Method for processing a substrate
In one embodiment, a particle with a first particle thickness may be formed on a film with a first thickness, followed by a plasma treatment. The first particle thickness may be reduced to a second particle thickness below an allowable limit and the first film thickness may be reduced to a second film thickness by the plasma treatment. In another embodiment, a particle with a first particle thickness may be formed on a first film with a first film thickness, followed by a plasma treatment. The first particle thickness may be reduced to a second particle thickness below an allowable limit and the first film thickness may be reduced to a second film thickness by the plasma treatment. After the plasma treatment, a second film with a third film thickness may be deposited on the first film and the particle may be buried in the second film.
1 . A method for processing a substrate comprising:
a deposition step for depositing a first film with a first film thickness on the substrate, the deposition step comprising:
a source supply step;
a reactant supply step; and
a plasma supply step; and
after the deposition step, performing a plasma treatment step for cyclically supplying a plasma to a reactor,
wherein a particle with a first particle thickness is deposited on the first film during the deposition step,
wherein the plasma treatment step comprises sputtering,
wherein an inert gas is continuously supplied throughout the deposition step and the plasma treatment step, and
wherein the first particle thickness is reduced to a second particle thickness, and the first film thickness of the first film is reduced to a second film thickness during the plasma treatment step, wherein the first particle thickness is measured perpendicular to a direction of first film thickness.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first particle is generated from a film deposited on an inner surface of a reactor.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second particle thickness is below an allowable limit not affecting a quality of the substrate processing process.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: depositing a second film with a third film thickness on the first film with the second film thickness.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein a sum of the second film thickness of the first film and the third film thickness of the second film is the same as or bigger than the first film thickness of the first film.
6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the particle with the second particle thickness is buried in the second film with the third film thickness, such that the second film covers a top and a side of the particle.
7 . The method of claim 4 , wherein depositing the second film comprises repeating a plurality of times:
a source gas supply step;
a reactant supply step; and
a plasma supply step.
8 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the first film and the second film are identical.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma supply step and the plasma treatment step comprise supplying a RF power to the reactor respectively, and the RF power supplied during the plasma treatment step is greater than the RF power supplied during the plasma supply step.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the plasma treatment step comprises supplying a high frequency RF power and a low frequency RF power to the reactor.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma supplied during the plasma treatment step is supplied longer than the plasma supplied during the plasma supply step.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the source gas comprises at least one of: aminosilane, iodosilane, silicon halide, or combination thereof.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the source gas comprises at least one of: TSA, (SiH 3 ) 3 N; DSO, (SiH 3 ) 2 ; DSMA, (SiH 3 ) 2 NMe; DSEA, (SiH 3 ) 2 NEt; DSIPA, (SiH 3 ) 2 N(iPr); DSTBA, (SiH 3 ) 2 N(tBu); DEAS, SiH 3 NEt 2 ; DTBAS, SiH 3 N(tBu) 2 ; BDEAS, SiH 2 (NEt 2 ) 2 ; BDMAS, SiH 2 (NMe 2 ) 2 ; BTBAS, SiH 2 (NHtBu) 2 ; BITS, SiH 2 (NHSiMe 3 ) 2 ; DIPAS, SiH 3 N(iPr) 2 ; TEOS, Si(OEt) 4 ; SiCl 4 ; HCD, Si 2 Cl 6 ; 3DMAS, SiH(N(Me) 2 ) 3 ; BEMAS, SiH 2 [N(Et)(Me)] 2 ; AHEAD, Si 2 (NHEt) 6 ; TEAS, Si(NHEt) 4 ; DCS, SiH 2 Cl 2 ; Si 3 H 8 ; SiHI 3 ; or SiH 2 I 2 ; or combination thereof.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a reactant provided during the reactant supply step is oxygen-containing gas.
15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a reactant provided during the reactant supply step is nitrogen-containing gas.
16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a power applied during deposition step is between 200 W and 1000 W per substrate.
17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a power applied during the treatments step is between 1000 W and 4000 W per substrate.
18 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the plasma treatment step is repeated prior to the step of depositing a second film.