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Amit Khandelwal

Amit Khandelwal, Santa Clara, CA US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20080268635PROCESS FOR FORMING COBALT AND COBALT SILICIDE MATERIALS IN COPPER CONTACT APPLICATIONS - Embodiments of the invention described herein generally provide methods for forming cobalt silicide layers and metallic cobalt layers by using various deposition processes and annealing processes. In one embodiment, a method for forming a cobalt silicide material on a substrate is provided which includes treating the substrate with at least one preclean process to expose a silicon-containing surface, depositing a cobalt silicide material over the silicon-containing surface, and depositing a copper material over the cobalt silicide material. In another embodiment, a metallic cobalt material may be deposited over the cobalt silicide material prior to depositing the copper material. In one example, the copper material may be formed by depositing a copper seed layer and a copper bulk layer on the substrate. The copper seed layer may be deposited by a PVD process and the copper bulk layer may be deposited by an ECP process or an electroless deposition process.10-30-2008
20080280438METHODS FOR DEPOSITING TUNGSTEN LAYERS EMPLOYING ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION TECHNIQUES - In one embodiment of the invention, a method for forming a tungsten-containing layer on a substrate is provided which includes positioning a substrate containing a barrier layer disposed thereon in a process chamber, exposing the substrate to a first soak process for a first time period and depositing a nucleation layer on the barrier layer by flowing a tungsten-containing precursor and a reductant into the process chamber. The method further includes exposing the nucleation layer to a second soak process for a second time period and depositing a bulk layer on the nucleation layer. In one example, the barrier layer contains titanium nitride, the first and second soak processes independently comprise at least one reducing gas selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, silane, disilane, dichlorosilane, borane, diborane, derivatives thereof and combinations thereof and the nucleation layer may be deposited by an atomic layer deposition process or a pulsed chemical vapor deposition process while the bulk layer may be deposited by a chemical vapor deposition process or a physical vapor deposition process.11-13-2008
20090004850PROCESS FOR FORMING COBALT AND COBALT SILICIDE MATERIALS IN TUNGSTEN CONTACT APPLICATIONS - Embodiments of the invention described herein generally provide methods for forming cobalt silicide layers and metallic cobalt layers by using various deposition processes and annealing processes. In one embodiment, a method for forming a metallic silicide containing material on a substrate is provided which includes forming a metallic silicide material over a silicon-containing surface during a vapor deposition process by sequentially depositing a plurality of metallic silicide layers and silyl layers on the substrate, depositing a metallic capping layer over the metallic silicide material, heating the substrate during an annealing process, and depositing a metallic contact material over the barrier material. In one example, the metallic silicide layers and the metallic capping layer both contain cobalt. The cobalt silicide material may contain a silicon/cobalt atomic ratio of about 1.9 or greater, such as greater than about 2.0, or about 2.2 or greater.01-01-2009
20090081866VAPOR DEPOSITION OF TUNGSTEN MATERIALS - Embodiments of the invention provide an improved process for depositing tungsten-containing materials. The process utilizes soak processes and vapor deposition processes to provide tungsten films having significantly improved surface uniformity while increasing the production level throughput. In one embodiment, a method is provided which includes depositing a tungsten silicide layer on the substrate by exposing the substrate to a continuous flow of a silicon precursor while also exposing the substrate to intermittent pulses of a tungsten precursor. The method further provides that the substrate is exposed to the silicon and tungsten precursors which have a silicon/tungsten precursor flow rate ratio of greater than 1, for example, about 2, about 3, or greater. Subsequently, the method provides depositing a tungsten nitride layer on the tungsten suicide layer, depositing a tungsten nucleation layer on the tungsten nitride layer, and depositing a tungsten bulk layer on the tungsten nucleation layer.03-26-2009
20090142474RUTHENIUM AS AN UNDERLAYER FOR TUNGSTEN FILM DEPOSITION - Embodiments of the invention provide a method for depositing materials on substrates. In one embodiment, the method includes depositing a barrier layer containing tantalum or titanium on a substrate, depositing a ruthenium layer or a cobalt layer on the barrier layer, and depositing a tungsten bulk layer thereover. In some examples, the barrier layer may contain tantalum nitride deposited by an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, the tungsten bulk layer may be deposited by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, and the ruthenium or cobalt layer may be deposited by an ALD process. The ruthenium or cobalt layer may be exposed to a soak compound, such as hydrogen, diborane, silane, or disilane, during a soak process prior to depositing the tungsten bulk layer. In some examples, a tungsten nucleation layer may be deposited on the ruthenium or cobalt layer, such as by ALD, prior to depositing the tungsten bulk layer.06-04-2009
20090280640DEPOSITION AND DENSIFICATION PROCESS FOR TITANIUM NITRIDE BARRIER LAYERS - In one embodiment, a method for forming a titanium nitride barrier material on a substrate is provided which includes depositing a titanium nitride layer on the substrate by a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process, and thereafter, densifying the titanium nitride layer by exposing the substrate to a plasma process. In one example, the MOCVD process and the densifying plasma process is repeated to form a barrier stack by depositing a second titanium nitride layer on the first titanium nitride layer. In another example, a third titanium nitride layer is deposited on the second titanium nitride layer. Subsequently, the method provides depositing a conductive material on the substrate and exposing the substrate to a annealing process. In one example, each titanium nitride layer may have a thickness of about 15 Å and the titanium nitride barrier stack may have a copper diffusion potential of less than about 5×1011-12-2009
20110086509PROCESS FOR FORMING COBALT AND COBALT SILICIDE MATERIALS IN TUNGSTEN CONTACT APPLICATIONS - Embodiments of the invention generally provide methods for forming cobalt silicide. In one embodiment, a method for forming a cobalt silicide material includes exposing a substrate having a silicon-containing material to either a wet etch solution or a pre-clean plasma during a first step and then to a hydrogen plasma during a second step of a pre-clean process. The method further includes depositing a cobalt metal layer on the silicon-containing material by a CVD process, heating the substrate to form a first cobalt silicide layer comprising CoSi at the interface of the cobalt metal layer and the silicon-containing material during a first annealing process, removing any unreacted cobalt metal from the substrate during an etch process, and heating the substrate to form a second cobalt silicide layer comprising CoSi04-14-2011

Patent applications by Amit Khandelwal, Santa Clara, CA US

Amit Khandelwal, Cupertino, CA US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20090053893ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION OF TUNGSTEN MATERIALS - Embodiments of the invention provide an improved process for depositing tungsten-containing materials. The process utilizes soak processes and vapor deposition processes, such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) to provide tungsten films having significantly improved surface uniformity and production level throughput. In one embodiment, a method for forming a tungsten-containing material on a substrate is provided which includes positioning a substrate within a process chamber, wherein the substrate contains an underlayer disposed thereon, exposing the substrate sequentially to a tungsten precursor and a reducing gas to deposit a tungsten nucleation layer on the underlayer during an ALD process, wherein the reducing gas contains a hydrogen/hydride flow rate ratio of about 40:1, 100:1, 500:1, 800:1, 1,000:1, or greater, and depositing a tungsten bulk layer on the tungsten nucleation layer. The reducing gas contains a hydride compound, such as diborane, silane, or disilane.02-26-2009
20100167527METHOD OF DEPOSITING TUNGSTEN FILM WITH REDUCED RESISTIVITY AND IMPROVED SURFACE MORPHOLOGY - A method of controlling the resistivity and morphology of a tungsten film is provided, comprising depositing a first film of a bulk tungsten layer on a substrate during a first deposition stage by (i) introducing a continuous flow of a reducing gas and a pulsed flow of a tungsten-containing compound to a process chamber to deposit tungsten on a surface of the substrate, (ii) flowing the reducing gas without flowing the tungsten-containing compound into the chamber to purge the chamber, and repeating steps (i) through (ii) until the first film fills vias in the substrate surface, increasing the pressure in the process chamber, and during a second deposition stage after the first deposition stage, depositing a second film of the bulk tungsten layer by providing a flow of reducing gas and tungsten-containing compound to the process chamber until a second desired thickness is deposited.07-01-2010
20110244682ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION OF TUNGSTEN MATERIALS - Embodiments of the invention provide a method for depositing tungsten-containing materials. In one embodiment, a method includes forming a tungsten nucleation layer over an underlayer disposed on the substrate while sequentially providing a tungsten precursor and a reducing gas into a process chamber during an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process and depositing a tungsten bulk layer over the tungsten nucleation layer, wherein the reducing gas contains hydrogen gas and a hydride compound (e.g., diborane) and has a hydrogen/hydride flow rate ratio of about 500:1 or greater. In some examples, the method includes flowing the hydrogen gas into the process chamber at a flow rate within a range from about 1 slm to about 20 slm and flowing a mixture of the hydride compound and a carrier gas into the process chamber at a flow rate within a range from about 50 sccm to about 500 sccm.10-06-2011

Patent applications by Amit Khandelwal, Cupertino, CA US

Amit Khandelwal, San Jose, CA US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20120003388METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR THERMAL BASED SUBSTRATE PROCESSING WITH VARIABLE TEMPERATURE CAPABILITY - A substrate support may include a body; an inner ring disposed about the body; an outer ring disposed about the inner ring forming a first opening therebetween; a first seal ring disposed above the first opening; a shadow ring disposed above the inner ring, extending inward from the outer ring and forming a second opening between the shadow and outer rings; a second seal ring disposed above the second opening; a space at least partially defined by the body and the inner, outer, first, second, and shadow rings; a first gap defined between a processing surface of a substrate when present and the shadow ring; and a plurality of second gaps fluidly coupled to the space; wherein the first gap and the plurality of second gaps are configured such that, when a substrate is present, a gas provided to the space flows out of the space through the first gap.01-05-2012
20120003833METHODS FOR FORMING TUNGSTEN-CONTAINING LAYERS - Methods for forming tungsten-containing layers on substrates are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method for forming a tungsten-containing layer on a substrate disposed in a process chamber may include mixing hydrogen and a hydride to form a first process gas; introducing the first process gas to the process chamber; exposing the substrate in the process chamber to the first process gas for a first period of time to form a conditioned substrate surface; subsequently purging the process chamber of the first process gas; exposing the substrate to a second process gas comprising a tungsten precursor for a second period of time to form a tungsten-containing nucleation layer atop the conditioned substrate surface; and subsequently purging the process chamber of the second process gas.01-05-2012