An object is to provide a semiconductor device of which a manufacturing process is not complicated and by which cost can be suppressed, by forming a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor film typified by zinc oxide, and a manufacturing method thereof. For the semiconductor device, a gate electrode is formed over a substrate; a gate insulating film is formed covering the gate electrode; an oxide semiconductor film is formed over the gate insulating film; and a first conductive film and a second conductive film are formed over the oxide semiconductor film. The oxide semiconductor film has at least a crystallized region in a channel region.

Semiconductor device, and manufacturing method thereof

In this paper, recent progress of phase change memory (PCM) is reviewed. The electrical and thermal properties of phase change materials are surveyed with a focus on the scalability of the materials and their impact on device design. Innovations in the device structure, memory cell selector, and strategies for achieving multibit operation and 3-D, multilayer high-density memory arrays are described. The scaling properties of PCM are illustrated with recent experimental results using special device test structures and novel material synthesis. Factors affecting the reliability of PCM are discussed.

Phase Change Memory

Process gas discharged from a bypass pipe to a gas exhaust system can be prevented from diffusing back to the inside of a process chamber without having to install a dedicated vacuum pump at the downstream side of the bypass pipe. The substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber accommodating a substrate, a gas supply system supplying process gas from a process gas source to the process chamber for processing the substrate, a gas exhaust system configured to exhaust the process chamber, two or more vacuum pumps installed in series at the gas exhaust system, and a bypass pipe connected between the gas supply system and the gas exhaust system. The most upstream one of the vacuum pumps is a mechanical booster pump, and the bypass pipe is connected between the mechanical booster pump and the rest vacuum pumps located at a downstream side of the mechanical booster pump.

Substrate Processing Apparatus

A method and apparatus for depositing a low dielectric constant film by reaction of an organosilicon compound and an oxidizing gas comprising carbon at a constant RF power level. Dissociation of the oxidizing gas can be increased prior to mixing with the organosilicon compound, preferably within a separate microwave chamber, to assist in controlling the carbon content of the deposited film. The oxidized organosilane or organosiloxane film has good barrier properties for use as a liner or cap layer adjacent other dielectric layers. The oxidized organosilane or organosiloxane film may also be used as an etch stop and an intermetal dielectric layer for fabricating dual damascene structures. The oxidized organosilane or organosiloxane films also provide excellent adhesion between different dielectric layers.

Plasma processes for depositing low dielectric constant films

Methods are provided herein for treating substrate surfaces in preparation for subsequent nucleation-sensitive depositions (e.g., polysilicon or poly-SiGe) and adsorption-driven deposition (e.g. atomic layer deposition or ALD). Prior to depositing, the surface is treated with non-depositing plasma products. The treated surface more readily nucleates polysilicon and poly-SiGe (such as for a gate electrode), or more readily adsorbs ALD reactants (such as for a gate dielectric). The surface treatment provides surface moieties more readily susceptible to a subsequent deposition reaction, or more readily susceptible to further surface treatment prior to deposition. By changing the surface termination of the substrate with a low temperature radical treatment, subsequent deposition is advantageously facilitated without depositing a layer of any appreciable thickness and without significantly affecting the bulk properties of the underlying material. Preferably less than 10 Å of the bulk material incorporates the excited species, which can include fluorine, chlorine and particularly nitrogen excited species.

Surface preparation prior to deposition

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a method for forming a programmable cell by forming an opening in a dielectric material to expose a portion of an underlying first conductive electrode, forming a recessed chalcogenide-metal ion material in the opening and forming a second conductive electrode overlying the dielectric material and the chalcogenide-metal ion material. A method for forming a recessed chalcogenide-metal ion material comprises forming a glass material to be recessed approximately 50% or less, in the opening in the dielectric material, forming a metal material on the glass material within the opening and diffusing metal ions from the metal material into the glass material by using ultraviolet light or ultraviolet light in combination with a heat treatment, to cause a resultant metal ion concentration in the glass material.

PCRAM cell manufacturing

Two PCRAM cells which use a common anode between them are disclosed. The two memory cells can be accessed separately to store two bits of data which can be read and written, and can be stacked one over the other with a common anode between them to form an upper and lower cell pair. Respective access transistors are provided for the cells and arranged to permit reading and writing of the cells.

Apparatus and method for dual cell common electrode PCRAM memory device

The invention pertains to films comprising silicon, oxygen and carbon and the use of the films in integrated circuit technology, such as capacitor constructions, DRAM constructions, semiconductive material assemblies, etching processes, and methods for forming capacitors, DRAMs and semiconductive material assemblies.

Films doped with carbon for use in integrated circuit technology

The invention is related to methods and apparatus for providing a resistance variable memory element with improved data retention and switching characteristics. According to an embodiment of the invention a resistance variable memory element is provided having at least one silver-selenide layer (18) in between glass layers(17, 20), wherein at least one of the glass layers is a chalcogenide glass, preferably having a GexSe100-x composition.

Silver-selenide/chalcogenide glass stack for resistance variable memory

A method of forming a metal cap over a conductive interconnect in a chalcogenide-based memory device is provided and includes, forming a layer of a first conductive material (21) over a substrate (10), depositing an insulating layer (20) over the first conductive material and the substrate, forming an opening (22) in the insulating layer to expose at least a portion of the first conductive material, depositing a second conductive material (30) over the insulating layer and within the opening, removing portions of the second conductive material to form a conductive area within the opening, recessing the conductive area within the opening to a level below an upper surface of the insulating layer, forming a cap (40) of a third conductive material over the recessed conductive area within the opening, the third conductive material selected from the group consisting of cobalt, silver, gold, copper, nickel, palladium,platinum,and alloys thereof, depositing a stack of a chalcogenide based memory cell material (50) over the cap, and depositing a conductive material (60) over the chalcogenide stack.

John T. Moore

Papers

PCRAM cell manufacturing

Apparatus and method for dual cell common electrode PCRAM memory device

Films doped with carbon for use in integrated circuit technology

Silver-selenide/chalcogenide glass stack for resistance variable memory

Electroless plating of metal caps for chalcogenide-based memory devices