Patent ID: 8334219
Filing Date: 2012-12-18
Classification: C23C,H01L

Abstract:
1. A method of forming a target dielectric film having Si—N bonds constituting a main structure of the film on a semiconductor substrate by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), said target dielectric film having stress which is either tensile or compressive as its stress type which is opposite to a stress type of a reference dielectric film having Si—N bonds constituting a main structure of the film on a semiconductor substrate by PEALD, comprising: (i) introducing a reactive gas containing nitrogen and hydrogen, and a rare gas into a reaction space inside which the semiconductor substrate is placed; (ii) applying to the reaction space RF power which is a mixture of low-frequency RF power (LRF) and high-frequency RF power (HRF) at a ratio of LRF/HRF to obtain the target dielectric film having the stress type opposite to that of the reference dielectric film, said ratio being set by increasing a ratio of LRF/HRF used for the reference dielectric film when the stress type of the reference dielectric film is tensile, or by decreasing a ratio of LRF/HRF used for the reference dielectric film when the stress type of the reference dielectric film is compressive; and (iii) introducing a hydrogen-containing silicon precursor in pulses into the reaction space while the RF power is applied, thereby forming by PEALD the target dielectric film on the semiconductor substrate, wherein as a result of the set ratio, the target dielectric film has the stress type opposite to that of the reference dielectric film.