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EP0475265A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Insulator for solid state device and its fabrication method
Assignee: Hitachi Ltd
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Filing: 1991-09-04
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-09-04
Abstract
Abstract To improve the characteristics of oxides and other insulators formed by conventional techniques, particularly to improve its density, relative dielectric constant, resistance to acid, resistance to reduction and other characteristics, and to provide solid state devices or socharacteristics, the surfaces of the silicon oxide isulator, or the like, is irradiated with electrically neutral particles.
Inventors
- 👤 Tatsumi Mizutani
- 👤 Takashi Yunogami
- 👤 Kenetsu Yokogawa
- 👤 Nobuyoshi Kobayashi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 19:33
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/60; H10P14/69; H10P14/692; H10P14/6921; H10P14/69215; H10P14/63; H10P14/6302; H10P14/6322; H10P14/6326; H10P14/6328; H10P14/6334; H10P14/65; H10P14/6516; H10P14/6536; H10P14/6539; H10P72/00; H10P72/04; H10P72/0442; H10P95/00; H10P14/6304; H10P14/6306; H10P14/6308; H10P14/6309; H10P14/6319; H10P14/6922; H10P14/6927; H10P14/6938; H10P14/6939; H10P14/69391; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S148/00; Y10S148/076
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 42
Claim 1
Independent Claim
28 words
A solid state electronic device having a silicon dioxide film with a density at least adjacent the surface of the film of at least 2.4 g/m 3 .
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
28 words
A solid state electronic device having a silicon dioxide film with a density at least adjacent the surface of the film of at least 2.4 g/m 3 .
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
A solid state electronic device having a silicon dioxide film with a refractive index of at least 1.5 with respect to visible light.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
A solid state electronic device having a silicon dioxide film with a refractive index of at least 1.5 with respect to visible light.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
37 words
A solid state electronic device having a thermal oxidation silicon dioxide film with an etching rate less than 0.7 times the etching rate of a silicon oxide film formed by thermal oxidation and without the embedded particles.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
A solid state electronic device having a thermal oxidation silicon dioxide film with an etching rate less than 0.7 times the etching rate of a silicon oxide film formed by thermal oxidation and without the embedded particles.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
A solid state electronic device having a neutral beam irradiated silicon dioxide film with its surface density enhanced by at least 1.2 times relative to the density of an unirradiated silicon dioxide film.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
A solid state electronic device having a neutral beam irradiated silicon dioxide film with its surface density enhanced by at least 1.2 times relative to the density of an unirradiated silicon dioxide film.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
25 words
The device of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein said solid state device is one of a semiconductor device and a semiconductor integrated circuit.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
55 words
A solid state electronic device comprising one of an oxide and a fluoride film, wherein at least one of the surface layer density, surface layer refractive index, surface layer dielectric constant, and surface layer resistance to reduction of the film is greater than that in the bulk of the film other than the surface layer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
55 words
A solid state electronic device comprising one of an oxide and a fluoride film, wherein at least one of the surface layer density, surface layer refractive index, surface layer dielectric constant, and surface layer resistance to reduction of the film is greater than that in the bulk of the film other than the surface layer.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
The device of claim 6, wherein said surface layer is at least 4 nm thick.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
50 words
A surface treatment method, comprising: projecting a neutral particle beam having kinetic energy of at least 10 eV onto the surface of an oxide or fluoride sufficiently to enhance at least one of surface layer density, surface layer refractive index, surface layer dielectric constant, and surface layer resistance to reduction.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
50 words
A surface treatment method, comprising: projecting a neutral particle beam having kinetic energy of at least 10 eV onto the surface of an oxide or fluoride sufficiently to enhance at least one of surface layer density, surface layer refractive index, surface layer dielectric constant, and surface layer resistance to reduction.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 8, wherein said neutral particle beam is composed of one of rare gas, oxygen, oxide and a compound thereof.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 8 or 9, including forming the neutral particle beam from one of a charge exchange reaction and a Mclraith-type ion source.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
81 words
A method of fabricating an electronic device, comprising: providing a substrate; forming and stacking thin films of semiconductor material, conducting metal and insulators in stacked relationship and in fine patterns to form an integrated circuit; and prior to forming and stacking a film on an insulator film, irradiating the insulator film with a neutral particle beam having kinetic energy of at least 10 eV sufficiently to alter the composition of the insulator film to a depth of at least 4 nm.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
81 words
A method of fabricating an electronic device, comprising: providing a substrate; forming and stacking thin films of semiconductor material, conducting metal and insulators in stacked relationship and in fine patterns to form an integrated circuit; and prior to forming and stacking a film on an insulator film, irradiating the insulator film with a neutral particle beam having kinetic energy of at least 10 eV sufficiently to alter the composition of the insulator film to a depth of at least 4 nm.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 11, including stacking the irradiated insulator film between electrode films to form a capacitor of a memory cell of a memory integrated circuit.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 11, including stacking the irradiated insulator film as a gate insulator film for forming a MOS type transistor.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
25 words
The method of any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the insulator film of a silicon oxide is formed prior to said step of irradiating.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
25 words
The method of any of claims 11 to 14, wherein said insulator film is formed to a thickness of not more than about 1 /1.m.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 11, wherein said forming includes chemical vapor deposition, or plasma chemical vapor deposition, or sputtering deposition, of silicon.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 11, wherein said step of irradiating is conducted entirely in a vacuum chamber while evacuating to remove suspended materials, and said evacuating is continued at least until said step of stacking covers the irradiated surface with a film.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 11, wherein said step of forming forms a silicon oxide film by thermal oxidation with a density of approximately 2.2 - 2.3 g/cm 3 and said step of irradiating densifies the Si0 2 film to a surface density of at least 2.4 g/ cm 3.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 11, wherein said step of forming forms a film as a Si0 2 film by silicon thermal oxidation to have a relative dielectric constant of approximately 3.9 - 4.0 and wherein said step of irradiating changes the relative dielectric constant at least at the surface.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 11, wherein said irradiating is conducted with a neutral particle beam having an energy of approximately 50 - 1,000 eV, preferably no more than 100 eV.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 11, wherein said irradiating is conducted simultaneously with or immediately after heating the irradiated surface to at least 100 ° C for a time sufficient to microscopically even the surface.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 11, further including heating the irradiated surface during said step of irradiating to a temperature of at least 100 C.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
61 words
The method of claim 11, wherein said step of forming forms the insulator film as a silicon oxide film by thermal oxidation of silicon; and said step of irradiating is conducted sufficiently, with respect to at least time and energy, to increase the refractive index of the irradiated surface to a depth of at least 5 nm by at least 0.14.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 11, wherein said step of forming forms the insulator film as a silicon oxide film by thermal oxidation of silicon; and said step of irradiating is conducted sufficiently, with respect to at least time and energy, that the etching rate is reduced by at least one third.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 11, wherein said step of forming forms the insulator film as a silicon oxide film by thermal oxidation of silicon; and said step of irradiating is conducted sufficiently, with respect to at least time and energy, that the dielectric constant is increased by at least 1.5 times.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
65 words
The method of claim 11, further including forming the insulator film as a silicon oxide film on an electrically conductive film prior to said step of irradiating; forming a fine via hole in and through the silicon oxide film to the electrically conductive metal film; thereafter conducting said step of irradiating; thereafter selectively depositing tungsten metal the electrically conductive metal in the fine via hole.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 11, including forming by thermal oxidation the insulated film as a silicon oxide gate of a silicon MOS type transistor; and thereafter conducting said step of irradiating sufficiently, with respect to at least time and energy that the resistivity to an insulator breakdown field is increased by at least 1.5 times.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
94 words
The method of claim 11, including forming the insulator film as a silicon oxide capacitor insulator film on a polycrystalline silicon film by oxidizing the surface of the polycrystalline silicon film; thereafter conducting said step of irradiating; thereafter depositing a polycrystalline silicon film on the irradiated surface to form a capacitor of a memory cell of an integrated circuit memory; and wherein said step of irradiating is conducted sufficiently, with respect to at least time and energy of the neutral particle beam, to increase the capacitance of the capacitor by at least 1.5 times.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
60 words
The method of claim 11, further including forming the insulator film of silicon dioxide; and conducting said step of irradiating sufficiently, with respect to at least time, density and energy of the neutral particle beam, so that spectra corresponding to SiOx (x < 2) and Si is reduced to at least a depth of 4 nm in the irradiated surface.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
61 words
The method of claim 11, further including forming the insulator film of silicon dioxide; and conducting said step of irradiating sufficiently, with respect to at least time, density and energy of the neutral particle beam, so that spectra corresponding to SiOx (x being < 2) and Si is reduced to at least a depth of 12 nm in the irradiated surface.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
109 words
A thin film stacking apparatus for forming integrated circuits by forming stacking thin films of electrically conductive metal, insulators and semiconductor material on a substrate, comprising: a housing forming a vacuum chamber; means for continuously pulling a vacuum in the vacuum chamber; means for holding the substrate in said vacuum chamber; means for forming at least one of an oxide and a fluoride film on the substrate within the vacuum chamber while evacuating the chamber; means for irradiating the formed film in the vacuum chamber with a neutral particle beam; means for depositing a thin film layer on the irradiated surface without removing the substrate from the vacuum chamber.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
109 words
A thin film stacking apparatus for forming integrated circuits by forming stacking thin films of electrically conductive metal, insulators and semiconductor material on a substrate, comprising: a housing forming a vacuum chamber; means for continuously pulling a vacuum in the vacuum chamber; means for holding the substrate in said vacuum chamber; means for forming at least one of an oxide and a fluoride film on the substrate within the vacuum chamber while evacuating the chamber; means for irradiating the formed film in the vacuum chamber with a neutral particle beam; means for depositing a thin film layer on the irradiated surface without removing the substrate from the vacuum chamber.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
15 words
The apparatus of claim 31, wherein said means for depositing is chemical vapor deposition apparatus.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
86 words
The apparatus of claim 31, wherein said vacuum chamber is divided into at least a first vacuum chamber, a joint vacuum chamber and a second vacuum chamber, with the joint vacuum chamber being located serially between said first and second vacuum chamber; said means for irradiating being within said first vacuum chamber and said means for depositing being within said second vacuum chamber; and valve means being operatively located between said joint vacuum chamber and each of said first vacuum chamber and said second vacuum chamber.
Claim 42
Independent Claim
52 words
The apparatus of any of claims 31 to 33, including transporter means for transporting the substrate from said first vacuum chamber through said joint vacuum chamber and into said second vacuum chamber without leaving said vacuum chamber after said means for irradiating irradiates the surface and before said means for depositing deposits.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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