Patent ID: 7101812
Filing Date: 2006-09-05
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
1. A method of forming or modifying a dielectric film on a semiconductor surface of a semiconductor comprising: providing a semiconductor defining a surface, wherein the semiconductor is selected form a group consisting of silicon, germanium, or mixtures thereof; exposing the semiconductor to a process gas in a thermal processing chamber, the process gas comprising at least one reactive component, the reactive component being at a selected partial pressure, the reactive component comprising oxygen or nitrogen; heating the semiconductor to a selected temperature while being exposed to the process gas, the temperature and the partial pressure being selected such that from the reactive component diffuses through the growing or existing dielectric film located on the surface of the semiconductor to an interface area and reacts with the semiconductor, and wherein the temperature and the partial pressure are also selected such that semiconductor atoms diffuse from the semiconductor through the dielectric film to an outer surface area and react with the reactive component; and wherein a parameter space is defined by the partial pressure of the reactive component and the inverse temperature to which the semiconductor is heated, the parameter space comprising a first parameter area which is dominated by diffusion of the reactive component through the film and a second parameter area which is dominated by the diffusion of the semiconductor atoms through the film, and wherein the selected temperature and the selected partial pressure is at a border region between the first and second parameter areas so that the oxygen or nitrogen gas is diffusing through the dielectric film to the interface area and semiconductor atoms are simultaneously diffusing through the film to the outer surface, thereby growing a dielectric film having a thickness of from about 0.3 nm to about 8 nm.