US3907616A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method of forming doped dielectric layers utilizing reactive plasma deposition
Assignee: Texas Instruments Inc
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Filing: 1974-08-16
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Granted: 1975-09-23
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Expires: 1994-08-16
Abstract
Abstract A doped oxide layer is formed on a semiconductor substrate utilizing reactive plasma deposition. Impurity doped thin film oxide deposits are formed by reacting suitable source gases in an RF plasma at low pressures and temperatures. Passing an dopant compound in vapor form with a suitable carrier gas, in combination with a flow of silicon hydride and an oxide vapor flow, provides a solid film of doped silicon dioxide on a surface when the gases are subjected to an RF discharge. The method features low temperature processing which is particularly advantageously utilized in providing a doped oxide layer as a diffusion source for a Group III-V substrate.
Inventors
- 👤 Klaus C Wiemer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 22:53
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10D; H10D99/00; H10H; H10H20/00; H10H20/80; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/60; H10P14/63; H10P14/6326; H10P14/6328; H10P14/6334; H10P14/6336; H10P14/69; H10P14/692; H10P14/6921; H10P14/69215; H10P14/6922; H10P14/6923; H10P14/6928; H10P32/00; H10P32/10; H10P32/14; H10P32/1408; H10P32/141; H10P32/17; H10P32/171; H10P32/174; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S148/00; Y10S148/118
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
226 words
A METHOD OF FORMING AN IMPURITY-DOPED DIELECTRIC LAYER ON A SUBSTRATE COMPRISING THE STEPS: A. POSITIONING THE SUBSTRATE IN A REACTION ZONE, SAID SUBSTRATE HAVING A MASKING LAYER WITH APERTURES THEREIN ON A SURFACE OF SAID SUBSTRATE, B. PASSING A GASEOUS SILICON CONTAINING COMPOUND AND A GASEOUS OXYGEN CONTAINING COMPOUND INTO CNTACT WITH SAID SUBSTRATE, AND GENERATIING AN RF DISCHARGE WITHIN SAID ZONE ADJACENT SAID SUBSTRATE OF SUFFICIENT ENERGY TO CAUSE A REACTION OF SAID GASES AND THE CONSEQUENT REACTIVE PLASMA DEPOSITION OF A RELATIVELY THIN, UNDOPED SILICON OCIDE LAYER ON SAID MASKING LAYER, COVERING SAID SUBSTRATE SURFACE WITHIN THE APERTURES IN SAID MASKING LAYER, C. WITHOUT REMOVING THE SUBSTRARE FROM SAID REACTION ZONE, PASSING AN INERT GASEOUS CARRIER THROUGH A RESERVIOR OF DOPANT COMPOUND TO PROVIDE A CONTROLLED AMOUNT OF DOPANT VAPOR IN SAID GASEOUS CARRIER, D. PASSING A SELECTED MIXTURE OF SOURCE GASES ADJACENT TO SAID SUBSTRATE, SAID MIXTURE COMPRISING A FLOW OF SAID CARRIER CONTAINING SAID DOPANT VAPOR, A CONTROLLED FLOW OF A GASEOUS SILICON PROVIDING COMPOUND, AND A CONTROLLED FLOW OF A GAS WHICH PROVIDES A SOURCE OF OXYGEN, AND E. GENERATING A LOW TEMPERATURE RF DISCHARGE WITHIN SAID ZONE ADJACENT SAID SUBSTRATE OF SUFFICIENT ENERGY TO CAUSE A REACTION OF SAID GASES AND THE CONSEQUENT REACTIVE PLASMA DEPOSITION OF A RELATIVELY THICH DIELECTRIC LAYER ON SAID RELATIVELY THIN SILICON OXIDE LAYER.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
226 words
A METHOD OF FORMING AN IMPURITY-DOPED DIELECTRIC LAYER ON A SUBSTRATE COMPRISING THE STEPS: A. POSITIONING THE SUBSTRATE IN A REACTION ZONE, SAID SUBSTRATE HAVING A MASKING LAYER WITH APERTURES THEREIN ON A SURFACE OF SAID SUBSTRATE, B. PASSING A GASEOUS SILICON CONTAINING COMPOUND AND A GASEOUS OXYGEN CONTAINING COMPOUND INTO CNTACT WITH SAID SUBSTRATE, AND GENERATIING AN RF DISCHARGE WITHIN SAID ZONE ADJACENT SAID SUBSTRATE OF SUFFICIENT ENERGY TO CAUSE A REACTION OF SAID GASES AND THE CONSEQUENT REACTIVE PLASMA DEPOSITION OF A RELATIVELY THIN, UNDOPED SILICON OCIDE LAYER ON SAID MASKING LAYER, COVERING SAID SUBSTRATE SURFACE WITHIN THE APERTURES IN SAID MASKING LAYER, C. WITHOUT REMOVING THE SUBSTRARE FROM SAID REACTION ZONE, PASSING AN INERT GASEOUS CARRIER THROUGH A RESERVIOR OF DOPANT COMPOUND TO PROVIDE A CONTROLLED AMOUNT OF DOPANT VAPOR IN SAID GASEOUS CARRIER, D. PASSING A SELECTED MIXTURE OF SOURCE GASES ADJACENT TO SAID SUBSTRATE, SAID MIXTURE COMPRISING A FLOW OF SAID CARRIER CONTAINING SAID DOPANT VAPOR, A CONTROLLED FLOW OF A GASEOUS SILICON PROVIDING COMPOUND, AND A CONTROLLED FLOW OF A GAS WHICH PROVIDES A SOURCE OF OXYGEN, AND E. GENERATING A LOW TEMPERATURE RF DISCHARGE WITHIN SAID ZONE ADJACENT SAID SUBSTRATE OF SUFFICIENT ENERGY TO CAUSE A REACTION OF SAID GASES AND THE CONSEQUENT REACTIVE PLASMA DEPOSITION OF A RELATIVELY THICH DIELECTRIC LAYER ON SAID RELATIVELY THIN SILICON OXIDE LAYER.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said substrate is a group III-V compound and said dopant compound is an organometallic compound.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said organometallic compound is selected from the group consisting of diethyl zinc, dimethyl zinc and dimethyl cadmium.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 1 and further including the step of heating said substrate to a temperature between 20*C and 300*C and wherein the pressure in the reaction zone is controlled between 100 and 300 Mu m Hg.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said substrate is a group IV element selected from the group consisting of germanium and silicon and wherein said dopant compound comprises a dopant selected from the group consisting of arsenic, phosphorous, boron, indium, antimony and aluminum.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 5 wherein said organometallic vapor is chosen from the group consisting of arsine gas, phosphine gas, diborane gas, triethyl indium, trimethyl antimony, and trimethyl aluminum.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
149 words
A method of diffusing an impurity into a Group III-V semiconductor substrate comprising the steps of: a. positioning said semiconductor substrate within a reaction zone; b. passing an inert gaseous carrier through a reservoir of an organometallic compound to provide a controlled amount of organometallic vapor in said gaseous carrier; c. passing a selected mixture of source gases through the reaction zone in contact with said substrate, said mixture comprising a flow of said carrier having said organometallic vapor therein, a controlled flow of a silicon hydride, and a controlled flow of a gaseous source of oxygen; d. generating a low temperature RF discharge within said zone adjacent said substrate thereby causing reactive plasma deposition of a doped oxide layer on said substrate; e. depositing a barrier layer on said doped layer; and f. heating the oxide-coaTed substrate to a temperature of 800*-850*C for a selected length of time.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
149 words
A method of diffusing an impurity into a Group III-V semiconductor substrate comprising the steps of: a. positioning said semiconductor substrate within a reaction zone; b. passing an inert gaseous carrier through a reservoir of an organometallic compound to provide a controlled amount of organometallic vapor in said gaseous carrier; c. passing a selected mixture of source gases through the reaction zone in contact with said substrate, said mixture comprising a flow of said carrier having said organometallic vapor therein, a controlled flow of a silicon hydride, and a controlled flow of a gaseous source of oxygen; d. generating a low temperature RF discharge within said zone adjacent said substrate thereby causing reactive plasma deposition of a doped oxide layer on said substrate; e. depositing a barrier layer on said doped layer; and f. heating the oxide-coaTed substrate to a temperature of 800*-850*C for a selected length of time.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method according to claim 7 wherein said gaseous source of oxygen is nitrous oxide, said inert gaseous carrier is argon, and said silicon producing gas is silane.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 8 wherein said semiconductor comprises a Group III-V compound selected from the group consisting of gallium arsenide, indium antimonide, gallium aluminum arsenide, gallium indium arsenide, gallium arsenide phosphide and gallium phosphide.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method according to claim 9, wherein said organometallic compound contains a dopant selected from the group consisting of zinc, cadmium and telluride.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
162 words
A method of forming a doped region in a semiconductor substrate, comprising: a. positioning the semiconductor substrate in a low-pressure reaction zone, said substrate having a masking layer with apertures therein on a surface thereof; b. passing an inert gaseous carrier through a reservoir of a dopant compound to provide a controlled amount of dopant vapor in said gaseous carrier; c. passing a selected mixture of source gases through said reaction zone to contact said substrate through said apertures in the masking layer, said mixture comprising a flow of said carrier containing dopant vapor, a controlled flow of gaseous silicon providing compound, and a controlled flow of a gas which provides a source of oxygen; and d. generating a low temperature RF discharge within said reaction zone adjacent said substrate of sufficient energy to cause a reaction of said gases and consequent reactive plasma deposition of a doped oxide layer on the surface of the semiconductor substrate having said masking layer thereon.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
162 words
A method of forming a doped region in a semiconductor substrate, comprising: a. positioning the semiconductor substrate in a low-pressure reaction zone, said substrate having a masking layer with apertures therein on a surface thereof; b. passing an inert gaseous carrier through a reservoir of a dopant compound to provide a controlled amount of dopant vapor in said gaseous carrier; c. passing a selected mixture of source gases through said reaction zone to contact said substrate through said apertures in the masking layer, said mixture comprising a flow of said carrier containing dopant vapor, a controlled flow of gaseous silicon providing compound, and a controlled flow of a gas which provides a source of oxygen; and d. generating a low temperature RF discharge within said reaction zone adjacent said substrate of sufficient energy to cause a reaction of said gases and consequent reactive plasma deposition of a doped oxide layer on the surface of the semiconductor substrate having said masking layer thereon.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 11, where said dopant compound is an organometallic compound.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
140 words
The method of claim 12, wherein said semiconductor substrate is a group III-V semiconductor compound, and further comprising the steps of: a. depositing a barrier layer over said doped oxide layer without removal of said substrate from said reaction zone, by passing a controlled flow of gaseous silicon providing compound and a controlled flow of a gaseous source of oxygen through said reaction zone; b. generating an RF discharge within said zone adjacent said substrate of sufficient energy to cause a reaction of said gases and consequent reactive plasma deposition of an undoped oxide barrier layer over said doped oxide layer; and c. heating the barrier-layer-coated substrate for a selected length of time to a temperature sufficient to cause diffusion of dopant from said doped oxide layer into regions of said semiconductor substrate underlying said apertures in the masking layer.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-09-22 | 1979-03-24 | 1979-09-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-09-22 | 1983-03-24 | 1983-09-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-09-22 | 1987-03-24 | 1987-09-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |