Patent ID: 8546273

Claim:
A method of forming a nitrogen-containing layer, comprising: placing a substrate having a first layer disposed thereon on a substrate support of a process chamber; heating the substrate to a temperature of at least about 250 degrees Celsius; and exposing the first layer to a radio frequency (RF) plasma formed from a process gas consisting essentially of ammonia (NH 3 ) and an inert gas while maintaining the process chamber at a pressure of about 10 mTorr to about 40 mTorr and applying an RF bias power of about 20 to about 60 watts at a frequency of about 2 MHz to about 60 MHz to the substrate support to transform at least an upper portion of the first layer into a nitrogen-containing layer, wherein the inert gas is about 10 to about 99 percent of the process gas and the balance is ammonia.