Embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus and method of plasma assisted deposition by generation of a plasma adjacent a processing region. One embodiment of the apparatus comprises a substrate processing chamber including a top shower plate, a power source coupled to the top shower plate, a bottom shower plate, and an insulator disposed between the top shower plate and the bottom shower plate. In one aspect, the power source is adapted to selectively provide power to the top shower plate to generate a plasma from the gases between the top shower plate and the bottom shower plate. In another embodiment, a power source is coupled to the top shower plate and the bottom shower plate to generate a plasma between the bottom shower plate and the substrate support. One embodiment of the method comprises performing in a single chamber one or more of the processes including, but not limited to, cyclical layer deposition, combined cyclical layer deposition and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition; plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition; and/or chemical vapor deposition.

Apparatus and method for plasma assisted deposition

An apparatus and method for performing a cyclical layer deposition process, such as atomic layer deposition is provided. In one aspect, the apparatus includes a substrate support having a substrate receiving surface, and a chamber lid comprising a tapered passageway extending from a central portion of the chamber lid and a bottom surface extending from the passageway to a peripheral portion of the chamber lid, the bottom surface shaped and sized to substantially cover the substrate receiving surface. The apparatus also includes one or more valves coupled to the gradually expanding channel, and one or more gas sources coupled to each valve.

Gas delivery apparatus for atomic layer deposition

Embodiments of the invention provide an apparatus configured to form a material during an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, such as a plasma-enhanced ALD (PE-ALD) process. In one embodiment, a lid assembly for conducting a vapor deposition process within a process chamber is provided which includes an insulation cap and a plasma screen. In one example, the insulation cap has a centralized channel configured to flow a first process gas from an upper surface to an expanded channel and an outer channel configured to flow a second process gas from an upper surface to a groove which is encircling the expanded channel. In one example, the plasma screen has an upper surface containing an inner area with a plurality of holes and an outer area with a plurality of slots. The insulation cap may be positioned on top of the plasma screen to form a centralized gas region with the expanded channel and a circular gas region with the groove.

Apparatus and process for plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition

A method of forming a boride layer for integrated circuit fabrication is disclosed. In one embodiment, the boride layer is formed by chemisorbing monolayers of a boron-containing compound and one refractory metal compound onto a substrate. In an alternate embodiment, the boride layer has a composite structure. The composite boride layer structure comprises two or more refractory metals. The composite boride layer is formed by sequentially chemisorbing monolayers of a boron compound and two or more refractory metal compounds on a substrate.

Formation of boride barrier layers using chemisorption techniques

Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method for depositing films or layers using a UV source during a photoexcitation process. The films are deposited on a substrate and usually contain a material, such as silicon (e.g., epitaxy, crystalline, microcrystalline, polysilicon, or amorphous), silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or other silicon-containing materials. The photoexcitation process may expose the substrate and/or gases to an energy beam or flux prior to, during, or subsequent a deposition process. Therefore, the photoexcitation process may be used to pre-treat or post-treat the substrate or material, to deposit the silicon-containing material, and to enhance chamber cleaning processes. Attributes of the method that are enhanced by the UV photoexcitation process include removing native oxides prior to deposition, removing volatiles from deposited films, increasing surface energy of the deposited films, increasing the excitation energy of precursors, reducing deposition time, and reducing deposition temperature.

Method for forming silicon-containing materials during a photoexcitation deposition process

A method of forming a copper via and the resultant structure. A thin layer of an insulating barrier material (30), such as aluminum oxide or tantalum nitride, is conformally coated onto the sides and bottom of the via hole, for example, by atomic layer deposition (ALD) to a thickness of less than 5nm, preferably less than 2nm and having an electrical resistivity of more than 500 microohm-cm. A copper seed layer (40) is then deposited under conditions such that copper is deposited on the via sidewalls but not deposited over most of the bottom of via hole. Instead energetic copper ions sputter the barrier material from the via bottom. Copper (50) is electroplated into the via hole lined only on its sidewalls with the barrier. The invention preferably extends also to dual-damascene structures in which the copper seed sputter process sputters the barrier layer from the via bottom but not the trench floor.

Fusen Chen

Papers

Atomically thin highly resistive barrier layer in a copper via