Paper TF+AM+EM+PS-TuM5
Optimization by In situ Ellipsometry of ALD and ALE Successive Steps for the Selective Atomic Layer Deposition of Ta₂O₅ on TiN and Si.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018, 9:20 am, Room 104B

The drastic reduction of microelectronic device dimensions, traditionally achieved through a photolithography process, requires more and more stringent process conditions in this top-down approach. Recent developments in atomic layer deposition processes (ALD) have shown that a new bottom-up approach is possible by the combination of ALD and Atomic Layer Etching (ALE) steps for the selective growth on patterned surfaces [1]. Indeed, it has been shown that the nucleation kinetics in the initial stages of a deposition process is strongly dependent on the chemical state of substrate surfaces. Thus, different nucleation delays can be achieved on patterned substrates, leading to significant variation of thickness in spite of a similar growth rate after nucleation (in the steady state). Prior to precursor deposition, a first step is carried out, which activates or inhibits nucleation sites on patterned substrates. For instance, an O₂/CF₄ plasma treatment leads to the formation of a fluorocarbon polymer, whose thickness depends on the chemistry of the surface: its thickness may be less on Si as compared to TiN, because SiF₄ molecules are more volatile than their TiF₄ counterparts. In turn, this CF_x rich layer can serve as a passivation layer to alter the nucleation sites during the subsequent deposition process. Similarly, an oxidation plasma treatment serves to activate nucleation sites through the formation of metal-oxygen bonds on the patterned substrate, which in turn favors an immediate growth during deposition process.

In this work, we have investigated the impact of both chemical and physical surface interactions during the deposition of Ta₂O₅ in a PE-ALD process. These investigations have been carried out in a FlexAL PEALD tool equipped with an ALE bias system developed by Oxford. A selective deposition super cycle has been defined, which consists in alternating a CF₄ plasma treatment with a Ta₂O₅ ALD deposition cycle with an O₂ plasma as oxidation step. In situ ellipsometry measurements have been used to investigate the impact of ion bombardement and the CF_x layer growth during the optimization of the ALE parameters.

These measurements have been correlated to ex situ XRR and XPS to confirm the thickness on both Si and TiN substrates and analyze the chemistry of the different layers or interfaces.

^[1] R. Vallat et al. "Selective deposition of Ta₂O₅ by adding plasma etching super-cycles in plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition steps." Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films 35.1 (2017): 01B104. (DOI: 10.1116/1.4965966)