摘要 |
Methods of manufacturing insulating materials having high dielectric constants are disclosed, in which the high-dielectric constant material is deposited on a semiconductor surface that has been treated to remove layers of low-dielectric constant dielectric material which form on the surfaces of semiconductor wafers during manufacturing and conventional wafer preparation. During conventional wafer preparation, a layer of oxide forms on the surface of the semiconductor substrate. The oxide has a lower dielectric constant than the desired high-dielectric constant insulator, therefore, the presence of this layer of native oxide effectively lowers the dielectric constant of the overall insulating film. The methods of this invention involve heating the wafer in an environment containing an oxide reducing material. The oxide reducing material chemically reduces the semiconductor substrate, thereby decreasing the amount of oxide present on the surface of the wafer. Thereafter, the layers of high dielectric constant materials can bedeposited, resulting in an overall insulating film having a dielectric constant that more closely reflects the dielectric constant of the high-dielectric constant insulating material. Therefore, the insulating films can be made thinner, thereby permitting high voltage components to be manufactured closer together on the semiconductor wafer, thus increasing device density, increasing efficiency, and decreasing manufacturing costs.
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