IP Library Granted Patent US 12,506,002
Granted Patent B2
US 12,506,002 · App. 15/464,816 · Granted Dec 23, 2025

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device using plasma to modify surface of silicon-containing films exposed in trench structure, and recording medium

Inventor: Masanori Nakayama (Toyama, JP)
Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
H01L21/0234H01J37/3211H01J37/32155H01J37/32926H01L21/02236H01L21/02238H01L21/02252H01L21/02323H01L21/02326H01L21/32105H01J2237/332
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,506,002
App. No.
15/464,816
Granted
Dec 23, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes providing a substrate processing apparatus including a substrate processing chamber having a plasma generation space and a substrate processing space, a coil provided on the plasma generation space and having an electrical length equal to an integer multiple of a wavelength of high frequency power, and a mounting table, mounting the substrate having a trench to the mounting table, the trench configured so that surfaces of silicon-containing films differing in type are exposed, while at least one of the silicon-containing films including surfaces differing in crystal orientation, supplying a process gas into the chamber, starting generation of plasma of the process gas by applying high frequency power to the coil, and modifying the surfaces by the plasma.

Claims (33)

1 . A method of processing a substrate, comprising:

supplying a process gas to the substrate, wherein the substrate has a trench structure on a surface of the substrate and includes a monocrystalline silicon base and a plurality of silicon-containing films, the plurality of silicon-containing films includes a first silicon oxide film not containing nitrogen, a silicon nitride film not containing oxygen, and a second silicon oxide film not containing nitrogen that are sequentially stacked on the monocrystalline silicon base, the first silicon oxide film not containing nitrogen is stacked directly on the monocrystalline silicon base, the monocrystalline silicon base, the first silicon oxide film, the silicon nitride film and the second silicon oxide film respectively have surfaces that are exposed in the trench structure, the monocrystalline silicon base includes a plurality of portions whose crystal orientations are different from each other and which are exposed in a bottom surface of the trench structure;

starting generation of plasma of the process gas; and

modifying the surfaces of the monocrystalline silicon base and the silicon nitride film exposed in the trench structure of the substrate, respectively, into oxide films by the plasma,

wherein the monocrystalline silicon base and the silicon nitride film are different from each other in magnitude of bonding energy,

wherein the plurality of portions included in the monocrystalline silicon base are different from each other in magnitude of bonding energy, and

wherein the process gas is a mixed gas of an oxygen gas and a hydrogen gas, and a volume ratio of the hydrogen gas in the process gas is 3% or more and 7% or less.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

after the generation of the plasma of the process gas is started, controlling a frequency of a high frequency power to maintain a resonance state.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the surfaces of the monocrystalline silicon base and the silicon nitride film further comprises modifying the surfaces of the silicon nitride film, which are exposed in the trench structure of the substrate, and the surfaces of the plurality of portions of the monocrystalline silicon base, whose crystal orientations are different from each other and which are exposed in the trench structure of the substrate, at the same thickness.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the starting the generation of the plasma of the process gas comprises applying high frequency power of 1.0 kW or more.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the surfaces of the monocrystalline silicon base and the silicon nitride film further comprises oxidizing the surfaces of the monocrystalline silicon base and the silicon nitride film exposed in the trench structure.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the trench structure includes a trench whose aspect ratio is about 20.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfaces of the plurality of silicon-containing films are exposed in different positions in a depth direction of the trench structure inside the trench structure.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the surfaces of the monocrystalline silicon base and the silicon nitride film further comprises setting a process pressure to fall within a range of 100 Pa or more and 200 Pa or less.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of silicon-containing films further includes a polysilicon film.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of portions included in the monocrystalline silicon base have crystal orientations of ( 100 ), ( 111 ) and ( 110 ), respectively.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a deviation of thickness of the oxide films formed by modifying the surfaces of the monocrystalline silicon base and the silicon nitride film falls within a range of +10%.

12 . A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the method of claim 1 .

13 . A method of forming a semiconductor device, comprising:

forming a first silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen, a silicon nitride layer not containing oxygen, and a second silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen that are sequentially stacked on a monocrystalline silicon base of a substrate, the second silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen being provided on the silicon nitride layer not containing oxygen, the silicon nitride layer not containing oxygen being provided on the first silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen, the first silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen being provided directly on the monocrystalline silicon base;

selectively removing the second silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen, the silicon nitride layer not containing oxygen, the first silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen, and the monocrystalline silicon base of the substrate to form a trench which includes a recess in the substrate and respectively exposes side surfaces of the first silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen, the silicon nitride layer not containing oxygen, and the second silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen and a surface of the monocrystalline silicon base including a plurality of portions whose crystal orientations are different from each other in a bottom surface of the recess; and

supplying a plasma gas which is obtained by exciting a process gas to the trench to modify the exposed side surfaces of the silicon nitride layer not containing oxygen and the exposed surface of the monocrystalline silicon base, respectively, into oxide layers, so that the oxidized side surfaces of the silicon nitride layer not containing oxygen and the oxidized surface of the monocrystalline silicon base has substantially the same thickness to one another, and

wherein the monocrystalline silicon base and the silicon nitride layer are different from each other in magnitude of bonding energy,

wherein the plurality of portions included in the monocrystalline silicon base are different from each other in magnitude of bonding energy, and

wherein the process gas is a mixed gas of an oxygen gas and a hydrogen gas, and a volume ratio of the hydrogen gas in the process gas is 3% or more and 7% or less.

14 . A method of processing a substrate, comprising:

forming a first silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen, a silicon nitride layer not containing oxygen, and a second silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen that are sequentially stacked on a monocrystalline silicon base of the substrate, the second silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen being provided on the silicon nitride layer not containing oxygen, the silicon nitride layer not containing oxygen being provided on the first silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen, the first silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen being provided directly on the monocrystalline silicon base;

selectively removing the second silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen, the silicon nitride layer not containing oxygen, the first silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen, and the monocrystalline silicon base of the substrate to form a trench which includes a recess in the substrate and respectively exposes side surfaces of the first silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen, the silicon nitride layer not containing oxygen, and the second silicon oxide layer not containing nitrogen and a surface of the monocrystalline silicon base including a plurality of portions whose crystal orientations are different from each other in a bottom surface of the recess; and

supplying a plasma gas which is obtained by exciting a process gas to the trench to modify the exposed side surfaces of the silicon nitride layer not containing oxygen and the exposed surface of the monocrystalline silicon base, respectively, into oxide films, so that the oxidized side surfaces of the silicon nitride layer not containing oxygen and the oxidized surface of the monocrystalline silicon base has substantially the same thickness to one another, and

wherein the monocrystalline silicon base and the silicon nitride film are different from each other in magnitude of bonding energy,

wherein the plurality of portions included in the monocrystalline silicon base are different from each other in magnitude of bonding energy, and

wherein the process gas is a mixed gas of an oxygen gas and a hydrogen gas, and a volume ratio of the hydrogen gas in the process gas is 3% or more and 7% or less.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 31, 2018
From: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
To: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 047995/0462 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 21, 2017
From: NAKAYAMA, MASANORI
To: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
Reel/Frame 041667/0012 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2015-018411 · Feb 2, 2015 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2016051818 · Jan 22, 2016
Related Publication 20170194135A1 · Jul 6, 2017
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