US 12,272,599 B2
Conformal and smooth titanium nitride layers and methods of forming the same
Hyunchol Cho, Milpitas, CA (US); Hae Young Kim, San Jose, CA (US); Ajit Dhamdhere, San Jose, CA (US); Bunsen B. Nie, Fremont, CA (US); and Sung-Hoon Jung, Santa Clara, CA (US)
Assigned to Eugenus, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Eugenus, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 9, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/547,086.
Application 17/547,086 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/595,945, filed on Oct. 8, 2019, granted, now 11,482,413.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/123,733, filed on Dec. 10, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0172988 A1, Jun. 2, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H01L 21/768 (2006.01); C23C 16/34 (2006.01); C23C 16/455 (2006.01); H01L 21/285 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/76843 (2013.01) [C23C 16/34 (2013.01); C23C 16/45527 (2013.01); H01L 21/28556 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of forming a thin film comprising titanium nitride (TiN) by a cyclical vapor deposition process, the method comprising:
forming on a semiconductor substrate a TiN thin film by exposing the semiconductor substrate to one or more cyclical vapor deposition cycles each comprising an exposure to a Ti precursor at a Ti precursor flow rate and an exposure to a N precursor at a N precursor flow rate,
wherein the Ti precursor is exposed to the semiconductor substrate in the absence of any N precursor,
wherein a ratio of the N precursor flow rate to the Ti precursor flow rate (N/Ti flow ratio) exceeds 3, and
wherein the method forms the TiN thin film having a crystalline texture such that an X-ray spectrum of the TiN thin film has a ratio of a peak height or an intensity of an X-ray diffraction peak corresponding to a (111) crystal orientation of TiN to a peak height or an intensity of an X-ray diffraction peak corresponding to a (200) crystal orientation of TiN that exceeds 0.4.