Methods of forming a memory cell material, and related methods of forming a semiconductor device structure, memory cell materials, and semiconductor device structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9735359-B2
Application number	US-201414259556-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2014
Priority date	Apr 23, 2014
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

A method of forming a memory cell material comprises forming a first portion of a dielectric material over a substrate by atomic layer deposition. Discrete conductive particles are formed on the first portion of the dielectric material by atomic layer deposition. A second portion of the dielectric material is formed on and between the discrete conductive particles by atomic layer deposition. A memory cell material, a method of forming a semiconductor device structure, and a semiconductor device structure are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a memory cell material, comprising:
forming a first portion of a dielectric nitride material over a substrate by atomic layer deposition; forming discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles on the first portion of the dielectric nitride material by atomic layer deposition; and
forming a second portion of the dielectric nitride material on and between the discrete, substantially uniformly shaped conductive particles by atomic layer deposition;
forming additional discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles on the second portion of the dielectric nitride material by atomic layer deposition, at least some of the additional discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles exhibiting substantially the same size as at least some of the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles most proximate thereto but completely laterally offset from the at least some of the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles; and
forming a third portion of the dielectric nitride material on and between the additional discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles by atomic layer deposition.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming a first portion of a dielectric nitride material over a substrate by atomic layer deposition comprises:
adsorbing a dielectric nitride material precursor to a surface of the substrate to form a monolayer of the dielectric nitride material precursor; and
exposing the monolayer of the dielectric nitride material precursor to at least one reactant to convert the monolayer of the dielectric nitride material precursor into a monolayer of the dielectric nitride material.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising forming at least one additional monolayer of the dielectric nitride material over the monolayer of the dielectric nitride material before forming the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles on the first portion of the dielectric nitride material by atomic layer deposition comprises:
adsorbing a conductive material precursor to a surface of the first portion of the dielectric nitride material; and
exposing the adsorbed conductive material precursor to at least one of a reactant and additional conductive material precursor to convert the adsorbed conductive material precursor into the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein adsorbing a conductive material precursor to a surface of the first portion of the dielectric nitride material comprises chemisorbing at least one of ethylcyclopentadienyldicarbonyl ruthenium, tetrakis(dimethylamido) tantalum, cupric hexafluoroacetylacetonate, cupric (N,N′ diisopropyl 2-dimethylamine amidinate), tris-hexamethyldisilazane aluminum, diethyl aluminum chloride, dimethylaluminum hydride, and tetrakis(dimethylamido) aluminum to the surface of the first portion of the dielectric nitride material.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising modifying at least one of an average particle size and a distribution density of the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles prior to the forming the additional discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein modifying at least one of an average particle size and a distribution density of the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles comprises exposing the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles to additional conductive material precursor prior to forming the additional discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising exposing the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles to at least one reactant after exposing the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles to the additional conductive material precursor.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming a second portion of the dielectric nitride material on and between the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced particles by atomic layer deposition comprises:
adsorbing a dielectric nitride material precursor to the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles and to exposed portions of the surface of the first portion of the dielectric nitride material to form a monolayer of the dielectric nitride material precursor; and
exposing the monolayer of the dielectric nitride material precursor to at least one reactant to convert the monolayer of the dielectric nitride material precursor into a monolayer of the dielectric nitride material.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising forming at least one additional monolayer of the dielectric nitride material over the monolayer of the dielectric nitride material.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming additional discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles on the second portion of the dielectric nitride material by atomic layer deposition comprises forming the additional discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles to exhibit at least one of a different material composition and a different distribution density than the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein forming the additional discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles to exhibit at least one of a different material composition and a different distribution density than the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles comprises forming the additional discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles to comprise a different metal material than the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming a first portion of a dielectric nitride material over a substrate by atomic layer deposition comprises forming silicon nitride over the substrate by atomic layer deposition.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein forming a second portion of the dielectric nitride material on and between the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles by atomic layer deposition comprises forming additional silicon nitride directly on the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles and the first portion of the dielectric nitride material by atomic layer deposition.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein forming additional silicon nitride directly on the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles and the first portion of a dielectric nitride material by atomic layer deposition comprises:
adsorbing a silicon nitride precursor to surfaces of the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles and the first portion of the dielectric nitride material to form a monolayer of the silicon nitride precursor; and
exposing the monolayer of the silicon nitride precursor to at least one nitridizing agent to convert the monolayer of the silicon nitride precursor into a monolayer of silicon nitride.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein adsorbing a silicon nitride precursor to surfaces of the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles and the first portion of the dielectric nitride material comprises adsorbing hexachlorodisilane to the surfaces of the discrete, substantially uniformly spaced conductive particles and the first portion of the dielectric nitride material.

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Assignees

• Micron Technology Inc

Inventors

• Sandhu Gurtej S
• Smythe John A

Classifications

• H01G4/1272

  Semiconductive ceramic capacitors · CPC title

• H01G4/33

  Thin- or thick-film capacitors {(thin- or thick-film circuits; capacitors without a potential-jump or surface barrier specially adapted for integrated circuits, details thereof, multistep manufacturing processes therefor)} · CPC title

• C23C16/45525 Primary

  Atomic layer deposition [ALD] · CPC title

• H01G4/20

  using combinations of dielectrics from more than one of groups H01G4/02 - H01G4/06 (H01G4/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01L45/145

  Electricity · mapped topic