IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,408,068
Granted Patent B2
US 11,408,068 · App. 17/163,687 · Granted Aug 9, 2022

Deposition of tellurium-containing thin films

Inventors: Thomas Knisley (Livonia, MI); Keenan N. Woods (San Ramon, CA); Mark Saly (Santa Clara, CA); Charles H. Winter (Bloomfield Hills, MI); Apoorva Upadhyay (Ottawa, CA)
Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
C23C16/18C23C16/30C23C16/4408C23C16/45527H01L21/0228H01L21/28506
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,408,068
App. No.
17/163,687
Granted
Aug 9, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods for depositing tellurium-containing films on a substrate are described. The substrate is exposed to a tellurium precursor and a reactant to form the tellurium-containing film (e.g., elemental tellurium, tellurium oxide, tellurium carbide, tellurium silicide, germanium telluride, antimony telluride, germanium antimony telluride). The exposures can be sequential or simultaneous.

Claims (27)

1. A method of depositing a film, the method comprising:

exposing a substrate to a tellurium precursor in a processing chamber to deposit a film on the substrate, the tellurium precursor having a structure of

wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , R 15 , and R 16 are independently selected from fluorocarbons, heteroatom-containing hydrocarbons, silicon containing groups (e.g. SiR 3 ), and germanium-containing groups (e.g. GeR 3 ), and n is a number in a range from 0 to 5;

purging the processing chamber of the tellurium precursor,

exposing the substrate to a reactant to react with the film to form an elemental tellurium film on the substrate; and

purging the processing chamber of the reactant.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reactant comprises a reducing agent.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises one or more of silicon (Si), silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), silicon oxide (SiO), silicon oxycarbide (SiOC), platinum (Pt), titanium nitride (TiN), tantalum nitride (TaN), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), tungsten (W), ruthenium (Ru) or molybdenum (Mo).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is maintained at a temperature in a range of about 20° C. to about 400° C.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising repeating the method to provide a tellurium film having a thickness of about 0.3 to about 100 nm.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tellurium precursor comprises

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tellurium precursor is Te(OCH 2 CF 3 ) 4 .

8. A method of depositing a film, the method comprising:

exposing a substrate to a tellurium precursor in a processing chamber to deposit an elemental tellurium film on the substrate, the tellurium precursor having a structure of

wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , R 15 , and R 16 are independently selected from fluorocarbons, heteroatom-containing hydrocarbons, silicon containing groups (e.g. SiR 3 ), and germanium-containing groups (e.g. GeR 3 ), and n is a number in a range from 0 to 5;

purging the processing chamber of the tellurium precursor,

exposing the substrate to one or more of a germanium precursor and an antimony precursor to react with the elemental tellurium film to form one or more of a germanium tellurium film, germanium tellurium antimony film, or antimony tellurium film on the substrate; and

purging the processing chamber of the germanium precursor and the antimony precursor.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the substrate comprises one or more of silicon (Si), silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), silicon oxide (SiO), silicon oxycarbide (SiOC), platinum (Pt), titanium nitride (TiN), tantalum nitride (TaN), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), tungsten (W), ruthenium (Ru) or molybdenum (Mo).

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the substrate is maintained at a temperature in a range of about 20° C. to about 400° C.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the tellurium precursor is Te(OCH 2 CF 3 ) 4 .

12. A method of depositing a film, the method comprising:

selectively forming an elemental tellurium film in a process cycle comprising sequential exposure of a substrate to a tellurium precursor, purge gas, reactant, and purge gas, the tellurium precursor having a structure of

wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , R 12 , R 13 , R 14 , R 15 , and R 16 are independently selected from fluorocarbons, heteroatom-containing hydrocarbons, silicon containing groups (e.g. SiR 3 ), and germanium-containing groups (e.g. GeR 3 ), and n is a number in a range from 0 to 5.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the reactant comprises one or more a reducing agent, a germanium precursor, and an antimony precursor.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the process cycle is maintained at a temperature in a range of about 20° C. to about 400° C.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the tellurium precursor is Te(OCH 2 CF 3 ) 4 .

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 6, 2021
From: KNISLEY, THOMAS; WOODS, KEENAN N.; SALY, MARK
To: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Reel/Frame 056150/0578 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 3, 2021
From: WINTER, CHARLES H.; UPADHYAY, APOORVA
To: WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
Reel/Frame 056113/0297 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62979082 · Feb 20, 2020
Related Publication 20210262084A1 · Aug 26, 2021