Hardmask materials

摘要

Hardmask films having high hardness and low stress are provided. In some embodiments a film has a stress of between about −600 MPa and 600 MPa and hardness of at least about 12 GPa. In some embodiments, a hardmask film is prepared by depositing multiple sub-layers of doped or undoped silicon carbide using multiple densifying plasma post-treatments in a PECVD process chamber. In some embodiments, a hardmask film includes a high-hardness boron-containing film selected from the group consisting of SixByCz, SixByNz, SixByCzNw, BxCy, and BxNy. In some embodiments, a hardmask film includes a germanium-rich GeNx material comprising at least about 60 atomic % of germanium. These hardmasks can be used in a number of back-end and front-end processing schemes in integrated circuit fabrication.

主权项

1. A method of forming a hardmask film on a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising:
receiving the semiconductor substrate in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process chamber; and forming a high-hardness SixByCz hardmask film having a hardness of greater than about 12 GPa, and a stress of between about −600 MPa and 600 MPa by PECVD on the semiconductor substrate, wherein the PECVD hardmask deposition process comprises: (i) flowing a process gas comprising a boron-containing precursor, a silicon-containing precursor and a carrier gas into the PECVD process chamber; and (ii) forming a dual frequency plasma, wherein LF/HF power ratio is at least about 1.5, to deposit the high-hardness SixByCz hardmask film on the semiconductor substrate, wherein the formed high-hardness SixByCz hardmask film has a ratio of IR peak areas for BC/[BC+SiC] of at least about 0.35.