Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – Coating of substrate containing semiconductor region or of... – Multiple layers
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-21
2004-03-23
Niebling, John F. (Department: 2812)
Semiconductor device manufacturing: process
Coating of substrate containing semiconductor region or of...
Multiple layers
C438S003000, C438S481000, C438S607000, C438S683000, C438S763000, C117S101000, C117S105000, C117S108000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06709989
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to a method for fabricating a semiconductor structure including a silicate interface between a silicon substrate and monocrystalline metal oxides, and more particularly to a method for fabricating an interface including a seed layer utilizing atomic layer deposition or atomic layer epitaxy.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A stable silicon (Si) surface is most desirable for subsequent epitaxial growth of metal oxide thin films on silicon for numerous device applications, e.g., ferroelectrics or high dielectric constant oxides for non-volatile high density memory and next generation MOS devices. It is pivotal to establish a stable transition layer on the Si surface for the subsequent growth of monocrystalline high-k metal oxides.
Some reported growth of these oxides, such as BaO and BaTiO
3
on Si(100) were based on a BaSi
2
(cubic) template by depositing one fourth monolayer of Ba on Si(100) using molecular beam epitaxy at temperatures greater than 850° C. See for example: R. McKee et al.,
Appl. Phys. Lett
. 59(7), pp. 782-784 (Aug. 12, 1991); R. McKee et al.,
Appl. Phys. Lett
. 63(20), pp. 2818-2820 (Nov. 15, 1993); R. McKee et al.,
Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc
., Vol. 21, pp. 131-135 (1991); U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,031, issued Jul. 6, 1993, entitled “PROCESS FOR DEPOSITING AN OXIDE EPITAXIALLY ONTO A SILICON SUBSTRATE AND STRUCTURES PREPARED WITH THE PROCESS”; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,003, issued Jan. 9, 1996, entitled “PROCESS FOR DEPOSITING EPITAXIAL ALKALINE EARTH OXIDE ONTO A SUBSTRATE AND STRUCTURES PREPARED WITH THE PROCESS”. A strontium silicide (SrSi
2
) interface model with a c(4×2) structure was proposed. See for example: R. McKee et al.,
Phys. Rev. Lett
. 81(14), 3014 (Oct. 5, 1998). However, atomic level simulation of this proposed structure indicates that it likely is not stable at elevated temperatures.
Growth of SrTiO
3
on silicon (100) using an SrO buffer layer has been accomplished. See for example: T. Tambo et al.,
Jpn. J. Appl. Phys
., Vol. 37 (1998), pp. 4454-4459. However, the SrO buffer layer was thick (100 Å), thereby limiting application for transistor films, and crystallinity was not maintained throughout the growth.
Furthermore, SrTiO
3
has been grown on silicon using thick oxide layers (60-120 Å) of SrO or TiO
x
. See for example: B. K. Moon et al.,
Jpn. J. Appl. Phys
., Vol. 33 (1994), pp. 1472-1477. These thick buffer layers would limit the application for transistors.
Monocrystalline high-k oxides are of great importance for the next generation MOSFET applications. In this context, the term “monocrystalline” shall have the meaning commonly used within the semiconductor industry. The term shall refer to materials that are a single crystal or that are substantially a single crystal and shall include those materials having a relatively small number of defects such as dislocations and the like as are commonly found in substrates of silicon or germanium or mixtures of silicon and germanium and epitaxial layers of such materials commonly found in the semiconductor industry. Typically, in all of these known structures, they are prepared using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), pulsed laser deposition (PLD), sputtering, and/or metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). In these types of methods of preparation, it is difficult to control the silicon oxide interface to achieve low density of interfacial traps, low leakage current, and for thickness and composition uniformity over large areas, such as 8″ and above, and conformity over trenches. Accordingly, there is a need for a method that provides for a better interface between a silicon substrate and the metal oxide layer, that is conducive to the nucleation of a monocrystalline metal oxide layer, simple to manufacture, controllable, has suppressed fringing effects in MOSFET devices, and suitable for mass production.
Accordingly, it is a purpose of the present invention to provide for a method of fabricating a thin, monocrystalline stable silicate interface with silicon which would allow for the nucleation of a monocrystalline metal oxide layer on silicon.
It is yet another purpose of the present invention to provide for a method of fabricating a semiconductor structure including a monocrystalline metal oxide interface with silicon that is reliable and amenable to high throughput manufacturing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above problems and others are at least partially solved and the above purposes and others are realized in a method of fabricating a semiconductor structure including the steps of providing a silicon substrate having a surface, forming on the surface of the silicon substrate, by atomic layer deposition (ALD), a seed layer comprising a silicate material and forming, by atomic layer deposition (ALD) one or more layers of a monocrystalline high dielectric constant oxide on the seed layer.
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Droopad Ravindranath
Ramdani Jamal
Yu Zhiyi
Motorola Inc.
Niebling John F.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Simkovic Viktor
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