Claims
- 1. A method of processing a substrate comprising the step of:supplying to a chamber containing said substrate a metallo-organic compound, a dilutant gas, and a purge gas having a flow rate of at least about 500 sccm to produce a pressure within the chamber of at least about 2 torr; and heating said substrate to cause thermal decomposition of said metallo-organic compound to form a film upon said substrate.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said metallo-organic compound contains titanium.
- 3. The method of claim 2, wherein said metallo-organic compound is tetrakis(dialkylamino)-titanium.
- 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said film is titanium nitride.
- 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said dilutant gas is selected from the group of nitrogen, helium and argon.
- 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said dilutant gas is supplied to the chamber at a flow rate of at least 500 sccm.
- 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said substrate is supported in said chamber by a pedestal and said purge gas is directed towards an edge of said pedestal.
- 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said pedestal has a temperature of not more than approximately 40° C. above said temperature of said substrate.
- 9. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:directing a gas flow from a channel within said pedestal to establish a gas pressure upon said back surface of said substrate which is lower than a pressure upon a front surface of said substrate.
- 10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of:plasma treating said film in an environment containing a gas or gases selected from the group of nitrogen, hydrogen, helium, argon and ammonia.
- 11. The method of claim 10, wherein said plasma treating step is performed at a total pressure of less than about 2 torr.
- 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:directing a first purge gas flow towards an edge of said substrate; and directing a second purge gas flow towards a bottom of an edge ring assembly that circumscribes said substrate.
- 13. The method of claim 12, wherein said first purge gas flow is at least about 1500 sccm.
- 14. The method of claim 12, wherein said first and second purge gases are chosen from the group of nitrogen, helium, argon, or hydrogen.
- 15. The method of claim 1, wherein thermal decomposition of said metallo-organic compound occurs at a temperature of less than about 350° C.
- 16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of maintaining a second gas pressure of approximately between 2 to 5 torr upon a back surface of said substrate.
- 17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of maintaining a first gas pressure upon a front surface of said substrate and maintaining a second gas pressure upon a back surface of said substrate; wherein said second gas pressure is less than said first gas pressure by at least about 20% of said first gas pressure.
- 18. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of maintaining a first gas pressure upon a front surface of said substrate and maintaining a second gas pressure upon a back surface of said substrate; wherein said second gas pressure is less than said first gas pressure by at least 1 torr.
- 19. The method of claim 17, wherein said second gas pressure upon said back surface of said substrate is provided by a gas selected from a group of nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, or helium.
- 20. A method of processing a substrate comprising the steps of:(a) supporting said substrate upon a pedestal; (b) maintaining said substrate at a process temperature by a heating element embedded within said pedestal; (c) supplying to said chamber a metallo-organic compound containing titanium, a dilutant gas flow of at least about 500 sccm and a purge gas flow of at least about 500 sccm to produce a pressure of at least about 5 torr; (d) thermally decomposing said metallo-organic compound; and (e) forming a film comprising titanium nitride upon said substrate.
- 21. A method of processing a substrate comprising the step of:supplying to a chamber containing said substrate a metallo-organic compound, a dilutant gas, and a purge gas; directing a first purge gas flow towards an edge of said substrate; directing a second purge gas flow towards a bottom of an edge ring assembly that circumscribes said substrate; heating said substrate to cause thermal decomposition of said metallo-organic compound to form a film upon said substrate.
- 22. The method of claim 21, wherein said first purge gas flow is at least about 1500 sccm.
- 23. The method of claim 21, wherein said first and second purge gases are chosen from the group of nitrogen, helium, argon, or hydrogen.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/008,796, entitled “Plasma Annealing of Substrates to Improve Adhesion”, filed on Jan. 20, 1998, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/810,221, entitled “Construction of a Film on a Semiconductor Wafer”, filed on Feb. 28, 1997, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/498,990, entitled “Biased Plasma Annealing of Thin Films”, filed on Jul. 6, 1995, now abandoned, and of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/339,521, entitled “Improved Titanium Nitride Layers Deposited by Chemical Vapor Deposition and Method of Making”, filed on Nov. 14, 1994, now abandoned, and of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/567,461, entitled “Plasma Annealing of Thin Films” filed on Dec. 5, 1995. This application also contains subject matter that is related to U.S. patent application entitled “Wafer Pedestal With A Purge Ring”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,159,299, filed simultaneously herewith Each of the aforementioned related patent applications is herein incorporated by reference.
US Referenced Citations (18)
Foreign Referenced Citations (10)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0 467 623 |
Jan 1992 |
EP |
0 477 990 |
Apr 1992 |
EP |
0 545 602 |
Jun 1993 |
EP |
0 678 903 |
Oct 1995 |
EP |
0 711 846 |
May 1996 |
EP |
0 720 214 |
Jul 1996 |
EP |
0 738 002 |
Oct 1996 |
EP |
0 776 991 |
Jun 1997 |
EP |
2 299 345 |
Oct 1996 |
GB |
63-229814 |
Mar 1987 |
JP |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Park et al “A Novel A1-Reflow Process Using Surface Modification by the ECR Plasma Treatment and its Application to the 256Mbit DRAM”, Semiconductor R & D Center, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., pp. 5.4.1-5.4.4, 1994. |
Continuation in Parts (5)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/008796 |
Jan 1998 |
US |
Child |
09/248183 |
|
US |
Parent |
08/810221 |
Feb 1997 |
US |
Child |
09/008796 |
|
US |
Parent |
08/567461 |
Dec 1995 |
US |
Child |
08/810221 |
|
US |
Parent |
08/498990 |
Jul 1995 |
US |
Child |
08/567461 |
|
US |
Parent |
08/339521 |
Nov 1994 |
US |
Child |
08/498990 |
|
US |