Samco Inc. Technical Report vol. 118 / July 2022

Plasma Enhanced & Thermal ALD System

AD-800LP

RF 13.56 MHz
RC lid (ground)
ICP coil (hot)Slit plateStage heater

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Insulating plate

Plasma Enhanced & Thermal ALD System: AD-800LP
Introduction
As semiconductor devices become smaller and thinner, atomic layer deposition (ALD), with nano-level
controllability of film thickness and excellent step-coverage, is becoming increasingly important1.
Insulating oxide films such as AlOx and SiO2 have been the predominant ALD film materials. However,in recent years, the range of ALD film materials has expanded to include nitrides, metals, conductivefilms, and various other types of films2, 3. Accordingly, there is a great demand for ALD systems that canhandle deposition of films using precursors with lower vapor pressure and deposition of conductive films.
This report introduces the Samco’s cutting edge ALD system model “AD-800LP” developed to meet theexpanding demands and its process results.

Features
The AD-800LP is a load-locked, plasma enhanced, thermal ALD system; three features of the AD-800LP
are presented below.
1. Reaction chamber heatable to 200°C to eliminate cold spots and prevent particle generation
2. ICP coils for deposition of conductive films
3. Removable and washable reaction chamber
The first feature is the capability to heat the reaction chamber to 200°C. A cartridge heater in the reaction
chamber heats the entire reaction chamber efficiently and uniformly. The exhaust piping is also heated toeliminate cold spots and prevent the condensation of precursors with low vapor pressure. Therefore, theAD-800LP can handle a wide variety of precursors.
The second feature is the ICP coil. Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the ALD reaction chambers.
In former iterations of our ALD system, the RF electrode is installed on the upper side of the reaction
chamber. In the deposition of conductive films such as metal or TiN, the insulating plate may be coveredby the conductive film, causing the conduction between RF electrode and grounded chamber lid. The
AD-800LP uses an ICP coil placed outside the reaction chamber to prevent conduction between the ICP
coil electrodes and the reaction chamber lid, while enabling high-density plasma. Furthermore, a top slit
plate is employed to prevent the insulating plate from being covered by a conductive film and interferingwith the magnetic field. The AD-800LP is capable of repeated deposition of even conductive films.

Former ALD System

AD-800LP

CCP

ICP
RF 13.56 MHz
RF 13.56 MHz

RC lid (ground)
Insulating plate

RC lid (ground)
ICP coil (hot)Upper electrode (hot)Slit plateStage heater

Stage heater

Insulating plate

The deposition of a conductive film
may lead to conduction.

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of former ALD system and AD-800LP reaction chamber

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The third feature is the removability of the reaction chamber for maintenance. Because ALD has excellent
coverage properties, even if an adhesion preventing plate is installed in the reaction chamber, the films
may be deposited on the back side of the plate and the inner wall of the reaction chamber.
It is difficult to clean the films adhering to the inner wall of the reaction chamber. The AD-800LP canprovide stable processes in the long-term by removing the reaction chamber, and cleaning it every
few years.

Process Results
Figure 2 shows the results of AlOx film deposition on an 8-inch Si wafer using the AD-800LP. The films
were deposited using TMA (trimethylaluminum) and three oxidants: O2 plasma, H2O supply, and O3
supply. The stage heater temperature was set to 300°C. The film thickness was measured with
an ellipsometer (HORIBA, Ltd., Auto SE). Excellent in-plane uniformity of less than ± 2% was obtainedwith all oxidants. Film thickness control at the nano level is realized, and the film deposition per cycle is0.08 to 0.1 nm / cycle.
TMA + O2 Plasma

In-plane uniformity:
Number of cycles:
Average film thickness:
Film thickness per cycle:

TMA + H2O

TMA + O3

±0.90%
300 cycles
27.97 nm0.09 nm/cycle±0.81%
500 cycles
40.61 nm0.08 nm/cycle±1.47%
300 cycles
30.60 nm
0.1 nm/cycle

Figure 2. AD-800LP AlOx deposition results using three oxidants; O2 plasma, H2O, and O3

Conclusion
The new ALD system AD-800LP, capable of depositing films using low vapor pressure materials andconductive films, and the results of AlOx film deposition using three different oxidants were presented.
Samco is also working on film deposition using other materials, which will be introduced in anothertechnical report.

References
1) S.M. George, Chem. Rev. 2010, 110, 111-131.
2) April 2016 vol. 93 Samco Now Technical-Report3) October 2021 vol. 115 Samco Now Technical-Report
Acknowledgements
Samco would like to express gratitude to Professor Yasutaka Matsuo, Director of the Office of Nanotechnology
Collaboration, Hokkaido University, who gave much advice in the development of the AD-800LP.

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Principles of ALD
Figure 3 shows one cycle of ALD. Step 1 to 4 is called one cycle, and each atomic layer is deposited
one by one by repeating this cycle.

Reactant A

Reactant A
SupplyReactant A
Purge

Reactant B
Supply / Plasma

Reactant B
Purge

Step1

Step2

Step3

Step4

Reactant B

Substrate

Repeat steps 1 to 4 as one cycle

Figure 3. Diagram showing one cycle of ALD

Better Tomorrow Driven by Thin Film Technology
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Samco’s durable systems, world-class recipe database and prompt service help you minimize downtime,and boost cleanroom productivity, while cutting costs at the same time.
We give teams reliable tools and resources, enabling your business or organization to push the limits ofThin Film Technology.

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