Reactive sputtering method for forming metal-silicon layer

Details Reactive sputtering method for forming metal-silicon layer Reactive sputtering method for forming metal-silicon layer

2000-07-19

2002-07-02

Ver Steeg, Steven H (Department: 1753)

Chemistry: electrical and wave energy

Processes and products

Coating, forming or etching by sputtering

C136S257000, C438S142000, C438S381000, C438S800000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06413386

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods for forming metal-silicon layers within fabrications including but not limited to microelectronic fabrications. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods for forming, with enhanced compositional control, metal-silicon layers within fabrications including but not limited to microelectronic fabrications.
2. Description of the Related Art
Microelectronic fabrications are formed from microelectronic substrates over which are formed patterned microelectronic conductor layers which are separated by microelectronic dielectric layers.
As microelectronic fabrication integration levels have increased, and more particularly as semiconductor integrated circuit microelectronic fabrication integration levels have increased, there has evolved a continuing and correlating trend towards decreasing linewidth dimensions and thickness dimensions of microelectronic layers which are employed when fabricating microelectronic devices and microelectronic structures employed in fabricating microelectronic fabrications.
Of the microelectronic layers whose thicknesses have traditionally decreased when fabricating advanced microelectronic fabrications, and whose thickness uniformity and materials composition integrity is generally of considerable importance when fabricating microelectronic fabrications, are capacitive dielectric layers which are conventionally employed as: (1) gate dielectric layers within field effect transistors (FETs) within semiconductor integrated circuit microelectronic fabrications; as well as (2) capacitor plate separation dielectric layers within various types of capacitors within various types of microelectronic fabrications, including but not limited to semiconductor integrated circuit microelectronic fabrications.
While continuing decreases in thickness of capacitive dielectric layers are generally desirable in the art of microelectronic fabrication in order to theoretically provide enhanced performance of capacitive devices within advanced microelectronic fabrications, there nonetheless exist considerable technical barriers to forming, with both decreased thickness and enhanced compositional control, capacitive dielectric layers of conventional dielectric materials, such as silicon oxide dielectric materials, silicon nitride dielectric materials, silicon oxynitride dielectric materials and composites thereof, such as to provide enhanced performance of capacitive devices within advanced microelectronic fabrications, and in particular enhanced performance of capacitive devices within advanced semiconductor integrated circuit microelectronic fabrications.
In an effort to provide enhanced performance of capacitive devices within advanced microelectronic fabrications while avoiding decreased thicknesses of capacitive dielectric layers within the capacitive devices, there has been proposed in the alternative of employing conventional silicon oxide dielectric materials, silicon nitride dielectric materials, silicon oxynitride dielectric materials and composites thereof when forming capacitive dielectric layers within advanced microelectronic fabrication, to employ dielectric materials having generally higher dielectric constants, typically and preferably in a range of from about 10 to about 30 (in comparison with a range of from about 4 to about 8 for conventional silicon oxide dielectric materials, silicon nitride dielectric materials, silicon oxynitride dielectric materials and composites thereof). Such dielectric materials having generally higher dielectric constants allow for increased thicknesses of capacitive dielectric layers while simultaneously providing for enhanced capacitive properties of capacitive devices when fabricating microelectronic fabrications. Of the higher dielectric constant dielectric materials which have been proposed for use when forming capacitive dielectric layers within capacitive devices within advanced microelectronic fabrications, metal silicate dielectric materials and nitrided metal silicate dielectric materials (i.e., metal silicon oxynitride dielectric materials), are presently of considerable interest.
While metal silicate dielectric materials, and derivatives thereof, are thus desirable in the art of microelectronic fabrication for use when forming capacitive dielectric layers within capacitive devices within microelectronic fabrications, metal silicate dielectric materials, and derivatives thereof, are similarly nonetheless also not entirely without problems in the art of microelectronic fabrication when forming capacitive dielectric layers within capacitive devices within microelectronic fabrications. In that regard, it is often difficult to form a metal silicate dielectric material, or derivative thereof, with enhanced compositional control when forming a capacitive dielectric layer within a capacitive device within a microelectronic fabrication.
It is thus desirable in the art of microelectronic fabrication to provide methods and materials for forming, with enhanced compositional control, metal silicate dielectric materials, and derivatives thereof, for use when forming capacitive dielectric layers within capacitive devices within microelectronic fabrications.
It is towards the foregoing object that the present invention is directed.
Various methods and materials have been disclosed within various arts for forming capacitive dielectric layers, as well as other types of layers, with desirable properties within various types of fabrications.
For example, Russak et al., in “Reactive magnetron sputtered zirconium oxide and zirconium silicon oxide thin films”, in J. Vac. Sci. Technol., A7(3), May/June 1989, pp. 1248-53, discloses a method for forming, with varying optical properties, zirconium silicate layers within optical fabrications. To realize the foregoing object, the method employs a reactive sputtering method employing separate zirconium and silicon targets which are independently sputtered within a single reactor chamber.
In addition, Wallace et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,553 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,020,243, disclose various methods for forming, for use within a field effect transistor (FET) within a semiconductor integrated circuit microelectronic fabrication, a gate dielectric layer formed of a dielectric material having a comparatively high dielectric constant. To realize the foregoing object, the method employs any. of several deposition methods which may be employed to form the gate dielectric layer of a comparatively high dielectric constant dielectric material selected from the group consisting of hafnium oxynitride dielectric materials, zirconium oxynitride dielectric materials, hafnium silicon oxynitride dielectric materials and zirconium silicon oxynitride dielectric materials.
Finally, Laibowitz et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,216, disclose an alternative method for forming, for use within a capacitor within a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cell within a semiconductor integrated circuit microelectronic fabrication, a capacitor plate separation dielectric layer formed of a dielectric material having a comparatively high dielectric constant. To realize the foregoing object, the method employs an ion implantation method through which the capacitor plate separation dielectric layer may be formed of a comparatively high dielectric constant silicate dielectric material such as a barium silicate dielectric material, a lead silicate dielectric material or a composite silicate dielectric material thereof.
Desirable in the art of microelectronic fabrication are additional methods and materials which may be employed for forming, with enhanced compositional control, metal silicate dielectric materials, and derivatives thereof, for use when forming capacitive dielectric layers within capacitive devices within microelectronic fabrications.
It is towards the foregoing object that the present invention is directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first object of the present invention is to provide a method for forming a met

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