Doped nitride film, doped oxide film and other doped films

Abstract

Adding at least one non-silicon precursor (such as a germanium precursor, a carbon precursor, etc.) during formation of a silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride or silicon carbide film improves the deposition rate and/or makes possible tuning of properties of the film, such as tuning of the stress of the film. Also, in a doped silicon oxide or doped silicon nitride or other doped structure, the presence of the dopant may be used for measuring a signal associated with the dopant, as an etch-stop or otherwise for achieving control during etching.

1 . A method of producing a doped silicon nitride film, doped silicon oxide film, doped silicon oxynitride film or doped silicon carbide film, the method comprising at least: 
 providing at least one silicon precursor,    providing at least one of: a nitrogen precursor (which may be the same as or different from the silicon precursor) or an oxygen precursor,    further providing at least one non-silicon precursor (which may be the same as or different from the silicon precursor, the nitrogen precursor and/or the oxygen precursor),    wherein a doped silicon nitride film, a doped silicon oxide film, a doped silicon oxynitride film or a doped silicon carbide film is formed (provided that when the film is a doped oxide, the non-silicon precursor is not boron and not phosphorous).    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the providing of at least one silicon precursor and the providing of at least one non-silicon precursor occurs simultaneously and is in a form of providing flow of a gas.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the non-silicon precursor is a germanium precursor.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the non-silicon precursor is selected from the group consisting of a carbon precursor; a boron precursor; an aluminum precursor; an arsenic precursor; a hafnium precursor; a gallium precursor and an indium precursor.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a produced film is a silicon nitride film.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a produced film is germanium- and/or carbon-doped silicon nitride or silicon oxide.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a produced film has a tunable stress.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the non-silicon precursor is an organogermanium compound or a germanium precursor selected from the group consisting of GeH 4  and GeH 3 CH 3 ; 
 diborane;    trimethyl aluminum (TMA);    a C 2 H 4  carbon precursor;    trimethyl Ga;    trimethyl In;    trialkyl amino Ga;    trialkyl amino In;    GaH 3 ;    InH 3 ;    AlH and    aluminum isopropoxide.    
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the non-silicon precursor is an alkyl hydride or an alkyl amino hydride of germanium, carbon, aluminum, boron, arsenic, hafnium, gallium or indium.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , including applying a precursor modification to tune at least one chemical or physical property of a produced film.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the precursor modification is a mixture of at least two precursors.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one chemical or physical property is stress of a produced film.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one chemical or physical property is selected from the group consisting of: wet etch rate; dry etch rate; etch end point; deposition rate; and physical, electrical and/or optical property.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein deposition is at a lower temperature than if the non-silicon precursor were omitted.  
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1 , conducted at a temperature below about 700° C.  
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the deposition is RTCVD, PECVD, LPCVD, remote plasma nitride or ALD.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 1 , including adding germane to a mixture of silane and ammonia, and forming a Ge-doped Si nitride film.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising a step of measuring a signal for a non-silicon dopant from the non-silicon precursor, said signal measuring for controlling an etch.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the produced film is a Ge-doped silicon nitride film having a uniformly distributed Ge concentration.  
   
   
       20 . A silicon nitride or silicon oxide film, having a tunable stress in a range of about 3 G Pa (compressive) to 3 G Pa (tensile).  
   
   
       21 . The film of  claim 20 , wherein the film is germanium doped  
   
   
       22 . The film of  claim 20 , wherein the film is boron-doped, aluminum-doped, carbon-doped, arsenic-doped, hafnium-doped, gallium-doped and/or indium-doped.  
   
   
       23 . The film of  claim 20 , including two or more dopants  
   
   
       24 . The film of  claim 20 , wherein the film is Ge-doped and wherein the Ge-doped film has a stress that is at least about 1.0 G Pa greater than a film that has been made by a same process except without Ge-doping.  
   
   
       25 . An aluminum-doped silicon oxide film.  
   
   
       26 . A germanium-doped silicon nitride film.  
   
   
       27 . The film of  claim 26 , wherein the film is a Ge-doped silicon nitride film with uniformly distributed Ge.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the deposition is conducted at room temperature.