Soft landing nanolaminates for advanced patterning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016293418-A1
Application number	US-201615177108-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 8, 2016
Priority date	Nov 7, 2013
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods for depositing nanolaminate protective layers over a core layer to enable deposition of high quality conformal films over the core layer for use in advanced multiple patterning schemes are provided. In certain embodiments, the methods involve depositing a thin silicon oxide or titanium oxide film using plasma-based atomic layer deposition techniques with a low high frequency radio frequency (HFRF) plasma power, followed by depositing a conformal titanium oxide film or spacer with a high HFRF plasma power.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of processing a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising:
depositing a core layer; depositing a nanolaminate layer on the core layer; and depositing a metal nitride or metal oxide layer on the nanolaminate layer.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the core layer is a patterned layer.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the core layer comprises amorphous carbon or a photoresist.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanolaminate layer comprises silicon oxide or titanium oxide.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the deposited nanolaminate layer is between about 15 Å and about 200 Å.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanolaminate layer is deposited using PEALD by:
exposing the substrate to a titanium-containing precursor or a silicon-containing precursor; exposing the substrate to an oxidant; and initiating a plasma while the substrate is exposed to the oxidant.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the nanolaminate layer is deposited at a temperature between about 50° C. and about 150° C. and the plasma is initiated with HFRF power per square millimeter of substrate area between about 1.768×10 −4 W per mm 2 and about 1.768×10 −3 W per mm 2 .

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the nanolaminate layer is deposited at a temperature less than about 100° C.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal nitride or metal oxide layer comprises titanium oxide or silicon oxide.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal nitride or metal oxide layer has etch selectivity to the core.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal nitride or metal oxide layer is deposited using PEALD by:
exposing the substrate to a metal-containing precursor; exposing the substrate to an oxidant; and initiating a plasma while the substrate is exposed to the oxidant at a HFRF power per square millimeter of substrate area of at least about 1.768×10 −3 W per mm 2 .

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the oxidant comprises nitrous oxide or oxygen or carbon dioxide or a mixture thereof.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the metal nitride or metal oxide layer is deposited at a pressure between about 3 Torr and about 3.5 Torr.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the metal nitride or metal oxide layer is deposited at a temperature between about 50° C. and about 400° C.

Assignees

• Novellus Systems Inc

Inventors

• Pasquale Frank L
• Swaminathan Shankar
• Lavoie Adrien
• Shamma Nader
• Dixit Girish A

Classifications

• H10P76/405

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

• H10P76/204 Primary

  of organic photoresist masks · CPC title

• H10P74/203

  Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects · CPC title

• H10P74/23

  characterised by multiple measurements, corrections, marking or sorting processes · CPC title

• H10P50/73

  using masks for insulating materials · CPC title