Abstract: Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device is described that uses sidewall protection of a recessed feature to prevent loss of critical dimension during a cleaning process to remove etch residue. According to one embodiment, the method includes providing a substrate containing a film thereon having a recessed feature with a sidewall and a bottom portion, depositing a conformal film on the sidewall and on the bottom portion, removing the conformal film from the bottom portion in an anisotropic etching process, where the remaining conformal film forms a protection film on the sidewall, and performing a cleaning process that removes etch residue from the recessed feature without etching the protection film or the sidewall.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a wrap-around contact integration scheme that includes sidewall protection during contact formation. A substrate processing method includes providing a substrate containing a raised contact in a first dielectric film, and a second dielectric film on the first dielectric film, where the second dielectric film has a recessed feature with a sidewall and a bottom portion above the raised contact. The method further includes depositing a conformal film on the sidewall and on the bottom portion of the recessed feature, removing the conformal film from the bottom portion in a first anisotropic etching process, where the remaining conformal film forms a protection film on the sidewall and defines a width of the recessed feature, and forming a cavity containing the raised contact in an isotropic etching process, where a width of the cavity is greater than the width of the recessed feature.

Abstract: A method of self-aligned spacer formation is described. According to one embodiment of the invention, a substrate processing method is provided, where the method includes forming a sacrificial film over a substrate, creating a pattern in the sacrificial film, conformally depositing a first spacer layer over the patterned sacrificial film, removing horizontal portions of the first spacer layer while substantially leaving vertical portions of the first spacer layer, and selectively depositing a second spacer layer on the first spacer layer.

Abstract: A method is provided for solid source doping for source and drain extensions. According to one embodiment, the method includes providing a substrate containing fins of first and second film stacks, sacrificial gates across and on the fins of the first and second film stacks, where the first and second film stacks include alternating first and second films, and where the first films extend through sidewall spacers on the sacrificial gates, selectively forming a first mask layer on the sidewall spacers and on the first films of the first film stack, depositing a first dopant layer on the substrate, heat-treating the substrate to diffuse dopants from the first dopant layer into the first films of the second film stack to form doped first films in the second film stack, and removing the first mask layer from the substrate. The processing steps may be repeated for the second film stack.

Abstract: A semiconductor device containing a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) contact and method of forming are described. The method includes providing a semiconductor substrate containing a contact region, depositing an insulator film on the contact region, the insulator film including a mixed oxide material containing TiO2 and at least one additional metal oxide. The method further includes depositing a metal-containing electrode layer abutting the insulator film to form a MIS structure, and heat-treating the MIS structure to scavenge oxygen from the TiO2 to the metal-containing electrode layer to form a MIS contact with oxygen vacancies in the TiO2. According to one embodiment the at least one additional metal oxide is selected from HfO2, ZrO2, Al2O3, and combinations thereof, and the metal-containing electrode layer is selected from the group consisting of Ti metal, Al metal, Hf metal, Zr metal, Ta metal, Nb metal, and a combination thereof.

Abstract: A method for selective bottom-up filling of recessed features with a low resistivity metal for semiconductor devices is described in several embodiments. The method includes providing a substrate containing a patterned dielectric layer having a recessed feature with dielectric layer surfaces and a metal-containing surface on a bottom of the recessed feature, reacting the dielectric layer surfaces with a reactant gas containing a hydrophobic functional group to form hydrophobic dielectric layer surfaces, and at least substantially filling the recessed feature with a metal in a bottom-up gas phase deposition process that hinders deposition of the metal on the hydrophobic dielectric layer surfaces. According to one embodiment, the metal is selected from the group consisting of ruthenium (Ru), cobalt (Co), aluminum (Al), iridium (Ir), iridium (Ir), rhodium (Rh), osmium (Os), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), nickel (Ni), and a combination thereof.

Abstract: A method of surface functionalization for high-k deposition is provided in several embodiments. The method provides interface layer growth with low effective oxide thickness and good nucleation behavior for high-k deposition. The method includes providing a substrate that is at least substantially free of oxygen on a surface of the substrate, forming an interface layer on the surface of the substrate by exposing the surface of the substrate to one or more pulses of ozone gas, modifying the interface layer by exposing the interface layer to one or more pulses of a treatment gas containing a functional group to form a functionalized interface layer terminated with the functional group, and depositing a high-k film on the functionalized interface layer.

Abstract: A germanium-containing semiconductor device and a method for forming a germanium-containing semiconductor device are described. The method includes providing a germanium-containing substrate, depositing an aluminum-containing diffusion barrier layer on the germanium-containing substrate, depositing a high-k layer on the aluminum-containing diffusion barrier layer, and exposing the high-k layer to atomic oxygen to reduce the equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of the high-k layer while avoiding oxidizing the germanium-containing substrate. The germanium-containing semiconductor device includes a germanium-containing substrate, an aluminum-containing diffusion barrier layer on the germanium-containing substrate, and a high-k layer on the aluminum-containing diffusion barrier layer, where the high-k layer has been exposed to atomic oxygen to reduce the EOT of the high-k layer while avoiding oxidizing the germanium-containing substrate.

Abstract: Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device is described that uses sidewall protection of a recessed feature to prevent loss of critical dimension during a cleaning process to remove etch residue. According to one embodiment, the method includes providing a substrate containing a film thereon having a recessed feature with a sidewall and a bottom portion, depositing a conformal film on the sidewall and on the bottom portion, removing the conformal film from the bottom portion in an anisotropic etching process, where the remaining conformal film forms a protection film on the sidewall, and performing a cleaning process that removes etch residue from the recessed feature without etching the protection film or the sidewall.

Abstract: A method is provided for forming an ultra-shallow boron doping region in a semiconductor device. The method includes depositing a diffusion filter layer on a substrate, the diffusion filter containing a boron nitride layer, a boron oxynitride layer, a silicon nitride layer, or a silicon oxynitride layer, and depositing a boron dopant layer on the diffusion filter layer, the boron dopant layer containing boron oxide, boron oxynitride, or a combination thereof, with the proviso that the diffusion filter layer and the boron dopant layer do not contain the same material. The method further includes heat-treating the substrate to form the ultra-shallow boron dopant region in the substrate by controlled diffusion of boron from the boron dopant layer through the diffusion filter layer and into the substrate.

Abstract: A processing system and method for depositing a film on a substrate by liquid phase ALD is disclosed in various embodiments. The method includes providing the substrate in a process chamber, spinning on the substrate a first reactant in a first liquid to form a self-limiting layer of the first reactant on the substrate, spinning on the substrate a second reactant in a second liquid, where the second reactant reacts with the self-limiting layer of the first reactant on the substrate to form a film on the substrate, and repeating the spinning steps at least once until the film has a desired thickness. Other embodiments of the invention further include rinsing the substrate to remove excess first and second reactants from the substrate, and heat-treating the substrate during and/or following the film deposition.

Abstract: Methods for forming thin metal and semi-metal layers by thermal remote oxygen scavenging are described. In one embodiment, the method includes forming an oxide layer containing a metal or a semi-metal on a substrate, where the semi-metal excludes silicon, forming a diffusion layer on the oxide layer, forming an oxygen scavenging layer on the diffusion layer, and performing an anneal that reduces the oxide layer to a corresponding metal or semi-metal layer by oxygen diffusion from the oxide layer to the oxygen scavenging layer.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention describe methods for forming a semiconductor device. According to one embodiment, the method includes depositing an aluminum-doped high-k film on a substrate by atomic layer deposition (ALD) that includes: a) pulsing a metal-containing precursor gas into a process chamber containing the substrate, b) pulsing an aluminum-containing precursor gas into the process chamber, where a) and b) are sequentially performed without an intervening oxidation step, and c) pulsing an oxygen-containing gas into the process chamber. The method can further include heat-treating the aluminum-doped high-k film to crystallize or increase the crystallization of the film.

Abstract: A method for forming a semiconductor device is provided in several embodiments. According to one embodiment, the method includes providing a substrate in a process chamber, flowing a process gas consisting of hydrogen (H2) and optionally a noble gas into the process chamber, forming plasma excited species from the process gas by a microwave plasma source. The method further includes exposing an interface layer on the substrate to the plasma excited species to form a modified interface layer, and depositing a high dielectric constant (high-k) film by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on the modified interface layer. In some embodiments, the modified interface layer has higher electrical mobility than the interface layer, and the high-k film nucleates at a higher rate on the modified interface layer rate than on the interface layer.

Abstract: A method of surface functionalization for high-k deposition is provided in several embodiments. The method provides interface layer growth with low effective oxide thickness and good nucleation behavior for high-k deposition. The method includes providing a substrate that is at least substantially free of oxygen on a surface of the substrate, forming an interface layer on the surface of the substrate by exposing the surface of the substrate to one or more pulses of ozone gas, modifying the interface layer by exposing the interface layer to one or more pulses of a treatment gas containing a functional group to form a functionalized interface layer terminated with the functional group, an depositing a high-k film on the functionalized interface layer.

Abstract: A method is provided for forming a nitrided high-k film in an atomic layer deposition process (ALD) process. The method includes receiving a substrate in a process chamber, maintaining the substrate at a temperature sufficient for ALD of a nitrided high-k film, and depositing the nitrided high-k film on the substrate by exposing the substrate to a gas pulse sequence that includes, in any order: a) exposing the substrate to a gas pulse comprising a metal-containing precursor, b) exposing the substrate to a gas pulse comprising an oxygen-containing gas, and c) exposing the substrate to a gas pulse comprising trisilylamine gas, where the exposing the substrate to the trisilylamine gas yields the nitrided high-k film that includes nitrogen and that is substantially free of silicon, and repeating the gas pulse sequence. A trisilylamine gas exposure may also be used to nitride a deposited high-k film.

Abstract: A method for forming an ultra-shallow boron dopant region in a substrate is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes depositing, by atomic layer deposition (ALD), a boron dopant layer in direct contact with the substrate, where the boron dopant layer contains an oxide, a nitride, or an oxynitride formed by alternating gaseous exposures of a boron amide precursor and a reactant gas. The method further includes patterning the dopant layer and forming an ultra-shallow dopant region in the substrate by diffusing boron from the boron dopant layer into the substrate by a thermal treatment.

Abstract: A method for forming an ultra-shallow boron dopant region in a substrate is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes depositing, by atomic layer deposition (ALD), a boron dopant layer in direct contact with the substrate, where the boron dopant layer contains an oxide, a nitride, or an oxynitride formed by alternating gaseous exposures of a boron amide precursor and a reactant gas. The method further includes patterning the dopant layer and forming an ultra-shallow dopant region in the substrate by diffusing boron from the boron dopant layer into the substrate by a thermal treatment.

Abstract: A method is provided for depositing a dielectric film on a substrate. According to one embodiment, the method includes providing the substrate in a process chamber, exposing the substrate to a gaseous precursor to form an adsorbed layer on the substrate, exposing the adsorbed layer to an oxygen-containing gas, a nitrogen-containing gas, or an oxygen- and nitrogen-containing gas, or a combination thereof, to form the dielectric film on the substrate, generating a hydrogen halide gas in the process chamber by a decomposition reaction of a hydrogen halide precursor gas, and exposing the dielectric film to the hydrogen halide gas to remove contaminants from the dielectric film.

Abstract: A method for forming ultra-shallow dopant regions in a substrate is provided. One embodiment includes depositing a first dopant layer containing a first dopant in direct contact with the substrate, patterning the first dopant layer, depositing a second dopant layer containing a second dopant in direct contact with the substrate adjacent the patterned first dopant layer, the first and second dopant layers containing an oxide, a nitride, or an oxynitride, where the first and second dopant layers contain an n-type dopant or a p-type dopant with the proviso that the first or second dopant layer do not contain the same dopant, and diffusing the first dopant from the first dopant layer into the substrate to form a first ultra-shallow dopant region in the substrate, and diffusing the second dopant from the second dopant layer into the substrate to form a second ultra-shallow dopant region in the substrate.