Patent ID: 11859275
Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Field: Surface technology, coating (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC C  H | IPC C

Claim 15:
16. A method of forming a tungsten carbide film, comprising:
forming a tungsten carbide initiation layer directly on a silicon-containing surface of a substrate at a first deposition rate, comprising exposing the silicon-containing surface to a first reactive gas comprising WF6, C3H6, and H2 in a first PECVD process including a first RF plasma power of about 100 Watts or less at a first pressure in a range of about 2 Torr to about 10 Torr; and
forming a tungsten carbide film on the tungsten carbide initiation layer at a second deposition rate, comprising exposing the tungsten carbide initiation layer to a second reactive gas comprising WF6, C3H6, and optionally H2 in a second PECVD process including a second RF plasma power of about 500 Watts or greater at a second pressure in a range of about 2 Torr to about 10 Torr,
wherein the second deposition rate is greater than the first deposition rate,
wherein the tungsten carbide initiation layer has a thickness in a range of about 10 Å to about 200 Å, and
wherein the tungsten carbide film has a thickness of about 5,000 Å or greater.