US 11,710,631 B2
Tensile nitride deposition systems and methods
Michael Wenyoung Tsiang, Milpitas, CA (US); Yichuen Lin, Hsinchu (TW); Kevin Hsiao, ZhuBei (TW); Hang Yu, San Jose, CA (US); Deenesh Padhi, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Yijun Liu, Santa Clara, CA (US); and Li-Qun Xia, Cupertino, CA (US)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 23, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/78,793.
Prior Publication US 2022/0130661 A1, Apr. 28, 2022
Int. Cl. H01L 21/02 (2006.01); C23C 16/34 (2006.01); C23C 16/505 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/0234 (2013.01) [C23C 16/345 (2013.01); C23C 16/505 (2013.01); H01L 21/0217 (2013.01); H01L 21/02211 (2013.01); H01L 21/02274 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A semiconductor processing method comprising:
flowing deposition gases comprising a nitrogen-containing precursor, a silicon-containing precursor, and a carrier gas, into a substrate processing region of a substrate processing chamber, wherein a flow rate ratio of the nitrogen-containing precursor to the silicon-containing precursor is greater than or about 1:1;
generating a deposition plasma from the deposition gases to form a silicon-and-nitrogen-containing layer on a substrate in the substrate processing chamber; and
treating the silicon-and-nitrogen-containing layer with a treatment plasma, wherein the treatment plasma increases a tensile stress of the treated portion of the silicon-and-nitrogen-containing layer, wherein the treatment plasma is formed from the carrier gas without the silicon-containing precursor, and wherein a flow rate of the carrier gas in the treatment plasma is greater than a flow rate of the carrier gas in the deposition plasma.