IP Library Granted Patent US 12,288,683
Granted Patent B2
US 12,288,683 · App. 17/697,688 · Granted Apr 29, 2025

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device, substrate processing method, non-transitory computer-readable recording medium and substrate processing apparatus

Inventors: Yasunobu Koshi (Toyama, JP); Kazuyuki Okuda (Toyama, JP); Yoshitomo Hashimoto (Toyama, JP); Katsuyoshi Harada (Toyama, JP)
Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
H01L21/0228C23C16/45536C23C16/45544C23C16/52H01J37/32449H01J37/32724H01J37/32816H01L21/0217H01L21/02274H01J2237/332
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,288,683
App. No.
17/697,688
Granted
Apr 29, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to one aspect of a technique of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including: (A) forming a film containing a predetermined element and nitrogen on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, wherein the cycle includes: (a) forming a first layer by supplying a source gas containing the predetermined element and a halogen element to the substrate heated to a first temperature; (b) forming a second layer by modifying the first layer by supplying a plasma-excited first modification gas containing hydrogen free of nitrogen; and (c) forming a third layer by modifying the second layer by supplying a plasma-excited second modification gas containing nitrogen and hydrogen. A supply time T H of supplying the first modification gas in (b) is set to be longer than a supply time T N of supplying the second modification gas in (c).

Claims (53)

1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising

(A) forming a film containing a predetermined element and nitrogen on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times,

wherein the cycle comprises:

(a) forming a first layer by supplying a source gas containing the predetermined element and a halogen element to the substrate heated to a first temperature in a process chamber;

(b) forming a second layer by modifying the first layer by supplying a first modification gas containing hydrogen free of nitrogen and exited by plasma to the substrate in the process chamber; and

(c) forming a third layer by modifying the second layer by supplying a second modification gas containing nitrogen and hydrogen and exited by plasma to the substrate in the process chamber, and

wherein a supply time T H of supplying the first modification gas in (b) is set to be longer than a supply time T N of supplying the second modification gas in (c).

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising

(B) lowering a temperature of the substrate to a second temperature lower than the first temperature,

wherein a ratio T H /T N of the supply time T H to the supply time T N is adjusted such that a magnitude of a compressive stress S generated in the film in a state where (A) and (B) are sequentially performed is smaller than a magnitude of a compressive stress S x generated in a comparative film X in a state where (B) is performed after the comparative film X is formed by performing the predetermined number of times of a cycle comprising (a) and (c) without comprising (b).

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein a value of the ratio T H /T N is adjusted such that a shrinkage amount of the film generated by performing (b) is greater than a decrease in a shrinkage amount of the film generated by performing (c) and (B).

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein, the value of the ratio T H /T N is selected from a numerical range in which the magnitude of the compressive stress decreases as the value increases.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the value of the ratio T H /T N is greater than 2.5.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising

(B) lowering a temperature of the substrate to a second temperature lower than the first temperature,

wherein the first modification gas is continuously supplied in (b) such that a magnitude of a compressive stress S generated in the film in a state where (A) and (B) are sequentially performed is smaller than a magnitude of a compressive stress S x generated in a comparative film X in a state where (B) is performed after the comparative film X is formed by performing the predetermined number of times of a cycle comprising (a) and (c) without comprising (b).

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first modification gas is continuously supplied in (b) until a shrinkage amount of the film generated by performing (b) is greater than a decrease in a shrinkage amount of the film generated by performing (c) and (B).

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer in (a) comprises a layer containing the predetermined element and the halogen element, the second layer in (b) is formed by desorbing the halogen element from the first layer, and the third layer in (c) is formed by nitriding the second layer.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising

(B) lowering a temperature of the substrate to a second temperature lower than the first temperature,

wherein the first modification gas is excited by the plasma by applying high frequency power R H to the first modification gas in (b), and the second modification gas is excited by the plasma by applying high frequency power R N to the second modification gas in (c), and

wherein a ratio R H /R N of the high frequency power R H to the high frequency power R N is adjusted such that a magnitude of a compressive stress S generated in the film in a state where (A) and (B) are sequentially performed is smaller than a magnitude of a compressive stress S x generated in a comparative film X in a state where (B) is performed after the comparative film X is formed by performing the predetermined number of times of a cycle comprising (a) and (c) without comprising (b).

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein a value of the ratio R H /R N is greater than 0.5.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising

(B) lowering a temperature of the substrate to a second temperature lower than the first temperature,

wherein an inner pressure of the process chamber is adjusted such that such that a magnitude of a compressive stress S generated in the film in a state where (A) and (B) are sequentially performed is smaller than a magnitude of a compressive stress S x generated in a comparative film X in a state where (B) is performed after the comparative film X is formed by performing the predetermined number of times of a cycle comprising (a) and (c) without comprising (b).

12. A substrate processing method comprising:

(A) forming a film containing a predetermined element and nitrogen on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times,

wherein the cycle comprises:

(a) forming a first layer by supplying a source gas containing the predetermined element and a halogen element to the substrate heated to a first temperature in a process chamber;

(b) forming a second layer by modifying the first layer by supplying a first modification gas containing hydrogen free of nitrogen and exited by plasma to the substrate in the process chamber; and

(c) forming a third layer by modifying the second layer by supplying a second modification gas containing nitrogen and hydrogen and exited by plasma to the substrate in the process chamber, and

wherein a supply time T H of supplying the first modification gas in (b) is set to be longer than a supply time T N of supplying the second modification gas in (c).

13. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes, by a computer, a substrate processing apparatus to perform:

(A) forming a film containing a predetermined element and nitrogen on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times,

wherein the cycle comprises:

(a) forming a first layer by supplying a source gas containing the predetermined element and a halogen element to the substrate heated to a first temperature in a process chamber;

(b) forming a second layer by modifying the first layer by supplying a first modification gas containing hydrogen free of nitrogen and exited by plasma to the substrate in the process chamber; and

(c) forming a third layer by modifying the second layer by supplying a second modification gas containing nitrogen and hydrogen and exited by plasma to the substrate in the process chamber, and

wherein a supply time T H of supplying the first modification gas in (b) is set to be longer than a supply time T N of supplying the second modification gas in (c).

14. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a process chamber in which a substrate is processed;

a heater configured to heat the substrate in the process chamber;

a source gas supplier through which a source gas containing a predetermined element and a halogen element is supplied to the substrate in the process chamber;

a first modification gas supplier through which a first modification gas containing hydrogen free of nitrogen is supplied to the substrate in the process chamber;

a second modification gas supplier through which a second modification gas containing nitrogen and hydrogen is supplied to the substrate in the process chamber;

a plasma exciter configured to activate each of the first modification gas and the second modification gas into a plasma state; and

a controller configure to be capable of controlling the heater, the source gas supplier, the first modification gas supplier, the second modification gas supplier and the plasma exciter to perform (A) forming a film containing the predetermined element and nitrogen on the substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times,

wherein the cycle comprises:

(a) forming a first layer by supplying the source gas to the substrate heated to a first temperature in the process chamber;

(b) forming a second layer by modifying the first layer by supplying the first modification gas exited by plasma to the substrate in the process chamber; and

(c) forming a third layer by modifying the second layer by supplying the second modification gas exited by plasma to the substrate in the process chamber, and

wherein a supply time T H of supplying the first modification gas in (b) is set to be longer than a supply time T N of supplying the second modification gas in (c).

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 18, 2022
From: KOSHI, YASUNOBU; OKUDA, KAZUYUKI; HASHIMOTO, YOSHITOMO; HARADA, KATSUYOSHI
To: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 059305/0554 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2019-171529 · Sep 20, 2019 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2020029951 · Aug 5, 2020
Related Publication 20220208544A1 · Jun 30, 2022
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