US5989999A
Expired / Lapsed
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Construction of a tantalum nitride film on a semiconductor wafer
Assignee: Applied Materials Inc
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Filing: 1997-09-26
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Granted: 1999-11-23
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Expires: 2017-09-26
Abstract
Abstract The construction of a film on a wafer, which is placed in a processing chamber, may be carried out through the following steps. A layer (film) of tantalum nitride material is deposited on the wafer. Next, the layer of tantalum nitride material is annealed. The deposition and annealing may both be accomplished in the same chamber, without need for removing the wafer from the chamber until both steps are completed.
Inventors
- 👤 Timothy E. Levine
- 👤 Ling Chen
- 👤 Mei Chang
- 👤 Roderick C. Mosely
- 👤 Karl A. Littau
- 👤 Ivo Raaijmakers
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 03:38
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/01; H10W20/031; H10W20/032; H10W20/052; H10W20/0526; C; C23; C23C; C23C16/00; C23C16/22; C23C16/30; C23C16/34; C23C16/44; C23C16/458; C23C16/4581; C23C16/4582; C23C16/4583; C23C16/4586; C23C16/48; C23C16/481; C23C16/50; C23C16/505; C23C16/509; C23C16/5096; C23C16/56; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/32; H01J37/32009; H01J37/32082; H01J37/32174; H10W20/033; H10W20/047; H10W20/048; H10W20/0523
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 45
Claim 1
Independent Claim
40 words
A method for constructing a tantalum nitride film on a semiconductor wafer, said method comprising: (a) depositing a layer of tantalum nitride material on said wafer; and (b) following said step (a), plasma annealing said layer of tantalum nitride material.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
40 words
A method for constructing a tantalum nitride film on a semiconductor wafer, said method comprising: (a) depositing a layer of tantalum nitride material on said wafer; and (b) following said step (a), plasma annealing said layer of tantalum nitride material.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said step (b) includes the steps of: exposing said layer of tantalum nitride material to an environment containing ions.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 2, wherein said step (b) includes the steps of: electrically biasing said layer of tantalum nitride material to cause said ions from said environment to impact said layer of tantalum nitride material.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 2, wherein said step of exposing said layer of tantalum nitride material to said environment containing ions includes the steps of: providing a gas; and providing energy to said gas.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 4 wherein said energy is provided by an RF source having an output power of greater than approximately 350 watts.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 4 wherein said energy is provided by an RF source having an output power of approximately 900 watts.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 3, wherein said step of providing energy to said gas includes the step of: providing a first rf signal to a first electrode on a first side of said wafer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 4, wherein said step of providing energy to said gas further includes the step of: providing a second rf signal to a second electrode on a second side of said wafer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 6, wherein said first rf signal is substantially 180 degrees out of phase with said second rf signal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 4, wherein said gas contains at least one gas selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, hydrogen, argon, helium, and ammonia.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 4 wherein said gas is hydrogenIH 2 .
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said step (a) and said step (b) are both performed in a single chamber and without removing the wafer from the chamber between beginning said step (a) and completion of said step (b).
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1, wherein said step (a) is performed using chemical vapor deposition.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 11, wherein said layer of tantalum nitride material is deposited by thermal decomposition of at least one metallo-organic tantalum compound.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 14 wherein said at least one metallo-organic tantalum compound is formed using a mixture of ethyliminoethyl(C,N)tris(diethylamido)tantalum and ethylimidotris(diethylamido)tantalum.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1, further including the step of: (c) repeating said step (a) and said step (b).
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 16 wherein step (a) is performed until approximately 25 angstroms of tantalum nitride is deposited with each execution of step (a).
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 1, further including the step of: (c) oxidizing said layer of tantalum nitride material following said step (b).
Claim 20
Independent Claim
24 words
The method of said step 18, wherein said step (a), said step (b), and said step (c) are all performed in a single chamber.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
24 words
The method of said step 18, wherein said step (a), said step (b), and said step (c) are all performed in a single chamber.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 18, wherein said step (c) includes the steps of: exposing said layer of tantalum nitride material to an environment containing oxygen ions; and electrically biasing said layer of tantalum nitride material to cause said oxygen ions from said environment to impact said layer of tantalum nitride material.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 20, wherein said step of exposing said layer of tantalum nitride material to said environment containing oxygen ions includes the steps of: exposing said layer of tantalum nitride material to a gas containing oxygen; and generating a plasma.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 21, wherein said plasma is generated for approximately 20 seconds.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 22, wherein said step of generating said plasma includes the steps of: providing a first rf signal to a first electrode on a first side of said wafer; and providing a second rf signal to a second electrode on a second side of said wafer.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 23, wherein said first rf signal is substantially 180 degrees out of phase with said second rf signal.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 1, further including the step of: (c) exposing said layer of tantalum nitride material to a gas containing silicon; and (d) heating said layer of tantalum nitride material to cause said silicon to react with said layer of tantalum nitride material.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 25, wherein said step (c) and said step (d) are performed following said step (b).
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 25, wherein said step (c) and said step (d) are performed following said step (a) and prior to said step (b).
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 25, wherein said gas containing silicon is silane.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 25, further including the step of: (e) repeating said step (a), said step (b), said step (c), and said step (d).
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 25, further including the steps of: (e) depositing a cap layer of said tantalum nitride material on said layer of tantalum nitride material following all of said steps (a), (b), (c) and (d); and (f) annealing said cap layer of said tantalum nitride material.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 25, wherein said step (a), said step (b), said step (c), and said step (d) are all performed in a chamber without removing the wafer from the chamber between initiating said step (a) and completing said step (d).
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 25, wherein said layer of tantalum nitride material is deposited using chemical vapor deposition.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 25, wherein said step (a), said step (b), said step (c) and said step (d) are all performed in a chamber without removing the wafer from the chamber between initiating said step (a) and completing said step (d).
Claim 36
Independent Claim
66 words
A method for constructing a diffusion barrier on a wafer, said method comprising the steps of: (a) placing said wafer in a processing chamber; (b) depositing a layer of tantalum nitride material on said wafer, while said wafer is in said processing chamber; and (c) following said step (b), plasma annealing said deposited layer of tantalum nitride material, while said wafer is in said processing chamber.
Claim 37
Independent Claim
66 words
A method for constructing a diffusion barrier on a wafer, said method comprising the steps of: (a) placing said wafer in a processing chamber; (b) depositing a layer of tantalum nitride material on said wafer, while said wafer is in said processing chamber; and (c) following said step (b), plasma annealing said deposited layer of tantalum nitride material, while said wafer is in said processing chamber.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 33, wherein said step (c) includes the steps of: exposing said layer of tantalum nitride material to an environment containing ions.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 34, wherein said step (c) includes the steps of: electrically biasing said layer of tantalum nitride material to cause said ions from said environment to impact said layer of tantalum nitride material.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 34, wherein said step of exposing said layer of tantalum nitride material to said environment containing ions includes the steps of: providing a gas; and providing energy to said gas.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 36 wherein said energy is provided by an RF source having an output power of greater than approximately 350 watts.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 36 wherein said energy is provided by an RF source having an output power of approximately 900 watts.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 33, wherein said step (b) is performed using thermal chemical vapor deposition.
Claim 44
Independent Claim
69 words
A method for constructing a tantalum nitride film on a semiconductor wafer, said method comprising: (a) depositing a layer of tantalum nitride material on said wafer using thermal chemical vapor deposition; and (b) following said step (a), plasma annealing said layer of tantalum nitride material, where plasma for the plasma annealing step is formed by applying a RF signal having a power greater than 350 watts to hydrogen gas.
Claim 45
Independent Claim
69 words
A method for constructing a tantalum nitride film on a semiconductor wafer, said method comprising: (a) depositing a layer of tantalum nitride material on said wafer using thermal chemical vapor deposition; and (b) following said step (a), plasma annealing said layer of tantalum nitride material, where plasma for the plasma annealing step is formed by applying a RF signal having a power greater than 350 watts to hydrogen gas.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-11-22 | 2003-05-24 | 2003-11-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-11-22 | 2007-05-24 | 2007-11-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-11-22 | 2011-05-24 | 2011-11-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |