US 12,463,093 B2
Method of tuning film properties of metal nitride using plasma
Wenyi Liu, Santa Clara, CA (US); Wei Tang, Santa Clara, CA (US); Srinivas Gandikota, Santa Clara, CA (US); Yixiong Yang, San Jose, CA (US); Yong Wu, Mountain View, CA (US); Jianqiu Guo, San Jose, CA (US); Arkaprava Dan, San Jose, CA (US); and Mandyam Sriram, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to APPLIED MATERIALS, INC., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 24, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/126,048.
Application 18/126,048 is a division of application No. 16/871,400, filed on May 11, 2020, granted, now 11,646,226.
Prior Publication US 2023/0245925 A1, Aug. 3, 2023
Int. Cl. H01L 21/76 (2006.01); H01L 21/285 (2006.01); H01L 21/768 (2006.01)
CPC H01L 21/76843 (2013.01) [H01L 21/28556 (2013.01); H01L 21/28568 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for forming a metal nitride layer on a substrate, comprising:
performing a first deposition process comprising exposing a substrate to a first deposition gas mixture including metal source material in a processing chamber to deposit metal source material on an exposed surface of the substrate;
performing a first purging process comprising supplying a first purge gas mixture into the processing chamber to remove excess metal source material and reaction byproducts from the processing chamber;
performing a second deposition process comprising exposing the substrate to a plasma reactant including nitrogen radicals in the processing chamber for an exposure time of between 60 seconds and 600 seconds to form a metal nitride layer having content ratio of the metal source material to nitride of between 1.34 and 2.84; and
performing a second purging process comprising supplying a second purge gas mixture into the processing chamber to remove excess nitride source compound and reaction byproducts from the processing chamber,
wherein the first deposition process, the first purging process, the second deposition process, and the second purging process are repeated until the metal nitride layer having a thickness of between 10 Å and 100 Å is achieved,
wherein the first deposition gas mixture comprises titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) and the metal source material comprises titanium (Ti), and
wherein the first deposition process and the first and second purging processes are performed at a temperature between 200 degrees Celsius and 600 degrees Celsius.