Carbon gap fill processes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12198928-B2
Application number	US-202117508419-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2021
Priority date	Oct 22, 2021
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

Exemplary semiconductor processing methods may include providing a carbon-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be disposed within the processing region. The substrate may define one or more recessed features. The methods may include providing a second precursor to the processing region. The methods may include forming a plasma of the carbon-containing precursor and the second precursor in the processing region. Forming the plasma of the carbon-containing precursor and the second precursor may be performed at a plasma power of greater than or about 500 W. The methods may include depositing a carbon-containing material on the substrate. The carbon-containing material may extend within the one or more recessed features. The methods may include, subsequent depositing the carbon-containing material for a first period of time, applying a bias power while depositing the carbon-containing material for a second period of time.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A semiconductor processing method comprising:
providing a carbon-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein a substrate is disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, and wherein the substrate defines one or more recessed features along the substrate;
providing a second precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber;
forming a plasma of the carbon-containing precursor and the second precursor in the processing region, wherein forming the plasma of the carbon-containing precursor and the second precursor is performed at a plasma power of greater than or about 500 W;
depositing a carbon-containing material on the substrate, wherein the carbon-containing material extends within the one or more recessed features along the substrate; and
subsequent depositing the carbon-containing material on the substrate for a first period of time, applying a bias power while depositing the carbon-containing material on the substrate for a second period of time.

2. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon-containing precursor comprises methane (CH 4 ).

3. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more recessed features are characterized by an aspect ratio greater than or about 1:3.

4. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein a temperature within the semiconductor processing chamber is maintained at less than or about 100° C. while depositing the carbon-containing material on the substrate.

5. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein a pressure within the semiconductor processing chamber is maintained at less than or about 10 m Torr while depositing the carbon-containing material on the substrate.

6. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein the second precursor comprises helium, a nitrogen-containing precursor, or argon.

7. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , further comprising reducing a flow rate of the carbon-containing precursor between the first period of time and the second period of time.

8. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , further comprising increasing a flow rate of the second precursor between the first period of time and the second period of time.

9. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein:
a flow rate of the carbon-containing precursor is greater than or about 10 sccm during the first period of time; and
a flow rate of the second precursor is greater than or about 300 sccm during the first period of time.

10. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , further comprising, subsequent depositing the carbon-containing material for the second period of time, increasing the bias power to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber while depositing the carbon-containing material on the substrate for a third period of time.

11. The semiconductor processing method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon-containing material deposited on the substrate is substantially free of any seams or voids within the one or more recessed features along the substrate.

12. A semiconductor processing method comprising:
providing a carbon-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein a substrate is disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, and wherein the substrate defines one or more recessed features along the substrate;
forming a plasma of the carbon-containing precursor in the processing region;
depositing a carbon-containing material on the substrate;
treating the carbon-containing material with a second precursor, wherein the second precursor extends the carbon-containing material within the one or more recessed features along the substrate; and
introducing a bias power while depositing the carbon-containing material and treating the carbon-containing material with the second precursor, wherein the bias power is gradually applied, and wherein an initial bias power is 0 W.

13. The semiconductor processing method of claim 12 , wherein:
a temperature within the semiconductor processing chamber is maintained at less than or about 75° C. while depositing the carbon-containing material and treating the carbon-containing material on the substrate with the second precursor; and
a pressure within the semiconductor processing chamber is maintained at greater than or about 7 mTorr while depositing the carbon-containing material and treating the carbon-containing material on the substrate with the second precursor.

14. The semiconductor processing method of claim 12 , wherein subsequent depositing the carbon-containing material on the substrate for a first period of time, the bias power is introduced such that the bias power is greater than or about 50 W during a second period of time.

15. The semiconductor processing method of claim 12 , wherein the second precursor comprises helium.

16. A semiconductor processing method comprising:
etching one or more recessed features along a substrate, wherein the substrate is disposed within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber;
providing a carbon-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber;
providing a second precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber;
forming a plasma of the carbon-containing precursor and the second precursor in the processing region, wherein the plasma is characterized by an electron temperature of greater than or about 6 eV;
depositing a carbon-containing material on the substrate, wherein the carbon-containing material extends within the one or more recessed features along the substrate, and wherein the carbon-containing material is deposited in the same semiconductor processing chamber as the etching; and
subsequent depositing the carbon-containing material on the substrate for a first period of time, applying a bias power to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber.

17. The semiconductor processing method of claim 16 , wherein the bias power applied subsequent the first period of time is greater than or about 75 W.

18. The semiconductor processing method of claim 16 , wherein the second precursor comprises helium.

19. The semiconductor processing method of claim 16 , further comprising, subsequent depositing the carbon-containing material for the first period of time, reducing a flow rate of the carbon-containing precursor to the semiconductor processing chamber.

20. The semiconductor processing method of claim 16 , wherein a flow rate of the second precursor is maintained at a flow rate ratio relative to the carbon-containing precursor of greater than or about 10:1 during the first period of time.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Bagal Abhijeet S
• Fu Qian

Classifications

• H10P50/28

  of insulating materials · CPC title

• H10P14/668 Primary

  the materials being characterised by the deposition precursor materials · CPC title

• H10P14/6336 Primary

  in the presence of a plasma [PECVD] · CPC title

• H10P14/6902

  composed of carbon, e.g. alpha-C, diamond or hydrogen doped carbon · CPC title

• C23C16/505

  using radio frequency discharges · CPC title