Abstract: In some embodiments, an oxide layer is grown on a semiconductor substrate by oxidizing the semiconductor substrate by exposure to hydrogen peroxide at a process temperature of about 500° C. or less. The exposure to the hydrogen peroxide may continue until the oxide layer grows by a thickness of about 1 ? or more. Where the substrate is a germanium substrate, while oxidation using H2O has been found to form germanium oxide with densities of about 4.25 g/cm3, oxidation according to some embodiments can form an oxide layer with a density of about 6 g/cm3 or more (for example, about 6.27 g/cm3). In some embodiments, another layer of material is deposited directly on the oxide layer. For example, a dielectric layer may be deposited directly on the oxide layer.

Abstract: A process for depositing aluminum oxynitride (AlON) is disclosed. The process comprises subjecting a substrate to temporally separated exposures to an aluminum precursor and a nitrogen precursor to form an aluminum and nitrogen-containing compound on the substrate. The aluminum and nitrogen-containing compound is subsequently exposed to an oxygen precursor to form AlON. The temporally separated exposures to an aluminum precursor and a nitrogen precursor, and the subsequent exposure to an oxygen precursor together constitute an AlON deposition cycle. A plurality of AlON deposition cycles may be performed to deposit an AlON film of a desired thickness. The deposition may be performed in a batch process chamber, which may accommodate batches of 25 or more substrates. The deposition may be performed without exposure to plasma.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a nitride film is provided over a semiconductor substrate and densified. The nitride film may be a flowable nitride, which may be deposited to at least partially fill openings in the substrate. Densifying the film is accomplished without exposing the nitride film to plasma by exposing the nitride film to a non-plasma densifying agent in the process chamber. The non-plasma densifying agent may be a nitriding gas, a hydrogen scavenging gas, a silicon precursor, or a combination thereof.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a reactive curing process may be performed by exposing a semiconductor substrate in a process chamber to an ambient containing hydrogen peroxide, with the pressure in the process chamber at about 300 Torr or less. In some embodiments, the residence time of hydrogen peroxide molecules in the process chamber is about five minutes or less. The curing process temperature may be set at about 500° C. or less. The curing process may be applied to cure flowable dielectric materials and may provide highly uniform curing results, such as across a batch of semiconductor substrates cured in a batch process chamber.

Abstract: Methods of depositing boron and carbon containing films are provided. In some embodiments, methods of depositing B, C films with desirable properties, such as conformality and etch rate, are provided. One or more boron and/or carbon containing precursors can be decomposed on a substrate at a temperature of less than about 400° C. One or more of the boron and carbon containing films can have a thickness of less than about 30 angstroms. Methods of doping a semiconductor substrate are provided. Doping a semiconductor substrate can include depositing a boron and carbon film over the semiconductor substrate by exposing the substrate to a vapor phase boron precursor at a process temperature of about 300° C. to about 450° C., where the boron precursor includes boron, carbon and hydrogen, and annealing the boron and carbon film at a temperature of about 800° C. to about 1200° C.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a system is disclosed for delivering hydrogen peroxide to a semiconductor processing chamber. The system includes a process canister for holding a H2O2/H2O mixture in a liquid state, an evaporator provided with an evaporator heater, a first feed line for feeding the liquid H2O2/H2O mixture to the evaporator, and a second feed line for feeding the evaporated H2O2/H2O mixture to the processing chamber, the second feed line provided with a second feed line heater. The evaporator heater is configured to heat the evaporator to a temperature lower than 120° C. and the second feed line heater is configured to heat the feed line to a temperature equal to or higher than the temperature of the evaporator.

Abstract: Antimony oxide thin films are deposited by atomic layer deposition using an antimony reactant and an oxygen source. Antimony reactants may include antimony halides, such as SbCl3, antimony alkylamines, and antimony alkoxides, such as Sb(OEt)3. The oxygen source may be, for example, ozone. In some embodiments the antimony oxide thin films are deposited in a batch reactor. The antimony oxide thin films may serve, for example, as etch stop layers or sacrificial layers.

Abstract: Antimony oxide thin films are deposited by atomic layer deposition using an antimony reactant and an oxygen source. Antimony reactants may include antimony halides, such as SbCl3, antimony alkylamines, and antimony alkoxides, such as Sb(OEt)3. The oxygen source may be, for example, ozone. In some embodiments the antimony oxide thin films are deposited in a batch reactor. The antimony oxide thin films may serve, for example, as etch stop layers or sacrificial layers.

Abstract: A process for depositing aluminum nitride is disclosed. The process comprises providing a plurality of semiconductor substrates in a batch process chamber and depositing an aluminum nitride layer on the substrates by performing a plurality of deposition cycles without exposing the substrates to plasma during the deposition cycles. Each deposition cycle comprises flowing an aluminum precursor pulse into the batch process chamber, removing the aluminum precursor from the batch process chamber, and removing the nitrogen precursor from the batch process chamber after flowing the nitrogen precursor and before flowing another pulse of the aluminum precursor. The process chamber may be a hot wall process chamber and the deposition may occur at a deposition pressure of less than 1 Torr.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a solar cell having an effective minority charge carrier lifetime (?eff) of at least 500 ?s, said method comprising: providing a semiconductor wafer; and passivating a surface of said wafer by ALD-depositing a metal oxide layer on said surface by sequentially and alternatingly: (iii) exposing said surface to a first precursor, resulting in a coverage of the surface with the first precursor, and (iv) exposing said surface to a second precursor, resulting in a coverage of the surface with the second precursor, wherein at least one of steps (i) and (ii) is stopped before the coverage of the surface reaches a saturation level.

Abstract: A vertical furnace comprises a substantially cylindrical process tube vertically extending and delimiting a reaction space; a boat for accommodating a plurality of substrates to be vertically spaced apart from each other; a gas inlet system comprising a plurality of distribution tubes disposed at a circumference of the reaction space, wherein each of the distribution tubes have a plurality of gas injection holes distributed over a length of the distribution tubes and the distribution tubes are symmetrically disposed along an entire circumference of the reaction space; and at least one reaction gas source connected to the gas inlet system.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprising a gate stack of a gate dielectric and a gate electrode, the method including forming a gate dielectric layer over a semiconductor substrate the gate dielectric layer being a metal oxide or semimetal oxide having a first electronegativity; forming a dielectric VT adjustment layer, the dielectric VT adjustment layer being a metal oxide or semimetal oxide having a second electronegativity; and forming a gate electrode over the gate dielectric layer and the VT adjustment layer; wherein the Effective Work Function of said gate stack is tuned to a desired value by tuning the thickness and composition of the dielectric VT adjustment layer and wherein the second electronegativity value is higher than both the first electronegativity value and the electronegativity of Al2O3.

Abstract: Methods are disclosed herein for depositing a passivation layer comprising fluorine over a dielectric material that is sensitive to chlorine, bromine, and iodine. The passivation layer can protect the sensitive dielectric layer thereby enabling deposition using precursors comprising chlorine, bromine, and iodine over the passivation layer.

Abstract: Discloses is a method for depositing a thin metal oxide film on a substrate, comprising: providing a substrate (104); sequentially and alternatingly exposing a surface of said substrate to a first metal precursor and a first oxidant precursor, so as to deposit a first portion (116) of said metal oxide film (114) having a first thickness; and sequentially and alternatingly exposing the surface of the substrate to a second metal precursor and a second oxidant precursor, so as to deposit a second portion (118) of said metal oxide film (114) having a second thickness over said first portion of said metal oxide film, wherein the second oxidant precursor is ozone or oxygen plasma, while the first oxidant precursor is a milder oxidant than ozone. Also disclosed is a solar cell (100) including a metal oxide passivation film (114) deposited by said method.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a solar cell having an effective minority charge carrier lifetime (?eff) of at least 500 ?s, said method comprising: providing a semiconductor wafer; and passivating a surface of said wafer by ALD-depositing a metal oxide layer on said surface by sequentially and alternatingly: (iii) exposing said surface to a first precursor, resulting in a coverage of the surface with the first precursor, and (iv) exposing said surface to a second precursor, resulting in a coverage of the surface with the second precursor, wherein at least one of steps (i) and (ii) is stopped before the coverage of the surface reaches a saturation level.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprising a gate stack of a gate dielectric and a gate electrode, the method including forming a gate dielectric layer over a semiconductor substrate the gate dielectric layer being a metal oxide or semimetal oxide having a first electronegativity; forming a dielectric VT adjustment layer, the dielectric VT adjustment layer being a metal oxide or semimetal oxide having a second electronegativity; and forming a gate electrode over the gate dielectric layer and the VT adjustment layer; wherein the Effective Work Function of said gate stack is tuned to a desired value by tuning the thickness and composition of the dielectric VT adjustment layer and wherein the second electronegativity value is higher than both the first electronegativity value and the electronegativity of Al2O3

Abstract: A method is disclosed depositing multiple layers of different materials in a sequential process within a deposition chamber. A substrate is provided in a deposition chamber. A plurality of cycles of a first atomic layer deposition (ALD) process is sequentially conducted to deposit a layer of a first material on the substrate in the deposition chamber. These first cycles include pulsing a cyclopentadienyl metal precursor. A plurality of cycles of a second ALD process is sequentially conducted to deposit a layer of a second material on the layer of the first material in the deposition chamber. The second material comprises a metal different from the metal in the cyclopentadienyl metal precursor.