Patent Publication Number: US-2007116873-A1

Title: Apparatus for thermal and plasma enhanced vapor deposition and method of operating

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application is related to U.S. Ser. No. 11/090,255, Attorney Docket No. 26 7366US, Client Ref. No. TTCA 19, entitled “A PLASMA ENHANCED ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION SYSTEM”, now U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2004______, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This application is related to U.S. Ser. No. 11/084,176, entitled “A DEPOSITION SYSTEM AND METHOD”, Attorney Docket No. 265595US, Client Ref. No. TTCA 24, now U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2004______, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This application is related to U.S. Ser. No. ______, entitled “A PLASMA ENHANCED ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION SYSTEM HAVING REDUCED CONTAMINATION”, Client Ref. No. TTCA 27, now U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2004______, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This application is related to U.S. Ser. No. ______, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING THERMAL AND PLASMA ENHANCED VAPOR DEPOSITION”, Attorney Docket No. 2274017US, Client Ref. No. TTCA 54, now U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2006______, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This application is related to U.S. Ser. No. ______, entitled “A DEPOSITION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PLASMA ENHANCED ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION”, Attorney Docket No. 2274020US, Client Ref. No. TTCA 55, now U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2006______, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This application is related to U.S. Ser. No. ______, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SEALING A FIRST CHAMBER PORTION TO A SECOND CHAMBER PORTION OF A PROCESSING SYSTEM”, Attorney Docket No. 2274016US, Client Ref. No. TTCA 63, now U.S. Pat. Appl. Publ. No. 2006______, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a deposition system and a method of operating thereof, and more particularly to a deposition system having separate regions for material deposition and transfer.  
      2. Description of Related Art  
      Typically, during materials processing, when fabricating composite material structures, a plasma is frequently employed to facilitate the addition and removal of material films. For example, in semiconductor processing, a dry plasma etch process is often utilized to remove or etch material along fine lines or within vias or contacts patterned on a silicon substrate. Alternatively, for example, a vapor deposition process is utilized to deposit material along fine lines or within vias or contacts on a silicon substrate. In the latter, vapor deposition processes include chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).  
      In PECVD, a plasma is utilized to alter or enhance the film deposition mechanism. For instance, plasma excitation generally allows film-forming reactions to proceed at temperatures that are significantly lower than those typically required to produce a similar film by thermally excited CVD. In addition, plasma excitation may activate film-forming chemical reactions that are not energetically or kinetically favored in thermal CVD. The chemical and physical properties of PECVD films may thus be varied over a relatively wide range by adjusting process parameters.  
      More recently, atomic layer deposition (ALD), and plasma enhanced ALD (PEALD) has emerged as a candidate for ultra-thin gate film formation in front end-of-line (FEOL) operations, as well as ultra-thin barrier layer and seed layer formation for metallization in back end-of-line (BEOL) operations. In ALD, two or more process gases, such as a film precursor and a reduction gas, are introduced alternatingly and sequentially while the substrate is heated in order to form a material film one monolayer at a time. In PEALD, plasma is formed during the introduction of the reduction gas to form a reduction plasma. To date, ALD and PEALD processes have proven to provide improved uniformity in layer thickness and conformality to features on which the layer is deposited, albeit these processes are slower than their CVD and PECVD counterparts.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      One object of the present invention is directed to addressing various problems with semiconductor processing at ever decreasing line sizes where conformality, adhesion, and purity are becoming increasingly important issues affecting the resultant semiconductor device.  
      Another object of the present invention is to reduce contamination problems between interfaces of subsequently deposited or processed layers.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide a configuration compatible for vapor deposition and sample transfer within the same system.  
      Variations of these and/or other objects of the present invention are provided by certain embodiments of the present invention.  
      In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for material deposition on a substrate in a vapor deposition system is provided for processing a substrate, that maintains a first assembly of the vapor deposition system at a first temperature, maintains a second assembly of the vapor deposition system at a reduced temperature lower than the first temperature, disposes the substrate in a process space of the first assembly that is vacuum isolated from a transfer space of the second assembly, and deposit a material on the substrate.  
      In another embodiment of the present invention, a deposition system for forming a deposit on a substrate is provided that includes a first assembly having a process space configured to facilitate material deposition, a second assembly coupled to the first assembly and having a transfer space to facilitate transfer of the substrate into and out of the deposition system, a substrate stage connected to the second assembly and configured to support the substrate, and a sealing assembly configured to separate the process space from the transfer space. The first assembly is configured to be maintained at a first temperature and the second assembly is configured to be maintained at a reduced temperature lower than the first temperature.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      In the accompanying drawings, a more complete appreciation of the present invention and many attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
       FIG. 1  depicts a schematic view of a deposition system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  depicts a schematic view of the deposition system of  FIG. 1  in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention in which sample transfer is facilitated at a lower sample stage position;  
       FIG. 3  depicts a schematic view of a sealing mechanism in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;  
       FIG. 4  depicts a schematic view of another sealing mechanism in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 5  depicts a schematic view of another sealing mechanism in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 6  depicts a schematic view of another sealing mechanism in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 7  shows a process flow diagram of a process in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      In the following description, in order to facilitate a thorough understanding of the invention and for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth, such as a particular geometry of the deposition system and descriptions of various components. However, it should be understood that the invention may be practiced in other embodiments that depart from these specific details.  
      Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views,  FIG. 1A  illustrates a deposition system  101  for depositing a thin film, such as for example a barrier film, on a substrate using for example a plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) process. During the metallization of inter-connect and intra-connect structures for semiconductor devices in back-end-of-line (BEOL) operations, a thin conformal barrier layer may be deposited on wiring trenches or vias to minimize the migration of metal into the inter-level or intra-level dielectric, a thin conformal seed layer may be deposited on wiring trenches or vias to provide a film with acceptable adhesion properties for bulk metal fill, and/or a thin conformal adhesion layer may be deposited on wiring trenches or vias to provide a film with acceptable adhesion properties for metal seed deposition. In addition to these processes, a bulk metal such as copper must be deposited within the wiring trench or via.  
      As line sizes shrink, PEALD has emerged as a leading candidate for such thin films. For example, a thin barrier layer is preferably performed using a self-limiting ALD process, such as PEALD, since it provides acceptable conformality to complex, high aspect ratio features. In order to achieve a self-limiting deposition characteristic, a PEALD process involves alternating different process gases, such as a film precursor and a reduction gas, whereby the film precursor is adsorbed to the substrate surface in a first step and then reduced to form the desired film in a second step. Due to the alternation of two process gases in a vacuum chamber, deposition occurs at a relatively slow deposition rate.  
      The present inventors have recognized that the first (non-plasma) step, i.e., film precursor adsorption, in a PEALD process can benefit from a small process space volume to increase throughput and/or preserve process gas while a larger process space volume is required to sustain a uniform plasma during the second (plasma assisted reduction) step in the PEALD process.  
      Thus, it is described in related applications “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING THERMAL AND PLASMA ENHANCED VAPOR DEPOSITION” and “A DEPOSITION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PLASMA ENHANCED ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION” to vary the size of a process space to accommodate different processes or steps.  
      Additionally, the present invention also desirably separates the process space within which the PEALD process is performed from a transfer space within which the substrate is transferred into and out of the processing chamber. The physical isolation of the process space and the transfer space reduces the contamination of processed substrates. Since CVD and ALD processes are known to be “dirtier” than other deposition techniques, such as physical vapor deposition (PVD), the physical isolation of the process space and the transfer space can further reduce the transport of contamination from the processing chamber to other processing chambers coupled to the central transfer system. Thus, one aspect of the present invention provides and maintains isolation of the process space from the transfer space. Thus, another aspect of the present invention provides and maintains isolation of the process space from the transfer space while varying the size of the process space.  
      Further, the materials used for the CVD and ALD processes are increasingly more complex. For example, when depositing metal containing films, metal halide film precursors or metal-organic film precursors are utilized. As such, the processing chambers are often contaminated with precursor residue or partially decomposed precursor residue or both on walls of the deposition system. As a result, vacuum buffer chambers have been employed to isolate the deposition system from in vacuo transfer systems that transport the process wafer to other processing chambers. The buffer chambers, however, add more cost and time to the overall fabrication process.  
      One way to reduce film precursor residue on chamber surfaces is to increase a temperature of the surfaces in the processing chambers to a point where precursor accumulation cannot occur. However, the present inventors have recognized that such a high temperature chamber (especially when used with elastomer seals) can cause air and water vapor from outside of the (vacuum) processing chamber, and therefore contaminants, to permeate through the seals of the processing chamber. For example, while maintaining one chamber component at an elevated temperature with another chamber component at a lower temperature, the inventors have observed an increase in processing chamber contamination from outside of the chamber when the sealing member comprises elastomer seals used with conventional sealing schemes.  
      Hence, another aspect of the present invention is to physically separate the process space from the transfer space of the processing chamber during processing, and thereby maintain the process space surfaces at a relatively high temperature to reduce film precursor accumulation, while maintaining transfer space surfaces at a lower temperature to reduce contamination within the transfer space region.  
      As shown in  FIG. 1A , in one embodiment of the present invention, the deposition system  101  includes a processing chamber  110  having a substrate stage  120  configured to support a substrate  125 , upon which a material deposit such as a thin film is formed. The processing chamber  110  further includes an upper chamber assembly  130  configured to define a process space  180  when coupled with substrate stage  120 , and a lower chamber assembly  132  configured to define a transfer space  182 . Optionally, as shown in  FIG. 1B , an intermediate section  131  (i.e., a mid-chamber assembly) can be used in deposition system  101 ′ to connect the upper chamber assembly  130  to the lower chamber assembly  132 . Additionally, the deposition system  101  includes a process material supply system  140  configured to introduce a first process material, a second process material, or a purge gas to processing chamber  110 . Additionally, the deposition system  101  includes a first power source  150  coupled to the processing chamber  110  and configured to generate plasma in the processing chamber  110 , and a substrate temperature control system  160  coupled to substrate stage  120  and configured to elevate and control the temperature of substrate  125 . Additionally, the deposition system  101  includes a process volume adjustment system  122  coupled to the processing chamber  110  and the substrate holder  120 , and configured to adjust the volume of the process space  180  adjacent substrate  125 . For example, the process volume adjustment system  180  can be configured to vertically translate the substrate holder  120  between a first position for processing substrate  125  (see  FIGS. 1A and 1B ) and a second position for transferring substrate  125  into and out of processing chamber  110  (see  FIGS. 2A and 2B ).  
      Furthermore, the deposition system  101  includes a first vacuum pump  190  coupled to process space  180 , wherein a first vacuum valve  194  is utilized to control the pumping speed delivered to process space  180 . The deposition system  101  includes a second vacuum pump  192  coupled to transfer space  182 , wherein a second vacuum valve  196  is utilized to isolate the second vacuum pump  192  from transfer space  182 , when necessary.  
      Further yet, deposition system  101  includes a controller  170  that can be coupled to processing chamber  110 , substrate holder  120 , upper assembly  130 , lower assembly  132 , process material supply system  140 , first power source  150 , substrate temperature control system  160 , process volume adjustment system  122 , first vacuum pump  190 , first vacuum valve  194 , second vacuum pump  192 , and second vacuum valve  196 .  
      The deposition system  101  may be configured to process 200 mm substrates, 300 mm substrates, or larger-sized substrates. In fact, it is contemplated that the deposition system may be configured to process substrates, wafers, or LCDs regardless of their size, as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Substrates can be introduced to processing chamber  110 , and may be lifted to and from an upper surface of substrate holder  120  via substrate lift system (not shown).  
      The process material supply system  140  can include a first process material supply system and a second process material supply system which are configured to alternatingly introduce a first process material to processing chamber  110  and a second process material to processing chamber  110 . The alternation of the introduction of the first process material and the introduction of the second process material can be cyclical, or it may be acyclical with variable time periods between introduction of the first and second process materials. The first process material can, for example, include a film precursor, such as a composition having the principal atomic or molecular species found in the film formed on substrate  125 . For instance, the film precursor can originate as a solid phase, a liquid phase, or a gaseous phase, and may be delivered to processing chamber  110  in a gaseous phase. The second process material can, for example, include a reducing agent. For instance, the reducing agent can originate as a solid phase, a liquid phase, or a gaseous phase, and it may be delivered to processing chamber  110  in a gaseous phase. Examples of gaseous film precursors and reduction gases are given below.  
      Additionally, the process material supply system  140  can further include a purge gas supply system that can be configured to introduce a purge gas to processing chamber  110  between introduction of the first process material and the second process material to processing chamber  110 , respectively. The purge gas can include an inert gas, such as a noble gas (i.e., helium, neon, argon, xenon, krypton), or nitrogen (and nitrogen containing gases), or hydrogen (and hydrogen containing gases).  
      The process gas supply system  140  can include one or more material sources, one or more pressure control devices, one or more flow control devices, one or more filters, one or more valves, or one or more flow sensors. The process gas supply system  140  can supply one or more process gases to plenum  142 , through which gases are dispersed to a plurality of orifices  146  in injection plate  144 . The plurality of orifices  146  in injection plate  144  facilitates the distribution of process gases within process space  180 . A showerhead design, as known in the art, can be used to uniformly distribute the first and second process gas materials into the process space  180 . Exemplary showerheads are described in greater detail in pending U.S. patent application Pub. No. 20040123803, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and in previously incorporated by reference U.S. Ser. No. 11/090,255.  
      Referring back to  FIG. 1A , deposition system  101  can be configured to perform a thermal deposition process (i.e., a deposition process not utilizing a plasma), such as a thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) process or a thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Alternatively, deposition system  101  can be configured for a plasma enhanced deposition process in which either of the first process material or the second process material can be plasma activated. The plasma enhanced deposition process can include a plasma enhanced ALD (PEALD) process, or it may include a plasma enhanced CVD (PECVD) process.  
      In a PEALD process, a first process material, such as a film precursor, and a second process material, such as a reduction gas, are sequentially and alternatingly introduced to form a thin film on a substrate. For example, when preparing a tantalum-containing film using a PEALD process, the film precursor can comprise a metal halide (e.g., tantalum pentachloride), or a metal organic (e.g., Ta(NC(CH 3 ) 2 C 2 H 5 )(N(CH 3 ) 2 ) 3 ; hereinafter referred to as TAIMATA®; for additional details, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,593,484). In this example, the reduction gas can include hydrogen, ammonia(NH 3 ), N 2  and H 2 , N 2 H 4 , NH(CH 3 ) 2 , or N 2 H 3 CH 3 , or any combination thereof.  
      The film precursor is introduced to processing chamber  110  for a first period of time in order to cause adsorption of the film precursor on exposed surfaces of substrate  125 . Preferably, a monolayer adsorption of material occurs. Thereafter, the processing chamber  110  is purged with a purge gas for a second period of time. After adsorbing film precursor on substrate  125 , a reduction gas is introduced to processing chamber  110  for a third period of time, while power is coupled through, for example, the upper assembly  130  from the first power source  150  to the reduction gas. The coupling of power to the reduction gas heats the reduction gas, thus causing ionization and dissociation of the reducing gas in order to form, for example, dissociated species such as atomic hydrogen which can react with the adsorbed Ta film precursor to reduce the adsorbed Ta film precursor to form the desired Ta containing film. This cycle can be repeated until a Ta containing layer of sufficient thickness is produced.  
      Further, the second process material can be introduced concurrent with or immediately about the time in which the process space  180  is increased in volume from V 1  to V 2 . Power can be coupled through the substrate stage  120  from the first power source  150  to the second process material. The coupling of power to the second process material heats the second process material, thus causing ionization and dissociation of the second process material (i.e., plasma formation) in order to reduce the adsorbed constituents of the first process material. The processing chamber can be purged with a purge gas for another period of time. The introduction of the first process gas material, the introduction of the second process material, and the formation of the plasma while the second process material is present can be repeated any number of times to produce a film of desired thickness.  
      Moreover, first volume (V 1 ) can be sufficiently small such that the first process gas material passes through the process space and some fraction of the first process material adsorbs on the surface of the substrate. As the first volume of the process space is reduced, the amount of the first process material necessary for adsorption on the substrate surface is reduced and the time required to exchange the first process material within the first process space is reduced. For instance, as the first volume of the process space is reduced, the residence time is reduced, hence, permitting a reduction in the first period of time.  
      As shown in  FIG. 1 , the process space  180  is separated from the transfer space  182  by the substrate stage  120 , a flange  302  on the substrate stage  120 , and an extension  304  from the upper chamber assembly  130 . As such, there can be a sealing mechanism at the base of the extension  304  to seal or at least impede gas flow between the process space and the transfer space (to be discussed in detail later). Thus, surfaces of the process space  180  can be maintained at an elevated temperature to prevent accumulation of process residues on surfaces surrounding that space, while surfaces of the transfer space can be maintained at a reduced temperature to reduce contamination of the lower assembly  132  (including sidewalls) and the intermediate section  131  and the upper assembly  132 .  
      In this regard separation of the process space from the transfer space, in one embodiment of the present invention, involves thermal separation of the elevated upper chamber assembly  130  from the reduced temperature lower chamber assembly  132 . For thermal separation, the extension  304  can function as a radiation shield. Moreover, the extension  304  including an interior channel  312  can function as a thermal impedance limiting the heat flow across the extension element into the transfer space  182  surrounding the extension  304 .  
      In another example of thermal separation, a cooling channel can be provided in the upper chamber assembly  130  near the lower chamber assembly  132  as shown in  FIG. 1A , or near the intermediate section  131  as shown in  FIG. 1B , or can be provided in the intermediate section  131 . Further, the thermal conductivity of the materials for the upper chamber assembly  130  and the intermediate section  131  can be different. For example, the upper chamber assembly  130  can be made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and the intermediate section  131  can be made of stainless steel. The lower chamber assembly  132  can be made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy.  
      In one example, a vapor deposition process can be used be to deposit tantalum(Ta), tantalum carbide, tantalum nitride, or tantalum carbonitride in which a Ta film precursor such as TaF 5 , TaCl 5 , TaBr 5 , Tal 5 , Ta(CO) 5 , Ta[N(C 2 H 5 CH 3 )] 5 (PEMAT), Ta[N(CH 3 ) 2 ] 5 (PDMAT), Ta[N(C 2 H 5 ) 2 ] 5 (PDEAT), Ta(NC(CH 3 ) 3 )(N(C 2 H 5 ) 2 ) 3 (TBTDET), Ta(NC 2 H 5 )(N(C 2 H 5 )  2 ) 3 , Ta(NC(CH 3 ) 2 C 2 H 5 )(N(CH 3 ) 2 ) 3 , or Ta(NC(CH 3 ) 3 )(N(CH 3 ) 2 ) 3 , adsorbs to the surface of the substrate followed by exposure to a reduction gas or plasma such as H 2 , NH 3 , N 2  and H 2 , N 2 H 4 , NH(CH 3 ) 2 , or N 2 H 3 CH 3 .  
      In another example, titanium(Ti), titanium nitride, or titanium carbonitride can be deposited using a Ti precursor such as TiF 4 , TiCl 4 , TiBr 4 , Til 4 , Ti[N(C 2 H 5 CH 3 )] 4 (TEMAT), Ti[N(CH 3 ) 2 ] 4 (TDMAT), or Ti[N(C 2 H 5 ) 2 ] 4 (TDEAT), and a reduction gas or plasma including H 2 , NH 3 , N 2  and H 2 , N 2 H 4 , NH(CH 3 ) 2 , or N 2 H 3 CH 3 .  
      As another example, tungsten(W), tungsten nitride, or tungsten carbonitride can be deposited using a W precursor such as WF 6 , or W(CO) 6 , and a reduction gas or plasma including H 2 , NH 3 , N 2  and H 2 , N 2 H 4 , NH(CH 3 ) 2 , or N 2 H 3 CH 3 .  
      In another example, molybdenum(Mo) can be deposited using a Mo precursor such as molybdenum hexafluoride(MoF 6 ), and a reduction gas or plasma including H 2 .  
      In another example, Cu can be deposited using a Cu precursor having Cu-containing organometallic compounds, such as Cu(TMVS)(hfac), also known by the trade name CupraSelect®, available from Schumacher, a unit of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., 1969 Palomar Oaks Way, Carlsbad, Calif. 92009), or inorganic compounds, such as CuCl. The reduction gas or plasma can include at least one of H 2 , O 2 , N 2 , NH 3 , or H 2 O. As used herein, the term “at least one of A, B, C, . . . or X” refers to any one of the listed elements or any combination of more than one of the listed elements.  
      In another example of a vapor deposition process, when depositing zirconium oxide, the Zr precursor can include Zr(NO 3 ) 4 , or ZrCl 4 , and the reduction gas can include H 2 O.  
      When depositing hafnium oxide, the Hf precursor can include Hf(OBu t ) 4 , Hf(NO 3 ) 4 , or HfCl 4 , and the reduction gas can include H 2 O. In another example, when depositing hafnium(Hf), the Hf precursor can include HfCl 4 , and the second process material can include H 2 .  
      When depositing niobium(Nb), the Nb precursor can include niobium pentachloride(NbCl 5 ), and the reduction gas can include H 2 .  
      When depositing zinc(Zn), the Zn precursor can include zinc dichloride (ZnCl 2 ), and the reduction gas can include H 2 .  
      When depositing silicon oxide, the Si precursor can include Si(OC 2 H 5 ) 4 , SiH 2 Cl 2 , SiCl 4 , or Si(NO 3 ) 4 , and the reduction gas can include H 2 O or O 2 . In another example, when depositing silicon nitride, the Si precursor can include SiCl 4 , or SiH 2 Cl 2 , and the reduction gas can include NH 3 , or N 2  and H 2 . In another example, when depositing TiN, the Ti precursor can include titanium nitrate(Ti(NO 3 )), and the reduction gas can include NH 3 .  
      In another example of a vapor deposition process, when depositing aluminum, the Al precursor can include aluminum chloride(Al 2 Cl 6 ), or trimethylaluminum(Al(CH 3 ) 3 ), and the reduction gas can include H 2 . When depositing aluminum nitride, the Al precursor can include aluminum trichloride, or trimethylaluminum, and the reduction gas can include NH 3 , or N 2  and H 2 . In another example, when depositing aluminum oxide, the Al precursor can include aluminum chloride, or trimethylaluminum, and the reduction gas can include H 2 O, or O 2  and H 2 .  
      In another example of a vapor deposition process, when depositing GaN, the Ga precursor can include gallium nitrate(Ga(NO 3 ) 3 ), or trimethylgallium (Ga(CH 3 ) 3 ), and the reduction gas can include NH 3 .  
      In the examples given above for forming various material layers, the process material deposited can include at least one of a metal film, a metal nitride film, a metal carbonitride film, a metal oxide film, or a metal silicate film. For example, the process material deposited can include at least one of a tantalum film, a tantalum nitride film, or a tantalum carbonitride film. Alternatively, for example, the process material deposited can include for example an Al film, or a Cu film deposited to metallize a via for connecting one metal line to another metal line or for connecting a metal line to source/drain contacts of a semiconductor device. The Al or Cu films can be formed with or without a plasma process using precursors for the Al and Cu as described above. Alternatively, for example, the process material deposited can include a zirconium oxide film, a hafnium oxide film, a hafnium silicate film, a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, a titanium nitride film, and/or a GaN film deposited to form an insulating layer such as for example above for a metal line or a gate structure of a semiconductor device.  
      Further, silane and disilane could be used as silicon precursors for the deposition of silicon-based or silicon-including films. Germane could be used a germanium precursor for the deposition of germanium-based or germanium-including films. As such, the process material deposited can include a metal silicide film and/or a germanium-including film deposited for example to form a conductive gate structure for a semiconductor device.  
      Referring still to  FIG. 1A , the deposition system  101  includes a plasma generation system configured to generate a plasma during at least a portion of the alternating introduction of the first process material and the second process material to processing chamber  110 . The plasma generation system can include the first power source  150  coupled to the processing chamber  110 , and configured to couple power to the first process material, or the second process material, or both in processing chamber  110 . The first power source  150  may include a radio frequency (RF) generator and an impedance match network (not shown), and may further include an electrode (not shown) through which RF power is coupled to plasma in processing chamber  110 . The electrode can be formed in the substrate stage  120 , or may be formed in the upper assembly  130  and can be configured to oppose the substrate stage  120 . The substrate stage  120  can be electrically biased with a DC voltage or at an RF voltage via the transmission of RF power from an RF generator (not shown) through an impedance match network (not shown) to substrate stage  120 .  
      The impedance match network can be configured to optimize the transfer of RF power from the RF generator to the plasma by matching the output impedance of the match network with the input impedance of the processing chamber, including the electrode, and plasma. For instance, the impedance match network serves to improve the transfer of RF power to plasma in plasma processing chamber  110  by reducing the reflected power. Match network topologies (e.g. L-type, π-type, T-type, etc.) and automatic control methods are well known to those skilled in the art. A typical frequency for the RF power can range from about 0.1 MHz to about 100 MHz. Alternatively, the RF frequency can, for example, range from approximately 400 kHz to approximately 60 MHz, By way of further example, the RF frequency can, for example, be approximately 13.56 or 27.12 MHz.  
      Still referring to  FIG. 1A , deposition system  101  includes substrate temperature control system  160  coupled to the substrate stage  120  and configured to elevate and control the temperature of substrate  125 . Substrate temperature control system  160  includes temperature control elements, such as a cooling system including a re-circulating coolant flow that receives heat from substrate stage  120  and transfers heat to a heat exchanger system (not shown), or when heating, transfers heat from the heat exchanger system. Additionally, the temperature control elements can include heating/cooling elements, such as resistive heating elements, or thermoelectric heaters/coolers can be included in the substrate holder  120 , as well as the chamber wall of the processing chamber  110  and any other component within the deposition system  101 .  
      In order to improve the thermal transfer between substrate  125  and substrate stage  120 , substrate stage  120  can include a mechanical clamping system, or an electrical clamping system, such as an electrostatic clamping system, to affix substrate  125  to an upper surface of substrate stage  120 . Furthermore, substrate holder  120  can further include a substrate backside gas delivery system configured to introduce gas to the backside of substrate  125  in order to improve the gas-gap thermal conductance between substrate  125  and substrate stage  120 . Such a system can be utilized when temperature control of the substrate is required at elevated or reduced temperatures. For example, the substrate backside gas system can include a two-zone gas distribution system, wherein the helium gas gap pressure can be independently varied between the center and the edge of substrate  125 .  
      Furthermore, the processing chamber  110  is further coupled to the first vacuum pump  190  and the second vacuum pump  192 . The first vacuum pump  190  can include a turbo-molecular pump, and the second vacuum pump  192  can include a cryogenic pump.  
      The first vacuum pump  190  can include a turbo-molecular vacuum pump (TMP) capable of a pumping speed up to about 5000 liters per second (and greater) and valve  194  can include a gate valve for throttling the chamber pressure. In conventional plasma processing devices utilized for dry plasma etch, a 1000 to 3000 liter per second TMP is generally employed. Moreover, a device for monitoring chamber pressure (not shown) can be coupled to the processing chamber  110 . The pressure measuring device can be, for example, a Type 628B Baratron absolute capacitance manometer commercially available from MKS Instruments, Inc. (Andover, Mass.).  
      As shown in  FIGS. 1A, 1B ,  2 A and  2 B, the first vacuum pump  190  can be coupled to process space  180  such that it is located above the plane of substrate  125 . However, the first vacuum pump  190  can be configured to access process space  180  such that it pumps process space  180  from a location below the plane of substrate  125  in order to, for example, reduce particle contamination. The fluid coupling between the location of pumping from process space  180  and the inlet to the first vacuum pump  190  can be designed for maximal flow conductance. Alternately, the fluid coupling between the location of pumping from process space  180  and the inlet to the first vacuum pump  190  can be designed for a substantially constant cross-sectional area.  
      In one embodiment, the first vacuum pump  190  is located above the upper chamber assembly  130  and is coupled to an upper surface thereof (see  FIG. 1A ). The inlet  191  of the first vacuum pump  190  is coupled to at least one annular volume, such as a pumping channel  312 , which is coupled through extension  304  to one or more openings  305  that access process space  180  at a location below the plane of substrate  125 . The one or more openings  305  may comprise one or more slots, one or more orifices, or any combination thereof.  
      In another embodiment, the first vacuum pump  190  is located above the upper chamber assembly  130  and is coupled to an upper surface thereof (see  FIG. 1A ). The inlet  191  of the first vacuum pump  190  is coupled to a first annular volume that is in turn coupled to a second annular volume, whereby the first annular volume and the second annular volume are coupled via one or more pumping ports. The second annular volume can be coupled to pumping channel  312 , which is coupled through extension  304  to one or more openings  305  that access process space  180  at a location below the plane of substrate  125 . For example, the one or more pumping ports may comprise two through-holes diametrically opposing one another (i.e., 180 degrees apart) between the first annular volume and the second annular volume. However, the number of pumping ports may be more or less, and their location may vary. Additionally, for example, the one or more openings  305  may comprise two slots diametrically opposing one another (i.e., 180 degrees apart). Furthermore, each slot can extend approximately 120 degrees in the azimuthal direction. However, the number of openings  305  may be more or less, and their location and size may vary.  
      As noted above, it is desirable to be able to adjust the volume of process space  180  without losing a seal between the upper chamber assembly  130  and the lower chamber assembly  132 .  FIGS. 3, 4 ,  5 , and  6  illustrate several embodiments for sealing (and movably sealing) the substrate stage  120  with the upper chamber assembly  130  when the deposition system  101  is in a processing configuration. As such, the system includes a sealing member that impedes the flow of gas between the process space and the transfer space. Indeed, in one embodiment, a seal of the sealing member separates the vacuum environment of the process space from the vacuum environment of the transfer space. By vacuum separating the process space from the transfer space, the seal is able to reduce leakage between the process space and the transfer space to less than 10 −3  Torr-l/s and preferably less than 10 −4  Torr-l/s.  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating a seal configuration for producing a seal between a flange  302  of the substrate stage  120  and an extension  304  from the upper chamber assembly  130 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , a seal  306  is located in a groove  308  of the flange  302  of the substrate stage  120 . Details of the seal  306  will be described below. As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the seal  306  contacts a bottom plate  310  (i.e., a seal plate) of the extension  304 . A pumping channel  312  is provided in the extension  304  for the purpose of evacuating gases from processing region  180  to pump  190 . The configuration shown in  FIG. 3  provides an adequate seal but does not accommodate considerable vertical translation without loss of the seal. For instance, only vertical motion less than a distance comparable to approximately one half of the seal  306  thickness can be tolerated before the seal looses contact with the bottom plate  310 .  
      In some applications, translations greater than that permitted in  FIG. 3  are desirable. One such configuration is shown in  FIG. 4 .  FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram illustrating a seal configuration for producing a seal between the flange  302  of the substrate stage  120  and the extension  304  from the upper chamber assembly  130 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the seal  314  is elongated in a vertical direction. In the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , the seal  314  has a triangular cross section, the apex of which contacts the bottom plate  310 .  
      Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, the bottom plate  310  includes a protective guard  316  that extends toward the flange  302  so as to protect the seal  314  from inadvertent material deposits or exposure to plasma species such as the above-noted plasma generated reducing agents. To accommodate motion of the substrate stage  120  upwards to a point of contact with the tapered seal  314 , a recess  318  is provided in the flange  302  of the substrate stage  120 . As such, the configuration shown in  FIG. 4  permits a greater translation than the seal configuration shown in  FIG. 3 . By utilization of the guard  316 , the seal  316  can be protected and can be made less susceptible to material deposits or plasma deterioration.  
       FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram illustrating a seal configuration for producing a seal between the flange  302  of the substrate stage  120  and the extension  304  from the upper chamber assembly  130 . The seal configuration depicted in  FIG. 5  permits even greater translation of the substrate stage  120  in a vertical direction than the seal configurations shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . In one embodiment of the present invention, the bottom plate  310  connects to a bellows unit  320  which has a contact plate  322  (i.e., a seal plate).  
      In this configuration, the substrate stage  120  upon vertical translation via seal  306  contacts the contact plate  322  to make an initial seal. As the substrate stage  120  translates further vertically, the bellows unit  320  compresses permitting further vertical travel without loss of seal. As shown in  FIG. 5 , similar to the seal configuration of  FIG. 4 , a guard  324  can be provided in one embodiment of the present invention to protect the bellows unit  320  from inadvertent material deposits. The bellows unit  320  being a metallic material such as stainless steel will not be prone to deterioration from plasma exposure. Further, as in  FIG. 4 , a recess  326  can be provided in the flange  302  of the substrate stage  120 . By utilization of the guard  324 , the bellow unit  320  can be protected and can be made less susceptible to material deposits.  
       FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram illustrating a seal configuration for producing a seal between the flange  302  of the substrate stage  120  and the extension  304  from the upper chamber assembly  130 . The seal configuration depicted in  FIG. 6  permits even greater translation of the substrate stage  120  than the seal configurations shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . In one embodiment of the present invention, the bottom plate  310  connects to a slider-unit  328 . The slider unit  328  has at least one longitudinal plate  330  extending in a vertical direction that engages an associated reception plate  332  on the flange  302  of the substrate stage  120 .  
      In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 6 , there is a seal  334  disposed on a side wall of either the longitudinal plate  330  or the receptor plate  332  to provide for the seal. In one embodiment in the present invention, the receptor plate  332  is disposed in a recess  336  of the flange in order to protect the seal  334  from inadvertent material deposit or plasma deterioration. Further, the seal  334  can be a standard O-ring or preferably a tapered elastomer seal as shown in  FIG. 6 , in which the seal for example has a triangular cross section whose apex is at a point of seal between the flange  302  of the substrate stage  120  and the upper chamber assembly  130 . The seal configuration depicted in  FIG. 6  permits even greater translation of the substrate stage without loss of seal than the seal configurations shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The longitudinal plate  330  provides protection of the seal  334  from material deposit or plasma deterioration.  
      In the seal configurations shown in  FIGS. 4-6 , for example, the second volume (V 2 ) of the process space  180  can be set to a volume in which the formation of plasma from the second process material leads to the formation of uniform plasma above the substrate, without loss of seal between the process space  180  and the vacuum in the lower assembly  132 . The ability according to the present invention to be able to provide a plasma process geometry of comparable uniformity to the process geometry permits the present invention to perform consecutive processes or process steps, i.e., non-plasma and plasma, in the same system without the need to transfer the substrate between different processing systems, thereby saving process time and reducing surface contamination at the interfaces between the process films, leading to improved material properties for the resultant films.  
       FIG. 7  shows a process flow diagram of a process in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The process of  FIG. 7  may be performed by the processing system of  FIGS. 1-2 , or any other suitable processing system. As seen in  FIG. 7 , in step  710 , the process includes disposing a substrate in a process space of a processing system that is vacuum isolated from a transfer space of the processing system. In step  720 , a substrate is processed at either of a first position or a second position in the process space while maintaining vacuum isolation from the transfer space. In step  730 , a material is deposited on the substrate at either the first position or the second position.  
       FIG. 7  shows a process flow diagram of a process in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The process of  FIG. 7  may be performed by the processing system of  FIGS. 1-2 , or any other suitable processing system. As seen in  FIG. 7 , in step  710 , the process includes maintaining a first assembly of a vapor deposition system at a first temperature. In step  720 , a second assembly of the vapor deposition system is maintained at a reduced temperature, lower than the first temperature. In step  730 , a substrate is disposed in a process space of the first assembly that is vacuum isolated from a transfer space in the second assembly. In step  740 , a material is deposited on the substrate. In step  750 , the substrate is translated to a transfer position in the vapor deposition system.  
      In steps&#39;  710  and  720 , the first assembly can be maintained greater than or equal to 100 degrees C., while the second assembly can be maintained less than or equal to 100 degrees C. In steps  710  and  720 , the first assembly can be maintained greater than or equal to 50 degrees C., while the second assembly can be maintained less than or equal to 50 degrees C.  
      In step  740 , in order to deposit a material, a process gas composition can be introduced to the process for vapor deposition of the material. Further, plasma can be formed from the process gas composition to enhance the vapor deposition rate.  
      In step  740 , the material deposited can be at least one of a metal, metal oxide, metal nitride, metal carbonitride, or a metal silicide. For example, the material deposited can be at least one of a tantalum film, a tantalum nitride film, or a tantalum carbonitride film.  
      The vapor deposition system can be configured for at least one of an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, a plasma enhanced ALD process, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, or a plasma enhanced CVD (PECVD) process.  
      In step  740 , plasma can be formed by applying radio frequency (RF) energy at a frequency from 0.1 to 100 MHz to a process gas in the process space. During step  740 , an electrode can be connected to a RF power supply and configured to couple the RF energy into the process space. In one aspect of the present invention, prior to forming the plasma, the volume of the process space is increased in order to facilitate conditions more conducive for plasma uniformity. As such, prior to step  740 , the substrate stage can be translated to a position that improves plasma uniformity of the vapor deposition process. For example, the substrate stage can be set to a position in which the plasma uniformity is better than 2% across a 200 mm diameter substrate or better than 1% across a 200 mm diameter substrate. Alternatively, for example, the substrate stage can be set to a position in which the plasma uniformity is better than 2% across a 300 mm diameter substrate or better than 1% across a 300 mm diameter substrate.  
      Furthermore, a purge gas can be introduced after depositing the material. Moreover, with or without the purge gas present, electromagnetic power can be coupled to the vapor deposition system to release contaminants from at least one of the vapor deposition system or the substrate. The electromagnetic power can be coupled into the vapor deposition system in the form of a plasma, an ultraviolet light, or a laser.  
      Still referring to  FIG. 1 , controller  170  can include a microprocessor, memory, and a digital I/O port capable of generating control voltages sufficient to communicate and activate inputs to deposition system  101  as well as monitor outputs from deposition system  101 . Moreover, the controller  170  may exchange information with the processing chamber  110 , substrate stage  120 , upper assembly  130 , lower chamber assembly  132 , process material supply system  140 , first power source  150 , substrate temperature control system  160 , first vacuum pump  190 , first vacuum valve  194 , second vacuum pump  192 , second vacuum valve  196 , and process volume adjustment system  122 . For example, a program stored in the memory may be utilized to activate the inputs to the aforementioned components of the deposition system  101  according to a process recipe in order to perform an etching process, or a deposition process.  
      The controller  170  can include a microprocessor, memory, and a digital I/O port capable of generating control voltages sufficient to communicate and activate inputs to deposition system  101  ( 101 ′) as well as monitor outputs from deposition system  101  ( 101 ′) in order to control and monitor the above-discussed processes for material deposition. For example, the controller  170  can include computer readable medium containing program instructions for execution to accomplish the steps described above in relation to  FIG. 6 . Moreover, the controller  170  may be coupled to and may exchange information with the process chamber  110 , substrate stage  120 , upper assembly  130 , process material gas supply system  140 , power source  150 , substrate temperature controller  160 , first vacuum pumping system  190 , and/or second vacuum pumping system  192 . For example, a program stored in the memory may be utilized to activate the inputs to the aforementioned components of the deposition system  101  ( 101 ′) according to a process recipe in order to perform one of the above-described non-plasma or plasma enhanced deposition processes.  
      One example of the controller  170  is a DELL PRECISION WORKSTATION 610™, available from Dell Corporation, Austin, Tex. However, the controller  170  may be implemented as a general-purpose computer system that performs a portion or all of the microprocessor based processing steps of the invention in response to a processor executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in a memory. Such instructions may be read into the controller memory from another computer readable medium, such as a hard disk or a removable media drive. One or more processors in a multi-processing arrangement may also be employed as the controller microprocessor to execute the sequences of instructions contained in main memory. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions. Thus, embodiments are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.  
      The controller  170  includes at least one computer readable medium or memory, such as the controller memory, for holding instructions programmed according to the teachings of the invention and for containing data structures, tables, records, or other data that may be necessary to implement the present invention. Examples of computer readable media are compact discs, hard disks, floppy disks, tape, magneto-optical disks, PROMs (EPROM, EEPROM, flash EPROM), DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, or any other magnetic medium, compact discs (e.g., CD-ROM), or any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, or other physical medium with patterns of holes, a carrier wave (described below), or any other medium from which a computer can read.  
      Stored on any one or on a combination of computer readable media, the present invention includes software for controlling the controller  170 , for driving a device or devices for implementing the invention, and/or for enabling the controller to interact with a human user. Such software may include, but is not limited to, device drivers, operating systems, development tools, and applications software. Such computer readable media further includes the computer program product of the present invention for performing all or a portion (if processing is distributed) of the processing performed in implementing the invention.  
      The computer code devices of the present invention may be any interpretable or executable code mechanism, including but not limited to scripts, interpretable programs, dynamic link libraries (DLLs), Java classes, and complete executable programs. Moreover, parts of the processing of the present invention may be distributed for better performance, reliability, and/or cost.  
      The term “computer readable medium” as used herein refers to any medium that participates in providing instructions to the processor of the controller  170  for execution. A computer readable medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical, magnetic disks, and magneto-optical disks, such as the hard disk or the removable media drive. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as the main memory. Moreover, various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying out one or more sequences of one or more instructions to the processor of the controller for execution. For example, the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk of a remote computer. The remote computer can load the instructions for implementing all or a portion of the present invention remotely into a dynamic memory and send the instructions over a network to the controller  170 .  
      The controller  170  may be locally located relative to the deposition system  101  ( 101 ′), or it may be remotely located relative to the deposition system  101 . For example, the controller  170  may exchange data with the deposition system  101  using at least one of a direct connection, an intranet, the Internet and a wireless connection. The controller  170  may be coupled to an intranet at, for example, a customer site (i.e., a device maker, etc.), or it may be coupled to an intranet at, for example, a vendor site (i.e., an equipment manufacturer). Additionally, for example, the controller  170  may be coupled to the Internet. Furthermore, another computer (i.e., controller, server, etc.) may access, for example, the controller  170  to exchange data via at least one of a direct connection, an intranet, and the Internet. As also would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the controller  170  may exchange data with the deposition system  101  ( 101 ′) via a wireless connection.  
      Although only certain exemplary embodiments of inventions have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention.