Thin film formation apparatus and method using plasma

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11646203-B2
Application number	US-202016925532-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2020
Priority date	Jan 6, 2020
Publication date	May 9, 2023
Grant date	May 9, 2023

Abstract

A thin film formation apparatus includes a chamber, a platen disposed within the chamber, a heater configured to heat the platen within the chamber, a gas inlet communicating with an interior of the chamber and configured to supply a reducing gas and inert gas to the interior of the chamber, a target disposed within the chamber and spatially separated from the platen, and a microwave plasma source disposed adjacent to the target. The reducing gas includes at least one of hydrogen (H 2 ) and deuterium (D 2 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thin film formation method comprising:
loading a substrate having a thin film onto a platen within a chamber such that the thin film faces toward a target within the chamber;
supplying an inert gas and a reducing gas comprising hydrogen (H2) or deuterium (D2) into the chamber through a gas inlet of the chamber; and
generating, using a microwave plasma source, plasma within the chamber that: (1) removes oxygen from a thin film, which is disposed on the substrate, to convert at least a portion of the thin film to a reduced semiconductor layer containing no oxygen or substantially no oxygen, (2) forms a semiconductor layer on the reduced semiconductor layer, and (3) creates a continuous single-crystalline semiconductor layer comprising the reduced semiconductor layer and the semiconductor layer.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising heating the substrate to a temperature in a range of 100 to 500° C., both inclusive.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the microwave plasma source is a 2.45 GHz microwave plasma device.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein generating the plasma includes supplying an electric power of 500 to 5,000 W, both inclusive.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the thin film comprises a silicon oxide layer having a thickness of 0.1 to 2 nm.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the continuous single-crystalline semiconductor layer comprises the substrate, the reduced semiconductor layer, and the semiconductor layer.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate includes silicon and the thin film includes silicon and oxygen.

8. A thin film formation method comprising:
loading a substrate having a thin film onto a platen within a chamber such that a surface of the substrate faces toward a target within the chamber;
supplying in inert gas and a reducing gas comprising hydrogen (H2) or deuterium (D2) into the chamber through a gas inlet of the chamber; and
generating, using a microwave plasma source, plasma within the chamber that: (1) removes oxygen from a thin film, which is disposed on the substrate, to convert at least a portion of the thin film to a reduced semiconductor layer containing no oxygen or substantially no oxygen, (2) forms a semiconductor layer over the reduced semiconductor layer, and (3) creates a continuous single-crystalline semiconductor layer comprising the reduced semiconductor layer and the semiconductor layer.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the thin film is an oxide film at the surface of the substrate.

10. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising heating the substrate to a temperature in a range of 100 to 500° C., both inclusive.

11. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the microwave plasma source is a 2.45 GHz microwave plasma device.

12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein generating the plasma includes supplying an electric power of 500 to 5,000 W, both inclusive.

13. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the thin film comprises a silicon oxide layer having a thickness of 0.1 to 2 nm.

14. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the continuous single-crystalline semiconductor layer comprises the substrate, the reduced semiconductor layer, and the semiconductor layer.

15. The method of claim 8 , wherein the substrate includes silicon and the thin film includes silicon and oxygen.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Junyeong
• Park Minkyu
• Yi Insun
• Kim Beomseok
• Kim Youngseok
• Lee Kuntack

Classifications

• H10P14/3458

  Monocrystalline · CPC title

• H10P14/3456

  Polycrystalline · CPC title

• H10P14/3454

  Amorphous · CPC title

• H10P14/3411

  Silicon, silicon germanium or germanium · CPC title

• H10P14/3238

  being insulating materials · CPC title