Method of selective metal deposition using separated reactant activation and plasma discharging zone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12565702-B2
Application number	US-202218078841-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2022
Priority date	Dec 9, 2022
Publication date	Mar 3, 2026
Grant date	Mar 3, 2026

Abstract

Methods of depositing a metal silicide on a substrate are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of depositing a metal silicide on a substrate having a silicon containing surface includes: creating a plasma comprising a first gas in a plasma region in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber, wherein the plasma region is disposed between a lid heater and a showerhead; flowing the first gas through a plurality of first openings of the showerhead to an activation region in the CVD chamber disposed between the showerhead and the substrate; flowing a second gas comprising a metal precursor in a non-plasma state through a plurality of second openings of the showerhead to the activation region, wherein the plurality of second openings are fluidly independent from the plurality of first openings within the showerhead; mixing the first gas with the second gas to activate the second gas in the activation region; and exposing the silicon containing surface of the substrate to the activated second gas.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method of depositing a metal silicide on a substrate having a silicon containing surface, comprising:
creating a plasma comprising a first gas in a plasma region in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber, wherein the plasma region is disposed vertically between a lid heater and a showerhead and extends horizontally between outer sidewalls of the showerhead; flowing the first gas through a plurality of first openings of the showerhead to an activation region in the CVD chamber disposed between the showerhead and the substrate; flowing a second gas comprising a metal precursor in a non-plasma state through a plurality of second openings of the showerhead to the activation region, wherein the plurality of second openings are fluidly independent from the plurality of first openings within the showerhead; mixing the first gas with the second gas to activate the second gas in the activation region; and exposing the silicon containing surface of the substrate to the activated second gas.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a pressure in the activation region is between about 2 to about 10 Torr.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining the lid heater at a temperature of about 300 to about 600 degrees Celsius.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal precursor comprises a metal halide.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first gas comprises one or more of a noble gas, nitrogen gas, hydrogen gas, or ammonia.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying RF power to the lid heater or the showerhead to create an electric field in the plasma region.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the electric field does not extend to the activation region.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising a second showerhead disposed between the showerhead and the substrate, wherein the activation region is disposed between the showerhead and the second showerhead.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first openings have a conical cross-sectional shape to promote crossflow.

10 . A method of depositing titanium silicide on a substrate, comprising:
creating a plasma comprising a first gas including a noble gas in a plasma region in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber, wherein the plasma region is disposed between a lid heater and a showerhead; flowing the first gas through a plurality of first openings of the showerhead to an activation region in the CVD chamber disposed between the showerhead and the substrate; flowing a second gas comprising a titanium precursor in a non-plasma state through a plurality of second openings of the showerhead to the activation region, wherein the plurality of second openings are fluidly independent from the plurality of first openings within the showerhead, wherein the plurality of first openings have angled sidewalls that form a conical cross-sectional shape and the plurality of second openings extend perpendicularly from the angled sidewalls; mixing the first gas with the second gas to activate the second gas in the activation region to form radicals of the titanium precursor; and exposing a silicon surface of the substrate to the radicals of the titanium precursor to deposit titanium silicide on the substrate.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the first gas further comprises hydrogen gas or nitrogen gas.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the first gas creates a gas curtain that substantially prevents the titanium precursor from entering the plasma region.

13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising applying RF power to the lid heater or the showerhead to create an electric field in the plasma region.

14 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising grounding a substrate support on which the substrate is disposed.

15 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the plasma is an inductively coupled plasma.

16 . A method of depositing titanium silicide on a substrate, comprising:
applying RF power to a showerhead or lid heater in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber, flowing a first gas including argon gas and hydrogen gas in a plasma region disposed between the lid heater and the showerhead to form a plasma comprising the first gas, wherein the lid heater includes a heater plate coupled to a shaft, and wherein the heater plate includes a plurality of gas distribution openings for flowing the first gas to the plasma region; flowing the first gas through a plurality of first openings of the showerhead to an activation region in the CVD chamber disposed between the showerhead and the substrate; flowing a second gas comprising titanium tetrachloride (TiCl 4 ) in a non-plasma state through a plurality of second openings of the showerhead to the activation region, wherein the plurality of second openings are fluidly independent from the plurality of first openings within the showerhead; mixing the first gas with the second gas to activate the second gas in the activation region to form titanium trichloride (TiCl 3 ) radicals, wherein a pressure in the activation region is between about 2 to about 10 Torr; and exposing the TiCl 3 radicals to the substrate to form titanium silicide on the substrate.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein a ratio of argon gas to hydrogen gas in the first gas is about 3.5 to about 4.5 by volume.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first gas is pulsed through the plurality of first openings.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the second gas is not exposed to the plasma region.

20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the RF power is about 600 to about 1000 watts.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Jiang Ying-Bing
• Lee Joung Joo
• Tang Xianmin
• Lu Jiang
• Gelatos Avgerinos V
• Wu Dien-Yeh
• Ye Weifeng
• Wan Yiyang
• How Gary
• Hernandez Joseph

Classifications

• C23C16/42 Primary

  Silicides · CPC title

• H01J37/321 Primary

  the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma · CPC title

• C23C16/45565

  Shower nozzles · CPC title

• H01J2237/3321

  CVD [Chemical Vapor Deposition] · CPC title

• C23C16/505

  using radio frequency discharges · CPC title