US 12,435,412 B2
High density, modulus, and hardness amorphous carbon films at low pressure
Matthew Scott Weimer, Portland, OR (US); Ragesh Puthenkovilakam, Portland, OR (US); Gordon Alex Macdonald, Sherwood, OR (US); Shaoqing Zhang, Fremont, CA (US); Shih-Ked Lee, Fremont, CA (US); Jun Xue, Fremont, CA (US); Samantha S. H. Tan, Newark, CA (US); Xizhu Zhao, San Jose, CA (US); Mary Anne Manumpil, Fremont, CA (US); Eric A. Hudson, Berkeley, CA (US); and Chin-Jui Hsu, Portland, OR (US)
Assigned to Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
Appl. No. 17/753,208
Filed by Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
PCT Filed Aug. 28, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/048551
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 23, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/041916, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 4, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/894,197, filed on Aug. 30, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0282366 A1, Sep. 8, 2022
Int. Cl. C23C 16/26 (2006.01); C23C 16/04 (2006.01); C23C 16/40 (2006.01)
CPC C23C 16/26 (2013.01) [C23C 16/042 (2013.01); C23C 16/402 (2013.01)] 27 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
exposing a semiconductor substrate in a chamber to a process gas comprising a hydrocarbon precursor gas and helium gas, substantially without any other inert gas;
depositing on the substrate an interfacial layer by a first plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process, wherein depositing the interfacial layer comprises igniting a plasma generated by a dual radio frequency (RF) plasma source including a high frequency (HF) component and a low frequency (LF) component, wherein the interfacial layer is a carbon-containing layer; and
depositing on the interfacial layer an ashable hard mask (AHM) film by a second PECVD process, wherein the second PECVD process comprises:
maintaining the chamber pressure between about 3 and 30 mTorr;
igniting a plasma generated by the dual RF plasma source including a high frequency (HF) component and a low frequency (LF) component, wherein the HF component and the LF component of the second PECVD process are at a higher power than during deposition of the interfacial layer.