High density carbon films for patterning applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12463036-B2
Application number	US-202318507328-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2023
Priority date	Oct 26, 2018
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to deposition of high transparency, high-density carbon films for patterning applications. In one embodiment, a method of forming a carbon film on a substrate is provided. The method includes flowing a hydrocarbon-containing gas mixture into a process chamber having a substrate positioned on an electrostatic chuck, wherein the substrate is maintained at a temperature of about −10° C. to about 20° C. and a chamber pressure of about 0.5 mTorr to about 10 Torr, and generating a plasma by applying a first RF bias to the electrostatic chuck to deposit a diamond-like carbon film containing about 60% or greater hybridized sp 3 atoms on the substrate, wherein the first RF bias is provided at a power of about 1800 Watts to about 2200 Watts and at a frequency of about 40 MHz to about 162 MHz.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method of forming a carbon film on a substrate, comprising:
flowing a hydrocarbon-containing gas mixture into a process chamber having the substrate positioned on an electrostatic chuck comprising a first radio frequency (RF) electrode and a second RF electrode disposed within the electrostatic chuck, wherein the substrate is maintained at a temperature of −50° C. to 350° C.; and generating a plasma by applying a first RF bias to the first RF electrode of the electrostatic chuck to deposit a diamond-like carbon film on the substrate.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the plasma further comprises applying a second RF bias to the second RF electrode of the electrostatic chuck.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the second RF bias is provided at a power of 800 Watts to 1200 Watts and at a frequency of 350 KHz to 13.56 MHz.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the first RF bias is provided at a power of 10 Watts to 3000 Watts and at a frequency of 350 KHz or above, and the second RF bias is provided at a power of 10 Watts to 3000 Watts and at a frequency of 350 KHz or above.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is maintained at the temperature of −10° C. to about 20° C.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon-containing gas mixture includes a hydrocarbon precursor comprising C2H2, C3H6, CH4, C4H8, 1,3-dimethyladamantane, bicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene (2,5-Norbornadiene), adamantine (C10H16), norbornene (C7H10), or any combinations thereof.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon-containing gas mixture further includes a dilution gas comprising He, Ar, Xe, N2, H2, or any combinations thereof.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon-containing gas mixture is flowed into the process chamber through a gas panel disposed at a sidewall of the process chamber.

9 . A method of forming a carbon film on a semiconductor substrate, comprising:
flowing a hydrocarbon-containing gas and dilution gas mixture into a process chamber having the semiconductor substrate positioned on an electrostatic chuck, wherein a volumetric ratio of the dilution gas to the hydrocarbon-containing gas is 1:4 or greater; and generating a plasma by applying a first radio frequency (RF) bias to a first electrode disposed in the electrostatic chuck and a second RF bias to a second electrode disposed in the electrostatic chuck to deposit a diamond-like carbon film on the semiconductor substrate, wherein the semiconductor substrate is maintained at a temperature of −50° C. to 350° C.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the first RF bias is provided at a frequency of 13.56 MHz or above, and wherein the temperature of the semiconductor substrate is maintained at −10° C. to 20° C.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the second RF bias is provided at a frequency of 13.56 MHz or below.

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the hydrocarbon-containing gas comprises C2H2, C3H6, CH4, C4H8, 1,3-dimethyladamantane, bicyclohepta-2,5-diene (2,5-Norbornadiene), adamantine (C10H16), norbornene (C7H10), or any combinations thereof.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the dilution gas comprises He, Ar, Xe, N2, H2, or any combinations thereof.

14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein generating the plasma further comprises applying a third RF bias to a third electrode disposed above and opposing the electrostatic chuck.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the third RF bias is provided at a power of 10 Watts and 3000 Watts and at a frequency of from 350 KHz to 162 MHz.

16 . A method of processing a substrate, comprising:
flowing a hydrocarbon-containing gas mixture into a processing volume of a process chamber having the substrate positioned on an electrostatic chuck, wherein the substrate comprises a film stack having a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer disposed over the first dielectric layer; generating a plasma by applying a first radio frequency (RF) bias to the electrostatic chuck to deposit a diamond-like carbon film on the substrate, wherein an elastic modulus of the diamond-like carbon film is 200 GPa to 400 GPa; forming a patterned photoresist layer over the diamond-like carbon film; etching the diamond-like carbon film in a pattern corresponding with the patterned photoresist layer resulting in etched portions; and depositing a material into the etched portions of the diamond-like carbon film.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein generating the plasma further comprises applying a second RF bias to the electrostatic chuck.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the diamond-like carbon film is used as an underlayer in an extreme ultraviolet (“EUV”) lithography process.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the hydrocarbon-containing gas mixture further includes a dilution gas comprising He, Ar, Xe, N2, H2, or any combinations thereof.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the hydrocarbon-containing gas mixture is flowed into the process chamber through a gas panel disposed at a sidewall of the process chamber.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Venkatasubramanian Eswaranand
• Gottheim Samuel E
• Manna Pramit
• Mallick Abhijit Basu

Classifications

• H10P76/204

  of organic photoresist masks · CPC title

• H10P72/0602

  Temperature monitoring · CPC title

• H10P50/282

  of inorganic materials · CPC title

• H10P50/73

  using masks for insulating materials · CPC title

• H10P76/405

  characterised by their composition, e.g. multilayer masks · CPC title