Patent Application
20080044585
The above and other features and advantages of the invention may become readily apparent by reference to the following detailed description, particularly when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the description of the embodiments of the invention and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Also, as used herein, “and/or” refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms, including technical and scientific terms used in this description, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Moreover, it will be understood that steps comprising the methods provided herein can be performed independently or at least two steps can be combined. Additionally, steps comprising the methods provided herein, when performed independently or combined, can be performed at the same temperature and/or atmospheric pressure or at different temperatures and/or atmospheric pressures without departing from the teachings of the present invention.
In the drawings, the thickness of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity. It will also be understood that when a layer is referred to as being “on” another layer or substrate or a reactant is referred to as being introduced, exposed or feed “onto” another layer or substrate, it can be directly on the other layer or substrate, or intervening layers can also be present. However, when a layer, region or reactant is described as being “directly on” or introduced, exposed or feed “directly onto” another layer or region, no intervening layers or regions are present. Additionally, like numbers refer to like compositions or elements throughout.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention.
Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
Embodiments of the present invention are further described herein with reference to cross-section illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments of the present invention. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. In particular, the regions illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region of a device and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the present invention may be embodied as methods of making and using compositions and devices as well as such compositions and devices resulting therefrom.
Referring to
The electrospray chamber 110 may have an inflow passageway 112, an outflow passageway 114 and a window 116. A liquid precursor having a high viscosity and/or non-volatility, and a high vapor pressure, such as Sr(METHD)2, Ba(METHD)2, or Ti(MPD)(THD)2, and the like, is introduced into the electrospray chamber 110 through the inflow passageway 112. The liquid precursor may be sprayed into the electrospray chamber 110 to form minute droplets. The droplets may then be exhausted through the outflow passageway 114.
The nozzle 120 may be inserted into the electrospray chamber 110 through the inflow passageway 112. With reference to
The pressurizing member 130 may be connected to the nozzle 120. The pressurizing member 130 may pressurize the liquid precursor introduced into the nozzle 120 through the inlet 122 toward the spray holes 124. According to some embodiments, the pressuring member 130 may include a syringe pump for pressurizing the liquid precursor through the capillary.
The voltage applying member 140 for charging the liquid precursor may be connected to the nozzle 120. Further, the voltage applying member 140 may be connected to a ground. Thus, negative charges may flow toward the ground so that the liquid precursor is charged with positive charges. Consequently, a repulsive force is applied between the positively charged liquid precursors so that the positively charged liquid precursor molecules generally do not collide with each other.
In particular embodiments, the heating block 150 is used as a heating member and is arranged adjacent to the outflow passageway 114 of the electrospray chamber 110. Thus, the minute droplets sprayed from the nozzle 120 may pass through the heating block 150 to vaporize a solvent from the minute droplets, thereby forming a gaseous precursor.
Further, the sensing member 160 may be positioned adjacent to the window 116 of the electrospray chamber 110. The sensing member 160 can detect whether the minute droplets are sprayed into the electrospray chamber 110. In such embodiments, the sensing member 160 may include a camera 161 such as a charge coupled device (CCD) camera and a monitor 162. The camera 161 can obtain, i.e., produce or record, an image from the inside of the electrospray chamber 110, particularly, a region where the minute droplets are sprayed through the spray holes 124 of the nozzle 120 through the window 116. The monitor 162 can display an image obtained by the camera 161.
In step S230, the voltage applying member 140 may apply a voltage to the liquid precursor to charge the liquid precursor. Since the negative charges flow toward the ground, the liquid precursor may be charged with the positive charges. Therefore, the repulsive force is applied between the positively charged liquid precursors so that the liquid precursor molecules generally do not collide with each other. As a result, the positively charged liquid precursors may move toward the spray holes 124 with minimal interference.
In step S240, the positively charged liquid precursors may be sprayed into the electrospray chamber 110 from the spray holes 124 to form the minute droplets having a nanometer-sized diameter in the electrospray chamber 110.
In step S250, the camera 161 can obtain an image from the inside of the electrospray chamber 110. The monitor 162 can display the image obtained by the camera 161. Thus, one may detect the spray distribution of the minute droplets, such as whether the precursors are normally sprayed, by viewing the image on the monitor 162.
In step S260, the minute droplets may then be introduced into the heating block 150 through the outflow passageway 114. The heating block 150 can heat the minute droplets to vaporize the solvent from the minute droplets, thereby forming the gaseous precursors.
According to some embodiments, the liquid precursor may be sprayed through the nozzle to form the minute droplets having a nanometer-sized diameter. Therefore, the liquid precursor having a lower vapor pressure may be more readily evaporated in the electrospray manner.
Referring to
The method of evaporating the precursor using the apparatus 100a in
Referring to
Further, a method of evaporating the precursor using the apparatus 100b in
Referring to
In step S320, the syringe pump 130 can supply a pressure to the nozzle 120 to move the liquid precursor in the nozzle 120 toward the spray holes 124.
In step S330, the voltage applying member 140 can apply a voltage to the liquid precursor to charge the liquid precursor. Since the negative charges flow toward the ground, the liquid precursor may be charged with the positive charges. Therefore, the repulsive force is applied between the positively charged liquid precursors so that the liquid precursor molecules generally do not collide with each other. As a result, the positively charged liquid precursors may move toward the spray holes 124 with minimal interference.
In step S340, the positively charged liquid precursors may be sprayed into the electrospray chamber 110 from the spray holes 124 to form the minute droplets having a nanometer-sized diameter in the electrospray chamber 110.
In step S350, the camera 161 can obtain an image from an inside portion of the electrospray chamber 110. The monitor 162 can display the image obtained by the camera 161. Thus, one may detect the spray distribution of minute droplets by viewing the image on the monitor 162.
In step S360, the minute droplets may be introduced into the heating block 150 through the outflow passageway 114. The heating block 150 can heat the minute droplets to vaporize the solvent from the minute droplets, thereby forming the gaseous precursors.
In step S370, an electric field may be formed over a semiconductor substrate. In this particular embodiment, an electrode is arranged between the semiconductor substrate and the heating block 150. A voltage may be applied between the semiconductor substrate and the electrode to form an electric field between the semiconductor substrate and the electrode. A distribution of the gaseous precursors may be readily controlled using the electric field. Consequently, the gaseous precursors may be uniformly distributed over the semiconductor substrate using the electric field.
In step 380, the uniformly distributed gaseous precursors may be applied to the semiconductor substrate to form a chemisorption layer on the semiconductor substrate.
In step S390, byproducts generated while forming the chemisorption layer may be removed using a purge gas.
In step S400, an oxidizing agent may be applied to the chemisorption layer. The oxidizing agent and the chemisorption layer may be chemically reacted with each other to oxidize the chemisorption layer, thereby forming a dielectric layer having a high dielectric constant such as an STO layer, a BST layer, and the like, on the semiconductor substrate.
In step S410, byproducts generated while forming the dielectric layer may be removed using a purge gas.
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the liquid precursor having a lower vapor pressure such as Sr(METHD)2, Ba(METHD)2, Ti(MPD)(THD)2, and the like, may be readily evaporated in the electrospray manner. Further, the dielectric layer having a higher dielectric constant may be more readily formed using the gaseous precursor evaporated by the above-mentioned methods provided as embodiments of the present invention.
Having described various embodiments of the present invention, it is noted that modifications and variations can be made by persons skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that changes may be made in the particular embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein which are within the scope and the spirit of the invention outlined by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2006-0078535 | Aug 2006 | KR | national |
