Patent ID: 6951813

Claim:
A method of forming a metal-containing structure, comprising: providing a substrate in a reaction chamber; and while the substrate is within the chamber, performing at least one iteration of the following sequence: flowing a first reactant into the reaction chamber; the first reactant comprising metal bonded to halogen atoms; the first reactant forming a first layer over the substrate; the first layer comprising the metal together with halogen atoms from the reactant, the metal being a metal other than aluminum; flushing the first reactant substantially entirely from within the chamber; after the flushing of the first reactant from the chamber, exposing the first layer to trialkylaluminum to remove the halogen atoms from the first layer and thereby convert the first layer to a first material consisting of the metal other than aluminum; flushing the trialkylaluminum substantially entirely from within the chamber; after flushing the trialkylaluminum from the chamber, flowing the first reactant into the chamber to form a second layer over and in direct physical contact with the first material, the second layer comprising the metal together with halogen atoms from the reactant; exposing the second layer to trialkylaluminum to convert the second layer to a second material consisting of the metal, the first and second materials together forming a metal-containing structure consisting of the metal other than aluminum.