately and sequentially contacted with the first vapor phase reactant and the second vapor phase transition metal halide reactant.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the deposition cycle is repeated two or more times.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second reactant vapor phase reactant comprises a vapor phase titanium precursor.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the titanium precursor is a titanium halide.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the titanium halide is TiCl 4 .

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first precursor composition comprises at least 70% Isomer 1.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first precursor composition comprises at least 80% Isomer 1.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first precursor composition comprises at least 90% Isomer 1.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first precursor composition comprises at least 70% Isomer 2.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first precursor composition comprises at least 80% Isomer 2.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first precursor composition comprises at least 90% Isomer 2.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first precursor composition comprises at least 50% of a combination of Isomer 1 and 2.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first precursor composition comprises at least 80% of a combination of Isomer 1 and 2.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first precursor composition comprises TTBA.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first precursor composition does not comprise Isomer 3, wherein Isomer 3 has the formula Al(iso-Bu) 3 .

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first precursor composition additionally comprises Isomer 3 of Al(tert-Bu) 3 , wherein Isomer 3 has a formula Al(iso-Bu) 3 .

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the first precursor composition comprises at most 5% Isomer 3.

Assignees

• Asm Ip Holding Bv

Inventors

• Shero Eric J
• Verghese Mohith E

Classifications

• C23C16/45553

  characterized by the use of precursors specially adapted for ALD · CPC title

• C23C16/45551

  for relative movement of the substrate and the gas injectors or half-reaction reactor compartments · CPC title

• C23C16/45527

  characterized by the ALD cycle, e.g. different flows or temperatures during half-reactions, unusual pulsing sequence, use of precursor mixtures or auxiliary reactants or activations · CPC title

• C23C16/448

  characterised by the method used for generating reactive gas streams, e.g. by evaporation or sublimation of precursor materials · CPC title

• C23C16/32 Primary

  Carbides · CPC title