Method of enabling seamless cobalt gap-fill

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9330939-B2
Application number	US-201313786644-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2013
Priority date	Mar 28, 2012
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

Methods for depositing a contact metal layer in contact structures of a semiconductor device are provided. In one embodiment, a method for depositing a contact metal layer for forming a contact structure in a semiconductor device is provided. The method comprises performing a cyclic metal deposition process to deposit a contact metal layer on a substrate and annealing the contact metal layer disposed on the substrate. The cyclic metal deposition process comprises exposing the substrate to a deposition precursor gas mixture to deposit a portion of the contact metal layer on the substrate, exposing the portion of the contact metal layer to a plasma treatment process, and repeating the exposing the substrate to a deposition precursor gas mixture and exposing the portion of the contact metal layer to a plasma treatment process until a predetermined thickness of the contact metal layer is achieved.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for depositing a contact structure in a semiconductor device, comprising:
performing a cyclic metal deposition process to deposit at least part of a gate electrode in openings formed on a silicon containing substrate, the at least part of a gate electrode comprising a cobalt contact metal adjacent a metal containing layer, the cyclic metal deposition process comprising:
exposing the substrate to a deposition precursor gas mixture to deposit a portion of the cobalt contact metal on the substrate;
exposing the portion of the cobalt contact metal to a plasma treatment process; and
repeating the exposing the substrate to a deposition precursor gas mixture and the exposing the portion of the cobalt contact metal to a plasma treatment process until a predetermined thickness of the cobalt contact metal is achieved; and

annealing the cobalt contact metal disposed on the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deposition precursor gas mixture includes a cobalt containing precursor and a reducing gas.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the cobalt containing precursor is dicobalt hexacarbonyl butylacetylene (CCTBA) and the reducing gas is hydrogen (H 2 ).

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
supplying a pretreatment gas comprising NH 3 to pretreat the substrate prior to the performing a cyclic metal deposition process.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein annealing the cobalt contact metal disposed on the substrate further comprises:
supplying a gas mixture including at least one of an inert gas and hydrogen gas (H 2 ) while providing the heat energy to the cobalt contact metal.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
repeating the performing a cyclic metal deposition process and the annealing the cobalt contact metal disposed on the substrate until a predetermined thickness of the cobalt contact metal is achieved.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the exposing the substrate to a deposition precursor gas mixture to deposit a portion of the cobalt contact metal on the substrate and the exposing the portion of the cobalt contact metal to a plasma treatment process are performed simultaneously.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the exposing the portion of the cobalt contact metal to a plasma treatment process comprises supplying a gas selected from hydrogen (H 2 ), nitrogen (N 2 ), ammonia (NH 3 ), and combinations thereof to reduce roughness of the portion of the cobalt contact metal.

9. A method for depositing a contact structure in a semiconductor device, comprising:
performing a barrier layer deposition process to deposit a barrier layer on a substrate;
performing a wetting layer deposition to deposit a metal-containing wetting layer on the substrate;
performing a cyclic metal deposition process to deposit at least part of a gate electrode in openings formed on a silicon containing substrate, the at least part of a gate electrode comprising a cobalt contact metal adjacent the metal-containing wetting layer, comprising:
exposing the substrate to a deposition precursor gas mixture to deposit a portion of the cobalt contact metal on the substrate;
exposing the portion of the cobalt contact metal to a plasma treatment process; and
repeating the exposing the substrate to a deposition precursor gas mixture and exposing the portion of the cobalt contact metal to a plasma treatment process until a predetermined thickness of the cobalt contact metal is achieved; and

annealing the cobalt contact metal disposed on the substrate.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the deposition precursor gas mixture includes a cobalt containing precursor and a reducing gas.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the cobalt containing precursor is dicobalt hexacarbonyl butylacetylene (CCTBA) and the reducing gas is hydrogen (H 2 ).

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
supplying a pretreatment gas comprising NH 3 to pretreat the substrate prior to the performing a cyclic metal deposition process.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein annealing the cobalt contact metal disposed on the substrate further comprises:
supplying a gas mixture including at least one of an inert gas and hydrogen gas (H 2 ) while providing the heat energy to the cobalt contact metal.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
repeating the performing a cyclic metal deposition process and the annealing the cobalt contact metal disposed on the substrate until a predetermined thickness of the cobalt contact metal is achieved.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the wetting layer is deposited by a process selected from PVD Co, CVD TiN, PVD TiN, CVD Ru, PVD Ru, nitridation of PVD Ti, or combinations thereof to prevent inter-diffusion of the substrate and the cobalt contact metal and to increase the adhesion of the cobalt contact metal to the substrate.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cobalt contact metal formed by the cyclic metal deposition process is substantially free of seams.

17. The method of claim 9 , wherein the cobalt contact metal formed by the cyclic metal deposition process is substantially free of seams.

18. The method of claim 9 , wherein the barrier layer is a titanium material or a titanium nitride material.

Assignees

• Zope Bhushan N
• Gelatos Avgerinos V
• Zheng Bo
• Lei Yu
• Fu Xinyu
• Gandikota Srinivas
• Yu Sang-Ho
• Abraham Mathew
• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Zope Bhushan N
• Gelatos Avgerinos V
• Zheng Bo
• Lei Yu
• Fu Xinyu
• Gandikota Srinivas
• Yu Sang-Ho
• Abraham Mathew

Classifications

• H10W20/4437

  the principal metal being a transition metal · CPC title

• H10P70/20 Primary

  Cleaning during device manufacture · CPC title

• H10P14/44

  Physical vapour deposition [PVD] · CPC title

• H10P14/43

  Chemical deposition, e.g. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] · CPC title

• H10W70/05

  of insulating or insulated package substrates, or of interposers, or of redistribution layers (manufacture or treatment of leadframes H10W70/04) · CPC title