US 12,272,547 B2
Conformal deposition of silicon carbide films
Bhadri N. Varadarajan, Beaverton, OR (US); Bo Gong, Sherwood, OR (US); and Zhe Gui, Beaverton, OR (US)
Assigned to Novellus Systems, Inc., Fremont, CA (US)
Filed by Novellus Systems, Inc., Fremont, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 14, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/539,977.
Application 18/539,977 is a division of application No. 17/586,505, filed on Jan. 27, 2022, granted, now 11,894,227.
Application 17/586,505 is a continuation of application No. 16/400,320, filed on May 1, 2019, granted, now 11,264,234, issued on Mar. 1, 2022.
Application 16/400,320 is a continuation of application No. 14/616,435, filed on Feb. 6, 2015, granted, now 10,325,773, issued on Jun. 18, 2019.
Application 14/616,435 is a continuation in part of application No. 13/907,699, filed on May 31, 2013, granted, now 9,234,276, issued on Jan. 12, 2016.
Application 14/616,435 is a continuation in part of application No. 13/494,836, filed on Jun. 12, 2012, granted, now 10,211,310, issued on Feb. 19, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2024/0145234 A1, May 2, 2024
Int. Cl. H01L 21/02 (2006.01); C23C 16/04 (2006.01); C23C 16/32 (2006.01); C23C 16/452 (2006.01); C23C 16/505 (2006.01); C23C 16/511 (2006.01); H01L 21/768 (2006.01); H01L 29/49 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/02167 (2013.01) [C23C 16/045 (2013.01); C23C 16/325 (2013.01); C23C 16/452 (2013.01); C23C 16/505 (2013.01); C23C 16/511 (2013.01); H01L 21/02126 (2013.01); H01L 21/02211 (2013.01); H01L 21/02216 (2013.01); H01L 21/02222 (2013.01); H01L 21/02274 (2013.01); H01L 21/76831 (2013.01); H01L 21/76834 (2013.01); H01L 29/4983 (2013.01); H01L 29/4991 (2013.01); H01L 21/7682 (2013.01); H01L 2221/1047 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of depositing a silicon-carbon-containing film, the method comprising:
flowing a silicon-containing precursor to a substrate in a reaction chamber through a first gas inlet, wherein the silicon-containing precursor comprises at least one of a silicon-silicon (Si—Si) bond or a silicon-hydrogen bond (Si—H) bond, and at least one of a silicon-carbon (Si—C) bond, a silicon-nitrogen (Si—N) bond, or a silicon-oxygen (Si—O) bond;
generating, from a gas mixture of hydrogen gas and inert carrier gas, hydrogen radicals in a plasma source remote from the reaction chamber; and
introducing the hydrogen radicals generated from the plasma source into the reaction chamber through a second gas inlet separate from the first gas inlet, wherein the hydrogen radicals relax to a lower energy state passing from the plasma source to an environment adjacent to the substrate, wherein the hydrogen radicals react with the silicon-containing precursor to deposit the silicon-carbon-containing film on the substrate, and wherein the environment adjacent to the substrate during deposition of the silicon-carbon-containing film is free or substantially free of ions.