JP2015065447A - Thin film forming method and film forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thin film forming method that can form a thin film such as an impurity-containing silicon film in an amorphous state which is excellent in embedding property even at relatively low temperature and is improved in accuracy of surface roughness.SOLUTION: A thin film forming method which forms a seed film 88 and an impurity-containing silicon film 90 on a surface of an object W to be processed in a processing container 14 configured to be vacuum exhaustible includes: a first step which forms the seed film by supplying seed film raw material gas including at least any one gas of aminosilane-based gas and higher silane into the processing container; and a second step which forms the impurity-containing silicon film in an amorphous state by supplying silane-based gas and impurity-containing gas into the processing container.

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming method and a film forming apparatus for forming a seed film and a thin film on the surface of an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer.

  Generally, in order to manufacture a semiconductor integrated circuit, various processes such as a film formation process, an etching process, an oxidation process, a diffusion process, a modification process, and a natural oxide film removal process are performed on a semiconductor wafer made of a silicon substrate or the like. Is done. Of the various processes described above, for example, a film forming process will be described as an example. During the manufacturing process of a semiconductor integrated circuit such as a DRAM, a contact hole, a through hole, and a wiring are formed in an insulating film formed on the surface of a semiconductor wafer. There is a case where a film forming step is performed in which a recess such as a groove or a cylinder groove of a capacitor having a cylinder structure is formed and the recess is filled with a conductive thin film.

  As such a thin film for embedding a recess, for example, a silicon film containing impurities is conventionally used since step coverage is relatively good and the cost is relatively low. The embedding of the concave portion will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 19 is a view showing an example when a recess formed on the surface of a semiconductor wafer is embedded.

As shown in FIG. 19A, a thin insulating film 2 made of, for example, SiO ₂ is formed on the surface of a semiconductor wafer W made of, for example, a silicon substrate as the object to be processed. A recess 4 is formed in the film 2. The concave portion 4 corresponds to a contact hole, a through hole, a wiring groove, a cylinder groove of a capacitor having a cylinder structure, or the like for contact with the lower layer or the substrate itself. In FIG. 19, a contact hole for making contact with the substrate itself is shown as an example. Then, as shown in FIG. 19B, a conductive thin film 6 is formed in order to bury the recess 4 in the surface of the semiconductor wafer W. As the thin film 6, as described above, a silicon film containing impurities is often used.

As a film forming method for forming such a thin film 6, for example, a gas containing a silicon component element such as SiCl ₄ and a gas containing an impurity element such as BCl ₃ are alternately supplied into a processing vessel. A film forming method for forming a single crystal thin film containing impurities within a low pressure range of about 10 ⁻⁶ Pa (Patent Document 1), for example, formation of a polysilicon layer by supplying monosilane (SiH ₄ ) gas, and phosphine gas A film forming method (Patent Document 2) in which formation of an adsorption layer of phosphorus is alternately performed by supplying oxygen, or a method in which monosilane and boron trichloride (BCl ₃ ) are simultaneously supplied to form a film by CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) ( Patent Document 3) and the like are known.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-034928 JP 05-251357 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-153688

  By the way, in each of the film forming methods as described above, when the demand for miniaturization is not so strict and the design rule is relatively loose, the above-described recess is embedded well and the step coverage is also good. High embedding characteristics were obtained. However, as the demand for further miniaturization increases recently and the design rules become stricter, sufficient embedding characteristics cannot be obtained. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 19B, the presence of the void 8 generated in the film cannot be ignored. This is a factor causing an increase in contact resistance.

  In particular, recently, there has been a demand for a strict design rule in which the hole diameter of the recess 4 as described above is 40 nm or less and the aspect ratio is 10 or more, and an early solution of the above problems is desired. It is rare. In addition to the generation of the void 8, there is a problem that the accuracy of the surface roughness is lowered.

  The present invention has been devised to pay attention to the above problems and to effectively solve them. The present invention is a thin film forming method and a film forming apparatus capable of forming a thin film such as a silicon film or a silicon germanium film, which have good embedding characteristics and improve surface roughness accuracy even at a relatively low temperature.

  The inventors of the present application speculated that the surface roughness of the amorphous impurity-containing silicon film may be related to the incubation time of the amorphous impurity-containing silicon film. It is assumed that the longer the incubation time, the more easily the size of the nuclei varies, which affects the accuracy of the surface roughness of the amorphous silicon-containing impurity film that begins to deposit after the nucleation.

  As described below, the present inventors succeeded in shortening the incubation time of an amorphous impurity-containing silicon film, and as a result, further improved the surface roughness accuracy of the amorphous impurity-containing silicon film. Succeeded in improving embedding characteristics.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a method of forming a thin film in which a seed film and an impurity-containing silicon film are formed on the surface of an object to be processed in a processing container that can be evacuated. And a first step of forming a seed film on the surface of the object to be processed by supplying a seed film raw material gas composed of at least one of higher-order silane and a silane-based gas into the processing vessel And a second step of supplying the impurity-containing gas to form the impurity-containing silicon film in an amorphous state.

  As described above, in the method of forming a thin film in which a seed film and an impurity-containing silicon film are formed on the surface of an object to be processed in a processing container that can be evacuated, an aminosilane-based gas and higher silane are introduced into the processing container. A first step of supplying a seed film raw material gas comprising at least one of the above gases to form the seed film on the surface of the object to be processed; and supplying a silane-based gas and an impurity-containing gas into the processing vessel The second step of forming an amorphous impurity-containing silicon film, so that an amorphous impurity-containing silicon film having good embedding characteristics and improving surface roughness accuracy even at a relatively low temperature is provided. It becomes possible to form.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a thin film in which a seed film and a silicon germanium film are formed on a surface of an object to be processed in a processing container that can be evacuated. A first step of supplying a seed film source gas comprising at least one of the following silane gases to form the seed film on the surface of the object to be processed; and a silane-based gas and germanium into the processing vessel And a second step of forming the silicon germanium film by supplying a contained gas.

  As described above, in the method of forming a thin film in which a seed film and a silicon germanium film are formed on the surface of an object to be processed in a processing container that can be evacuated, an aminosilane-based gas and a high-order silane are contained in the processing container. A first step of supplying a seed film raw material gas comprising at least one of the above gas to form the seed film on the surface of the object to be processed; and a silane-based gas and a germanium-containing gas into the processing container. And supplying the second step of forming the silicon germanium film, it is possible to form a silicon germanium film that has good embedding characteristics and improves surface roughness accuracy even at a relatively low temperature.

  According to a twenty-seventh aspect of the present invention, in a film forming apparatus for forming an impurity-containing thin film on a surface of an object to be processed, a processing container that can store the object to be processed, and the object to be processed in the processing container. A holding means for holding, a heating means for heating the object to be processed, a gas supply means for supplying a necessary gas into the processing container, and a vacuum exhaust system for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing container, A film forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls the operation of the entire apparatus so as to execute the thin film forming method according to any one of items 1 to 25.

According to the thin film forming method and film forming apparatus of the present invention, the following excellent effects can be achieved.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, and a method for forming a thin film, a seed film and an impurity-containing silicon film are formed on the surface of an object to be processed in a processing vessel that can be evacuated. A first step of forming a seed film on the surface of the object to be processed by supplying a seed film raw material gas comprising at least one of an aminosilane-based gas and a higher-order silane gas into the processing container; And a second step of forming an amorphous impurity-containing silicon film by supplying a silane-based gas and an impurity-containing gas into the container, so that the embedding characteristics are good and the surface roughness is low even at a relatively low temperature. An amorphous silicon film containing impurities that improves accuracy can be formed.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, and a method of forming a thin film in which a seed film and a silicon germanium film are formed on a surface of an object to be processed in a processing container that can be evacuated. A first step of forming a seed film on the surface of the object to be processed by supplying a seed film raw material gas composed of at least one of an aminosilane-based gas and a higher-order silane gas into the processing container; and Since it has a second step of forming a silicon germanium film by supplying a silane-based gas and a germanium-containing gas into the processing vessel, the embedding characteristics are good and the surface roughness accuracy is improved even at a relatively low temperature. A silicon germanium film can be formed.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of 1st Example of the film-forming apparatus for enforcing the method of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows an example of the supply mode of each gas in the 2nd step of 1st Example of this invention method. It is a flowchart which shows an example of each process of 1st Example of this invention method. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the to-be-processed object in which a thin film is formed by 1st Example of this invention method. Is a diagram schematically showing a reaction process SiH ₄ and (monosilane) and BCl _3. It is a schematic diagram of an electron micrograph when a boron-doped amorphous impurity-containing silicon film is formed in a recess. It is a figure which shows the relationship between deposition time and the film thickness of the impurity-containing silicon film of an amorphous state. It is a figure which shows the relationship between deposition time and the film thickness of the impurity-containing silicon film of an amorphous state. It is the enlarged view to which the inside of the broken-line frame A in FIG. 7 was expanded. It is the enlarged view to which the inside of the broken-line frame B in FIG. 8 was expanded. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the film thickness of the amorphous silicon film containing an impurity and the average surface roughness Ra of the amorphous silicon film containing an impurity. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the film thickness of the amorphous silicon film containing an impurity, and the haze of the amorphous silicon film containing an impurity. It is a figure which shows the germanium containing gas supply means which is a part of 2nd Example of the film-forming apparatus of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows an example of the supply mode of each gas in the 2nd step of 2nd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the example of each process of 2nd Example of this invention method. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the to-be-processed object in which a thin film is formed by 2nd Example of this invention method. It is a graph which shows the result of the surface roughness for evaluating 2nd Example of this invention method. It is a drawing substitute photograph which shows the surface of the silicon germanium film | membrane deposited when performing 2nd Example of this invention method. It is a figure which shows an example at the time of embedding the recessed part formed in the surface of a semiconductor wafer.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a thin film forming method and a film forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that in this specification, amorphous silicon containing impurity in an amorphous state is not a term referring only to silicon containing an impurity in an amorphous state, but silicon containing an impurity in an amorphous state, and accuracy of surface roughness disclosed in this specification. It is defined as a term including all of nanocrystalline silicon in which amorphous to nano-sized crystal grains that can be achieved and silicon in which the impurity-containing silicon in the amorphous state and the nanocrystalline silicon are mixed are mixed.

<First embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a first embodiment of a film forming apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention. Note that common parts are denoted by common reference numerals throughout the drawings. As shown in the figure, the film forming apparatus 12 has a batch type vertical processing container 14 having a cylindrical shape with an open lower end. For example, quartz having high heat resistance can be used for the processing container 14.

  An exhaust port 16 that is opened is provided in the ceiling portion of the processing container 14, and an exhaust nozzle 18 that is bent laterally at a right angle, for example, is connected to the exhaust port 16. The exhaust nozzle 18 is connected to a vacuum exhaust system 24 having a pressure control valve 20 and a vacuum pump 22 interposed in the middle so that the atmosphere in the processing container 14 can be evacuated and exhausted. It has become.

  The lower end of the processing container 14 is supported by a cylindrical manifold 26 made of, for example, stainless steel, and a plurality of semiconductor wafers W as processing objects are loaded at a predetermined pitch in multiple stages from below the manifold 26. A quartz wafer boat 28 as a holding means is placed so that it can be moved up and down. A sealing member 30 such as an O-ring is interposed between the lower end of the processing container 14 and the upper end of the manifold 26 to maintain the airtightness of this portion. In the case of this embodiment, the wafer boat 28 can support, for example, about 50 to 100 wafers W having a diameter of 300 mm in multiple stages at a substantially equal pitch. There is an example of an apparatus in which the manifold 26 is integrally formed with the processing vessel 14 side by quartz.

  The wafer boat 28 is placed on a table 34 via a quartz heat insulating cylinder 32, and the table 34 has an upper end of a rotary shaft 38 that passes through a lid portion 36 that opens and closes a lower end opening of the manifold 26. Supported by the part. A magnetic fluid seal 40 is interposed, for example, in the penetrating portion of the rotating shaft 38 with respect to the lid portion 36, and rotatably supports the rotating shaft 38 while hermetically sealing it. Further, a seal member 42 made of, for example, an O-ring or the like is interposed between the peripheral portion of the lid portion 36 and the lower end portion of the manifold 26 to maintain the sealing performance in the processing container 14.

  The rotating shaft 38 is attached to the tip of an arm 46 supported by a lifting mechanism 44 such as a boat elevator, for example, so that the wafer boat 28 and the lid 36 can be moved up and down integrally. The table 34 may be fixedly provided on the lid 36 side, and the wafer W may be processed without rotating the wafer boat 28.

  A heating means 48 made of a carbon wire heater is provided on the side of the processing container 14 so as to surround the processing container 14, and the semiconductor wafer W located inside the heating container 48 can be heated. . Further, a heat insulating material 50 is provided on the outer periphery of the heating means 48 so as to ensure this thermal stability. The manifold 26 is provided with various gas supply means for introducing and supplying various gases into the processing vessel 14.

Specifically, a silane-based gas supply means 52 for supplying a silane-based gas for film formation into the processing container 14 and an impurity-containing gas supply for supplying an impurity-containing gas into the processing container 14 are supplied to the manifold 26. Means 54 and seed film raw material gas supply means 80 for supplying seed film raw material gas composed of at least one of aminosilane-based gas and higher order silane gas into the processing vessel 14 are provided. . Further, here, a support gas supply means 56 for supplying purge gas and pressure adjusting gas into the processing vessel 14 as necessary is also provided. Here, N ₂ gas is used as the purge gas or the pressure adjusting gas. A rare gas such as Ar or He can be used instead of the N ₂ gas. Further, here, a case where an aminosilane-based gas is used as the seed film raw material gas will be described as an example.

The silane-based gas supply means 52, the impurity-containing gas supply means 54, the support gas supply means 56, and the seed film raw material gas supply means 80 penetrate through the side wall of the manifold 26 and face the tip thereof into the processing vessel 14. Gas nozzles 52A, 54A, 56A, and 80A are provided. Gas passages 62, 64, 66, and 82 are connected to the gas nozzles 52A, 54A, 56A, and 80A, respectively, and on-off valves 62A, 64A, and 66A are connected to the gas passages 62, 64, 66, and 82, respectively. , 82A and mass flow controllers 62B, 64B, 66B, and 82B are sequentially provided so that silane-based gas, impurity-containing gas, N ₂ gas, and aminosilane-based gas are allowed to flow while controlling the flow rate. It has become.

Here, as the silane-based gas, for example, a silane-based gas composed only of silicon and hydrogen can be used. Here, for example, monosilane is used, BCl ₃ gas is used as the impurity-containing gas, and purge gas or pressure adjusting gas is used. N ₂ gas is used, and DIPAS (diisopropylaminosilane) is used as the aminosilane-based gas. As described above, the silane-based gas is preferably a silane-based gas composed of only silicon and hydrogen. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any silane-based gas containing at least silicon and hydrogen is applicable. Can do.

  In this film forming apparatus, control means such as a microcomputer is used to control the start and stop of the supply of each gas, process temperature, process pressure, etc., and to control the overall operation of this film forming apparatus. 70 is provided. The control means 70 has a storage medium 72 for storing a program used when controlling the operation of the film forming apparatus 12. The storage medium 72 is composed of, for example, a flexible disk, a CD (Compact Disc), a hard disk, a flash memory, or a DVD. Although not shown, various instructions, programs, and the like may be input to the control unit 70 via a user interface using a dedicated line.

<First Example of Film Formation Method>
Next, a first embodiment of the film forming method of the present invention performed using the film forming apparatus 12 of the first embodiment configured as described above will be described. Each operation described below is performed under the control of the control means 70 formed of a computer as described above.

FIG. 2 is a timing chart showing an example of the supply mode of each gas in the second step of the first embodiment of the method of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of each process of the first embodiment of the method of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an object to be processed on which a thin film is formed according to the first embodiment of the method of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a view schematically showing a reaction process between SiH ₄ (monosilane) and BCl ₃ .

  In the first embodiment of the method of the present invention, a seed film raw material gas comprising at least one of an aminosilane-based gas and a higher-order silane gas is supplied into the processing vessel 14 to supply the surface of the object W to be processed. A first step of forming the seed film, and a second step of supplying the silane-based gas and the impurity-containing gas into the processing container 14 to form the impurity-containing silicon film in an amorphous state. ing. In the second step, there are a film forming method for alternately supplying a silane-based gas and an impurity-containing gas, and a film forming method for supplying both the gases at the same time. A film forming method to be supplied will be described. That is, in the second step, a first gas supply step for supplying the silane-based gas into the processing container 14 in a state where the silane-based gas is adsorbed on the surface of the workpiece W and the processing container 14. A case will be described in which the second gas supply step of supplying the impurity-containing gas therein is alternately performed.

  In the first step 84, a seed film forming step is performed in which, for example, DIPAS is supplied into the processing vessel 14 as an aminosilane-based gas that is a seed film raw material gas, thereby forming a seed film on the surface of the semiconductor wafer W that is the object to be processed. (S0). Then, the process proceeds to the second step 86. In addition, it is preferable to perform the purge process which excludes the residual gas in the processing container 14 before moving to the 2nd step 86. FIG.

In the timing chart of FIG. 2 showing the gas supply mode in the second step 86, the portion where the pulse is raised indicates the state where the gas is supplied. Specifically, in the second step 86, first, for example, SiH ₄ (monosilane) gas is supplied as a silane-based gas into the processing vessel 14 to perform the first gas supply step (S1) (FIG. 2A). )reference). In the first gas supply step, the monosilane gas is supplied in such a state that the monosilane gas is adsorbed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer W that is the object to be processed. Next, a purge step (S2) for removing the gas remaining in the processing container 14 is performed (see FIG. 2C). Note that this purging step may be omitted.

Next, a second gas supply step (S3) is performed by supplying, for example, BCl ₃ gas as an impurity-containing gas into the processing container 14 (see FIG. 2B). As a result, BCl ₃ gas reacts with SiH ₄ (monosilane) adsorbed on the surface of the wafer W to form a very thin silicon film doped with boron (B) having a thickness of, for example, one atomic level. Is done.

  Next, the purge process (S4) for removing the gas remaining in the processing container 14 is performed again (see FIG. 2C). Note that this purging step may be omitted. Then, it is determined whether or not one cycle consisting of the above steps S1 to S4 has been repeated a predetermined number of cycles (S5). Here, one cycle is defined as a period from the first gas supply step S1 to the next first gas supply step S1.

  If the predetermined number of cycles has not been reached in step S5 (NO in S5), steps S1 to S4 are repeated until the predetermined number of cycles is reached by returning to step S1, and boron is doped. An amorphous impurity-containing silicon film is laminated. When the above repetition reaches the predetermined number of cycles (YES in S5), the film forming process is terminated.

  In actual processing, first, unprocessed semiconductor wafers W are supported in multiple stages on the wafer boat 28, and in this state, they are carried into the processing container 14 that has been heated in advance from below and accommodated in a sealed state. Yes. The diameter of the semiconductor wafer W is, for example, 300 mm, and about 50 to 100 wafers are accommodated here. On the surface of the semiconductor wafer W, as described with reference to FIG. 19 in the previous step, for example, an insulating film 2 serving as a base is formed, and a concave portion such as a contact hole or a wiring groove is formed in the insulating film 2. 4 is formed. For example, a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film is used as the base insulating film 2.

  The atmosphere in the processing container 14 is constantly evacuated by the evacuation system 24 during the film forming process to adjust the pressure. Further, the semiconductor wafer W is rotated at a predetermined rotational speed during the film forming process by rotating the wafer boat 28. Then, as described above, various gases are supplied into the processing container 14 to perform the film forming process.

  In the first step 84, an aminosilane-based gas is allowed to flow into the processing container 14 while the semiconductor wafer W is heated, so that the surface of the insulating film 2 as a base and the side surface in the recess 4 as shown in FIG. A seed film 88 is formed on the entire surface including the bottom surface (S0). The seed film 88 is mainly made of a compound of silicon, carbon, and nitrogen.

Examples of the aminosilane-based gas include BAS (butylaminosilane), BTBAS (bistar butylaminosilane), DMAS (dimethylaminosilane), BDMAS (bisdimethylaminosilane), TDMAS (tridimethylaminosilane), DEAS (diethylaminosilane), BDEAS. One or more gases selected from the group consisting of (bisdiethylaminosilane), DPAS (dipropylaminosilane), DIPAS (diisopropylaminosilane), and HEAD (hexaethylaminodisilane) can be included.
The aminosilane-based gas is not limited to one having only one silicon (Si) in the molecular formula, but one having two silicons in the molecular formula, such as hexakisethylaminodisilane (C ₁₂ H _36). N ₆ Si ₂ ) can also be used.
In addition to hexakisethylaminodisilane, substances represented by the following formulas (1) to (4) can also be used.
(1) (((R1R2) N) n Si 2 H 6-n-m (R3) m ... n: number of amino group m: number of the alkyl group (2) ((R1) NH ) n Si 2 H 6 _-Nm (R3) _m ... n: number of amino groups m: number of alkyl groups (1) In the formula (2),
_{R1, R2, R3 = CH 3} , C 2 H 5, C 3 H 7
R1 = R2 = R3, or not the same.
n = integer from 1 to 6
m = 0,1~5 integer (3) (((R1R2) N) n Si 2 H 6-n-m (Cl) m ... n: the number of amino groups m: number of chlorine (4) ((R1 ) NH) _n Si ₂ H _6-nm (Cl) _m ... N: number of amino groups m: number of chlorines in formulas (3) and (4)
_{R1, R2 = CH 3, C} 2 H 5, C 3 H 7
R1 = R2 or not the same.
n = integer from 1 to 6
m = 0, an integer of 1 to 5 In this example, DIPAS was used as described above.

An example of processing conditions in the first step 84 is as follows:
DIPAS flow rate: 500sccm
Processing time: 5 min
Processing temperature: 400 ℃
Processing pressure: 53.2 Pa (0.4 Torr)
It is.
The above processing temperature (process temperature) is preferably in the temperature range of 25 (room temperature) ° C. to 550 ° C. If the temperature is lower than 25 ° C., the temperature difference with the silicon film formation temperature becomes large and the throughput is lowered. On the other hand, if the temperature is higher than 550 ° C., the amount of DIPAS adsorbed is one molecular layer or more and the adsorption mode is changed to the CVD mode.

  The process of the first step 84 is also referred to as “preflow” in the present specification. If the first step 84 (seed film forming step S0) is completed as described above, the process proceeds to the second step 86. In the second step 86, in the first gas supply step (S1), the monosilane gas is supplied from the gas nozzle 52A of the silane-based gas supply means 52 while the flow rate is controlled. The monosilane gas is adsorbed on the surface of the rotating wafer W while moving up in the processing container 14, and excess gas is exhausted by the vacuum exhaust system 24 through the upper exhaust port 16 and the exhaust nozzle 18. Going to be.

  The process conditions at this time are such that the flow rate of monosilane gas is in the range of 100 to 4000 sccm, for example, about 1200 sccm, the process pressure is in the range of 27 to 6665 Pa (0.2 to 50 Torr), for example, about 533 Pa (4 Torr), and the process temperature is For example, about 400 ° C. within the range of 350 to 600 ° C., and the gas supply period T1 is about 60 sec within the range of 1 to 300 sec.

  Here, if the process temperature is lower than 350 ° C., monosilane is difficult to be adsorbed on the surface of the wafer W, which is not preferable. If the temperature is higher than 600 ° C., the monosilane is thermally decomposed and a silicon film is deposited. This is not preferable. On the other hand, if the process pressure is lower than 27 Pa, the pressure is too low and it is difficult to cause adsorption of monosilane, which is not preferable. On the other hand, if it is higher than 6665 Pa, a plurality of monosilane layers are adsorbed and it becomes difficult to control the concentration of boron in the film.

In the purge step (S2) immediately after the first gas supply step, N ₂ gas is supplied from the gas nozzle 56A of the support gas supply means 56 while the flow rate is controlled. Here, the N ₂ gas is used as a purge gas, and is used to eliminate monosilane gas remaining in the processing vessel 14. Here, the N ₂ gas is not supplied over the entire period of the purge process, but is supplied only for a part of the period, for example, the first half of the period and not supplied in the second half of the period. Is to be done continuously.

Regarding the process conditions at this time, the flow rate of N ₂ gas is, for example, about 5 slm at the maximum. The process pressure is in the range of 27 to 6665 Pa, the process temperature is in the range of 350 to 600 ° C., and the purge period T2 is in the range of 0 to 300 sec, for example, about 30 sec.

In the second gas supply step (S3) after the purge step, the BCl ₃ gas is supplied from the gas nozzle 54A of the impurity-containing gas supply means 54 while the flow rate is controlled. At the same time, N ₂ gas is supplied as the pressure adjusting gas from the gas nozzle 56A of the support gas supply means 56 while the flow rate is controlled (see FIG. 2C). The BCl ₃ gas and the N ₂ gas rise in the processing container 14, and the BCl ₃ gas reacts with monosilane adsorbed on the surface of the wafer W to form an amorphous silicon film containing boron. Become. Excess gas is exhausted by the vacuum exhaust system 24 via the upper exhaust port 16 and the exhaust nozzle 18.

The process conditions at this time are as follows: the flow rate of BCl ₃ gas is in the range of 1 to 500 sccm, for example, about 100 sccm, the flow rate of N ₂ gas is about 5 slm, and the process pressure is in the range of 27 to 6665 Pa (0.2 to 50 Torr). The process temperature is, for example, about 533 Pa (4 Torr), the process temperature is in the range of 350 to 600 ° C., for example, about 400 ° C., and the gas supply period T 3 is in the range of 1 to 300 sec, for example, about 60 sec.

Here, if the process temperature is lower than 350 ° C., it is not preferable because the reaction between monosilane adsorbed on the surface of the wafer W and BCl ₃ is difficult to occur, and if the temperature is higher than 600 ° C., the temperature is increased. Is not preferable because it takes time. In order to shorten the film formation time, it is preferable to set the same process temperature through the first step and the second step.

In the purge step (S4) immediately after the second gas supply step, N ₂ gas is supplied from the gas nozzle 56A of the support gas supply means 56 while the flow rate is controlled, similarly to the purge step in step S2. Actually, N ₂ gas is continuously supplied from the second gas supply step. Here, the N ₂ gas is used as a purge gas, and is used to eliminate BCl ₃ gas remaining in the processing vessel 14. Here, the N ₂ gas is not supplied over the entire period of the purge process, but is supplied only for a part of the period, for example, the first half of the period and not supplied in the second half of the period. Is to be done continuously.

The process conditions at this time are the same as those in the purge step in the previous step S2. That is, the flow rate of N ₂ gas is, for example, about 5 slm at maximum. The process pressure is in the range of 27 to 6665 Pa, the process temperature is in the range of 350 to 600 ° C., and the purge period T4 is in the range of 0 to 300 sec, for example, about 30 sec.

  One cycle consisting of the steps S1 to S4 as described above is repeated a predetermined number of times. The number of cycles depends on the target film thickness to be formed, but a film thickness of, for example, about 0.2 to 0.7 nm is formed in one cycle. For example, a film thickness of about 60 nm is required. If it does, about 100 cycles will be performed. As described above, a thin film made of an amorphous silicon film 90 (see FIG. 4B) having a very thin atomic level doped with B (boron) as an impurity is stacked on the seed film 88. As a result, the recess 4 (see FIG. 4) formed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer W can be embedded with good embeddability.

Here, the process of forming the boron-doped amorphous impurity-containing silicon film generated in the film formation will be described with reference to the schematic diagram shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a result of simulating a film formation process of boron-doped amorphous impurity-containing silicon film using quantum chemical calculation. The activation energy (eV) is described below each figure. Here, the possibility of low-temperature film formation by alternately supplying SiH ₄ (monosilane) and BCl ₃ was verified by simulation.

First, when SiH ₄ (monosilane) introduced from the outside approaches the Si—B bond already formed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer (see FIG. 5A), catalytic action by B atoms works, and FIG. As shown in (B), Si ₂ is generated by removing H ₂ from SiH ₄ (monosilane), and this SiH ₂ is easily taken into the B adsorption site. Specifically, the activation energy of SiH _{2 to} the B adsorption site is reduced to about 1.2 eV. In the absence of B (boron), the activation energy is about +2.4 eV. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5C, Si—Si bonds are formed in a chain.

From the above, it is possible to form a film even at a low temperature of about 350 ° C., which is impossible with a single supply of SiH ₄ (monosilane), which has been conventionally performed, and gas is used. It is considered that a thin film with good step coverage can be obtained by supplying alternately.

On the other hand, it is almost impossible to perform practical film formation by a normal CVD method using only SiH ₄ (monosilane). In addition, the CVD method using only Si ₂ H ₆ was able to form a film even at a process temperature of 400 ° C. However, the step coverage was only about 80%, and good results could not be obtained.

  As described above, in the method of forming a thin film in which a seed film and an impurity-containing silicon film are formed on the surface of an object to be processed in a processing container that can be evacuated, an aminosilane-based gas and higher silane are introduced into the processing container. A first step of supplying a seed film raw material gas comprising at least one of the above gases to form the seed film on the surface of the object to be processed; and supplying a silane-based gas and an impurity-containing gas into the processing vessel The second step of forming an amorphous impurity-containing silicon film, so that an amorphous impurity-containing silicon film having good embedding characteristics and improving surface roughness accuracy even at a relatively low temperature is provided. Can be formed.

<Evaluation of the method of the present invention>
Here, the method of the present invention was actually carried out to form an amorphous silicon film doped with boron on the seed film, and the evaluation result will be described. Here, a silicon substrate was used as a semiconductor wafer, and a silicon oxide film was formed as a base layer on the surface, and a recess having a hole diameter of 50 nm and an aspect ratio of 7 was formed in the silicon oxide film. A seed film 88 was formed on the silicon oxide film, and an amorphous silicon film 90 doped with boron as an impurity was further formed thereon.

As a film forming method, processing is performed according to the first step 84 and the second step 86 shown in FIG. 3, and in the second step 86, the film forming described above with reference to FIGS. 2 (A) to 2 (C). The method was used. DIPAS, which is a kind of aminosilane-based gas, was used as a seed film raw material gas, SiH ₄ (monosilane) was used as a silane-based gas, and BCl ₃ was used as an impurity-containing gas. The process conditions are as follows: DIPAS gas flow rate is 500 sccm, SiH ₄ (monosilane) gas flow rate is 2000 sccm, BCl ₃ gas flow rate is 200 sccm, N ₂ gas flow rate is ₂ slm when used as purge gas, pressure adjustment gas It is 1 slm. The process temperature is set to 400 ° C. throughout, and the process pressure in the first gas supply step and the second gas supply step is 533 Pa (4 Torr). The time of the first step seed film formation step S0 is 5 min, and the time of each step in the second step 86 is 30 seconds for T1, 30 seconds for T2, 30 seconds for T3, and 30 seconds for T4.

  In this way, as a result of forming a film on the wafer having a trench structure, a boron-doped amorphous silicon film of boron-doped amorphous state having a thickness of 180 liters at 60 cycles was obtained. The result at this time is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an electron micrograph when a boron-doped amorphous impurity-containing silicon film is formed in a recess. Here, the diameter of the recess is 50 nm, and the aspect ratio (A / R) of the recess is “7”. In the figure, the dimension of the film thickness is described along the inside of the recess. Judging from FIG. 6, the step coverage was 95% or more, and an excellent result was obtained.

In the first embodiment of the film forming method, as shown in FIG. 2C, N ₂ gas is supplied as a purge gas in the purge steps T2 and T4, and as a pressure adjusting gas in the second gas supply step. Although it supplied, it is not limited to this, You may make it supply as demonstrated below. FIG. 2D to FIG. 2F show modified examples of the N ₂ gas supply mode. In the case shown in FIG. 2 (D), unlike the case shown in FIG. 2 (C), the N ₂ gas is not supplied in the first half portion in both purge steps before and after the second gas supply step, and the latter half portion. N ₂ gas is supplied. In the second gas supply step, N ₂ gas is supplied as a pressure adjusting gas as in the case of FIG.

In the case shown in FIG. 2 (E), the N ₂ gas supply form in both purge steps before and after the second gas supply step is the same as that shown in FIG. 2 (C), and in the second gas supply step, N ₂ gas (pressure adjusting gas) is not supplied. In the case shown in FIG. 2D, N ₂ gas may not be supplied in the _second gas supply process.

In the case shown in FIG. 2 (F), unlike the above, in the two purge steps before and after the second gas supply step, N ₂ gas (purge gas) is not supplied over the entire period, and the second gas In the supplying step, N ₂ gas (pressure adjusting gas) is supplied in the same manner as in the case shown in FIG. As described above, the supply of the purge gas and the pressure adjusting gas can take various forms. The reason for supplying the pressure adjusting gas in the second gas supply process as described above is that silicon migration is likely to occur if the pressure changes significantly between the first and second gas supply processes. Further, after the first step 84 and the second step 86 are finished, the semiconductor wafer W may be annealed by heating.

<Modification>
In the above embodiment, the silane-based gas and the impurity-containing gas are alternately supplied in the second step. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the CVD (Chemical Vapor) is performed by supplying the silane-based gas and the impurity-containing gas simultaneously. An impurity-containing silicon film may be formed by a (deposition) method. In this case, the process condition is that the flow rate of the silane-based gas (for example, monosilane) is in the range of 100 to 2000 sccm, and the flow rate of the impurity-containing gas (for example, BCl ₃ ) is in the range of 50 to 2000 sccm. The process pressure is in the range of 0.1 to 10 Torr, and the process temperature is in the range of 350 to 600 ° C. Furthermore, the process time determines the length depending on the required film thickness. Also in this case, the same effect as the previous embodiment can be exhibited.

<Evaluation of kind of base (insulating film 2) and presence / absence of seed film>
Next, an evaluation experiment on the type of base (insulating film 2) and the presence / absence of a seed film was performed, and the evaluation results will be described. Here, according to the previous film formation method, an aminosilane-based gas is preflowed as a seed film source gas on the surface of the underlying insulating film 2 to form a seed film 88, and then the seed film 88 is doped with impurities. An amorphous impurity-containing silicon film 90 was formed.

  FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show the relationship between the deposition time and the film thickness of the amorphous impurity-containing silicon film 90. 7 shows a case where the underlying insulating film 2 is a silicon oxide film (SiO 2), and FIG. 8 shows a case where the underlying insulating film 2 is a silicon nitride film (SiN). The film thickness of the impurity-containing silicon film 90 in an amorphous state was measured at three points when the deposition time was 30 min, 45 min, and 60 min.

  Lines I and III in FIGS. 7 and 8 show the results when preflow is present, and lines II and IV show the results when preflow is not present (seed film 88 is absent). Lines I to IV are straight lines obtained by linearly approximating the three measured film thicknesses by the least square method, and the equations are as follows.

Line I: y = 17.572x-20.855 (1)
Line II: y = 17.605x-34.929 (2)
Line III: y = 18.011x-27.739 (3)
Line IV: y = 18.091x-41.277 (4)
As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, it was found that the film thickness of the impurity-containing silicon film 90 in the amorphous state increases with the preflow compared to without the preflow.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram in which the intersections of the lines I to IV and the deposition time are obtained when the above equations (1) to (4) are set to y = 0, that is, the film thickness of the amorphous impurity-containing silicon film is “0”. 9 and FIG. 9 corresponds to an enlarged view in which the broken line frame A in FIG. 7 is enlarged, and FIG. 10 corresponds to an enlarged view in which the broken line frame B in FIG. 8 is enlarged.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the underlying insulating film 2 is a silicon oxide film with a preflow, the deposition of the amorphous impurity-containing silicon film 90 is about 1.2 min (x≈1.189) from the start of the process. start from. On the other hand, in the case of a silicon oxide film without preflow, deposition of an amorphous impurity-containing silicon film 90 starts from about 2.0 min (x≈1.984) from the start of processing.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the underlying insulating film 2 is a silicon nitride film with a preflow, the deposition of the amorphous impurity-containing silicon film 90 is about 1.5 min (x≈1. On the other hand, in the case of the silicon nitride film without preflow, the deposition of the amorphous impurity-containing silicon film 90 starts from about 2.3 min (x≈2.282) from the start of the process.

  In this way, the seed film 88 is formed by performing preflow of an aminosilane-based gas on the underlying insulating film 2, so that the incubation time is about 2 when the underlying insulating film 2 is a silicon oxide film. In the case where the underlying insulating film 2 is a silicon nitride film, it can be shortened from about 2.3 min to about 1.5 min.

  In addition, when the surface of an amorphous impurity-containing silicon film was observed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) (the base was a silicon oxide film), the amorphous state was observed when the aminosilane-based gas was preflowed compared to the case without preflow. It has been clarified that the surface of the silicon film containing the impurities is smooth and the surface roughness is improved.

  FIG. 11 shows the average surface roughness (surface roughness) Ra of the surface of an amorphous impurity-containing silicon film measured using an atomic force microscope (AFM). In the results shown in FIG. 11, the AFM scan size was set to 1 μm and the scan rate was set to 1.993 Hz.

  As shown in FIG. 11, it was found that the average surface roughness (surface roughness) Ra was improved by 0.101 to 0.157 nm when the aminosilane-based gas was preflowed, compared to when no preflow was performed. . From the measurement result by this AFM, the film formation method of the impurity-containing silicon film in the amorphous state according to the present invention is an average compared to the case without preflow, especially when the film thickness of the silicon film containing the impurity in the amorphous state is thin. It has been found that the effect of improving the surface roughness (surface roughness) Ra is high.

  For example, in an impurity-containing silicon film having an amorphous state with a film thickness of about 50 nm, Ra = 0.411 when there was no preflow, whereas Ra = 0.254 when there was preflow. Ra is improved 0.157 nm. This result shows that the method of forming an amorphous impurity-containing silicon film according to the present invention is more effective, for example, as the semiconductor device is further miniaturized.

  FIG. 12 shows the haze (Haze) of the surface of the amorphous silicon film containing impurities measured using a surface inspection apparatus. The haze shown in FIG. 12 is a haze in the DWO mode (Dark Field Wide Oblique). As shown in FIG. 12, it was found that when the aminosilane-based gas was preflowed, the haze was improved by about 2.1 ppm in the range of film thickness of 50 nm or more and film thickness of 100 nm or less, compared to the case without preflow.

  As described above, from the observation using the scanning electron microscope, the atomic force microscope, and the surface inspection apparatus, and the measurement results, the method for forming the amorphous impurity-containing silicon film according to the present invention is the seed film source gas. After pre-flowing the surface of the base of the semiconductor wafer using an aminosilane-based gas to form a seed film 88, the aminosilane-based gas is supplied onto the seed film 88 and thermally decomposed, so that the accuracy of surface roughness is high. That is, an impurity-containing silicon film 90 with a small surface roughness can be formed.

  Such an amorphous impurity-containing silicon film 90 is formed by, for example, embedding contact holes formed in an interlayer insulating film including a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film, and lines formed in the interlayer insulating film, for example, This is useful for embedding grooves for internal wiring.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, the case where the impurity-containing silicon film 90 is formed in the second step has been described. However, in this second embodiment, a silicon germanium film ( SiGe film) is formed. The formation of the seed film 88 in the first step is the same as in the case of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a germanium-containing gas supply means which is a part of the second embodiment of the film forming apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 14 is an example of a gas supply mode in the second step of the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of each step of the second embodiment of the method of the present invention, and FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an object to be processed on which a thin film is formed by the second embodiment of the method of the present invention. FIG.

Here, in order to form a silicon germanium film, a germanium-containing gas supply means 130 as shown in FIG. 13 may be additionally provided in the film forming apparatus 12 described above with reference to FIG. The germanium-containing gas supply means 130 has a gas nozzle 130A provided through the manifold 26. A gas passage 132 is connected to the gas nozzle 130A. The gas passage 132 includes an on-off valve 132A and a mass flow controller. Such a flow rate controller 132B is sequentially provided, and the germanium-containing gas is allowed to flow while controlling the flow rate. As this germanium-containing gas, for example, monogermane (GeH ₄ ) can be used, but is not limited thereto, and one or more gases selected from the group consisting of monogermane and Ge ₂ H ₆ can be used. .

  The concentration of germanium in the silicon germanium film may be any value as long as it is greater than 0% and less than 100%, and is preferably in the range of 10 to 90%. The silicon germanium film may or may not contain impurities. In the case where impurities are not included in the silicon germanium film, it is needless to say that the impurity-containing gas supply means 54 (see FIG. 1) is unnecessary in the above-described film forming apparatus example.

<Second Example of Film Formation Method>
In the second embodiment of the film forming method performed by the film forming apparatus in which the germanium-containing gas supply means 130 is added to the film forming apparatus 12 shown in FIG. 1, the aminosilane-based gas and the higher order gas are introduced into the processing container 14. A first step 84 of supplying a seed film source gas made of at least one of silane gases to form the seed film on the surface of the object to be treated; and a silane-based gas into the processing vessel 14; A second step 134 of supplying a germanium-containing gas to form the silicon germanium film.

  In this case, as described above, the silicon germanium film may or may not contain impurities. When impurities are included in the silicon germanium film, supply of both silane-based gas and germanium-containing gas and supply of impurity-containing gas may be performed alternately, or the silane-based gas and germanium-containing gas may be used. The gas and the impurity-containing gas may be supplied simultaneously.

  Here, as an example, a case will be described in which supply of both silane-based gas and germanium-containing gas and supply of impurity-containing gas are alternately performed. That is, in the second step, as shown in FIG. 15, the silane-based gas and the germanium-containing gas are adsorbed on the surface of the object W to be processed, as shown in FIG. A silicon germanium film containing impurities is formed by alternately and repeatedly performing a first gas supply process for supplying the gas in such a state and a second gas supply process for supplying the impurity-containing gas into the processing vessel 14. Like to do.

  In the first step 84, a seed film 88 (see FIG. 16) is formed in exactly the same manner as the first step 84 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. In the second step 134, all of the other steps S2 to S5 are the same except that the germanium-containing gas is flowed in addition to the flow of the silane-based gas in the first gas supply step S1. This is the same as the case of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  That is, in the second step 134, as shown in FIG. 14, a germanium-containing gas (see FIG. 14D) is made to flow simultaneously in synchronization with the silane-based gas of FIG. The supply mode of the impurity-containing gas (FIG. 14B), the purge gas, and the pressure adjusting gas (FIG. 14C) is the same as that described with reference to FIG. This aspect also applies.

  As described above, monosilane gas and monogermane gas are simultaneously supplied in the first gas supply step S1 of the second step 134 so that both gases are adsorbed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer W. As a result, an impurity-containing silicon germanium film 136 doped with boron is finally formed as shown in FIG. The silicon germanium film 136 may be in an amorphous state, or may be in a single crystal or polycrystalline state.

The flow rate of the monogermane gas in the first gas supply step S1 of the second step 134 is in the range of 10 to 2000 sccm. The process temperature, process pressure, and gas supply time T1 are the same as in the first embodiment. For example, the flow rate of monosilane gas is, for example, about 1200 sccm within the range of 100 to 4000 sccm, the process pressure is within the range of 27 to 6665 Pa (0.2 to 50 Torr), for example, about 533 Pa (4 Torr), and the process temperature is in the range of 350 to 600 ° C. The gas supply period T1 is, for example, about 400 ° C., and the gas supply period T1 is, for example, about 60 sec. Of course, a modified embodiment of the N ₂ gas supply mode as shown in FIGS. 2D to 2F can also be applied to the second embodiment.

  In this way, a thin film made of a silicon germanium film 136 (see FIG. 16B) having a very thin atomic level is laminated on the seed film 88, and is formed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer W. The formed recess 4 (see FIG. 16) can be embedded with good embeddability. Here, as described above, the silicon germanium film 136 is doped with B (boron) as an impurity.

As described above, in the method of forming a thin film in which the seed film 88 and the silicon germanium film 136 are formed on the surface of the object to be processed in the processing container 14 that can be evacuated, the aminosilane-based gas and the higher order are introduced into the processing container 14. A first step 84 of supplying a seed film raw material gas comprising at least one of silane gases to form the seed film 88 on the surface of the object to be processed; and a silane-based gas and germanium into the processing vessel 14 And a second step of forming the silicon germanium film 136 by supplying the contained gas. Therefore, it is possible to form a silicon germanium film that has good embedding characteristics and improves surface roughness accuracy even at a relatively low temperature. it can.

<Modification 1>
In the above embodiment, the silane-based gas and germanium-containing gas and the impurity-containing gas are alternately supplied in the second step. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the silane-based gas, germanium-containing gas, and impurity-containing gas are simultaneously supplied. Thus, a silicon germanium film containing impurities may be formed by a CVD method. In this case, the process conditions are such that the flow rate of the silane-based gas (for example, monosilane) is in the range of 100 to 2000 sccm, the flow rate of the germanium-containing gas (for example, monogerman) is in the range of 100 to 2000 sccm, and the impurity-containing gas (for example, BCl ₃ )) The flow rate is in the range of 50-500 sccm. The process pressure, range of 0.1~10Torr囲内, process temperature is in the range of 350 to 600 ° C.. Furthermore, the process time determines the length depending on the required film thickness. Also in this case, the same effect as the previous embodiment can be exhibited.

<Modification 2>
In the first modification, the silane-based gas, the germanium-containing gas, and the impurity-containing gas are supplied simultaneously in the second step. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the impurity-containing gas is not supplied as described above. Then, the silane-based gas and the germanium-containing gas may be supplied simultaneously to form a silicon germanium film not containing impurities by a CVD method. In this case, the process conditions are such that the flow rate of the silane-based gas (for example, monosilane) is in the range of 100 to 2000 sccm, and the flow rate of the germanium-containing gas (for example, monogerman) is in the range of 100 to 2000 sccm. The process pressure is in the range of 0.1 to 10 Torr, and the process temperature is in the range of 350 to 600 ° C. Furthermore, the process time determines the length depending on the required film thickness. Of course, in the second modification, the impurity-containing gas supply means 54 (see FIG. 1) is not necessary as described above. Also in this case, the same effect as the previous embodiment can be exhibited.

<Evaluation of the second embodiment of the method of the present invention>
Here, since the experiment was conducted on the second embodiment of the method of the present invention as described above, the evaluation result will be described. FIG. 17 is a graph showing the results of surface roughness for evaluating the second embodiment of the method of the present invention, and FIG. 18 is a drawing showing the surface of the silicon germanium film deposited when the second embodiment of the method of the present invention is performed. It is a substitute photo. Here, a seed film was formed on the silicon oxide film, and a silicon germanium film containing no impurities was formed on the seed film by CVD film formation as in Modification 2 above. The process conditions described in the second embodiment of the method of the present invention were used. About process temperature, it carried out about three points, 400 degreeC, 430 degreeC, and 450 degreeC.

  For comparison, a comparative experiment in which a silicon germanium film was directly formed on a silicon oxide film without forming a seed film was also conducted as a comparative example. The process temperature at this time was performed at two points of 430 ° C. and 450 ° C. “As dep” in FIG. 17 indicates a state immediately after the silicon germanium film is formed, and “PDA” (Post Deposition Anneal) indicates post-deposition annealing.

  The photograph in FIG. 18 was obtained with an electron microscope. As shown in FIG. 17, in the case of the comparative example without the seed film, the surface roughness of the silicon germanium film is 8 nm or more and the surface roughness is large. As is clear from the photograph shown in FIG. Unevenness is seen, which is not preferable.

  On the other hand, in the case where there is a seed film of the second embodiment of the method of the present invention, the surface roughness is 1 nm or less over the entire range of 400 to 450 ° C., which is very small. From the photograph shown in FIG. As can be seen, the surface is very smooth, and it is understood that the situation is favorable.

In each embodiment of the film forming method, the N ₂ gas is intermittently supplied. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the N ₂ gas is continuously supplied throughout the film forming process. Thus, the pressure may not be changed greatly.

In each embodiment of the film forming method, N ₂ gas is used as the purge gas in each purge process and the pressure adjusting gas in the second gas supply process, but instead of this, a rare gas such as Ar or He is used. Gas may be used. Further, in each of the above embodiments, N ₂ gas is used as the purge gas in each purge process and the pressure adjusting gas in the second gas supply process. However, instead of the N ₂ gas and the rare gas, or these H ₂ (hydrogen) gas may be used by mixing with the above gas. In particular, when H ₂ gas is used, this H ₂ gas acts to suppress migration to silicon, so that the silicon film and silicon germanium film are prevented from being atomized and attached, thereby further improving the embedding characteristics. It becomes possible to make it.

  In each of the embodiments of the film forming method, the pressure adjusting gas is supplied mainly in the second gas supply process. However, instead of or in addition to this, the pressure adjustment gas is supplied in the first gas supply process. An adjustment gas may be supplied. In each of the embodiments of the film forming method, the case where monosilane is used as the silane-based gas has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and one or more selected from the group consisting of monosilane and higher silane is used. Gas species can be used.

In the embodiments of the film forming method, using a BCl ₃ gas to contain an impurity (dopant) is not limited to this, the impurity-containing _gas, BCl _3, PH 3, _PF 3, One or more gas species selected from the group consisting of AsH ₃ , PCl ₃ , and B ₂ H ₆ can be used, and various impurities may be doped.

  Further, if the seed film 88 is thickened, the thickness of the amorphous impurity-containing silicon film 90 and the silicon germanium film 136 is increased, and miniaturization of the semiconductor device is impaired. The seed film 88 uniformly generates amorphous silicon-containing silicon nuclei and silicon germanium nuclei. For this reason, it is desirable that the thickness of the seed film 88 is thin, and it is preferable that the thickness is about the monoatomic layer level. When a specific thickness of the seed film 88 is mentioned, it is preferable that the thickness is 0.1 nm or more and 5.0 nm or less.

  The aminosilane-based gas is preferably a monovalent aminosilane-based gas, for example, DIPAS (diisopropylaminosilane). Furthermore, it is preferable that the aminosilane is adsorbed on the insulating film 82 which is a base without being decomposed. For example, DIPAS thermally decomposes at 450 ° C. or higher. When aminosilane is thermally decomposed, impurities such as carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) may be involved in the film to be formed. For example, by allowing aminosilane to be adsorbed on the underlying insulating film 82 without being decomposed, it is possible to obtain an advantage that the situation in which impurities are involved in the film to be formed can be suppressed. .

  The thickness of the amorphous impurity-containing silicon film 90 and the silicon germanium film 136 is preferably 1 nm or more and 100 nm or less, but may be, for example, 50 nm or less and 1 nm or more. As described above, the film forming method may be a simple alternate supply of two kinds of gases as described above, or a so-called ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) method in which thin films having atomic or molecular thickness are stacked. May be. Further, the supply of the silane-based gas may be non-saturated adsorption, and the supply of the impurity-containing gas may be saturated adsorption.

  In each of the above embodiments, the case where the aminosilane-based gas is used as the seed film raw material gas has been described as an example in the first step. However, as described above, the aminosilane-based gas and the higher order gas are used as the seed film raw material gas. At least one of silane gases can be used. For example, when higher-order silane is used as a seed film source gas (no aminosilane-based gas is used), the process temperature during the formation of the seed film is about 400 ° C., and the seed film has a thickness of about 1 to 2 nm. It will be formed. In this case, the surface roughness of the seed film is relatively good and is in a continuous film state.

  In addition, when an aminosilane-based gas is used as a seed film source gas (not using higher-order silane), the aminosilane-based gas is used within a range in which the film thickness does not increase with respect to the supply time. It can be used as a seed film thickness of about 0.1 to 0.5 nm. In this case, the process temperature is, for example, about 25 to 550 ° C., and the seed film can be formed at a lower temperature than in the case of forming the seed film using the higher order silane.

  In the first step, as described above, aminosilane-based gas and higher order silane can be used as the seed film raw material gas. Specifically, the first mode in which the aminosilane-based gas is first flowed, and then the higher-order silane is flown, the step of flowing the aminosilane-based gas first, and then the higher-order silane is flowed. There are a second mode in which a plurality of sequences consisting of the above steps are performed, and a third mode in which the aminosilane-based gas and the higher order silane are caused to flow simultaneously.

In the case of the first aspect, that is, the aspect in which the aminosilane-based gas and the higher order silane are alternately flowed once each, the surface roughness is better than the seed film formed by the single flow of the higher order silane. A seed film as a continuous film can be obtained. Further, in the case of the second aspect, that is, the aspect in which the aminosilane-based gas and the higher-order silane are alternately and repeatedly flowed a plurality of times, a seed film as a continuous film thicker than the first aspect can be obtained. it can.
In the case of the third aspect, the seed film can be formed in a short time, which is advantageous in productivity.

In the present invention, the higher order silane that can be used in the first step and the second step is, for example, silicon represented by the formula Si _m H _{2m + 2} (where m is a natural number of 2 or more). The hydride of
Disilane (Si ₂ H ₆ )
Trisilane (Si ₃ H ₈ )
Tetrasilane (Si ₄ H ₁₀ )
Pentasilane (Si ₅ H ₁₂ )
Hexasilane (Si ₆ H ₁₄ )
Heptasilane (Si ₇ H ₁₆ )
It is good to be selected from at least one of the following.

Furthermore, as a higher order silane, for example, a hydride of silicon represented by a formula of Si _n H _2n (where n is a natural number of 3 or more),
Cyclotrisilane (Si ₃ H ₆ )
Cyclotetrasilane (Si ₄ H ₈ )
Cyclopentasilane (Si ₅ H ₁₀ )
Cyclohexasilane (Si ₆ H ₁₂ )
Cycloheptasilane (Si ₇ H ₁₄ )
It is good to be selected from at least one of the following.
Here, when higher order silane is used as the seed film raw material gas in the first step, a higher order silane gas supply system is provided instead of or in addition to the aminosilane type gas supply system. In the case where higher order silane is used in the first step and the second step, for example, one silane-based gas supply means 52 can be used as a matter of course.

  Further, here, as shown in FIG. 1, the single-tube batch type film forming apparatus in which the processing container 14 is single-layered has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the processing container 14 is an inner cylinder. The present invention can also be applied to a double-tube batch type film forming apparatus including an outer cylinder. Furthermore, the gas nozzles 52A, 54A, 56A, and 80A use straight pipe-type gas nozzles that discharge gas only from their tips, but the present invention is not limited to this, and gas disposed along the length direction of the processing container 14 A so-called distributed gas nozzle in which a plurality of gas injection holes are provided at a predetermined pitch with respect to the pipe and gas is injected from each gas injection hole may be used.

  Furthermore, here, as described above, the batch-type film forming apparatus that processes a plurality of semiconductor wafers W at a time has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Of course, the present invention can also be applied to a single-wafer type film forming apparatus.

  Although the semiconductor wafer is described as an example of the object to be processed here, the semiconductor wafer includes a silicon substrate and a compound semiconductor substrate such as GaAs, SiC, GaN, and the like, and is not limited to these substrates. The present invention can also be applied to glass substrates, ceramic substrates, and the like used in display devices.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Film-forming apparatus 14 Processing container 28 Wafer boat (holding means)
48 Heating means 52 Silane-based gas supply means 54 Impurity-containing gas supply means 56 Support gas supply means 70 Control means 80 Seed film source gas supply means 84 First step 86 Second step 88 Seed film 90 Impurity-containing silicon in an amorphous state Film 130 Germanium-containing gas supply means 134 Second step 136 Silicon germanium film W Semiconductor wafer (object to be processed)

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a thin film in which a seed film and an impurity-containing silicon film are formed on a surface of an object to be processed in a processing container that can be evacuated. A first step of supplying a seed film source gas made of silicon to form the seed film on the surface of the object to be processed; and supplying a silane-based gas and an impurity-containing gas into the processing container A thin film forming method comprising: a second step of forming the impurity-containing silicon film.

As described above, in a thin film formation method for forming a seed film and an impurity-containing silicon film on the surface of an object to be processed in a processing container that can be evacuated, a seed film made of an aminosilane-based gas is used in the processing container. A first step of supplying the source gas to form the seed film on the surface of the object to be processed, and supplying a silane-based gas and an impurity-containing gas into the processing container to form an amorphous impurity-containing silicon film Since the second step is included, it is possible to form an impurity-containing silicon film in an amorphous state that has good embedding characteristics and improves surface roughness accuracy even at a relatively low temperature.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a thin film in which a seed film and a silicon germanium film are formed on a surface of an object to be processed in a processing container that can be evacuated, and the processing container includes an aminosilane-based gas. A first step of supplying a seed film source gas to form the seed film on the surface of the object to be processed, and supplying a silane-based gas and a germanium-containing gas into the processing container to form the silicon germanium film And a second step of forming a thin film.

Thus, in the method for forming a thin film for forming the seed film and a silicon germanium film on the surface of the object to be processed in a processing vessel is evacuated been made possible, for the seed film ing from aminosilane-based gas into the processing chamber A first step of supplying a source gas to form the seed film on the surface of the object to be processed; and a second step of supplying a silane-based gas and a germanium-containing gas into the processing container to form the silicon germanium film. Therefore, it is possible to form a silicon germanium film that has good embedding characteristics and improves the accuracy of surface roughness even at a relatively low temperature.

According to a twenty- third aspect of the present invention, in a film forming apparatus for forming an impurity-containing thin film on a surface of an object to be processed, a processing container that can store the object to be processed, and the object to be processed in the processing container. A holding means for holding, a heating means for heating the object to be processed, a gas supply means for supplying a necessary gas into the processing container, and a vacuum exhaust system for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing container, and control means for controlling the operation of the entire apparatus to perform a method for forming a thin film according to any one of乃Itaru 21, a film forming apparatus characterized by comprising a.

According to the thin film forming method and film forming apparatus of the present invention, the following excellent effects can be achieved.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, and a method for forming a thin film, a seed film and an impurity-containing silicon film are formed on the surface of an object to be processed in a processing vessel that can be evacuated. A first step of supplying a seed film material gas comprising an aminosilane-based gas into the processing container to form the seed film on the surface of the object to be processed; and supplying a silane-based gas and an impurity-containing gas into the processing container The second step of forming an amorphous impurity-containing silicon film, so that an amorphous impurity-containing silicon film having good embedding characteristics and improving surface roughness accuracy even at a relatively low temperature is provided. Can be formed.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, and a method of forming a thin film in which a seed film and a silicon germanium film are formed on a surface of an object to be processed in a processing container that can be evacuated. a first step of forming the seed film on a surface of the object to be processed by supplying a seed film raw material gas ing from aminosilane gas into the processing container, a silane-based gas and a germanium-containing gas into the processing vessel And the second step of forming the silicon germanium film, a silicon germanium film with good embedding characteristics and improved surface roughness accuracy can be formed even at a relatively low temperature.

Claims (27)

In a method for forming a thin film, a seed film and an impurity-containing silicon film are formed on the surface of an object to be processed in a processing container that has been evacuated.
A first step of forming a seed film on the surface of the object to be processed by supplying a seed film raw material gas comprising at least one of an aminosilane-based gas and a higher-order silane gas into the processing container;
A thin film forming method, comprising: a second step of forming an amorphous silicon-containing impurity film by supplying a silane-based gas and an impurity-containing gas into the processing vessel. In the second step, a first gas supply step for supplying the silane-based gas into the processing container in a state where the silane-based gas is adsorbed on the surface of the object to be processed, and an impurity-containing gas into the processing container. 2. The method of forming a thin film according to claim 1, wherein the second gas supply step for supplying the gas is alternately repeated. 2. The method of forming a thin film according to claim 1, wherein in the second step, the silane-based gas and the impurity-containing gas are simultaneously supplied into the processing vessel. The method for forming a thin film according to claim 1, wherein the silicon film has a thickness of 1 nm to 100 nm. In a thin film forming method of forming a seed film and a silicon germanium film on the surface of an object to be processed in a processing container that is evacuated,
A first step of forming a seed film on the surface of the object to be processed by supplying a seed film raw material gas comprising at least one of an aminosilane-based gas and a higher-order silane gas into the processing container;
A method of forming a thin film, comprising: a second step of forming a silicon germanium film by supplying a silane-based gas and a germanium-containing gas into the processing container. 6. The method of forming a thin film according to claim 5, wherein an impurity-containing gas is used in the second step in order to include an impurity in the silicon germanium film. In the second step, the silane-based gas and the germanium-containing gas are supplied into the processing container in a state in which the silane-based gas and the germanium-containing gas are adsorbed on the surface of the object to be processed. 7. The method of forming a thin film according to claim 6, wherein the gas supply step and the second gas supply step for supplying the impurity-containing gas into the processing container are alternately repeated. The thin film forming method according to claim 6, wherein in the second step, the silane-based gas, the germanium-containing gas, and the impurity-containing gas are simultaneously supplied into the processing container. The method for forming a thin film according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the germanium-containing gas is composed of one or more gases selected from the group consisting of monogermanium and Ge ₂ H ₆ . The method for forming a thin film according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the thickness of the silicon germanium film is 1 nm or more and 100 nm or less. The method for forming a thin film according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the process temperature of the first step is in a range of 25 to 550 ° C. The method for forming a thin film according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the process temperatures of the first step and the second step are set to be the same. The method for forming a thin film according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the aminosilane-based gas and the higher order silane are used as the source gas for the seed film in the first step. 14. The method of forming a thin film according to claim 13, wherein in the first step, the aminosilane-based gas is flowed first, and then the higher order silane is flowed. 14. The first step is characterized in that a plurality of sequences are performed in which one sequence comprising the step of flowing the aminosilane-based gas first and the step of flowing the higher order silane next is performed. Method for forming a thin film. 14. The method of forming a thin film according to claim 13, wherein in the first step, the aminosilane-based gas and the higher order silane are caused to flow simultaneously. 17. The method for forming a thin film according to claim 1, wherein process temperatures in the first and second gas supply steps are in a range of 350 to 600 ° C., respectively. 18. The thin film according to claim 1, wherein process pressures in the first and second gas supply steps are in a range of 27 to 6665 Pa (0.2 to 50 Torr), respectively. Forming method. The purge process for removing the residual gas in the said processing container is performed between the said 1st gas supply process and the said 2nd gas supply process. The method for forming a thin film according to claim 1. 20. The method of forming a thin film according to claim 19, wherein a purge gas for promoting the elimination of residual gas is supplied during the whole period or a part of the purge process. 21. The pressure adjusting gas is supplied in at least one of the first gas supply process and the second gas supply process. The method for forming a thin film according to Item. The method for forming a thin film according to any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein the silane-based gas includes one or more gas species selected from the group consisting of monosilane and higher silane. The impurity-containing gas comprises one or more gas species selected from the group consisting of BCl ₃ , PH ₃ , PF ₃ , AsH ₃ , PCl ₃ , and B ₂ H ₆ . The method for forming a thin film according to any one of the above. The method for forming a thin film according to any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein a thickness of the seed film is 0.1 nm or more and 5.0 nm or less. The aminosilane-based gas is BAS (butylaminosilane), BTBAS (bistar butylaminosilane), DMAS (dimethylaminosilane), BDMAS (bisdimethylaminosilane), TDMAS (tridimethylaminosilane), DEAS (diethylaminosilane), BDEAS (bisdiethylamino). 25. One or more gases selected from the group consisting of silane), DPAS (dipropylaminosilane), DIPAS (diisopropylaminosilane), and HEAD (hexaethylaminodisilane) are included. The method for forming a thin film according to Item. The method for forming a thin film according to any one of claims 1 to 25, wherein an annealing step is performed after all the thin films are formed. In a film forming apparatus for forming an impurity-containing thin film on the surface of an object to be processed,
A processing container capable of accommodating the object to be processed;
Holding means for holding the object to be processed in the processing container;
Heating means for heating the object to be processed;
Gas supply means for supplying the necessary gas into the processing vessel;
An evacuation system for evacuating the atmosphere in the processing vessel;
Control means for controlling the operation of the entire apparatus so as to execute the method for forming a thin film according to any one of claims 1 to 25;
A film forming apparatus comprising:

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