US6159871A
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US
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Method for producing hydrogenated silicon oxycarbide films having low dielectric constant
Assignee: Dow Silicones Corp
•
Filing: 1998-05-29
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Granted: 2000-12-12
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Expires: 2018-05-29
Abstract
Abstract This invention pertains to a method for producing hydrogenated silicon oxycarbide (H:SiOC) films having low dielectric constant. The method comprises reacting an methyl-containing silane in a controlled oxygen environment using plasma enhanced or ozone assisted chemical vapor deposition to produce the films. The resulting films are useful in the formation of semiconductor devices and have a dielectric constant of 3.6 or less.
Inventors
- 👤 Mark Jon Loboda
- 👤 Jeffrey Alan Seifferly
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 21:49
CPC Classifications
C; C23; C23C; C23C16/00; C23C16/22; C23C16/24; H; H10; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/60; H10P14/69; H10P14/692; H10P14/6921; H10P14/6922; C23C16/30; H10P14/63; H10P14/6326; H10P14/6328; H10P14/6334; H10P14/6336; H10P14/66; H10P14/668; H10P14/6681; H10P14/6682; H10P14/6684; H10P14/6686
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
87 words
A chemical vapor deposition method for producing hydrogenated silicon oxycarbide films comprising introducing a reactive gas mixture comprising a methyl-containing silane and an oxygen providing gas into a deposition chamber containing a substrate and inducing a reaction between the methyl-containing silane and oxygen providing gas at a temperature of 25° C. to 500° C.; wherein there is a controlled amount of oxygen present during the reaction to provide a film comprising hydrogen, silicon, carbon and oxygen having a dielectric constant of 3.6 or less on the substrate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
87 words
A chemical vapor deposition method for producing hydrogenated silicon oxycarbide films comprising introducing a reactive gas mixture comprising a methyl-containing silane and an oxygen providing gas into a deposition chamber containing a substrate and inducing a reaction between the methyl-containing silane and oxygen providing gas at a temperature of 25° C. to 500° C.; wherein there is a controlled amount of oxygen present during the reaction to provide a film comprising hydrogen, silicon, carbon and oxygen having a dielectric constant of 3.6 or less on the substrate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the methyl-containing silane is selected from the group consisting of methylsilane, dimethylsilane, trimethylsilane and tetramethylsilane.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the methyl-containing silane is trimethylsilane.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the oxygen providing gas is selected from the group consisting of air, ozone, oxygen, nitrous oxide and nitric oxide.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the oxygen providing gas is nitrous oxide.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the methyl-containing silane is trimethylsilane and the oxygen providing gas is nitrous oxide.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the amount of oxygen providing gas is less than 5 volume parts oxygen providing gas per volume part of methyl-containing silane.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the amount of oxygen providing gas is 0.1 to 4.5 volume parts of oxygen providing gas per volume part of methyl-containing silane.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the reaction is induced by exposing the reactive gas mixture to plasma.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method as claimed in claim 9 wherein the reaction is induced by exposing the reactive gas mixture to plasma at a power of 20 to 1000 W, a pressure of 1 to 10,000 mTorr, and a temperature of 25 to 500° C.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the film has a dielectric constant of 3.2 or less.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the film has a dielectric constant of 3.0 or less.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
72 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hydrogenated silicon oxycarbide film is represented by the formula Si w O x C y H z where w has a value of 18 to 20 atomic %, x has a value of 18 to 21 atomic percent, y has a value of 31 to 38 atomic % and z has a value of 25 to 32 atomic %; and w+x+y+z=100 atomic %.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the reactive gas mixture additionally comprises a carrier gas.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hydrogenated silicon oxycarbide film has a thickness of 0.01 to 10 μm.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hydrogenated silicon oxycarbide film has a thickness of 0.5 to 3.0 μm.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the substrate is a semiconductor substrate.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the amount of oxygen providing gas is increased or decreased during the reaction between the methyl-containing silane and the oxygen providing gas to produce a film containing successive layers selected from the group consisting of SiO 2 , H:SiOC and SiC:H.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the reaction is induced by exposing the reactive gas mixture to confined, low pressure microwave frequency plasma combined with RF frequency excitation.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
77 words
The film produced by the method as claimed in claim 1 having general formula Si w O x C y H z where w has a value of 18 to 20 atomic %, x has a value of 18 to 21 atomic percent, y has a value of 31 to 38 atomic % and z has a value of 25 to 32 atomic %; and w+x+y+z=100 atomic % and having a thickness of 0.01 to 10 μm.
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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) | 2003-12-12 | 2004-06-12 | 2004-12-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-12-12 | 2008-06-12 | 2008-12-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-12-12 | 2012-06-12 | 2012-12-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |