Abstract: A process for passivating the semiconductor-dielectric interface of a MOS structure to reduce the interface state density to a very low level. A particular example is a MOSFET having a tungsten electrode that in the past has prevented passivation of the underlying semiconductor-dielectric interface to an extent sufficient to reduce the interface state density to less than 5×1010/cm2-eV. Though substantially impervious to molecular hydrogen, thin tungsten layers are shown to be pervious to atomic hydrogen, enabling atomic hydrogen to be diffused through a tungsten electrode into an underlying semiconductor-dielectric interface.

Abstract: A method of treating structures (and the structure formed thereby), so as to prevent or retard the oxidation of a metal film, and/or prevent its delamination a substrate, includes providing a structure including a refractory metal film formed on a substrate, placing the structure into a vessel having a base pressure below approximately 10−7 torr, exposing the structure to a silane gas at a sufficiently high predetermined temperature and predetermined pressure to cause formation of a metal silicide layer on the refractory metal film, and exposing the structure to a second gas at a sufficiently high temperature and pressure to nitride the metal silicide layer into a nitrided layer.

Abstract: A method of treating structures (and the structure formed thereby), so as to prevent or retard the oxidation of a metal film, and/or prevent its delamination a substrate, includes providing a structure including a refractory metal film formed on a substrate, placing the structure into a vessel having a base pressure below approximately 10−7 torr, exposing the structure to a silane gas at a sufficiently high predetermined temperature and predetermined pressure to cause formation of a metal silicide layer on the refractory metal film, and exposing the structure to a second gas at a sufficiently high temperature and pressure to nitride the metal silicide layer into a nitrided layer.

Abstract: Gold can be selectively deposited onto a catalytically-activated region on a surface of a workpiece in the presence of a catalytically-inactive region on the surface by a chemical vapor deposition method. The method involves placing the workpiece in a vacuum chamber and evacuating the vacuum chamber to a base pressure equal to or less than a catalyst-activity-preserving upper pressure limit to eliminate effectively gaseous catalyst-deactivating contaminants from the chamber. The surface composition of at least one region of a target surface of the workpiece is altered to produce a catalytically-activated region on the target surface. At least one region of the target surface disjoint from the catalytically-activated region is a catalytically-inactive region. A gaseous alkylated (trialkylphosphine)gold compound is introduced into the vacuum chamber to expose the target surface of the workpiece to the compound.