Method of making high critical temperature metal nitride layer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12052935-B2
Application number	US-202117178190-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2021
Priority date	Feb 21, 2020
Publication date	Jul 30, 2024
Grant date	Jul 30, 2024

Abstract

A method of fabricating a device including a superconductive layer includes depositing a seed layer on a substrate at a first temperature, the seed layer being a nitride of a first metal, reducing the temperature of the substrate to a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature, increasing the temperature of the substrate to a third temperature that is higher than the first temperature to form a modified seed layer, and depositing a metal nitride superconductive layer directly on the modified seed layer at the third temperature, the superconductive layer being a nitride of a different second metal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of fabricating a device including a superconductive layer, the method, comprising:
depositing a seed layer on a substrate, the seed layer being an oxynitride of a first metal; and
depositing a metal nitride superconductive layer directly on the seed layer, the superconductive layer being a nitride of a different second metal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second metal is niobium, titanium, or a combination of niobium and titanium.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first metal is aluminum.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the seed layer and depositing the metal nitride superconductive layer are performed in a deposition tool without breaking vacuum.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein depositing the seed layer and depositing the metal nitride superconductive layer comprise physical vapor deposition processes.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first metal is aluminum.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the upper seed layer comprises depositing a layer having a thickness of 3-50 nm.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the seed layer and depositing the metal nitride superconductive layer comprise physical vapor deposition processes.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the seed layer has a (002) c-axis crystal orientation.

10. A method of fabricating a device including a superconductive layer, the method, comprising:
depositing a seed layer on a substrate at a first temperature, the seed layer being a nitride of a first metal;
reducing the temperature of the substrate to a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature;
increasing the temperature of the substrate to a third temperature that is higher than the first temperature to form a modified seed layer; and
depositing a metal nitride superconductive layer directly on the modified seed layer at the third temperature, the superconductive layer being a nitride of a different second metal.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the second metal is niobium nitride, titanium nitride, or niobium titanium nitride.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first metal is aluminum.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first metal is aluminum.

14. The method of claim 10 , comprising exposing the seed layer to an oxygen-containing gas or plasma before depositing the metal nitride superconductive layer.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein exposing the seed layer to the oxygen-containing gas or plasma is performed with the substrate at the second temperature.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein exposing the seed layer to the oxygen-containing gas or plasma is performed with the substrate at the first or third temperature.

17. The method of claim 10 , comprising maintaining the seed layer in an oxygen-free environment from depositing the seed layer to depositing the metal nitride superconductive layer.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein second temperature is at least 200° C. lower than the first temperature.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein second temperature is room temperature.

20. The method of claim 10 , wherein the second temperature is room temperature.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Yang Zihao
• Zhu Mingwei
• Mangipudi Shriram
• Chowdhury Mohammad Kamruzzaman
• Lavan Shane
• Chen Zhebo
• Cao Yong
• Patibandla Nag B

Classifications

• H10N60/0156

  of devices comprising Nb or an alloy of Nb with one or more of the elements of group IVB, e.g. titanium, zirconium or hafnium · CPC title

• H10N60/0241 Primary

  of devices comprising nitrides or carbonitrides · CPC title

• C23C14/0036

  Reactive sputtering · CPC title

• C23C14/5853

  Oxidation · CPC title

• C23C8/36

  using ionised gases, e.g. ionitriding · CPC title