Treatments To Improve Device Performance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021193468-A1
Application number	US-202117192213-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 4, 2021
Priority date	May 3, 2019
Publication date	Jun 24, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes annealing a surface of a substrate in an ambient of hydrogen to smooth the surface, pre-cleaning the surface of the substrate, depositing a high-κ dielectric layer on the pre-cleaned surface of the substrate, performing a re-oxidation process to thermally oxidize the surface of the substrate; performing a plasma nitridation process to insert nitrogen atoms in the deposited high-κ dielectric layer, and performing a post-nitridation anneal process to passivate chemical bonds in the plasma nitridated high-κ dielectric layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of forming a semiconductor structure, the method comprising:
annealing a surface of a substrate to form a smooth surface; pre-cleaning the smooth surface to form a pre-cleaned surface; depositing a high-κ dielectric layer on the pre-cleaned surface; performing a re-oxidation process to thermally oxidize the substrate; performing a plasma nitridation process to insert nitrogen atoms in the high-κ dielectric layer to form a plasma nitridated high-κ dielectric layer; and performing a post-nitridation anneal process to passivate chemical bonds in the plasma nitridated high-κ dielectric layer.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the high-κ dielectric layer, performing the re-oxidation process, performing the plasma nitridation process, and performing the post-nitridation anneal process are performed in a processing system without breaking vacuum.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein annealing the surface of the substrate comprises spike annealing the substrate in a hydrogen (H 2 ) ambient at a temperature in a range of from 500° C. to 700° C.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma nitridation process comprises exposing the high-κ dielectric layer to a plasma comprising a mixture of nitrogen (N 2 ) and ammonia (NH 3 ).

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the re-oxidation process comprises annealing the high-κ dielectric layer in an oxygen (O 2 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O), and hydrogen (H 2 ) ambient at a temperature in a range of from 400° C. to 900° C.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the post-nitridation anneal process comprises spike annealing the high-κ dielectric layer in a nitrogen (N 2 ) and argon (Ar) ambient at a temperature in a range of from 700° C. to 850° C.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing a post-deposition anneal process prior to the plasma nitridation process to harden and densify the high-κ dielectric layer.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the post-deposition anneal process comprises annealing the high-κ dielectric layer in a nitrogen (N 2 ) and argon (Ar) ambient at a temperature in a range of from 500° C. to 800° C.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the high-κ dielectric layer comprises hafnium oxide.

10 . A method of forming a semiconductor structure, the method comprising:
annealing a surface of a substrate to form a smooth surface; forming a high-κ dielectric layer on the smooth surface; performing a re-oxidation process to thermally oxidize the substrate; performing a plasma nitridation process to insert nitrogen atoms in the high-κ dielectric layer to form a plasma nitridated high-κ dielectric layer; and performing a post-nitridation anneal process to passivate chemical bonds in the plasma nitridated high-κ dielectric layer.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein forming the semiconductor structure is performed in a processing system without breaking vacuum.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein annealing the surface of the substrate comprises spike annealing the substrate in a hydrogen (H 2 ) ambient at a temperature in a range of from 500° C. to 700° C.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the high-κ dielectric layer comprises hafnium oxide.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the plasma nitridation process comprises exposing the high-κ dielectric layer to a plasma comprising a mixture of nitrogen (N 2 ) and ammonia (NH 3 ).

15 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising pre-cleaning the smooth surface prior to forming the high-κ dielectric layer on the smooth surface.

16 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising pre-cleaning the surface of the substrate prior to annealing the surface of the substrate.

17 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the post-nitridation anneal process comprises spike annealing the high-κ dielectric layer in a nitrogen (N 2 ) and argon (Ar) ambient at a temperature in a range of 700° C. to 850° C.

18 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising performing a post-deposition anneal process prior to the plasma nitridation process to harden and densify the high-κ dielectric layer.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the post-deposition anneal process comprises annealing the high-κ dielectric layer in a nitrogen (N 2 ) and argon (Ar) ambient at a temperature in a range of from 500° C. to 800° C.

20 . A processing system comprising:
a first processing chamber; a second processing chamber; a third processing chamber; a fourth processing chamber; a fifth processing chamber; and a system controller, the system controller configured to:
annealing a surface of a substrate to form a smooth surface in the first processing chamber;
deposit a high-κ dielectric layer on the surface of the substrate in the second processing chamber;
expose the deposited high-κ dielectric layer to nitrogen plasma to form a plasma nitridated high-κ dielectric layer in the third processing chamber;
perform a re-oxidation process to thermally oxidize the surface of the substrate in the fourth processing chamber; and
anneal the plasma nitridated high-κ dielectric layer in the fifth processing chamber,
wherein the substrate is transferred among the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth processing chambers without breaking vacuum environment in the processing system.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Hung Steven C H
• Dong Lin
• Colombeau Benjamin
• Swenberg Johanes F
• Wang Linlin

Classifications

• H10P14/69392

  the material containing hafnium, e.g. HfO2 · CPC title

• H10P14/668

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

• H10D64/01342

  by deposition, e.g. evaporation, ALD or laser deposition (H10D64/01344 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H10D64/0134

  with a treatment, e.g. annealing, after the formation of the insulator and before the formation of the conductor · CPC title

• H10D64/01344 Primary

  in a nitrogen-containing ambient, e.g. N2O oxidation · CPC title