Method of, and apparatus for, forming hard mask

1. A method of forming a hard mask comprising:

depositing step for depositing a titanium nitride film to be the hard mask on a surface of a to-be-processed object; thereafter

adsorbing step for adsorbing oxygen-containing molecules onto a surface of the titanium nitride film at oxygen partial pressure of 0.01-1000 Pa; and

heating step for heating the titanium nitride film to a predetermined temperature following the adsorbing step,

wherein the adsorbing step and the heating step are sequentially carried out as independent steps in a specified order,

wherein, due to the adsorbing step and the heating step, a stress of the titanium nitride film is changed to a tensile side, and

an amount of change in the stress of the titanium nitride film in the tensile side is above 134.8 MPa.

2. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein, in the depositing step, after disposing in position a target made of titanium and the object-to-be-processed inside a processing chamber, rare gas and nitrogen gas are introduced into the processing chamber that has been evacuated, and the target is charged with electricity to thereby deposit by reactive sputtering the titanium nitride film on the surface of the object-to-be-processed,

wherein, in the adsorption step, after having formed the titanium nitride film on the surface of the object-to-be-processed, oxygen-containing gas is introduced into the processing chamber to thereby cause the oxygen-containing molecules to be adsorbed onto the surface of the titanium nitride film, and

wherein, in the heating step, the object-to-be-processed that has been heated in the depositing step is continuously heated.

3. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein, in the adsorbing step, a plasma atmosphere of the oxygen-containing gas is formed and, by exposing the titanium nitride film to the plasma atmosphere, the heating step is also performed, wherein the object-to-be-processed is heated to 100-550° C.

4. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the heating temperature in the heating step is set to a range of 100-550° C.

5. A hard mask forming apparatus for carrying out the method of forming a hard mask according to claim 1 , the apparatus comprising:

a vacuum processing chamber for performing therein the depositing step, the adsorbing step, and the heating step;

an oxygen-containing gas introducing means for introducing oxygen-containing gas into the vacuum processing chamber; and

a heating means for heating the to-be-processed object disposed in the vacuum processing chamber.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in the depositing step, the oxygen-containing molecules are adsorbed at oxygen partial pressure of 4-400 Pa.

7. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein, in the adsorbing step, a plasma atmosphere of the oxygen-containing gas is formed, and the titanium nitride film is exposed to the plasma atmosphere.

8. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein, in the heating step, after the depositing step the to-be-processed object is heated by exposure to argon plasma which is free from oxygen-containing molecules.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein

an amount of change in a density of the titanium nitride film is less than 0.05 g/cm 3 .

10. A method of forming a hard mask comprising:

depositing step for depositing on a surface of a to-be-processed object a titanium nitride film having a compression stress; thereafter

adsorbing step for adsorbing oxygen-containing molecules onto a surface of the titanium nitride film by exposing the to-be-processed object to the atmosphere for 30 seconds or more; and

heating step for heating the titanium nitride film to a predetermined temperature following the adsorbing step to thereby reduce the compression stress of the titanium nitride film such that an amount of change in the stress of the titanium nitride film in a tensile side is above 134.8 MPa, wherein

the adsorbing step and the heating step are sequentially carried out as independent steps in a specified order.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein

an amount of change in a density of the titanium nitride film is less than 0.05 g/cm 3 .