公开(公告)号：US20220020578A1

公开(公告)日：2022-01-20

申请号：US16928606

申请日：2020-07-14

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Xiangjin XIE ,  Fuhong ZHANG ,  Shirish A. PETHE ,  Martin Lee RIKER ,  Lewis Yuan Tse LO ,  Lanlan ZHONG ,  Xianmin TANG ,  Paul Dennis CONNORS

IPC: H01J37/34 ,  C23C14/34 ,  C23C14/54 ,  C23C14/14 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. A method, for example, includes igniting a plasma at a first pressure within a processing volume of a process chamber; depositing sputter material from a target disposed within the processing volume while decreasing the first pressure to a second pressure within a first time frame while maintaining the plasma; continuing to deposit sputter material from the target while decreasing the second pressure to a third pressure within a second time frame less than the first time frame while maintaining the plasma; and continuing to deposit sputter material from the target while maintaining the third pressure for a third time frame that is greater than or equal to the second time frame while maintaining the plasma.

公开(公告)号：US20240088071A1

公开(公告)日：2024-03-14

申请号：US17944596

申请日：2022-09-14

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Yi XU ,  Yu LEI ,  Zhimin QI ,  Aixi ZHANG ,  Xianyuan ZHAO ,  Wei LEI ,  Xingyao GAO ,  Shirish A. PETHE ,  Tao HUANG ,  Xiang CHANG ,  Patrick Po-Chun LI ,  Geraldine VASQUEZ ,  Dien-yeh WU ,  Rongjun WANG

IPC: H01L23/00

CPC classification number: H01L24/03 ,  H01L24/05 ,  H01L2224/03452 ,  H01L2224/03845 ,  H01L2224/05026 ,  H01L2224/05082 ,  H01L2224/05157 ,  H01L2224/05184 ,  H01L2924/01027 ,  H01L2924/01074 ,  H01L2924/04941 ,  H01L2924/0496 ,  H01L2924/059 ,  H01L2924/35121

Abstract: Methods for reducing resistivity of metal gapfill include depositing a conformal layer in an opening of a feature and on a field of a substrate with a first thickness of the conformal layer of approximately 10 microns or less, depositing a non-conformal metal layer directly on the conformal layer at a bottom of the opening and directly on the field using an anisotropic deposition process. A second thickness of the non-conformal metal layer on the field and on the bottom of the feature is approximately 30 microns or greater. And depositing a metal gapfill material in the opening of the feature and on the field where the metal gapfill material completely fills the opening without any voids.

公开(公告)号：US20230326791A1

公开(公告)日：2023-10-12

申请号：US17718242

申请日：2022-04-11

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Zhimin QI ,  Yi XU ,  Shirish A. PETHE ,  Xingyao GAO ,  Shiyu YUE ,  Aixi ZHANG ,  Wei LEI ,  Yu LEI ,  Geraldine VASQUEZ ,  Dien-yeh WU ,  Da HE

IPC: H01L21/768 ,  H01L21/285 ,  C23C14/18 ,  C23C16/14

CPC classification number: H01L21/76879 ,  H01L21/2855 ,  H01L21/28562 ,  H01L21/28568 ,  C23C14/18 ,  C23C16/14

Abstract: Embodiments of methods and associated apparatus for filling a feature in a substrate are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of depositing tungsten in features of a substrate includes: depositing a seed layer consisting essentially of tungsten in the features via a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process; and depositing a bulk layer consisting essentially of tungsten in the features via a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to fill the features such that the deposition of the bulk layer is selective to within the features as compared to a field region of the substrate, wherein the CVD process is performed by flowing hydrogen gas (H2) at a first flow rate and a tungsten precursor at a second flow rate, and wherein the first flow rate is less than the second flow rate.

公开(公告)号：US20220259720A1

公开(公告)日：2022-08-18

申请号：US17177875

申请日：2021-02-17

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Suhas BANGALORE UMESH ,  Preetham RAO ,  Shirish A. PETHE ,  Fuhong ZHANG ,  Kishor Kumar KALATHIPARAMBIL ,  Martin Lee RIKER ,  Lanlan ZHONG

IPC: C23C14/50 ,  C23C14/34 ,  C23C14/54

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing a plurality of substrates are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of processing a plurality of substrates in a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber includes: performing a series of reflow processes on a corresponding series of substrates over at least a portion of a life of a sputtering target disposed in the PVD chamber, wherein a substrate-to-target distance in the PVD chamber and a support-to-target distance within the PVD chamber are each controlled as a function of the life of the sputtering target.

公开(公告)号：US20240145300A1

公开(公告)日：2024-05-02

申请号：US17977411

申请日：2022-10-31

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Sahil PATEL ,  Wei LEI ,  Xingyao GAO ,  Shirish A. PETHE ,  Yu LEI

IPC: H01L21/768 ,  H01L21/3205 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/677

CPC classification number: H01L21/76841 ,  H01L21/32051 ,  H01L21/67017 ,  H01L21/67706

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided. In some embodiments, a method includes: depositing a metal buffer layer on a substrate and within a feature disposed in a dielectric layer of the substrate. The buffer layer is deposited using a first physical vapor deposition (PVD) process at a chamber pressure of less than 500 mTorr while applying less than or equal to 0.08 watts/cm2 of RF bias power to the substrate if the chamber pressure is less than or equal to 3 mTorr and applying less than or equal to 0.8 watts/cm2 of RF bias power to the substrate if the chamber pressure is greater than 3 mTorr. A metal liner layer is deposited atop the buffer layer using a second PVD process at a chamber pressure of less than or equal to 3 mTorr while applying greater than 0.08 watts/cm2 of RF bias power to the substrate.

公开(公告)号：US20230023235A1

公开(公告)日：2023-01-26

申请号：US17477413

申请日：2021-09-16

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Xi CEN ,  Yun TAEWOONG ,  Shirish A. PETHE ,  Kai WU ,  Nobuyuki SASAKI ,  Wei LEI

IPC: H01L21/768

Abstract: Embodiments of methods and associated apparatus for filling a feature in a substrate are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of filling a feature in a substrate includes: depositing a seed layer of tungsten nitride in the feature via a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process; depositing a liner layer of tungsten on the seed layer of tungsten nitride in the feature via a PVD process; and subsequently filling the feature with a tungsten bulk fill via a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process.

公开(公告)号：US20220380888A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-01

申请号：US17334630

申请日：2021-05-28

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Goichi YOSHIDOME ,  Suhas BANGALORE UMESH ,  Sushil Arun SAMANT ,  Martin Lee RIKER ,  Wei LEI ,  Kishor Kumar KALATHIPARAMBIL ,  Shirish A. PETHE ,  Fuhong ZHANG ,  Prashanth KOTHNUR ,  Andrew TOMKO

IPC: C23C14/35 ,  H01J37/34

Abstract: Methods of processing a substrate in a PVD chamber are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of processing a substrate in a PVD chamber, includes: sputtering material from a target disposed in the PVD chamber and onto a substrate, wherein at least some of the material sputtered from the target is guided to the substrate through a magnetic field provided by one or more upper magnets disposed about a processing volume of the PVD chamber above a support pedestal for the substrate in the PVD chamber, one or more first magnets disposed about the support pedestal and providing an increased magnetic field strength at an edge region of the substrate, and one or more second magnets disposed below the support pedestal that increase a magnetic field strength at a central region of the substrate.

公开(公告)号：US20210391214A1

公开(公告)日：2021-12-16

申请号：US16902655

申请日：2020-06-16

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Lanlan ZHONG ,  Shirish A. PETHE ,  Fuhong ZHANG ,  Joung Joo LEE ,  Kishor KALATHIPARAMBIL ,  Xiangjin XIE ,  Xianmin TANG

IPC: H01L21/768 ,  H01L21/321

Abstract: A method of filling structures on a substrate uses a semi-dynamic reflow process. The method may include depositing a metallic material on the substrate at a first temperature, heating the substrate to a second temperature higher than the first temperature wherein heating of the substrate causes a static reflow of the deposited metallic material on the substrate, stopping heating of the substrate, and depositing additional metallic material on the substrate causing a dynamic reflow of the deposited additional metallic material on the substrate. RF bias power may be applied during the dynamic reflow to facilitate in maintaining the temperature of the substrate.

公开(公告)号：US20210320034A1

公开(公告)日：2021-10-14

申请号：US16845749

申请日：2020-04-10

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Wei LEI ,  Yi XU ,  Yu LEI ,  Tae Hong HA ,  Raymond HUNG ,  Shirish A. PETHE

IPC: H01L21/768 ,  H01L21/285 ,  H01L21/3213

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for selectively depositing a tungsten layer atop a dielectric surface. In embodiments the method includes: depositing a tungsten layer via a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process atop a substrate field and atop a sidewall and a dielectric bottom surface of a feature disposed in a substrate to form a first tungsten portion having a first thickness atop the substrate field, a second tungsten portion having a second thickness atop the sidewall, and a third tungsten portion having a third thickness atop the dielectric bottom surface, wherein the second thickness is less than the first thickness and third thickness; oxidizing a top surface of the tungsten layer to form a first oxidized tungsten portion atop the substrate field, a second oxidized tungsten portion atop the side wall, and a third oxidized tungsten portion atop the dielectric bottom surface; removing the first oxidized tungsten portion, the second oxidized tungsten portion and the third oxidized tungsten portion, wherein the second tungsten portion is completely removed from the sidewall; and passivating or completely removing the first tungsten portion from the substrate field.