Methods of forming a semiconductor structure and methods of forming isolation structures
View Patent ↗A method of reducing silicon consumption of a silicon material. The method comprises cleaning a silicon material and subjecting the cleaned silicon material to a vacuum anneal at a temperature below a melting point of silicon and under vacuum conditions. The silicon material is subjected to additional process acts without substantially removing silicon of the silicon material. Additional methods of forming a semiconductor structure and forming isolation structures are also disclosed.
1. A method of forming a semiconductor structure, comprising:
cleaning a silicon material at a chuck temperature between about 800° C. and about 1000° C.;
vacuum annealing the silicon material; and
forming an insulating material on the silicon material,
wherein the cleaning, the vacuum annealing, and the forming are conducted in a single processing apparatus.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein cleaning a silicon material comprises cleaning an exposed surface of the silicon material.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein cleaning a silicon material comprises removing contaminants comprising metals and polymers from the silicon material.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein cleaning a silicon material comprises cleaning a silicon material consisting of silicon.
5. A method of forming a semiconductor structure, comprising:
cleaning a silicon material;
vacuum annealing the silicon material and further comprising exposing the silicon material to a silicon source gas during the vacuum annealing; and
forming an insulating material on the silicon material,
wherein the cleaning, the vacuum annealing, and the forming are conducted in a single processing apparatus.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein cleaning a silicon material comprises removing silicon oxides from the silicon material.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein vacuum annealing the silicon material comprises heating the silicon material to a chuck temperature between about 800° C. and about 1000° C. under a vacuum.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein vacuum annealing the silicon material comprises conducting the vacuum anneal in situ in the single processing apparatus.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming an insulating material on the silicon material comprises forming the insulating material in situ in the single processing apparatus.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vacuum annealing and the forming are conducted in a single chamber of the single processing apparatus.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising conducting the cleaning in the same chamber of the single processing apparatus as the vacuum annealing and the forming.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming an insulating material on the silicon material comprises forming the insulating material by atomic layer deposition.
13. The method of claim 5 , wherein vacuum annealing the silicon material comprises moving silicon atoms of the silicon material within the silicon material.
14. A method of forming isolation structures in a single processing apparatus, the method comprising:
vacuum annealing a silicon material comprising mesas and trenches therein, the silicon material being substantially free from contaminants; and
forming an insulating material in the trenches to isolate adjacent mesas of the silicon material from one another,
wherein the vacuum annealing and the forming are conducted in a single processing apparatus.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein vacuum annealing a silicon material comprises heating the silicon material under vacuum and at a chuck temperature below a melting point of silicon.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein forming an insulating material in the trenches comprises forming a liner material in the trenches.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein forming a liner material in the trenches comprises forming the liner material by atomic layer deposition.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein forming an insulating material in the trenches comprises forming a fill material over the liner material and in the trenches.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein forming a fill material over the liner material and in the trenches comprises forming shallow trench isolation structures in the trenches.
20. The method of claim 14 , further comprising conducting the vacuum annealing and the forming in different chambers of the single processing apparatus.