US 11,990,332 B2
Methods and apparatus for deposition of low-k films
Bhaskar Jyoti Bhuyan, San Jose, CA (US); Mark Saly, Santa Clara, CA (US); Zhelin Sun, Santa Clara, CA (US); Ning Li, San Jose, CA (US); Mihaela Balseanu, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Li-Qun Xia, Cupertino, CA (US); Yijun Liu, Santa Clara, CA (US); and Lin Yang, Fremont, CA (US)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Appl. No. 16/637,170
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
PCT Filed Aug. 6, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/045386
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 6, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/032457, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 14, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/542,746, filed on Aug. 8, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0332415 A1, Oct. 22, 2020
Int. Cl. C23C 16/455 (2006.01); C23C 16/36 (2006.01); C23C 16/56 (2006.01); H01L 21/02 (2006.01); H01L 21/324 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/02167 (2013.01) [C23C 16/36 (2013.01); C23C 16/45525 (2013.01); C23C 16/56 (2013.01); H01L 21/02126 (2013.01); H01L 21/02211 (2013.01); H01L 21/0228 (2013.01); H01L 21/02326 (2013.01); H01L 21/02337 (2013.01); H01L 21/324 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of depositing a film, the method comprising:
providing a substrate having a substrate surface with a plurality of features formed therein, each feature extending a distance from the substrate surface and having a bottom and at least one sidewall;
forming a conformal film on the substrate surface, the conformal film formed comprises SiCN;
exposing the conformal film to a low temperature steam anneal to form an annealed conformal film to convert the SiCN to SiOC, the annealed conformal film having a carbon content within ±20% of a carbon content of the conformal film before the low temperature steam anneal;
subjecting the annealed conformal film to a treatment comprising one or more of rapid thermal processing or ashing; and
exposing the annealed conformal film to a high temperature anneal after treatment to form an annealed low-k film, wherein the low temperature steam anneal occurs at a temperature less than or equal to about 400° C., wherein the conformal film has a thickness in the range of about 10 Å to about 500 Å,
wherein the annealed conformal film has a substantially uniform composition of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen to a film thickness up to about 300 Å, the term “substantially uniform composition” means the composition of the film does not change by more than about 10% relative as a function of depth in the film, and
wherein the high temperature anneal occurs at a temperature greater than or equal to about 400° C., and wherein the low-k film has a dielectric constant less than 5.