Polysilicon etch with high selectivity
Granted: December 23, 2014
Patent Number:
8916477
Provided are methods and systems for removing polysilicon on a wafer. A wafer can include a polysilicon layer and an exposed nitride and/or oxide structure. An etchant with a hydrogen-based species, such as hydrogen gas, and a fluorine-based species, such as nitrogen trifluoride, can be introduced. The hydrogen-based species and the fluorine-based species can be activated with a remote plasma source. The layer of polysilicon on the wafer can be removed at a selectivity over the exposed…
Plasma generator systems and methods of forming plasma
Granted: December 23, 2014
Patent Number:
8916022
Systems and methods of forming plasma are provided. In an embodiment, by way of example only, a plasma generation system includes a container comprising an insulating material, a means for forming a first plasma within the container from a processing gas, the first plasma including charged particles, a means for extracting a portion of the charged particles from the first plasma and storing the portion of extracted charged particles on the insulating material, and a means for forming a…
Method of improving film non-uniformity and throughput
Granted: December 9, 2014
Patent Number:
8906791
Methods, apparatus, and systems for depositing materials with gaseous precursors are provided. In certain implementations, the methods involve providing a wafer substrate to a chamber of an apparatus. The apparatus includes a showerhead to deliver a gas to the chamber, a volume, and an isolation valve between the volume and the showerhead. A gas is delivered the volume when the isolation valve is closed, pressurizing the volume. The isolation valve is opened to allow the gas to flow to…
Tensile stressed doped amorphous silicon
Granted: November 25, 2014
Patent Number:
8895415
The method and apparatus disclosed herein relate to preparing a stack structure for an electronic device on a semiconductor substrate. A particularly beneficial application of the method is in reduction of internal stress in a stack containing multiple layers of silicon. Typically, though not necessarily, the internal stress is a compressive stress, which often manifests as wafer bow. In some embodiments, the method reduces the internal stress of a work piece by depositing phosphorus…
Method for reducing stress in porous dielectric films
Granted: November 18, 2014
Patent Number:
8889233
The present invention addresses provides improved methods of preparing a low-k dielectric material on a substrate. The methods involve multi-step ultraviolet curing processes in which UV intensity, wafer substrate temperature and other conditions may be independently modulated at each step. In certain embodiments, a film containing a structure former and a porogen is exposed to UV radiation in a first step to facilitate removal of the porogen and create a porous dielectric film. In a…
Sequential station tool for wet processing of semiconductor wafers
Granted: November 11, 2014
Patent Number:
8883640
Methods and apparatus are provided for processing semiconductor wafers sequentially. Sequential processes employ multi-station processing modules, where particular encompassing wafer processes are divided into sub-processes, each optimized for increasing wafer to wafer uniformity, result quality, and overall wafer throughput. In one example, a copper electroplating module includes separate stations for wetting, initiation, seed layer repair, fill, overburden, reclaim, and rinse.
Systems and methods for controlling etch selectivity of various materials
Granted: November 11, 2014
Patent Number:
8883637
A method for filling a recessed feature of a substrate includes a) at least partially filling a recessed feature of a substrate with tungsten-containing film using at least one of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD); b) at a predetermined temperature, using an etchant including activated fluorine species to selectively etch the tungsten-containing film more than an underlying material of the recessed feature without removing all of the tungsten-containing…
Method for using a purge ring with split baffles in photonic thermal processing systems
Granted: November 11, 2014
Patent Number:
8883406
A method for supplying a first gas and a second gas using a purge ring in a photonic processing system includes arranging a first layer and a second layer to define a first plenum and a first baffle, arranging the second layer and a third layer to define a second plenum and a second baffle, receiving a first gas at the first plenum that flows through the first plenum and the first baffle to an inner region, and receiving a second gas at the second plenum that flows through the second…
Plasma generator apparatus
Granted: October 21, 2014
Patent Number:
8864935
Embodiments of a plasma generator apparatus for ashing a work piece are provided. The apparatus includes a container adapted for continuous gas flow there through from an inlet end to an outlet end thereof. The container is fabricated of a dielectric material and adapted for ionization therein of a portion of at least one component of gas flowing therethrough. A gas flow distributor is configured to direct gas flow to a region within the container and a coil surrounds at least a portion…
Apparatus and methods for deposition and/or etch selectivity
Granted: October 14, 2014
Patent Number:
8858763
Disclosed are apparatus and method embodiments for achieving etch and/or deposition selectivity in vias and trenches of a semiconductor wafer. That is, deposition coverage in the bottom of each via of a semiconductor wafer differs from the coverage in the bottom of each trench of such wafer. The selectivity may be configured so as to result in punch through in each via without damaging the dielectric material at the bottom of each trench or the like. In this configuration, the coverage…
Electroplating apparatus for tailored uniformity profile
Granted: October 14, 2014
Patent Number:
8858774
Methods of electroplating metal on a substrate while controlling azimuthal uniformity, include, in one aspect, providing the substrate to the electroplating apparatus configured for rotating the substrate during electroplating, and electroplating the metal on the substrate while rotating the substrate relative to a shield such that a selected portion of the substrate at a selected azimuthal position dwells in a shielded area for a different amount of time than a second portion of the…
Method for depositing tungsten film with low roughness and low resistivity
Granted: October 7, 2014
Patent Number:
8853080
Methods of producing low resistivity tungsten bulk layers having low roughness and associated apparatus are provided. According to various embodiments, the methods involve CVD deposition of tungsten at high pressures and/or high temperatures. In some embodiments, the CVD deposition occurs in the presence of alternating nitrogen gas pulses, such that alternating portions of the film are deposited by CVD in the absence of nitrogen and in the presence of nitrogen.
Pedestal covers
Granted: October 7, 2014
Patent Number:
8851463
Examples of novel semiconductor processing pedestals, and apparatuses including such pedestals, are described. These pedestals are specifically configured to provide uniform heat transfer to semiconductor substrates and to reduce maintenance complexity and/or frequency. Specifically, a pedestal may include a removable cover positioned over a metal platen of the pedestal. The removable cover is configured to maintain a consistent and uniform temperature profile of its substrate-facing…
Flowable oxide film with tunable wet etch rate
Granted: September 30, 2014
Patent Number:
8846536
Provided herein are integration-compatible dielectric films and methods of depositing and modifying them. According to various embodiments, the methods can include deposition of flowable dielectric films targeting specific film properties and/or modification of those properties with an integration-compatible treatment process. In certain embodiments, methods of depositing and modifying flowable dielectric films having tunable wet etch rates and other properties are provided. Wet etch…
Hardmask materials
Granted: September 30, 2014
Patent Number:
8846525
Hardmask films having high hardness and low stress are provided. In some embodiments a film has a stress of between about ?600 MPa and 600 MPa and hardness of at least about 12 GPa. In some embodiments, a hardmask film is prepared by depositing multiple sub-layers of doped or undoped silicon carbide using multiple densifying plasma post-treatments in a PECVD process chamber. In some embodiments, a hardmask film includes a high-hardness boron-containing film selected from the group…
Depositing tungsten into high aspect ratio features
Granted: September 16, 2014
Patent Number:
8835317
Methods and apparatuses for filling high aspect ratio features with tungsten-containing materials in a substantially void-free manner are provided. In certain embodiments, the method involves depositing an initial layer of a tungsten-containing material followed by selectively removing a portion of the initial layer to form a remaining layer, which is differentially passivated along the depth of the high-aspect ration feature. In certain embodiments, the remaining layer is more…
Flowable film dielectric gap fill process
Granted: August 19, 2014
Patent Number:
8809161
Methods of this invention relate to filling gaps on substrates with a solid dielectric material by forming a flowable film in the gap. The flowable film provides consistent, void-free gap fill. The film is then converted to a solid dielectric material. In this manner gaps on the substrate are filled with a solid dielectric material. According to various embodiments, the methods involve reacting a dielectric precursor with an oxidant to form the dielectric material. In certain…
Reduction of a process volume of a processing chamber using a nested dynamic inert volume
Granted: August 12, 2014
Patent Number:
8801950
A substrate processing chamber includes a lift actuator that moves a pedestal between a substrate loading position and a substrate processing position. An adjustable seal defines an expandable sealed volume between a bottom surface of the pedestal and a bottom surface of the substrate processing chamber and is moveable between the substrate loading position and the substrate processing position. When the pedestal is in the substrate processing position, the pedestal and the adjustable…
Control of electrolyte hydrodynamics for efficient mass transfer during electroplating
Granted: August 5, 2014
Patent Number:
8795480
Described are apparatus and methods for electroplating one or more metals onto a substrate. Embodiments include electroplating apparatus configured for, and methods including, efficient mass transfer during plating so that highly uniform plating layers are obtained. In specific embodiments, the mass transfer is achieved using a combination of impinging flow and shear flow at the wafer surface.
Selective electrochemical accelerator removal
Granted: August 5, 2014
Patent Number:
8795482
Methods and apparatus are provided for planar metal plating on a workpiece having a surface with recessed regions and exposed surface regions; comprising the steps of: causing a plating accelerator to become attached to said surface including the recessed and exposed surface regions; selectively removing the plating accelerator from the exposed surface regions without performing substantial metal plating on the surface; and after removal of plating accelerator is at least partially…
