Method for treatment of deposition reactor
A method for treating a deposition reactor is disclosed. The method removes or mitigates formation of residue in a gas-phase reactor used to deposit doped metal films, such as aluminum-doped titanium carbide films or aluminum-doped tantalum carbide films. The method includes a step of exposing a reaction chamber to a treatment reactant that mitigates formation of species that lead to residue formation.
1. A method of treating a deposition reactor, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a metal halide chemistry, selected from the group consisting of titanium halides, tantalum halides, and niobium halides, to a reaction chamber of the deposition reactor;
providing a metal CVD precursor selected from the group consisting of organometallic compound chemistry and aluminum CVD compound chemistry to the reaction chamber;
forming a deposited doped metal film comprising one or more of B, C, Si N overlying a substrate;
optionally removing the substrate;
providing a treatment reactant chemistry to the reaction chamber;
exposing the reaction chamber to the treatment reactant chemistry to mitigate formation of particles comprising decomposition products of the metal CVD precursor; and
purging the reaction chamber.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a treatment reactant chemistry to the reaction chamber includes providing a reactant selected from one or more of the group consisting of hydrogen compounds including one or more hydrogen atoms and compounds including a halogen.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a treatment reactant chemistry comprises providing a compound selected from the group comprising ammonia, hydrogen, silane, methane, silicon hydrides, boron hydrides, halosilanes, haloboranes, alkenes, alkynes, and hydrazine and its derivatives.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a treatment reactant chemistry comprises providing ammonia to the reaction chamber.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a treatment reactant chemistry comprises providing a source of a decomposition product of a compound selected from the group consisting of organometallic compounds and aluminum CVD compounds.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of exposing a treatment reactant to a plasma.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of exposing a treatment reactant to thermal excitation.
8. A method of treating a deposition reactor, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a metal halide chemistry, selected from the group consisting of titanium halides, tantalum halides, and niobium halides, to a reaction chamber for a period of time;
after the step of providing a metal halide chemistry to a reaction chamber for a period of time, providing a treatment reactant chemistry to the reaction chamber for a period of time; and
during or after providing a treatment reactant chemistry to the reaction chamber for a period of time, providing a metal CVD precursor chemistry to the reaction chamber to form a layer of doped metal,
wherein use of the treatment reactant chemistry mitigates particle formation in the reaction chamber.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of providing a treatment reactant chemistry to the reaction chamber includes providing a reactant chemistry from a source selected from one or more of the group consisting of hydrogen compounds including one or more hydrogen atoms and compounds including a halogen.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of providing a treatment reactant chemistry comprises providing a compound from a source selected from the group comprising ammonia, hydrogen, silane, methane, silicon hydrides, boron hydrides, halosilanes, haloboranes, alkenes, alkynes, and hydrazine and its derivatives.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of providing a treatment reactant chemistry comprises providing activated hydrogen to the reaction chamber.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of providing a treatment reactant chemistry comprises providing a source of a decomposition product of a compound selected from the group consisting of organometallic compounds and aluminum CVD compounds.
13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the step of exposing a treatment reactant to a plasma.
14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the step of exposing a treatment reactant to thermal excitation.