公开(公告)号：US20240266185A1

公开(公告)日：2024-08-08

申请号：US18106697

申请日：2023-02-07

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Han Wang ,  Yu Yang ,  Jing Zhang ,  Aykut Aydin ,  Guoqing Li ,  Guangyan Zhong ,  Rui Cheng ,  Gene H. Lee ,  Srinivas Guggilla ,  Sinae Heo ,  Eswaranand Venkatasubramanian ,  Abhijit Basu Mallick ,  Karthik Janakiraman

IPC: H01L21/311 ,  H01L21/033

CPC classification number: H01L21/31144 ,  H01L21/0332

Abstract: Exemplary semiconductor processing methods may include depositing a metal-doped boron-containing material on a substrate disposed within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The metal-doped boron-containing material may include a metal dopant comprising tungsten. The substrate may include a silicon-containing material. The methods may include depositing one or more additional materials over the metal-doped boron-containing material. The one or more additional materials may include a patterned photoresist material. The methods may include transferring a pattern from the patterned photoresist material to the metal-doped boron-containing material. The methods may include etching the metal-doped boron-containing material with a chlorine-containing precursor. The methods may include etching the silicon-containing material with a fluorine-containing precursor. The metal dopant may enhance an etch rate of the silicon-containing material. The methods may include removing the metal-doped boron-containing material from the substrate with a halogen-containing precursor.

公开(公告)号：US11827514B2

公开(公告)日：2023-11-28

申请号：US17081086

申请日：2020-10-27

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Aykut Aydin ,  Krishna Nittala ,  Karthik Janakiraman ,  Yi Yang ,  Gautam K. Hemani

IPC: C01B33/04 ,  C01B35/02

CPC classification number: C01B33/043 ,  C01B35/02 ,  C01P2002/02 ,  C01P2006/90

Abstract: Deposition methods may prevent or reduce crystallization of silicon in a deposited amorphous silicon film that may occur after annealing at high temperatures. The crystallization of silicon may be prevented by doping the silicon with an element. The element may be boron, carbon, or phosphorous. Doping above a certain concentration for the element prevents substantial crystallization at high temperatures and for durations at or greater than 30 minutes. Methods and devices are described.

公开(公告)号：US20230335402A1

公开(公告)日：2023-10-19

申请号：US17659350

申请日：2022-04-15

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Eswaranand Venkatasubramanian ,  Rajaram Narayanan ,  Pramit Manna ,  Abhijit B. Mallick ,  Karthik Janakiraman ,  Jialiang Wang

IPC: H01L21/033 ,  H01L21/311 ,  H01J37/32 ,  C23C16/26 ,  C23C16/56 ,  C23C16/505

CPC classification number: H01L21/0337 ,  H01L21/0332 ,  H01L21/31144 ,  H01J37/32449 ,  H01J37/32357 ,  C23C16/26 ,  C23C16/56 ,  C23C16/505 ,  H01J2237/3321

Abstract: A method of processing a substrate is provided including flowing a deposition gas comprising a hydrocarbon compound and a dopant compound into a process volume having a substrate disposed positioned on a substrate support. The process volume is maintained at a pressure of about 0.5 mTorr to about 10 mTorr. The method includes generating a plasma at the substrate by applying a first RF bias to the substrate support to deposit a doped diamond-like carbon film on the substrate. The doped diamond-like carbon film includes about 5 at. % to about 25 at. % of dopant and a first stress property. The method includes annealing the doped diamond-like carbon film at about 220° C. to about 450° C. to form an annealed film. The annealed film includes a second stress property. The second stress property having an absolute value less than or within 10% the first stress property.

公开(公告)号：US11699585B2

公开(公告)日：2023-07-11

申请号：US17075967

申请日：2020-10-21

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Jui-Yuan Hsu ,  Pramit Manna ,  Bhaskar Kumar ,  Karthik Janakiraman

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/033

CPC classification number: H01L21/0234 ,  H01L21/02115 ,  H01L21/02274 ,  H01L21/0332

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods of forming hardmasks. Embodiments described herein enable, e.g., formation of carbon-containing hardmasks having reduced film stress. In an embodiment, a method of processing a substrate is provided. The method includes positioning a substrate in a processing volume of a processing chamber and depositing a diamond-like carbon (DLC) layer on the substrate. After depositing the DLC layer, the film stress is reduced by performing a plasma treatment, wherein the plasma treatment comprises applying a radio frequency (RF) bias power of about 100 W to about 10,000 W.

公开(公告)号：US11664214B2

公开(公告)日：2023-05-30

申请号：US17035192

申请日：2020-09-28

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Jui-Yuan Hsu ,  Pramit Manna ,  Karthik Janakiraman

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  C23C16/27 ,  H01L21/033

CPC classification number: H01L21/02115 ,  C23C16/272 ,  H01L21/02274 ,  H01L21/0332 ,  H01L21/0337 ,  H01L21/02337

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the fabrication of integrated circuits. More particularly, the embodiments described herein provide techniques for depositing nitrogen-doped diamond-like carbon films for patterning applications. In one or more embodiments, a method for processing a substrate includes flowing a deposition gas containing a hydrocarbon compound and a nitrogen dopant compound into a processing volume of a process chamber having a substrate positioned on an electrostatic chuck, and generating a plasma at or above the substrate by applying a first RF bias to the electrostatic chuck to deposit a nitrogen-doped diamond-like carbon film on the substrate. The nitrogen-doped diamond-like carbon film has a density of greater than 1.5 g/cc and a compressive stress of about −20 MPa to less than −600 MPa.

公开(公告)号：US11532525B2

公开(公告)日：2022-12-20

申请号：US17191026

申请日：2021-03-03

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Anton V Baryshnikov ,  Aykut Aydin ,  Zubin Huang ,  Rui Cheng ,  Yi Yang ,  Diwakar Kedlaya ,  Venkatanarayana Shankaramurthy ,  Krishna Nittala ,  Karthik Janakiraman

IPC: H01L21/66 ,  G05B13/04 ,  G05B13/02 ,  H01L21/67

Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling concentration profiles of deposited films using machine learning are provided. Data associated with a target concentration profile for a film to be deposited on a surface of a substrate during a deposition process for the substrate is provided as input to a trained machine learning model. One or more outputs of the trained machine learning model are obtained. Process recipe data identifying one or more sets of deposition process settings is determined from the one or more outputs. For each set of deposition process setting, an indication of a level of confidence that a respective set of deposition process settings corresponds to the target concentration profile for the film to be deposited on the substrate is also determined. In response to an identification of the respective set of deposition process settings with a level of confidence that satisfies a level of confidence criterion, one or more operations of the deposition process are performed in accordance with the respective set of deposition process settings.

公开(公告)号：US20220020599A1

公开(公告)日：2022-01-20

申请号：US17378720

申请日：2021-07-18

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Takehito Koshizawa ,  Karthik Janakiraman ,  Rui Cheng ,  Krishna Nittala ,  Menghui Li ,  Ming-Yuan Chuang ,  Susumu Shinohara ,  Juan Guo ,  Xiawan Yang ,  Russell Chin Yee Teo ,  Zihui Li ,  Chia-Ling Kao ,  Qu Jin ,  Anchuan Wang

IPC: H01L21/311 ,  H01L21/033 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: Exemplary processing methods may include depositing a boron-containing material or a silicon-and-boron-containing material on a substrate disposed within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include etching portions of the boron-containing material or the silicon-and-boron-containing material with a chlorine-containing precursor to form one or more features in the substrate. The methods may also include removing remaining portions of the boron-containing material or the silicon-and-boron-containing material from the substrate with a fluorine-containing precursor.

公开(公告)号：US20210143029A1

公开(公告)日：2021-05-13

申请号：US17094969

申请日：2020-11-11

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Diwakar Kedlaya ,  Fang Ruan ,  Zubin Huang ,  Ganesh Balasubramanian ,  Kaushik Alayavalli ,  Martin Seamons ,  Kwangduk Lee ,  Rajaram Narayanan ,  Karthik Janakiraman

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  C23C16/52 ,  G01N21/25 ,  G01N21/3504

Abstract: A system may include a main line for delivering a first gas, and a sensor for measuring a concentration of a precursor in the first gas delivered through the main line. The system may further include first and second sublines for providing fluid access to first and second processing chambers, respectively. The first subline may include a first flow controller for controlling the first gas flowed through the first subline. The second subline may include a second flow controller for controlling the first gas flowed through the second subline. A delivery controller may be configured to control the first and second flow controllers based on the measured concentration of the precursor to deliver a first mixture of the first gas and a second gas and a second mixture of the first and second gases into the first and second semiconductor processing chambers, respectively.

公开(公告)号：US20210140045A1

公开(公告)日：2021-05-13

申请号：US17087346

申请日：2020-11-02

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Yi Yang ,  Krishna Nittala ,  Karthik Janakiraman ,  Aykut Aydin ,  Diwakar Kedlaya

IPC: C23C16/455 ,  C23C16/38 ,  C23C16/30 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: Exemplary deposition methods may include delivering a silicon-containing precursor and a boron-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include providing a hydrogen-containing precursor with the silicon-containing precursor and the boron-containing precursor. A flow rate ratio of the hydrogen-containing precursor to either of the silicon-containing precursor or the boron-containing precursor is greater than or about 2:1. The methods may include forming a plasma of all precursors within the processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include depositing a silicon-and-boron material on a substrate disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber.

公开(公告)号：US10438860B2

公开(公告)日：2019-10-08

申请号：US15136611

申请日：2016-04-22

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Amit Kumar Bansal ,  Juan Carlos Rocha ,  Karthik Janakiraman ,  Tuan Anh Nguyen

IPC: C23C16/458 ,  H01L21/66 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/285 ,  H01L21/687 ,  C23C16/455 ,  C23C16/52 ,  H01L21/67

Abstract: The implementations described herein generally relate to steps for the dynamic, real-time control of the process spacing between a substrate support and a gas distribution medium during a deposition process. Multiple dimensional degrees of freedom are utilized to change the angle and spacing of a substrate plane with respect to the gas distributing medium at any time during the deposition process. As such, the substrate and/or substrate support may be leveled, tilted, swiveled, wobbled, and/or moved during the deposition process to achieve improved film uniformity. Furthermore, the independent tuning of each layer may be had due to continuous variations in the leveling of the substrate plane with respect to the showerhead to average effective deposition on the substrate, thus improving overall stack deposition performance.