Silicon carbonitride gapfill with tunable carbon content

Abstract

Methods for plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of silicon carbonitride films are described. A flowable silicon carbonitride film is formed on a substrate surface by exposing the substrate surface to a precursor and a reactant, the precursor having a structure of general formula (I) or general formula (II) wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , and R 12 are independently selected from hydrogen (H), substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy, substituted or unsubstituted vinyl, silane, substituted or unsubstituted amine, or halide; purging the processing chamber of the silicon precursor, and then exposing the substrate to an ammonia plasma.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of depositing a film, the method comprising:
 forming a flowable film on a substrate surface by exposing the substrate surface to a precursor mixture, the precursor mixture comprising a silane and a precursor having a structure of general formula (II)   
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , and R 12  are independently selected from hydrogen (H), substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy, substituted or unsubstituted vinyl, silane, substituted or unsubstituted amine, or halide;
 flowing a stream of ammonia (NH 3 ) over the substrate surface; and 
 turning on a bias power to generate a plasma, 
 wherein the flowable film has a carbon content of at least 5 at. %. 
 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate surface is exposed simultaneously to the precursor and the silane. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the silane comprises one or more of trisilylamine (TSA), silane, disilane, trisilane, tetrasilane, higher order silanes or substituted silanes. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plasma comprises one or more of ammonia (NH 3 ), nitrogen (N 2 ), argon (Ar), helium (He), hydrogen (H 2 ), carbon monoxide (CO), or carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the flowable film has a thickness in a range of about 50 Å to about 1000 Å. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the flowable film is formed at a pressure in a range from about 0.3 Torr to about 10 Torr. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the flowable film is formed at a temperature in a range of from about 0° C. to about 200° C. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the flowable film is a silicon carbonitride (SiCN) film. 
     
     
         9 . A method of depositing a film, the method comprising:
 exposing a substrate in a processing chamber to a precursor having a structure of general formula (I) or general formula (II)   
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , and R 12  are independently selected from hydrogen (H), substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy, substituted or unsubstituted vinyl, silane, substituted or unsubstituted amine, or halide to deposit a silicon-containing film on the substrate;
 exposing the substrate to a silane to react with the silicon-containing film to form a silicon carbonitride (SiCN) film on the substrate, the SiCN film having a carbon content of at least 5 at. %; 
 purging the processing chamber of the precursor and silane; 
 flowing a stream of ammonia (NH 3 ) over the substrate surface; and 
 turning on a bias power to generate a plasma. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the substrate surface is exposed simultaneously to the precursor and the silane. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the silane comprises one or more of trisilylamine (TSA), silane, disilane, trisilane, tetrasilane, higher order silanes or substituted silanes. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the precursor comprises one or more of one or more of hexamethylcyclotrisilazane, octamethylcyclotrisilazane, nonamethylcyclotrisilazane, hexaethylcyclotrisilazane, octaethylcyclotrisilazane, 2-ethyl-2,4,4,6,6-pentamethyl-1,3,5,2,4,6-triazatrisilinane, hexapropylcyclotrisilazane, octapropylcyclotrisilazane, Di(butan-2-yl)-fluoro-(2,2,4,4,6,6-hexamethyl-1,3,5,2,4,6-triazatrisilinan-1-yl)silane, Tetraethyl-dimethyl-triazatrisilinane, Diethyl-tetramethyl-triazatrisilinane, hexapropyltriazatrisilinane, hexamethyltriazatrisilinane, hexaethyltriazatrisilinane, octapropyltriazatrisilinane, octaamethyltriazatrisilinane, octaethyltriazatrisilinane, tetraethyl-tetramethyl-triazatrisilinane, ethyl-pentamethyl-triazatrisilinane, triethyl-triazatrisilinane, trimethyl-triazatrisilinane, tripropyl-triazatrisilinane, and the like. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the plasma comprises one or more of ammonia (NH 3 ), nitrogen (N 2 ), argon (Ar), helium (He), hydrogen (H 2 ), carbon monoxide (CO), or carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein purging the processing chamber comprises flowing a purge gas over the substrate, the purge gas selected from one or more of argon (Ar), nitrogen (N 2 ), and helium (He). 
     
     
         15 . A method of depositing a film, the method comprising:
 forming a flowable film on a substrate surface by exposing the substrate surface to a precursor mixture, the precursor mixture comprising a silane and a precursor having a structure of general formula (I)   
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , and R 12  are independently selected from hydrogen (H), substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted alkoxy, substituted or unsubstituted vinyl, silane, substituted or unsubstituted amine, or halide;
 flowing a stream of ammonia (NH 3 ) over the substrate surface; and 
 turning on a bias power to generate a plasma, 
 wherein the flowable film has a carbon content of at least 5 at. %. 
 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the silane comprises one or more of trisilylamine (TSA), silane, disilane, trisilane, tetrasilane, higher order silanes or substituted silanes. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the flowable film has a thickness in a range of about 50 Å to about 1000 Å. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the flowable film is formed at a pressure in a range from about 0.3 Torr to about 10 Torr. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the flowable film is formed at a temperature in a range of from about 0° C. to about 200° C. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the flowable film is a silicon carbonitride (SiCN) film.