Methods and apparatus for filling a feature disposed in a substrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10950500-B2
Application number	US-201815971573-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2018
Priority date	May 5, 2017
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and apparatus for filling a feature disposed in a substrate are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a method for filling a feature disposed in a substrate includes (a) depositing a metal within the feature to a first predetermined thickness in a first process chamber; (b) depositing the metal within the feature to a second predetermined thickness in a second process chamber; (c) etching the metal deposited in (b) to remove an overhang of the metal at a top of the feature in a third process chamber different than the first and second process chambers; and (d) subsequent to (c), filling the feature with the metal in a fourth process chamber different than the first and third process chambers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of filling a feature disposed in a substrate, comprising:
(a) depositing a metal within the feature to a first predetermined thickness in a first process chamber;
(b) depositing the metal within the feature to a second predetermined thickness in a second process chamber;
(c) etching via a plasma etching process the metal deposited in (b) to remove an overhang of the metal at a top of the feature in a third process chamber different than the first and second process chambers, wherein (c) comprises:
(1) oxidizing an exposed layer of the metal deposited on the substrate using an oxidizing precursor;
(2) purging the oxidizer precursor from the etch chamber;
(3) flowing a reducing agent into the etch chamber to react with the oxidized layer and form an organometallic product and etch away the oxidized layer; and
(4) purging the organometallic product from the etch chamber; and

(d) subsequent to (c), filling the feature with the metal in a fourth process chamber different than the first and third process chambers.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein (a) is performed using physical vapor deposition and (b) and (d) are performed using chemical vapor deposition.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
(e) etching the metal deposited in (a) to remove an overhang of the metal at the top of the feature in a fifth process chamber prior to (b).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein (a) and (b) are performed using chemical vapor deposition and (d) is performed using physical vapor deposition.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
(e) etching the metal deposited in (a) to remove an overhang of the metal at the top of the feature in a fifth process chamber prior to (b).

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second predetermined thicknesses are each between about 3 nm and about 40 nm.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal is cobalt or nickel.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the oxidizing precursor includes a chlorine-containing agent.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein oxidizing the exposed layer of the metal includes using a plasma formed from the oxidizing precursor.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is heated to a temperature between about 100° C. and about 250° C. during etching.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein (c) is performed between 1 and 10 times.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
exposing the exposed layer to a hydrogen-containing plasma to remove etch residue after removal of the oxidized layer.

13. A method of filling a feature disposed in a substrate, comprising:
(a) depositing a metal within the feature to a first predetermined thickness in a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber;
(b) depositing the metal within the feature to a second predetermined thickness in a first chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber;
(c) etching via a plasma process or a thermal process without the use of a plasma the metal deposited in (b) to remove an overhang of the metal at a top of the feature in an etch chamber; and
(d) subsequent to (c), filling the feature with the metal in a second CVD chamber; and
(e) etching the metal deposited in (a) to remove an overhang of the metal at the top of the feature in a second etch chamber prior to (b), wherein each of (c) and (e) comprises:
(1) oxidizing an exposed layer of the metal deposited on the substrate using an oxidizing precursor;
(2) purging the oxidizer precursor from the etch chamber;
(3) flowing a reducing agent into the etch chamber to react with the oxidized layer and form an organometallic product and etch away the oxidized layer; and
(4) purging the organometallic product from the etch chamber.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the metal is cobalt or nickel.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
exposing the exposed layer to a hydrogen-containing plasma to remove etch residue after removal of the oxidized layer.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Shaviv Roey
• Wang Xikun
• Emesh Ismail
• Lei Jianxin
• Hou Wenting

Classifications

• H10W20/4437

  the principal metal being a transition metal · CPC title

• H10P14/44

  Physical vapour deposition [PVD] · CPC title

• H10P14/43

  Chemical deposition, e.g. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] · CPC title

• H10P72/0468 Primary

  comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process · CPC title

• H10P72/0461

  characterised by the presence of two or more transfer chambers · CPC title