Silicon deposition process in resistively heated single wafer chamber

Abstract

A method for depositing doped polycrystalline or amorphous silicon film. The method includes placing a substrate onto a susceptor. The susceptor includes a body having a resistive heater therein and a thermocouple in physical contact with the resistive heater. The susceptor is located in the process chamber such that the process chamber has a top portion above the susceptor and a bottom portion below the susceptor. The method further includes heating the susceptor. The method further includes providing a process gas mix into the process chamber through a shower head located on the susceptor. The process gas mix includes a silicon source gas, a dopant gas, and a carrier gas. The carrier gas includes nitrogen. The method further includes forming the doped silicon film from the silicon source gas.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of forming a doped silicon film comprising: 
 placing a substrate onto a susceptor, the susceptor comprising a body having a resistive heater therein and a thermocouple in physical contact with the resistive heater, the susceptor being located in a process chamber such that the process chamber has a top portion above the susceptor and a bottom portion below the susceptor;    heating the susceptor;    providing a process gas mix into the process chamber through a shower head located above the susceptor, wherein the process gas mix comprises a silicon source gas, a dopant gas, and a carrier gas, the carrier gas comprising nitrogen (N 2 ); and    forming the doped silicon film from the process gas.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein heating the susceptor comprises heating the susceptor to a temperature between about 580° C. and about 740° C.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the temperature is maintained between about 710° C. and about 740° C. and wherein forming the doped silicon film comprises forming a polycrystalline silicon film.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the temperature is maintained between about 580° C. to about 620° C. and wherein forming the doped silicon film comprises forming an amorphous silicon film.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising maintaining a pressure in the process chamber of about 100 Torr to about 350 Torr.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the silicon source gas is silane (SiH 4 ) or disilane (Si 2 H 6 ) having a flow rate of between about 50 sccm and about 300 sccm.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the carrier gas has a nitrogen (N 2 ) flow rate of about 9 slm in the top portion of the process chamber.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising providing a purge gas flow through the bottom portion of the chamber, wherein the purge gas has a flow rate of about 5 slm.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the dopant gas comprises phosphine (PH 3 ) and a dilutant such that the dopant gas has a pure dopant flow rate of up to about 3 sccm.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the dopant gas comprises diboron (B 2 H 6 ) and a dilutant such that the dopant gas has a pure dopant flow rate of up to about 3 sccm.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the dopant gas comprises arsine (AsH 3 ) and a dilutant such that the dopant gas has a pure dopant flow rate of up to about 3 sccm.  
     
     
         12 . A method of forming a doped polycrystalline silicon film comprising: 
 placing a substrate onto a susceptor, the susceptor comprising a body having a resistive heater therein and a thermocouple in physical contact with the resistive heater, the susceptor being located in a process chamber such that the process chamber has a top portion above the susceptor and a bottom portion below the susceptor;    heating the susceptor to a temperature between 710-740° C.;    maintaining a pressure between 100-350 Torr in the process chamber;    providing a process gas mix into the process chamber through a shower head located above the susceptor, wherein the process gas mix comprises a silicon source gas, a dopant gas, and a carrier gas, the carrier gas comprising nitrogen (N 2 ) at a flow rate of about 9 slm in the top portion of the chamber; and    forming said doped polycrystalline silicon film from the silicon source gas.    
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the silicon source gas is silane (SiH 4 ) or disilane (Si 2 H 6 ) having a flow rate of between about 50 sccm and about 300 sccm.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12  further comprising providing a nitrogen (N 2 ) purge gas flow through the bottom portion of the chamber, wherein the purge gas has a flow rate of about 5 slm.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the dopant gas comprises phosphine (PH 3 ) and a dilutant such that the dopant gas has a pure dopant flow rate of up to about 3 sccm.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the dopant gas comprises diboron (B 2 H 6 ) and a dilutant such that the dopant gas has a pure dopant flow rate of up to about 3 sccm.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the dopant gas comprises arsine (AsH 3 ) and a dilutant such that the dopant gas has a pure dopant flow rate of up to about 3 sccm.  
     
     
         18 . A method of forming a doped amorphous silicon film comprising: 
 placing a substrate onto a susceptor, the susceptor comprising a body having a resistive heater therein and a thermocouple in physical contact with the resistive heater, the susceptor being located in a process chamber such that the process chamber has a top portion above the susceptor and a bottom portion below the susceptor;    heating the susceptor to a temperature between 580-620° C.;    maintaining a pressure between 100-350 Torr in the process chamber;    providing a process gas mix into the process chamber through a shower head located above the susceptor, wherein the process gas mix comprises a silicon source gas, a dopant gas, and a carrier gas, the carrier gas comprising nitrogen (N 2 ) at a flow rate of about 9 slm in the top portion of the chamber; and    forming said doped amorphous silicon film from the silicon source gas.    
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the silicon source gas is silane (SiH 4 ) or disilane (Si 2 H 6 ) having a flow rate of between about 50 sccm and about 300 sccm in a first process gas cycle.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising providing a nitrogen (N 2 ) purge gas flow through the bottom portion of the chamber, wherein the purge gas has a flow rate of about 5 slm.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the dopant gas comprises phosphine (PH 3 ) and a dilutant such that the dopant gas has a pure dopant flow rate of up to about 3 sccm.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the dopant gas comprises diboron (B 2 H 6 ) and a dilutant such that the dopant gas has a pure dopant flow rate of up to about 3 sccm.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the dopant gas comprises arsine (AsH 3 ) and a dilutant such that the dopant gas has a pure dopant flow rate of up to about 3 sccm.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising providing a second process gas cycle of silicon source gas including silane at a flow rate of about 200 sccm to about 500 sccm.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising providing a second process gas cycle of silicon source gas including disilane at a flow rate of about 100 sccm to about 300 sccm.  
     
     
         26 . A substrate processing system comprising: 
 a susceptor, located within a process chamber, that holds a substrate during substrate processing;    a gas delivery system for introducing a process gas mix into the process chamber to deposit a layer over said substrate;    a pump coupled to a gas outlet for controlling the chamber pressure;    a controller for controlling said gas delivery system and said pump; and    a memory coupled to said controller comprising a computer readable medium having a computer readable program embodied therein for directing operation of said processing system, said computer readable program comprising instructions for controlling said gas delivery system to introduce a process gas mix including a silicon source gas, a dopant gas, and a dilution gas mix wherein the dilution gas mix comprises nitrogen (N 2 ).