公开(公告)号：US20210193468A1

公开(公告)日：2021-06-24

申请号：US17192213

申请日：2021-03-04

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Steven C.H. Hung ,  Lin Dong ,  Benjamin Colombeau ,  Johanes F. Swenberg ,  Linlin Wang

IPC: H01L21/28 ,  H01L29/51 ,  H01L21/02

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes annealing a surface of a substrate in an ambient of hydrogen to smooth the surface, pre-cleaning the surface of the substrate, depositing a high-κ dielectric layer on the pre-cleaned surface of the substrate, performing a re-oxidation process to thermally oxidize the surface of the substrate; performing a plasma nitridation process to insert nitrogen atoms in the deposited high-κ dielectric layer, and performing a post-nitridation anneal process to passivate chemical bonds in the plasma nitridated high-κ dielectric layer.

公开(公告)号：US10971357B2

公开(公告)日：2021-04-06

申请号：US16152395

申请日：2018-10-04

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Wei Liu ,  Theresa Kramer Guarini ,  Linlin Wang ,  Malcolm Bevan ,  Johanes S. Swenberg ,  Vladimir Nagorny ,  Bernard L. Hwang ,  Kin Pong Lo ,  Lara Hawrylchak ,  Rene George

IPC: H01L21/02

Abstract: A method of modifying a layer in a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes depositing a low quality film on a semiconductor substrate, and exposing a surface of the low quality film to a first process gas comprising helium while the substrate is heated to a first temperature, and exposing a surface of the low quality film to a second process gas comprising oxygen gas while the substrate is heated to a second temperature that is different than the first temperature. The electrical properties of the film are improved by undergoing the aforementioned processes.

公开(公告)号：US12249511B2

公开(公告)日：2025-03-11

申请号：US17192213

申请日：2021-03-04

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Steven C. H. Hung ,  Lin Dong ,  Benjamin Colombeau ,  Johanes F. Swenberg ,  Linlin Wang

IPC: H01L21/28 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H01L29/51

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes annealing a surface of a substrate in an ambient of hydrogen to smooth the surface, pre-cleaning the surface of the substrate, depositing a high-κ dielectric layer on the pre-cleaned surface of the substrate, performing a re-oxidation process to thermally oxidize the surface of the substrate; performing a plasma nitridation process to insert nitrogen atoms in the deposited high-κ dielectric layer, and performing a post-nitridation anneal process to passivate chemical bonds in the plasma nitridated high-κ dielectric layer.

公开(公告)号：US10580643B2

公开(公告)日：2020-03-03

申请号：US15413167

申请日：2017-01-23

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Johanes S. Swenberg ,  Linlin Wang ,  Wei Liu

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/28 ,  H01L29/51

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods for forming a high-k gate dielectric in a transistor. The high-k gate dielectric may be formed by introducing a fluorine containing gas into a processing chamber during the deposition of the high-k gate dielectric in the processing chamber. In one embodiment, the high-k gate dielectric is formed by an ALD process in a processing chamber, and a fluorine containing gas is introduced into the processing chamber during one or more stages of the ALD process. Fluorine ions, molecules or radicals from the fluorine containing gas (may be activated by a plasma) can fill the oxygen vacancies in the high-k dielectric.