Amine-free deposition of metal-nitride films

1. A method for forming an integrated circuit comprising:

providing a substrate;

providing an organometallic precursor material;

providing at least one doping agent;

providing a plasma;

placing the substrate within a reaction chamber;

performing a process cycle, wherein the process cycle comprises:

pulsing the organometallic precursor material into the reaction chamber;

pulsing the doping agent into the reaction chamber; and

pulsing the plasma into the reaction chamber,

wherein the organometallic precursor material, the doping agent, and the plasma react at the surface of the substrate to form a metal and carbon containing layer; and

repeating the process cycle until the metal and carbon containing layer is of a sufficient thickness, wherein a number of organometallic precursor material pulses, a number of doping agent pulses, and a number of plasma pulses are varied in consecutive process cycles to form a graded concentration of carbon in the metal and carbon containing layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a semiconductor wafer having a dielectric layer on its surface.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organometallic precursor material comprises Cp 2 TaH 3 .

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the doping agent comprises nitrogen gas (N 2 ) and the metal and carbon containing layer comprises a metal carbonitride layer.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pulsing of the organometallic precursor material into the reaction chamber comprises:

vaporizing the organometallic precursor material using a vapor deposition process; and

using a carrier gas to transport the vaporized organometallic precursor material into the reaction chamber.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein each process cycle includes a plurality of variable parameters, and at least one parameter of each process cycle is varied to form a graded metal and carbon containing layer.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the variable parameters comprise a number of times the organometallic precursor material is pulsed into the reaction chamber, a number of times the plasma is pulsed into the reaction chamber, a number of times the doping agent is pulsed into the reaction chamber, a sequence of the pulses, an organometallic precursor material pulse duration, a doping agent pulse duration, a plasma pulse duration, an N 2 , Ar, or He gas concentration with the plasma, an N 2 , Ar, or He gas concentration without the plasma, a plasma power load, an organometallic precursor material concentration, an organometallic precursor material flow rate, an N 2 , Ar, or He gas flow rate, and a pressure within the reaction chamber.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a sequence of the organometallic precursor material pulses, the doping agent pulses, and the plasma pulses is varied in consecutive process cycles to form a graded concentration of carbon in the metal and carbon containing layer.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organometallic precursor material comprises Cp 2 TaH 3 ; CpTa(CO) 4 ; (MeCp)Ta(CO) 4 ; CpTa(CO) 3 (R), where R is PPh 3 , AsPh 3 , or any other neutral 2 electron donor; CpTa(CO) 3 (R), where R is THF, PPh 3 , PCy 3 , or any other neutral 2 electron donor; CpTa(CO) 2 (C 5 H 5 ); Cp 2 TaH(CO); Cp 2 TaR(CO), where R is Me, CH 2 Ph, Ph, or any other negatively charged 2 electron donor; Cp 2 TaH(CH 2 ═CHR′), where R′ is H, Me, Et, Pr, or Ph; Cp 2 Ta(CH 2 CH 2 R′)(CNR), where R and R′ are each independently chosen from H, Me, Et, Pr, Ph, or any other negatively charged 2 electron donor; CpTaXMe(CHCMe 3 ), where X is Cl, Me, or any other negatively charged 2 electron donor; Cp′TaX(CH 2 Ph)(CHPh), where Cp′ is C 5 H 4 Me, C 5 Me 5 , or any other functionalized cyclopentadienyl ligand, and where X is Cl, CH 2 Ph, or any other negatively charged 2 electron donor; Cp*Ta(PMe 3 )(C 2 H 4 )(CHCMe 3 ); Cp 2 TaMe(CH 2 ); Cp(MeCp)TaMe(CH 2 ); Cp 2 TaMe(CHR), where R is H, Me, Ph, SiMe 3 , or any other negatively charged 2 electron donor; Cp 2 Ta(CHPh 2 )(CHCMe 3 ); Cp 2 Ta(CH 2 Ph)(CHPh); Cp*TaMe 3 Ph; Cp*TaMe 2 (Me 2 CO); Cp*TaMe 2 (C 2 H 4 ); Cp 2 TaMe 3 ; Cp 2 TaPh 2 ; Cp*TaMe 4 ; Cp 2 Ta(Cp) 2 ; Cp′Me 2 Ta(indenyl); Cp 2 TaH(CH 2 ═CHR), where R is Me, Et, nPr, or any other negatively charged 2 electron donor; Cp 2 Ta(cyclopentene); Cp 2 Ta(benzyl)(CHPh); Cp 2 ClTaCH(tBu); CpTa(CH(tBu)X(PMe 3 ) 2 , where X is H, Me, Et, Pr, halide, or Ph; Cp 2 TaMe(C 2 H 4 ); CH 2 ═Ta(Cp) 2 CH 3 ; Cp 2 Ta(nPr)(C 8 H 8 ); CpTa(CO) x (PhCCPh), where x equals 1 or 2; Cp 2 Ta(allyl); Cp 2 Ta(methallyl); Cp′TaH 3 ; Cp 2 TaH(CO); Cp 2 TaH(propene); Cp 2 TaMe 3 ; Cp*TaCO 4 ; Cp*TaMe 4 ; Cp 2 Ta(nPr)(CNMe); Cp*TaMe 2 (benzene); Cp*Ta(CHCMe 3 )(ethene)PMe 3 ; Ta(CO) 3 (C 7 H 7 ); Ta 2 (CO) 12 ; TaH(CO) 2 (Dmpe) 2 ; TaX(CO) 2 [Me 2 P(CH 2 ) 2 PR 2 ] 2 , where X is Cl, I, or any other negatively charged 2 electron donor and R is Et, iPr, or any other negatively charged 2 electron donor; (RHg)Ta(CO) 4 , where R is Et, Ph, or any other negatively charged 2 electron donor; Ph 3 SnTa(CO) 4 ; [(C 5 H 4 nBu)Ta(CO) 3 {Si(Cl 8 H 37 ) 2 }] 2 ; ((CH 3 ) 3 CCH 2 ) 3 Ta═CHC (CH 3 ) 3 ; ((R 1a CR 2a R 3a )((R 1b CR 2b R 3b )((R 1c ,CR 2c R 3c )Ta═CR 4 R 5 where R n is H, Me, Et, iPr, nPr, tBu, sBu, iBu, nBu, amyl, F, Cl, Br, I, or any other negatively charged 2-electron donor; Ta(allyl) 4 ; Ta(1-methyallyl)(C 4 H 6 ) 2 ; or TaMe 5 .

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pulsing of the plasma into the reaction chamber comprises pulsing the plasma when the plasma is already inside the chamber.