Eugenus, Inc.

The disclosed technology generally relates to semiconductor structures and their fabrication, and more particularly to diffusion barrier structures containing Ti, Si, N and methods of forming same. A method of forming an electrically conductive diffusion barrier comprises providing a substrate in a reaction chamber and forming a titanium silicide (TiSi) region on the substrate by alternatingly exposing the substrate to a titanium-containing precursor and a first silicon-containing precursor. The method additionally comprises forming a titanium silicon nitride (TiSiN) region on the TiSi region by alternatingly exposing the substrate to a titanium-containing precursor, a nitrogen-containing precursor and a second silicon-containing precursor. The method can optionally include, prior to forming the TiSi region, forming a titanium nitride (TiN) region by alternatingly exposing the substrate to a titanium-containing precursor and a nitrogen-containing precursor.

The disclosed technology relates generally to semiconductor manufacturing, and more particularly to precursor delivery in cyclic deposition. In one aspect, a thin film deposition system comprises a thin film deposition chamber configured to deposit a thin film by alternatingly exposing a substrate to a plurality of precursors. The thin film system additionally comprises a precursor source connected to the thin film deposition chamber by a precursor delivery line, wherein the precursor delivery line comprises a high conductance line portion between the precursor source and a final valve outside of the thin film deposition chamber. The high conductance line portion is elongated in a flow direction and has a conductance that is at least four times greater than either of immediately adjacent low conductance line portions connected at opposing ends of the high conductance line portion. The thin film system further comprises a single final valve between the high conductance line portion and the thin film deposition chamber.

The disclosed technology generally relates to forming thin films, and more particularly to high quality, conformal thin films using relatively low amounts of precursor gas, and methods of forming the same. In one aspect, a method of forming a thin film comprises exposing the substrate to one or more vapor deposition cycles in a reaction chamber, wherein exposing the substrate to each vapor deposition cycle comprises exposing the substrate to a first precursor and a second precursor, wherein exposing the substrate to the first precursor and the second precursor is carried out without evacuating to remove a substantial amount of either of the first precursor or the second precursor during and between exposing the substrate to the first precursor and exposing the substrate the second precursor.

The disclosed technology generally relates to forming a titanium nitride-based thin films, and more particularly to a conformal and smooth titanium nitride-based thin films and methods of forming the same. In one aspect, a method comprises forming a diffusion barrier comprising TiSiN having a modulus exceeding 290 GPa and a Si content exceeding 2.7 atomic % by exposing a semiconductor substrate to one or more first deposition phases alternating with one or more second deposition phases. Exposing the semiconductor substrate to the one or more first deposition phases comprises alternatingly exposing the semiconductor substrate to a titanium (Ti) precursor and a nitrogen (N) precursor. Exposing the semiconductor substrate to the one or more second deposition phases comprises sequentially exposing the semiconductor substrate to the Ti precursor, followed by a silicon (Si) precursor, followed by the N precursor.

The disclosed technology generally relates to a barrier layer comprising titanium silicon nitride, and more particularly to a barrier layer for nonvolatile memory devices, and methods of forming the same. In one aspect, a method of forming an electrode for a phase change memory device comprises forming over a semiconductor substrate an electrode comprising titanium silicon nitride (TiSiN) on a phase change storage element configured to store a memory state. Forming the electrode comprises exposing a semiconductor substrate to one or more cyclical vapor deposition cycles, wherein a plurality of the cyclical vapor deposition cycles comprises an exposure to a Ti precursor, an exposure to a N precursor and an exposure to a Si precursor.

The disclosed technology generally relates to forming a titanium nitride-based thin films, and more particularly to a conformal and smooth titanium nitride-based thin films and methods of forming the same. In one aspect, a method of forming a diffusion barrier comprising TiSiN comprises exposing a semiconductor substrate to one or more first deposition phases alternating with one or more second deposition phases. Exposing the semiconductor substrate to the one or more first deposition phases comprises alternatingly exposing the semiconductor substrate to a titanium (Ti) precursor and a nitrogen (N) precursor. Exposing the semiconductor substrate to the one or more second deposition phases comprises sequentially exposing the semiconductor substrate to the Ti precursor and a silicon (Si) precursor without an intervening exposure to the N precursor therebetween, followed by exposing the semiconductor substrate to the N precursor.

The disclosed technology generally relates to forming a titanium nitride-based thin films, and more particularly to a conformal and smooth titanium nitride-based thin films and methods of forming the same. In one aspect, a method comprises forming a diffusion barrier comprising TiSiN having a modulus exceeding 290 GPa and a Si content exceeding 2.7 atomic % by exposing a semiconductor substrate to one or more first deposition phases alternating with one or more second deposition phases. Exposing the semiconductor substrate to the one or more first deposition phases comprises alternatingly exposing the semiconductor substrate to a titanium (Ti) precursor and a nitrogen (N) precursor. Exposing the semiconductor substrate to the one or more second deposition phases comprises sequentially exposing the semiconductor substrate to the Ti precursor, followed by a silicon (Si) precursor, followed by the N precursor.

The disclosed technology generally relates to forming a titanium nitride layer, and more particularly to forming by atomic layer deposition a titanium nitride layer on a seed layer. In one aspect, a semiconductor structure comprises a semiconductor substrate comprising a non-metallic surface. The semiconductor structure additionally comprises a seed layer comprising silicon (Si) and nitrogen (N) conformally coating the non-metallic surface and a TiN layer conformally coating the seed layer. Aspects are also directed to methods of forming the semiconductor structures.

The disclosed technology relates generally to semiconductor manufacturing, and more particularly to precursor delivery in cyclic deposition of vanadium nitride thin films. In one aspect, a method of depositing a vanadium nitride thin film comprises providing a thin film deposition system comprising a vanadium precursor delivery line comprising first and second valves disposed between a final valve and a vanadium precursor source comprising a canister including a liquid vanadium precursor and a volume of gas including vaporized vanadium precursor. The method additionally comprises conditioning the vanadium precursor source, without a substrate in a thin film deposition chamber, by controllably removing a portion of the volume of gas in the canister by sequentially opening the first and second valves. The method additionally comprises disposing the substrate in the thin film deposition chamber and alternatingly exposing the substrate to the vaporized vanadium precursor and a nitrogen precursor.

The disclosed technology generally relates to forming a titanium nitride-based thin films, and more particularly to a conformal and smooth titanium nitride-based thin films and methods of forming the same. In one aspect, a method of forming a diffusion barrier comprising TiSiN comprises exposing a semiconductor substrate to one or more first deposition phases alternating with one or more second deposition phases. Exposing the semiconductor substrate to the one or more first deposition phases comprises alternatingly exposing the semiconductor substrate to a titanium (Ti) precursor and a nitrogen (N) precursor. Exposing the semiconductor substrate to the one or more second deposition phases comprises sequentially exposing the semiconductor substrate to the Ti precursor and a silicon (Si) precursor without an intervening exposure to the N precursor therebetween, followed by exposing the semiconductor substrate to the N precursor.