Granted Patent B2

US 12,344,934 · App. 18/634,054 · Granted Jul 1, 2025

Inventors: Barry C. Arkles (Pipersville, PA); Alain E. Kaloyeros (Slingerlands, NY)

Assignee: GELEST, INC.

C23C16/45553C23C16/345C23C16/4401C23C16/4554C23C16/52

Abstract

Claims (40)

1. A method for deposition of a silicon oxide thin film onto a substrate in a reaction zone of a deposition chamber, the method comprising, in a single cycle:

heating a substrate to a temperature of about 200° C. to about 650° C.;

maintaining the substrate at about 200° C. to about 650° C.;

providing a precursor comprising a N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane in the vapor phase with a carrier gas and/or under vacuum to the reaction zone containing the substrate;

forming a monolayer of the N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane by adsorption to the substrate surface; and

exposing the adsorbed monolayer on the substrate in the reaction zone to a remote or direct soft plasma of an oxygen-containing reactant;

wherein the adsorbed N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane monolayer reacts with the soft plasma and undergoes conversion to a discrete atomic or molecular layer of a silicon oxide thin film via dissociation and/or decomposition due to or enabled by a substrate surface-induced process; and

wherein byproducts of the conversion are removed from the reaction zone by an inert gas through a purge step and/or the vacuum.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising after forming the monolayer of the N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane by adsorption to the substrate surface, removing unreacted N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane and byproducts thereof from the reaction zone through a second purge step with an inert gas and/or the vacuum.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate temperature is about 200° C. to about 350° C.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane is 1,3,5-tri(isopropyl)cyclotrisilazane.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the oxygen-containing reactant is ozone, water, and/or O 2 plasma.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the single cycle is repeated until a thin film of a predetermined thickness is achieved.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate surface-induced process is energy transfer, remote plasma application, direct plasma application, oxidation, and/or reduction.

8. A method for deposition of a silicon carbonitride thin film onto a substrate in a reaction zone of a deposition chamber, the method comprising, in a single cycle:

heating a substrate to a temperature of room temperature to about 200° C.;

maintaining the substrate at room temperature to about 200° C.;

providing a precursor comprising a N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane in the vapor phase with a carrier gas and/or under vacuum to the reaction zone containing the substrate;

forming a monolayer of the N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane by adsorption to the substrate surface; and

exposing the adsorbed monolayer on the substrate in the reaction zone to a remote or direct soft plasma of a nitrogen-containing reactant;

wherein the adsorbed N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane monolayer reacts with the soft plasma and undergoes conversion to a discrete atomic or molecular layer of a silicon carbonitride thin film via dissociation and/or decomposition due to or enabled by a substrate surface-induced process; and

wherein byproducts of the conversion are removed from the reaction zone by an inert gas through a purge step and/or the vacuum.

9. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising after forming the monolayer of the N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane by adsorption to the substrate surface, removing unreacted N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane and byproducts thereof from the reaction zone through a second purge step with an inert gas and/or the vacuum.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane is 1,3,5-tri(isopropyl)cyclotrisilazane.

11. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the nitrogen-containing reactant comprises NH 3 , N 2 , a mixture of N 2 and H 2 , methylamine, and/or hydrazine.

12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the single cycle is repeated until a thin film of a predetermined thickness is achieved.

13. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the substrate surface-induced process is energy transfer, remote plasma application, direct plasma application, oxidation, and/or reduction.

14. A method for deposition of a silicon thin film onto a substrate in a reaction zone of a deposition chamber, the method comprising, in a single cycle:

heating a substrate to a temperature of about 200° C. to about 650° C.;

maintaining the substrate at about 200° C. to about 650° C.;

providing a precursor comprising a N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane in the vapor phase with a carrier gas and/or under vacuum to the reaction zone containing the substrate;

forming a monolayer of the N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane by adsorption to the substrate surface; and

exposing the adsorbed monolayer on the substrate in the reaction zone to a remote or direct soft plasma of a hydrogen-containing reactant;

wherein the adsorbed N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane monolayer reacts with the soft plasma and undergoes conversion to a discrete atomic or molecular layer of a silicon thin film via dissociation and/or decomposition due to or enabled by a substrate surface-induced process; and

wherein byproducts of the conversion are removed from the reaction zone by an inert gas through a purge step and/or the vacuum.

15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising after forming the monolayer of the N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane by adsorption to the substrate surface, removing unreacted N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane and byproducts thereof from the reaction zone through a second purge step with an inert gas and/or the vacuum.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the substrate temperature is about 200° C. to about 350° C.

17. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the N-alkyl substituted perhydridocyclotrisilazane is 1,3,5-tri(isopropyl)cyclotrisilazane.

18. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the single cycle is repeated until a thin film of a predetermined thickness is achieved.

19. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the substrate surface-induced process is energy transfer, remote plasma application, direct plasma application, oxidation, and/or reduction.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (3)

References Cited (143)