IP Library Granted Patent US 9,082,747
Granted Patent B2
US 9,082,747 · App. 14/036,846 · Granted Jul 14, 2015

Method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer readable recording medium for manufacturing a semiconductor device with an amorphous oxide film

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,082,747
App. No.
14/036,846
Granted
Jul 14, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

Provided are a semiconductor device manufacturing method by which a semiconductor device in which a threshold voltage is suppressed from changing can be manufactured, a substrate processing method and apparatus, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, and the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device manufacturing method includes forming an amorphous first oxide film including a first element on a substrate, and modifying the first oxide film to an amorphous second oxide film including the first element and a second element different from the first element by adding the second element to the first oxide film. The first element includes at least one element selected from a group consisting of aluminum, yttrium and lanthanum. A concentration of the second element in the second oxide film is controlled to be lower than that of the first element in the second oxide film.

Claims (56)

1. A method of forming a hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film in the process of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

(a) forming an aluminum first oxide film in an amorphous state;

(b) forming a hafnium oxide film; and

(c) repeating (a) and (b) a predetermined number of times to form the hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film in an amorphous state on a previously formed layer of the semiconductor device, wherein (a) is performed m times and (b) is performed n times to control a concentration of hafnium to be lower than that of aluminum in the hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film, where n>m>1.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of hafnium in the hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film is controlled to be equal to or lower than 40% in (c).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of hafnium in the hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film is controlled to be higher than 2% and lower than 38% in (c).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of hafnium in the hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film is controlled to be substantially 12%.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein (a) and (b) are repeated the predetermined number of times to form the hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film having a predetermined thickness in (c).

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of hafnium is selected in a manner that the hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film remains in an amorphous state after the hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film is heated to 1000° C.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein (a) comprises performing a first cycle m times, the first cycle at least including:

(a-1) exposing the semiconductor device being manufactured to a first source gas including aluminum;

(a-2) removing the first source gas remaining after performing (a-1);

(a-3) exposing the semiconductor device to a first oxygen-containing gas; and

(a-4) removing the first oxygen-containing gas remaining after performing (a-3),

wherein (b) comprises performing a second cycle n times, the second cycle at least including:

(b-1) exposing the semiconductor device to a second source gas including hafnium, the second source gas being different from the first source gas;

(b-2) removing the second source gas remaining after performing (b-1);

(b-3) exposing the semiconductor device to a second oxygen-containing gas; and

(b-4) removing the second oxygen-containing gas remaining after performing (b-3).

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor device is a charge-trap type flash memory with a TANOS structure, and the hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film is formed as a blocking oxide film between a charge trapping film and a gate electrode of the flash memory.

9. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a process chamber accommodating a substrate therein;

a first source gas supply system configured to supply a first source gas including at least aluminum onto the substrate in the process chamber;

a second source gas supply system configured to supply a second source gas onto the substrate in the process chamber, wherein the second source gas includes hafnium, the second source gas being different from the first source gas;

an oxygen-containing gas supply system configured to supply an oxygen-containing gas onto the substrate in the process chamber; and

a control unit configured to control the first source gas supply system, the second source gas supply system and the oxygen-containing gas supply system to perform: (a) forming an aluminum oxide film in an amorphous state; (b) forming a hafnium oxide film; and (c) repeating (a) and (b) a predetermined number of times to form a hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film in an amorphous state on the substrate, wherein (a) is performed m times and (b) is performed n times to control a concentration of hafnium to be lower than that of aluminum in the hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film, where n>m>1.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the control unit is configured to control the concentration of hafnium in the hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film to be substantially 12%.

11. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the control unit is configured to control the first source gas supply system, the second source gas supply system and the oxygen-containing gas supply system to:

perform (a) by performing a first cycle m times, the first cycle at least including:

(a-1) exposing the substrate to a first source gas including aluminum;

(a-2) removing the first source gas remaining after performing (a-1);

(a-3) exposing the substrate to a first oxygen-containing gas; and

(a-4) removing the first oxygen-containing gas remaining after performing (a-3); and

perform (b) by performing a second cycle n times, the second cycle at least including:

(b-1) exposing the substrate to a second source gas including hafnium, the second source gas being different from the first source gas;

(b-2) removing the second source gas remaining after performing (b-1);

(b-3) exposing the substrate to a second oxygen-containing gas; and

(b-4) removing the second oxygen-containing gas remaining after performing (b-3).

12. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the control unit is configured to control the first source gas supply system, the second source gas supply system and the oxygen-containing gas supply system to perform (a), (b), and (c) to form the hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film as a blocking oxide film between a charge trapping film and a gate electrode of a charge-trap type flash memory with a TANOS structure.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to control a substrate processing apparatus to perform:

(a) forming an aluminum oxide film in an amorphous state;

(b) forming a hafnium oxide film; and

(c) repeating (a) and (b) a predetermined number of times to form a hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film in an amorphous state on a substrate, wherein (a) is performed m times and (b) is performed n times to control a concentration of hafnium to be lower than that of aluminum in the hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film, where n>m>1.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 13 , storing a program that causes the computer to further control the substrate processing apparatus to control the concentration of hafnium in the hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film to be substantially 12%.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 13 , storing a program that causes the computer to further control the substrate processing apparatus to:

perform (a) by performing a first cycle m times, the first cycle at least including:

(a-1) exposing the substrate to a first source gas including aluminum;

(a-2) removing the first source gas remaining after performing (a-1);

(a-3) exposing the substrate to a first oxygen-containing gas; and

(a-4) removing the first oxygen-containing gas remaining after performing (a-3); and

perform (b) by performing a second cycle n times, the second cycle at least including:

(b-1) exposing the substrate to a second source gas including hafnium, the second source gas being different from the first source gas;

(b-2) removing the second source gas remaining after performing (b-1);

(b-3) exposing the substrate to a second oxygen-containing gas; and

(b-4) removing the second oxygen-containing gas remaining after performing (b-3).

16. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 13 , storing a program that causes the computer to further control the substrate processing apparatus to form the hafnium-doped aluminum oxide film as a blocking oxide film between a charge trapping film and a gate electrode of a charge-trap type flash memory with a TANOS structure.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 31, 2018
From: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
To: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 048008/0206 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 25, 2013
From: OGAWA, ARITO
To: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
Reel/Frame 031280/0029 →