| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20100317178 | REMOTE PLASMA PROCESSING OF INTERFACE SURFACES - Embodiments related to the cleaning of interface surfaces in a semiconductor wafer fabrication process via remote plasma processing are disclosed herein. For example, in one disclosed embodiment, a semiconductor processing apparatus comprises a processing chamber, a load lock coupled to the processing chamber via a transfer port, a wafer pedestal disposed in the load lock and configured to support a wafer in the load lock, a remote plasma source configured to provide a remote plasma to the load lock, and an ion filter disposed between the remote plasma source and the wafer pedestal. | 12-16-2010 |
| 20100317198 | REMOTE PLASMA PROCESSING OF INTERFACE SURFACES - Embodiments related to the cleaning of interface surfaces in a semiconductor wafer fabrication process via remote plasma processing are disclosed herein. For example, in one disclosed embodiment, a semiconductor processing apparatus comprises a processing chamber, a load lock coupled to the processing chamber via a transfer port, a wafer pedestal disposed in the load lock and configured to support a wafer in the load lock, and a remote plasma source configured to provide a remote plasma to the load lock. | 12-16-2010 |
| 20110120377 | REMOTE PLASMA PROCESSING OF INTERFACE SURFACES - Embodiments related to the cleaning of interface surfaces in a semiconductor wafer fabrication process via remote plasma processing are disclosed herein. For example, in one disclosed embodiment, a semiconductor processing apparatus comprises a processing chamber, a load lock coupled to the processing chamber via a transfer port, a wafer pedestal disposed in the load lock and configured to support a wafer in the load lock, a remote plasma source configured to provide a remote plasma to the load lock, and an ion filter disposed between the remote plasma source and the wafer pedestal. | 05-26-2011 |
| 20110236594 | In-Situ Deposition of Film Stacks - Methods and hardware for depositing film stacks in a process tool in-situ (i.e., without a vacuum break or air exposure) are described. In one example, a method for depositing, on a substrate, a film stack including films of different compositions in-situ in a process station using a plasma is described, the method including, in a first plasma-activated film deposition phase, depositing a first layer of film having a first film composition on the substrate; in a second plasma-activated deposition phase, depositing a second layer of film having a second film composition on the first layer of film; and sustaining the plasma while transitioning a composition of the plasma from the first plasma-activated film deposition phase to the second plasma-activated film deposition phase. | 09-29-2011 |
| 20110236600 | Smooth Silicon-Containing Films - Methods and hardware for depositing ultra-smooth silicon-containing films and film stacks are described. In one example, an embodiment of a method for forming a silicon-containing film on a substrate in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition apparatus is disclosed, the method including supplying a silicon-containing reactant to the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition apparatus; supplying a co-reactant to the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition apparatus; supplying a capacitively-coupled plasma to a process station of the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition apparatus, the plasma including silicon radicals generated from the silicon-containing reactant and co-reactant radicals generated from the co-reactant; and depositing the silicon-containing film on the substrate, the silicon-containing film having a refractive index of between 1.4 and 2.1, the silicon-containing film further having an absolute roughness of less than or equal to 4.5 Å as measured on a silicon substrate. | 09-29-2011 |
| 20110244694 | DEPOSITING CONFORMAL BORON NITRIDE FILMS - A method of forming a boron nitride or boron carbon nitride dielectric produces a conformal layer without loading effect. The dielectric layer is formed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of a boron-containing film on a substrate, at least a portion of the deposition being conducted without plasma, and then exposing the deposited boron-containing film to a plasma. The CVD component dominates the deposition process, producing a conformal film without loading effect. The dielectric is ashable, and can be removed with a hydrogen plasma without impacting surrounding materials. The dielectric has a much lower wet etch rate compared to other front end spacer or hard mask materials such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride, and has a relatively low dielectric constant, much lower then silicon nitride. | 10-06-2011 |
| 20110256726 | PLASMA ACTIVATED CONFORMAL FILM DEPOSITION - Methods of depositing a film on a substrate surface include surface mediated reactions in which a film is grown over one or more cycles of reactant adsorption and reaction. In one aspect, the method is characterized by the following operations: (a) exposing the substrate surface to a first reactant in vapor phase under conditions allowing the first reactant to adsorb onto the substrate surface; (b) exposing the substrate surface to a second reactant in vapor phase while the first reactant is adsorbed on the substrate surface; and (c) exposing the substrate surface to plasma to drive a reaction between the first and second reactants adsorbed on the substrate surface to form the film. | 10-20-2011 |
| 20110256734 | SILICON NITRIDE FILMS AND METHODS - Described are methods of making SiN materials on substrates, particularly SiN thin films on semiconductor substrates. Improved SiN films made by the methods are also included. | 10-20-2011 |
