Patent ID: 7645484

Claim:
A method of depositing a thin film on a substrate, having a feature formed thereon, using a vapor deposition process, comprising: identifying a degree of step coverage required for the thin film on the feature based on a process performed on the substrate, a product to be produced from the substrate or both the process performed and the product produced; disposing said substrate in a processing chamber configured to facilitate said vapor deposition process; forming a metal carbide or metal carbonitride film on said substrate by performing one or more vapor deposition process cycles, each process cycle comprising: exposing said substrate to a first process material within said processing chamber; after the exposing the substrate to the first process material, introducing a purge gas to said processing chamber to purge the processing chamber of the first process material; after the introducing the purge gas, exposing said substrate to a second process material within said processing chamber; and generating a local plasma in said processing chamber during said exposing of said substrate to said second process material; and after the performing the one or more vapor deposition process cycles, elevating a temperature of said substrate during the forming step to a value greater than a decomposition temperature of said first process material but less than a temperature at which the identified degree of step coverage cannot be achieved and performing one or more additional vapor deposition process cycles at the elevated temperature in order to improve adhesion properties for said metal carbide or metal carbonitride film by altering the carbon content therein.