This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-147162, filed Sep. 15, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments described herein relate generally to a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device.
For a three-dimensional semiconductor memory having electrode layers such as word lines, it is desired to reduce the electrical resistance of the electrode layers and to prevent an increase in leakage current caused by the electrode layers.
At least one embodiment provides a semiconductor device having electrode layers with preferable properties, and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device.
In general, according to at least one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes: a stacked film alternately including a plurality of electrode layers and a plurality of first insulating films; a charge storage layer provided on the side surfaces of the electrode layers via a second insulating film; and a semiconductor layer provided on the side surface of the charge storage layer via a third insulating film. At least one electrode layer of the plurality of electrode layers includes a first electrode layer which is an amorphous layer comprising a metal element and silicon.
Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings. In
The semiconductor device of this embodiment includes a core insulating film 1, a channel semiconductor layer 2, a tunnel insulating film 3, a charge storage layer 4, a block insulating film 5, and electrode layers 6. The block insulating film 5 includes an insulating film 5a and an insulating film 5b. Each electrode layer 6 includes a barrier metal layer 6a and an electrode material layer 6b. The tunnel insulating film 3 is an example of a third insulating film. The insulating film 5a is an example of a second insulating film.
In
The core insulating film 1, the channel semiconductor layer 2, the tunnel insulating film 3, the charge storage layer 4, and the insulating film 5a are formed in the memory hole H1 and constitute memory cells of the three-dimensional semiconductor memory. The insulating film 5a is formed on the side surfaces of the electrode layers and the insulating films in the memory hole H1, and the charge storage layer 4 is formed on the side surface of the insulating film 5a. The charge storage layer 4 can store signal charges in the three-dimensional semiconductor memory. The tunnel insulating film 3 is formed on the side surface of the charge storage layer 4, and the channel semiconductor layer 2 is formed on the side surface of the tunnel insulating film 3. The channel semiconductor layer 2 functions as a channel of the three-dimensional semiconductor memory. The core insulating film 1 is formed on the side surface of the channel semiconductor layer 2.
The insulating film 5a is, for example, an SiO2 film (silicon oxide film). The charge storage layer 4 is, for example, an SiN film (silicon nitride film). The tunnel insulating film 3 is, for example, an SiO2 film. The channel semiconductor layer 2 is, for example, a polysilicon layer. The core insulating film 1 is, for example, an SiO2 film.
The insulating film 5b, the barrier metal layer 6a, and the electrode material layer 6b are formed between two of the above-described insulating films; they are formed on the lower surface of the upper insulating film, on the upper surface of the lower insulating film, and on the side surface of the insulating film 5a. The insulating films are an example of first insulating films. The insulating film 5b is, for example, an Al2O3 film (aluminum oxide film). The barrier metal layer 6a is, for example, a TiN film (titanium nitride film). The electrode material layer 6b is, for example, a W (tungsten) layer. Further details of the electrode material layer 6b will be described later.
First, a substrate 11 is prepared, and a stacked film 12 alternately including a plurality of sacrificial layers 13 and a plurality of insulating films 14 is formed on the substrate 11 (
Next, a plurality of memory holes H1 are formed in the stacked film 12 by photolithography and RIE (Reactive Ion Etching) (
Next, an insulating film 5a, a charge storage layer 4, a tunnel insulating film 3, a channel semiconductor layer 2, and a core insulating film 1 are formed in this order on the side surface of the stacked film 12 in each memory hole H1 (
Next, a plurality of slits (not shown) are formed in the stacked film 12, and a liquid chemical such as an aqueous phosphoric acid solution is supplied through the slits to remove the sacrificial layers 13. As a result, a plurality of recesses H2 are formed in the stacked film 12 (
Next, an insulating film 5b, a barrier metal layer 6a, and an electrode material layer 6b are formed in this order on the surfaces of the insulating film 5a and the insulating films 14 in each recess H2 (
Each recess H2 is formed between two insulating films 14 adjacent to each other in the Z direction. In each recess H2, the insulating film 5b, the barrier metal layer 6a, and the electrode material layer 6b are formed in this order on the lower surface of the upper insulating film 14, the upper surface of the lower insulating film 14, and the side surface of the insulating film 5a. As a result, each electrode layer 6 is formed between the insulating films 14 via the insulating film 5b.
The semiconductor device of this embodiment is manufactured in this manner (
A comparison will now be made between the first embodiment and comparative examples with reference to
As with
The metal layer 21 is a W layer formed using WF6 gas and B2H6 gas (W represents tungsten, F represents fluorine, B represents boron, and H represents hydrogen). Therefore, the metal layer 21 contains B atoms as impurity atoms. If B atoms in the metal layer 21 diffuse into the block insulating film 5, then there is a fear of deterioration of the erasing characteristics of a memory cell, and a fear of an increase in leakage current in a memory cell. Meanwhile, the metal layer 22 is a W layer formed using WF6 gas and H2 gas.
In this comparative example, the barrier metal layer 6a and the metal layer 22 are polycrystalline layers, while the metal layer 21 is an amorphous layer. The metal layer 21 is formed as an amorphous layer by forming the metal layer 21 using WF6 gas and B2H6 gas. When the metal layer 22 is formed on the surface of the barrier metal layer 6a via the metal layer 21, the crystallinity of the barrier metal layer 6a does not significantly affect the crystallinity of the metal layer 22 due to the action of the metal layer 21. It is therefore possible to make the grain size of the crystal grains P1 in the metal layer 22 large even when the grain size of the crystal grains P0 in the barrier metal layer 6a is small. This makes it possible to reduce the electrical resistance of the metal layer 22 (electrode layer 6). However, in this comparative example, diffusion of B atoms from the metal layer 21 may cause problems as described above.
The metal layer 23 is a W layer formed using WF6 gas and SiH4 gas (Si represents silicon). Thus, the metal layer 23 contains Si atoms, not B atoms, as impurity atoms. This makes it possible to avoid the problems associated with the diffusion of B atoms. The metal layer 23 is formed, for example, at a temperature higher than 300° C. Meanwhile, the metal layer 24 is a W layer formed using WF6 gas and H2 gas.
In this comparative example, the barrier metal layer 6a, the metal layer 23 and the metal layer 24 are all polycrystalline layers. The metal layer 23 is formed as a polycrystalline layer by forming the metal layer 23 at a temperature higher than 300° C. using WF6 gas and SiH4 gas. When the metal layer 24 is formed on the surface of the barrier metal layer 6a via the metal layer 23, the crystallinity of the barrier metal layer 6a affects the crystallinity of the metal layer 23, and the crystallinity of the metal layer 23 affects the crystallinity of the metal layer 24. Thus, when the grain size of the crystal grains PO in the barrier metal layer 6a is small, the grain size of the crystal grains P2 in the metal layer 24 is also small. Therefore, the metal layer 24 (electrode layer 6) has a high electrical resistance. Thus, while the semiconductor device of this comparative example can avoid the problems associated with the diffusion of B atoms, it has the problem of small grain size of the crystal grains P2 in the metal layer 24.
The metal layer 25, like the metal layers 21, 23, comprises a metal element and silicon (Si). The metal element is, for example, tungsten (W). The metal layer 25 of this embodiment is a W layer formed using a material gas comprising W and a halogen element, and a reducing gas comprising Si and H. An example of the material gas is WF6 gas. Examples of the reducing gas include SiH4 gas and Si2H6 gas. Thus, the metal layer 25 of this embodiment contains Si atoms, not B atoms, as impurity atoms. This makes it possible to avoid the problems associated with the diffusion of B atoms. The metal layer 25 is formed, for example, at a temperature of not more than 300° C., preferably at a temperature of not more than 200° C.
The metal layer 25 may contain B atoms at such a low concentration that the problems associated with the diffusion of B atoms are not serious. For example, the metal layer 25 may contain B atoms which have been diffused from another layer. In at least one embodiment, if the metal layer 25 contains a low concentration of B atoms, the B concentration of the metal layer 25 is lower than the Si concentration of the metal layer 25. The Si concentration of the metal layer 25 is, for example, 6.0×1021 to 1.5×1022 atoms/cm3. The Si concentration of the metal layer 25 varies, for example, depending on the temperature at which the metal layer 25 is formed. When the number of W atoms in the metal layer 25 is represented by N1 and the number of Si atoms in the metal layer 25 is represented by N2, the compositional ratio N2/(N1+N2) of the Si atoms in the metal layer 25 is, for example, 0.10 to 0.15 (10-15%). That is, the metal layer 25 contains mainly tungsten. The metal layer 25 contains more tungsten atoms than silicon atoms.
The metal layer 26, like the metal layers 22, 24, comprises a metal element. The metal layer 26 of this embodiment comprises the same metal element as the metal layer 25. The metal element is, for example, tungsten (W). The metal layer 26 is, for example, a W layer formed using WF6 gas as a material gas and H2 gas as a reducing gas. The metal layer 26 is formed, for example, at a temperature higher than the temperature at which the metal layer 25 is formed. The temperature for forming the metal layer 25 is an example of a first temperature, and the temperature for forming the metal layer 26 is an example of a second temperature.
In this embodiment, the barrier metal layer 6a and the metal layer 26 are polycrystalline layers, while the metal layer 25 is an amorphous layer. The metal layer 25 is formed as an amorphous layer by forming the metal layer 25 at a temperature of not more than 300° C. using the above-described material gas and reducing gas. When the metal layer 26 is formed on the surface of the barrier metal layer 6a via the metal layer 25, the crystallinity of the barrier metal layer 6a does not significantly affect the crystallinity of the metal layer 26 due to the action of the metal layer 25. It is therefore possible to make the grain size of the crystal grains P3 in the metal layer 26 large even when the grain size of the crystal grains PO in the barrier metal layer 6a is small. This makes it possible to reduce the electrical resistance of the metal layer 26 (electrode layer 6). According to this embodiment, it becomes possible to make the grain size of the crystal grains P3 in the metal layer 26 large while avoiding the problems associated with the diffusion of B atoms.
The average grain size of the crystal grains P3 in the metal layer 26 is, for example, not less than 50 nm. The thickness (Z-direction length) of the metal layer 26 of this embodiment is, for example, 25 nm or less. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it becomes possible to make the average grain size of the crystal grains P3 in the metal layer 26 at least twice the thickness of the metal layer 26. Further details of the average grain size of the crystal grains P3 in the metal layer 26 will be described below.
In this embodiment, the average grain size DMEAN of the crystal grains P3 in the metal layer 26 is expressed in terms of the weighted average grain size. As described above, the average (weighted average) grain size DMEAN of the crystal grains P3 in the metal layer 26 is, for example, not less than 50 nm. The thickness of the metal layer 26 of this embodiment is, for example, 25 nm or less. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it becomes possible to make the average (weighted average) grain size DMEAN of the crystal grains P3 in the metal layer 26 at least twice the thickness of the metal layer 26.
When forming an electrode layer 6 in each recess H2, a barrier metal layer 6a is first formed on the surface of an insulating film 5b (
Next, a metal layer 25 is formed on the surface of the barrier metal layer 6a (
Next, a metal layer 26 is formed on the surface of the metal layer 25 (
The transition from the process step of
Therefore, it is preferred that the Si concentration of the metal layer 25 is neither too high nor too low. Thus, the Si concentration of the metal layer 25 of this embodiment is preferably 6.0×1021 to 1.5×1022 atoms/cm3.
As described hereinabove, the electrode material layer 6b of this embodiment is formed of the metal layer 25 and the metal layer 26. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it becomes possible to form the electrode material layer 6b (electrode layer 6) having preferable properties. For example, the electrical resistance of the electrode layer 6 can be reduced by increasing the grain size of the crystal grains in the metal layer 26. Further, by forming the metal layer 25 without using a gas containing boron, it becomes possible to prevent an increase in leakage current caused by the electrode layer 6. Further, by setting the Si concentration of the metal layer 25 to 6.0×1021 to 1.5×1022 atoms/cm3, F atoms and Si atoms in the electrode layer 6 can be prevented from causing damage to the block insulating film 5.
While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2022-147162 | Sep 2022 | JP | national |