Low temperature silicon nitride grown by very high frequency (VHF, 162MHz) plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition with floating multi-tile electrode

Ji, You Jin; Kim, Hae In; Kim, Ki‐Hyun; Kang, Ji Eun; Kim, Doo San; Kim, Ki-Seok; Ellingboe, A. R.; Kim, Dong Woo; Yeom, Geun Young

doi:10.1016/j.surfin.2022.102219

Cited by 4 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…The 162 MHz RF power is equally supplied to the multi-tile electrodes through the inductively coupled power splitter. Further details about the VHF (162 MHz) multi-tile plasma source can be found in supporting figure S2 and in other literature [19][20][21][22][23].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previously, we investigated the attributes of a VHF (162 MHz) CCP source, validating its advantages, including high gas dissociation rates, dense plasma, and low ion bombardment energy, for various materials processing, such as SiO 2 nitridation and SiN x plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), in addition to SiN x PEALD [15,[19][20][21][22][23]. In this study, we extended our exploration by applying an external magnetic field during VHF CCP N 2 plasma generation for silicon nitride (SiN x ) PEALD.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition of silicon nitride using magnetized very high frequency plasma

Ji,

Kim,

Kang

et al. 2024

Nanotechnology

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To obtain high-quality SiNx films applicable to an extensive range of processes, such as gate spacers in fin field effect transistors (FinFETs), the self-aligned quadruple patterning (SAQP) process, etc., a study of plasma with higher plasma density and lower plasma damage is crucial in addition to study on novel precursors for SiNxplasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) processes. In this study, a novel magnetized PEALD process was developed for depositing high-quality SiNx films using di(isopropylamino)silane (DIPAS) and magnetized N2 plasma at a low substrate temperature of 200°C. The properties of the deposited SiNx films were analyzed and compared with those obtained by the PEALD process using a non-magnetized N2 plasma source under the same conditions. The PEALD SiNx film, produced using an external magnetic field (ranging from 0 to 100 G) during the plasma exposure step, exhibited a higher growth rate (~1 Å/cycle) due to the increased plasma density. Additionally, it showed lower surface roughness, higher film density, and enhanced wet etch resistance compared to films deposited using the PEALD process with non-magnetized plasmas. This improvement can be attributed to the higher ion flux and lower ion energy of the magnetized plasma. The electrical characteristics, such as interface trap density and breakdown voltage, were also enhanced when the magnetized plasma was used for the PEALD process. Furthermore, when SiNx films were deposited on high-aspect-ratio (30:1) trench patterns using the magnetized PEALD process, an improved step coverage of over 98% was achieved, in contrast to the conformality of SiNx deposited using non-magnetized plasma. This enhancement is possibly a result of deeper radical penetration enabled by the magnetized plasma.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition of silicon nitride using magnetized very high frequency plasma

Ji,

Kim,

Kang

et al. 2024

Nanotechnology

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“…A schematic drawing of the VHF (162 MHz)-CCP PEALD system used for the deposition of SiN x films is show in Figure . More detailed descriptions of the VHF (162 MHz) CCP with the multitile electrode have been published previously. − …”

Section: Experimental Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…43−45 We previously found that high quality SiN x thin films can be deposited effectively by VHF (162 MHz)-CCP PEALD using di(isopropylamino)silane (DIPAS) and N 2 plasma at a low process temperature (100 °C). 44 In this study, we investigated the PEALD of SiN x using the VHF (162 MHz)-CCP N 2 plasma at the process temperature range of 100−300 °C. Two different aminosilane precursors, BTBAS and DSBAS, were used as Si precursor, and the effect of the number of ligands of precursors on the resulting SiN x film properties was also discussed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although the researches on SiN x PEALD using aminosilane precursors were heavily carried out, problems still remain to be studied and the biggest challenge in the PEALD process using aminosilane with N 2 plasma is known to be film conformality. , In addition, in the research studies on the SiN x PEALD process using aminosilane precursors and capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) for nitrogen reactant at high operating pressures, the radio frequency of 13.56 MHz has generally been used for the operation of plasma. ,,,− However, for CCP, with increasing the operating frequency, the plasma density increases, whereas the ion bombardment energy to substrate decreases, which can improve the physical and electrical properties of PEALD thin films with reduced plasma damage. , Especially, very high frequency (VHF) plasma that can dissociate N 2 molecule effectively than conventional high frequency (HF) plasma is useful for the SiN x PEALD process requiring low hydrogen contamination by using N 2 plasma. − We previously found that high quality SiN x thin films can be deposited effectively by VHF (162 MHz)-CCP PEALD using di(isopropylamino)silane (DIPAS) and N 2 plasma at a low process temperature (100 °C) …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition of Silicon Nitride for Two Different Aminosilane Precursors Using Very High Frequency (162 MHz) Plasma Source

Kim

Choi

et al. 2023

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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Plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) of silicon nitride (SiN x ) using very high frequency (VHF, 162 MHz) plasma source was investigated at the process temperatures of 100, 200, and 300 °C. Two aminosilane precursors having different numbers of amino ligands, bis(tert-butylamino)silane (BTBAS) and di(sec-butylamino)silane (DSBAS), were used as Si precursors. A comparative study was also conducted to verify the effect of the number of amino ligands on the properties of SiN x film. At all process temperatures, DSBAS, having one amino ligand, performed better than BTBAS in various aspects. SiN x films deposited using DSBAS had lower surface roughness, higher film density, lower wet etch rate, improved electrical characteristics, and higher growth rate than those deposited using BTBAS. With the combination of a VHF plasma source and DSBAS with one amino ligand, the SiN x films grown at 300 °C exhibited low wet etch rates (≤2 nm/min) in a dilute HF solution (100:1 of deionized water:HF) as well as low C content below the XPS detection limit. Also, excellent step coverage close to 100% on high aspect ratio (30:1) trench structures was obtained by using VHF plasma, which could provide sufficient flux of plasma species inside the trenches in conjunction with DSBAS having fewer amino ligands than BTBAS.

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Unlocking the Potential of Hafnia Ferroelectrics: Achieving High Reliability via Plasma Frequency Modulation in Very High-Frequency Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition

Yang,

Jung,

Jung

et al. 2024

ACS Appl. Electron. Mater.

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Hafnia ferroelectrics are gaining significance in nonvolatile memory, logic devices, and neuromorphic computing because of their rapid switching speed, exceptional reliability, and low-voltage operations. In addition, it demonstrates exceptional process compatibility with advanced thin film techniques such as atomic layer deposition (ALD). Conventical radio frequency (RF) plasma-enhanced (PE) ALD offers various advantages including enhanced reaction rates, improved film characteristics, and a lower process temperature. However, the inevitable plasma damages and interfacial defects that occur as a result of the RF PE-ALD process have a major impact on the polarization hysteresis features of hafnia ferroelectrics. In our study, we fabricated a Hf 0.5 Zr 0.5 O 2 (HZO) film utilizing a very high frequency (VHF) (∼100 MHz) PEALD. This approach demonstrated greater effectiveness in radical reactions and efficiently mitigated plasma-induced damage in the HZO film. The utilization of high-frequency plasma enhances stability and exhibits excellent ferroelectric characteristics. Specifically, it led to an increase in the interfacial capacitance, a decrease in the wake-up effect, and a reduction in the proportion of suboxide in HZO films. Our observations revealed exceptional switching speed (60 ns) and outstanding reliability (10 10 cycles) along with a retention rate of 94% over a span of 10 years at a temperature of 85 °C. The research demonstrates that VHF PE-ALD is a viable method for creating hafnia thin films with reduced defects at the interface.

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Low temperature silicon nitride grown by very high frequency (VHF, 162MHz) plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition with floating multi-tile electrode

Cited by 4 publications

References 57 publications

Plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition of silicon nitride using magnetized very high frequency plasma

Plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition of silicon nitride using magnetized very high frequency plasma

Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition of Silicon Nitride for Two Different Aminosilane Precursors Using Very High Frequency (162 MHz) Plasma Source

Unlocking the Potential of Hafnia Ferroelectrics: Achieving High Reliability via Plasma Frequency Modulation in Very High-Frequency Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition

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