US6451713B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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UV pretreatment process for ultra-thin oxynitride formation
Assignee: Mattson Technology Inc
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Filing: 2001-04-17
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Granted: 2002-09-17
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Expires: 2021-04-17
Abstract
Abstract The oxynitride or oxide layer formed on a semiconductor substrate is pre-treated with UV-excited gas (such as chlorine or nitrogen) to improve the layer surface condition and increase the density of nucleation sites for subsequent silicon nitride deposition. The pre-treatment is shown to reduce the root mean square surface roughness of thinner silicon nitride films (with physical thicknesses below 36 Å, or even below 20 Å that are deposited on the oxynitride layer by chemical vapor deposition (CVD).
Inventors
- 👤 Sing-Pin Tay
- 👤 Yao Zhi Hu
- 👤 Sagy Levy
- 👤 Jeffrey Gelpey
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 01:37
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/60; H10P14/65; H10P14/6502; H10P14/6512; H10D; H10D64/00; H10D64/01; H10D64/013; H10D64/01302; H10D64/01332; H10D64/01336; H10D64/0134; H10D64/01344; H10D64/60; H10D64/66; H10D64/68; H10D64/681; H10D64/685; H10D64/693; H10P95/00; H10P95/90; H10P14/63; H10P14/6326; H10P14/6328; H10P14/6334; H10P14/69; H10P14/692; H10P14/6921; H10P14/6922; H10P14/6927; H10P14/694; H10P14/6943; H10P14/69433
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
55 words
A process for forming a silicon nitride film on the surface of a semiconductor substrate, comprising: treating a thin layer of oxynitride formed on the semiconductor substrate with a UV-excited gas selected from the group consisting of chlorine and nitrogen and mixtures thereof; and depositing a film of silicon nitride over the treated oxynitride layer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
55 words
A process for forming a silicon nitride film on the surface of a semiconductor substrate, comprising: treating a thin layer of oxynitride formed on the semiconductor substrate with a UV-excited gas selected from the group consisting of chlorine and nitrogen and mixtures thereof; and depositing a film of silicon nitride over the treated oxynitride layer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
The process of claim 1 , wherein the thin layer of oxynitride has a physical thickness of from about 6 Å to about 10 Å.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The process of claim 2 , wherein the oxynitride layer is formed on a silicon semiconductor substrate using rapid thermal processing at a temperature of at least 800° C.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The process of claim 1 , wherein the UV-excited gas is introduced at a pressure from about 5 to 20 Torr and at a temperature above about 80° C.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 1 , wherein the UV-excited gas is applied to treat the oxynitride layer for at least 30 seconds.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The process of claim 1 , wherein the silicon nitride film has a physical thickness of 30 Å or less.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
The process of claim 6 , wherein the silicon nitride film is deposited using chemical vapor deposition at a temperature in the range of about 700° C. to 850° C.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
The process of claim 7 , wherein the chemical vapor deposition is carried out at a pressure of from about 1.5 Torr to about 3.0 Torr with a gas flow ratio of about 1:40:50 of SiH 4 :NH 3 :Ar.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process of claim 1 , wherein the silicon nitride film has a physical thickness in the range of from about 20 Å to about 36 Å.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 1 , wherein the UV-excited gas is chlorine.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
59 words
A process for reducing the root mean square (RMS) surface roughness of a silicon nitride film formed on a semiconductor substrate, comprising: treating a layer of oxynitride formed on the semiconductor substrate with a UV-excited gas selected from the group consisting of chlorine, nitrogen and mixtures thereof, before depositing a film of silicon nitride over the treated oxynitride layer.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
59 words
A process for reducing the root mean square (RMS) surface roughness of a silicon nitride film formed on a semiconductor substrate, comprising: treating a layer of oxynitride formed on the semiconductor substrate with a UV-excited gas selected from the group consisting of chlorine, nitrogen and mixtures thereof, before depositing a film of silicon nitride over the treated oxynitride layer.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 11 , wherein the oxynitride layer has a physical thickness of from about 6 Å to about 10 Å.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
The process of claim 11 , wherein the UV-excited gas is introduced at a pressure from about 5 to about 20 Torr and at a temperature above 80° C.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 11 , wherein the UV-excited gas is applied to treat the oxynitride layer for at least 30 seconds.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
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| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-09-16 | 2006-03-18 | 2006-09-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-09-16 | 2010-03-18 | 2010-09-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-09-16 | 2014-03-18 | 2014-09-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |