KR20100019414A - Technique for atomic layer deposition - Google Patents

Abstract

A technique for atomic layer deposition is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment,, the technique may be realized by an apparatus for atomic layer. deposition. The apparatus may comprise. a process chamber having a substrate platform to hold at least one substrate. The apparatus may also comprise a supply of a precursor substance, wherein the precursor substance comprises atoms of at least one first. species and atoms of at least one second species, and wherein the supply provides the precursor substance to saturate a surface of the at least one substrate. The apparatus may further comprise a plasma source of metastable atoms of at least one third species, wherein the metabstable atoms are capable of desbrbing the atoms of the at least one second species from the saturated surface of the at least one substrate to form one or more atomic layers of the at least one first species.

Description

TECHNIQUE FOR ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION}

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally relates to semiconductor fabrication, and more particularly to techniques for atomic layer deposition.

Modern semiconductor manufacturing has created a need for precision, atomic-level deposition of high quality thin film structures. For this need, a number of film growth techniques, collectively known as 'Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD)' or 'Atomic Layer Epitaxy (ALE'), have recently been developed. ALD technology can deposit uniform and conformal films with atomic layer accuracy. A typical ALD process uses sequential self-regulated surface reactions to achieve control of film growth in a monolayer thickness regime. Because of its excellent potential for film conformity and uniformity, ALD is a high-k gate oxide, storage capacitor dielectric, and copper diffusion barrier in microelectronic devices. It has become the technology of choice for advanced applications such as copper diffusion barriers. In fact, ALD technology may be useful for any advanced application that benefits from precise control of nanometer (nm) or sub-nanometer sized thin film structures.

To date, however, most existing deposition techniques have inherent disadvantages and have not been reliably applied to mass production in the semiconductor industry. For example, a deposition technique known as 'molecular beam epitaxy' (MBE) uses shutter-controlled individual effusion cells to send different species of atoms to the substrate surface, and these atoms react with each other on the substrate surface to produce the desired A monolayer film is formed. In a solid-source MBE process, the ejection cell must be heated to a fairly high temperature to release the heat ions of the ingredient atom. Moreover, extremely high vacuum must be maintained in order to ensure that there is no collision between the component atoms before they reach the substrate. Despite the need for high temperature and high vacuum, MBE film growth rates are quite low for mass production purposes.

Another ALD technique is known as temperature-modulated atomic layer epitaxy (ALE). In order to grow a silicon film according to this technique, the following steps are repeated. First, a monolayer film of silane (SiH ₄ ) is deposited on the substrate surface at a relatively low temperature between 180 ° C and 400 ° C. Subsequently, the substrate temperature rises to about 550 ° C. to desorb the hydrogen atoms, leaving a single layer film of silicon. This technique achieves controlled layer-by-layer film growth, but it is difficult to maintain uniformity across layers and repeatability from layer to layer because of the need for repeated temperature spikes. In addition, heating the substrate to a high temperature may damage or destroy the delicate structure formed on the substrate in the preprocessing step.

One conventional ALD technique uses ion bombardment to desorb excess hydrogen atoms. According to this technique, disilane (Si ₂ H ₆ ) gas can be used to form a disilane monolayer on the substrate surface. The substrate surface then collides with helium or argon ions to desorb excess hydrogen atoms from the disilane monolayer to form a silicon monolayer. Perhaps due to excessive energy ion bombardment (~ 50 eV ion energy), the film growth rate is quite low (less than 0.15 monolayer per cycle), and the strong energy ion flux is essentially a line-of-sight process. The process can thus yield the potential of atomic layer deposition for highly conformal deposition. In addition, strong energy ions can also cause crystalline defects, which may require post-deposition annealing.

In addition, conformal doping in ALD-deposited thin films, especially 3-D structures such as FinFETs, remains a challenge for process technicians. Existing ion implantation techniques are undesirable for introducing dopants into conformally covered structures in 3-D, which is not only difficult to achieve uniformity of dopant distribution but can also result from post-implant anneal. It is also due to potential damage.

In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide an atomic layer deposition solution that overcomes the deficiencies and drawbacks described above.

Techniques for atomic layer deposition are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique can be realized by an apparatus for atomic layer deposition. The apparatus may include a process chamber having a substrate platform for supporting at least one substrate. The apparatus may also include a supply of precursor material, the precursor material comprising at least one atom of at least one first species and at least one atom of the second kind, A feeder feeds the precursor material to saturate the at least one substrate surface. The apparatus further comprises a plasma source of at least one third type of metastable atoms, wherein the metastable atoms are further capable of removing the at least one second type of atoms from the saturated surface of the at least one substrate. Desorption may form one or more atomic layers of the at least one first species.

In another particular exemplary embodiment, the technique can be realized as an atomic layer deposition method. The method may include saturating the substrate surface with a precursor material having at least one first type of atoms and at least one second type of atoms, thereby forming a monolayer film of precursor material on the substrate surface. . The method may also include exposing the substrate surface to a third species of plasma-generating metastable atoms, wherein the metastable atoms desorb at least one second species of atoms from the substrate surface. The atomic layer of the first kind is formed. The atomic layer deposition method may include forming multiple atomic layers of multiple types, including multiple deposition cycles, where each deposition cycle repeats the steps described above to form one atomic layer of type 1.

In another particular exemplary embodiment, the technique can be realized by an apparatus for atomic layer deposition. The apparatus may include a process chamber having a substrate platform for supporting at least one substrate. The apparatus may also include a disilane (Si ₂ H ₆ ) feeder, which supplies a sufficient amount of disilane to saturate at least one substrate surface. The device may also include a helium supply. The apparatus may further comprise a plasma chamber coupled to the process chamber, wherein the plasma chamber generates helium metastable atoms from helium supplied by a helium supply. The metastable atoms can desorb hydrogen atoms from at least one saturated substrate surface, thereby forming one or more atomic layers of silicon.

In another particular exemplary embodiment, the technique can be realized as a conformal doping method. The method may include forming a thin film on a substrate surface in one or more deposition cycles, each having at least one first type of atoms and at least one second type of atoms in each of the one or more deposition cycles. The precursor material is supplied to saturate the substrate surface, and then the at least one second kind of atoms are desorbed from the saturated substrate surface to form at least one atomic layer of the at least one first kind. The method may also include doping at least one atomic layer of at least one first species by substituting at least a portion of the precursor material supply with a dopant precursor in one or more multiple deposition cycles.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention is described below with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not so limited. Those of ordinary skill in the art having access to the disclosure herein will recognize additional implementations, modifications, and embodiments, as well as other uses, which are within the scope of the invention disclosed herein. In connection with these the present invention will be quite useful.

In order to facilitate a thorough understanding of the present invention, reference numerals are given to the accompanying drawings in which like elements are referred to by like numerals. The drawings are not to be construed as limiting the invention, but are intended for illustrative purposes only.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary atomic layer deposition cycle in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary atomic layer deposition cycle in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system for atomic layer deposition in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for atomic layer deposition in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems with existing atomic layer deposition techniques, embodiments of the present invention introduce ALD and in situ doping techniques. Metastable atoms can be used to desorb excess atoms. Metastable atoms can be generated, for example, in a plasma chamber. For illustrative purposes, the following description focuses on a method and apparatus for depositing doped or undoped silicon using helium metastable atoms. By the same or similar technique, it should be understood that other species thin films can also be grown using helium or other metastable atoms.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary atomic layer deposition cycle 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. A typical atomic layer deposition cycle 100 may include a saturation phase 10 and a desorption phase 12.

In the saturation step 10, the substrate 102 may be exposed to disilane (Si ₂ H ₆ ) gas. For silicon film growth, the substrate surface includes, for example, silicon, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and / or silicon dioxide. The disilane gas functions as a silicon precursor and is supplied with a sufficiently high dose to saturate the substrate surface to form a disilane monolayer film 104 on the substrate surface. However, throughout this application, the term 'saturation' does not exclude the situation where the substrate surface is only partially covered by the material used to 'saturate' this surface. The substrate 102 as well as the process environment can be maintained at a carefully selected temperature to prevent the precursor gas from condensing or decomposing on the substrate surface. In this embodiment, the substrate 102 is maintained heated to a temperature between 180 ° C. and 400 ° C., but it is also within the scope of the present invention to heat and maintain the substrate 102 within other temperature ranges.

In the desorption step 12, the substrate 102 may be exposed to metastable atoms having sufficient energy to desorb excess atoms from the precursor monolayer. According to this embodiment, helium metastable atoms can be used to partially or completely desorb excess hydrogen atoms from the disilane monolayer 104 formed in the saturation step 10. Helium metastable atoms can be generated, for example, from helium gas in an inductively coupled plasma. Each helium metastable atom can have an internal energy of about 20 eV, which can be used to break the bond between a silicon atom and a hydrogen atom. According to some embodiments, the metastable and other excited states of inert gases (helium, argon, etc.) tend to emit photons that can indirectly drive the desorption reaction at the substrate surface. After the excess hydrogen atoms are removed, a silicon monolayer film 106 can be formed on the substrate surface. According to some embodiments, not all of the excess hydrogen atoms may be removed. Thus, at the end of the desorption step 12, the surface of the silicon monolayer film 106 may be a mixture of dangling bonds and silicon atoms terminated with hydrogen.

Between saturation step 10 and desorption step 12, the substrate surface is purged with one or more inert gases (e.g. helium or argon) to allow excess reactant gases as well as by-products (e.g. hydrogen). Can be removed. The cycle completed through the saturation step 10 and the desorption step 12 may be referred to as one 'deposition cycle'. The deposition cycle 100 may be repeated one monolayer (or fragment monolayer) at a time to form a pure silicon thin film (eg, crystalline, polycrystalline, amorphous type, etc.).

According to embodiments of the present invention, it is advantageous to desorb excess atoms from the substrate surface saturated with precursor material using metastable atoms rather than ions. When metastable atoms are generated in the plasma for desorption purposes, anisotropic films resulting from such charged particles are prevented by preventing charged particles (e.g., electrons and ions) generated in the plasma from reaching the substrate surface. Properties can be reduced or minimized. Numerous measures can be taken to prevent the charge particles from affecting the ALD film formed on the substrate surface. For example, one or more devices (eg baffles or screens) may be inserted between the plasma source and the substrate. Such devices can be further biased to filter out unwanted charge particles. In addition, an electromagnetic field may be installed to deflect the charged particles. According to another embodiment, the orientation of the substrate surface may be adjusted to minimize incident influx of charged particles. For example, the substrate platform may be turned over or turned away from the line of sight of the plasma source. In addition, the plasma source may be located at a distance from the substrate such that a significant portion of the charged particles do not reach the substrate surface due to scattering or collision.

With reference to FIG. 2, shown is a block diagram illustrating a typical atomic layer deposition cycle 200 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. According to this embodiment, the ALD process illustrated in FIG. 1 introduces impurities to the thin film as well as deposits single-species thin films, or multi-species and / or alternating layers ( To form alternate-layered films, all can be used in a well controlled manner. For example, apart from undoped silicon films, doped silicon films can also be grown based on slightly modified ALD processes. According to this modified ALD process, one or more deposition cycles 100 may be replaced with one or more deposition cycles 200.

In the saturation step 20 of the deposition cycle 200, the dopant precursor gas may be provided instead of or with the silicon precursor gas. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the dopant precursor is diborane (B ₂ H ₆ ), which diborane adsorbs (or “chemosorbs”) onto the surface of the substrate 102 to form a diborane monolayer 204. can do. In this case, the underlying surface may comprise a silicon monolayer deposited in a previous deposition cycle 100. The diborane monolayer 204 may partially or completely cover the underlying surface.

In the desorption step 22 of the deposition cycle 200, the substrate 102 may be exposed to helium metastable atoms as described above. The helium metastable atom may desorb excess hydrogen atoms from the diborane monolayer 204, leaving a partial or complete boron monolayer 206.

By controlling the number of deposition cycles 100 replaced by the deposition cycles 200 and controlling the dose of diborane gas supplied to the saturation stage 20, the desired boron dopant density profile in the silicon film can be achieved. . Because this in-situ doping technique relies on conformal deposition of dopant atoms rather than ion implantation, it is possible to achieve uniform dopant distribution over complex surfaces of 3-D structures such as FinFETs. Furthermore, no post-deposition high-temperature diffusion process is required for the ion implanted dopant atoms. Instead, no annealing is required or only low temperature annealing is required, which results in a reduced diffusion of dopant species and thus a very rapid (or 'box-like') dopant profile. As such, embodiments of the present invention may be implemented at temperatures below 500 ° C., which are within the 'thermal budget' of the semiconductor industry.

Atomic layer deposition according to an embodiment of the present invention may be a selective process depending on the substrate surface composition (composition). For example, the process illustrated in FIG. 1 may deposit a silicon monolayer on silicon or SOI surfaces but not silicon dioxide (SiO ₂ ) surfaces. Thus, silicon dioxide can be used as a masking layer to shield selected portions of the substrate surface.

Although only helium metastable atoms were used in the above examples, it should be understood that other species of atoms may also be selected for the deposition process. The selection of these species can be based on the lifetime and energy of these metastable or excited states. Table 1 provides a list of candidate species of metastable atoms that can be used in the deposition step of the ALD process.

Bell Life (s) Energy (eV) He 8000 19.8 Ne 24 17 Ar 40 12 Kr 30 10 Xe 43 8.4

Apart from the diborane gas, it should be understood that other dopant precursors may also be used to introduce the desired dopant atoms into the ALD-formed thin film. Suitable dopant precursors for introducing dopant atoms such as boron (B), arsenic (As), phosphorus (P), indium (In) and antimony (Sb) may include, but are not limited to, the following compound classes: Are not: halides (eg BF ₃ ), alkoxides (eg B (OCH ₃ ) ₃ ), alkyls (eg In (CH ₃ ) ₃ ), hydrides (eg AsH ₃ , PH ₃ ), cyclo Pentadienyl, alkylimides, alkylamides such as P [N (CH ₃ ) ₂ ] ₃ ) and amidinates.

In addition, the in-situ doping technique in which the dopant-containing monolayer film is deposited through an ALD-like process is not limited to the plasma-enhanced ALD process. This in-situ doping technique also eliminates the need for metastable atoms. For example, a thermal ALD process can also be used to form the dopant-containing monolayer film. In fact, this in-situ doping concept is applicable to any ALD process in which one or more deposition cycles for depositing monolayers of thin films to be doped are replaced with one or more deposition cycles for depositing dopant-containing monolayer films, The thin film to be doped may be deposited substantially simultaneously with the dopant-containing monolayer film.

3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system 300 for atomic layer deposition in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The system 300 may include a process chamber 302, which typically includes a turbo pump 306, a mechanical pump 308, and other necessary vacuum sealing components to provide a high vacuum base pressure (eg, : 10 ^{-7-10 -6} torr). Inside the process chamber 302, there may be a substrate platform 310 that supports at least one substrate 30. The substrate platform 310 may install one or more temperature management devices to adjust and maintain the temperature of the substrate 30. Tilting or rotation of the substrate platform 30 may also be allowed. Process chamber 302 may be further equipped with one or more film growth monitoring devices, such as quartz crystal microbalance and / or RHEED (reflective high energy electron diffraction) instruments.

The system 300 may also include a plasma chamber 304 that may be coupled to or part of the process chamber 302. A radio frequency (RF) power supply 312 may be used to generate the plasma 32 inductively coupled within the plasma chamber 304. For example, helium gas supplied at an appropriate pressure can be excited by RF power to produce a helium plasma, which produces helium metastable atoms.

The system 300 may further include a plurality of gas supplies, such as a disilane feeder 314, a diborane feeder 316, an argon feeder 318, and a helium feeder 320. Each gas supply can include a flow-control valve to set individual flow rates as desired. Alternatively, gas can be metered into the system, for example, by series connection of a valve, a small chamber of fixed volume and a second valve. The small chamber is first filled to the desired pressure by opening the first valve. After closing the first valve, a fixed volume of gas is released to the chamber by opening the second valve. The disilane feeder 314 and the diborane feeder 316 may be coupled to the process chamber 302 through a first inlet 322, supplying a sufficient amount of the respective silicon and boron precursor gas to the substrate. (30) can be saturated. Argon supply 318 and helium supply 320 may be coupled to plasma chamber 304 through second inlet 324. Argon supply 318 may supply argon (or other inert gas) to purge the system 300. The helium supplier 320 may supply a helium gas for plasma generation of helium metastable atoms. In addition, there may be a screen or baffle device 326 between the plasma chamber 304 and the process chamber 302. The biased or unbiased screen or baffle device 326 may prevent at least some of the charge particles generated in the plasma chamber 304 from reaching the substrate 30.

4 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for atomic layer deposition in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

In step 402, a deposition system as described in FIG. 3 may be pumped to a high vacuum (HV) state. Vacuum conditions can be achieved with any vacuum technique now known or later developed. The vacuum installation may for example comprise one or more of a mechanical pump, a turbo pump and a cryopump. The vacuum level is preferably at least 10 ^{-7-10 -6} torr, but maintaining the vacuum level at other pressures is also within the scope of the present invention. For example, if a higher film purity is desired, even higher base vacuum may be required. For low-purity films, lower pressures may be acceptable.

In step 404, the substrate may be preheated to the desired temperature. Substrate temperature may be determined based on substrate type, ALD reactive species, desired growth rate, and the like.

At step 406, a silicon precursor, such as disilane (and its carrier gas, if any) may be introduced into the process chamber where the substrate is located. The silicon precursor gas may be supplied at a flow rate or pressure sufficient to saturate the substrate surface. The flow of disilane can last for a few seconds or even tens of seconds. The monolayer film of the disilane may partially or completely cover the substrate surface.

In step 408, after surface saturation, the silicon precursor may be turned off and the deposition system may be purged with one or more inert gases to remove excess silicon precursor.

In step 410, the helium plasma can be turned on. In other words, helium gas may flow from the plasma chamber into the process chamber. The helium plasma may be an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) or any of a number of other plasma types, which supply sufficient excitation to the helium atoms to produce helium metastable atoms. The substrate in the process chamber may be exposed to helium metastable atoms, causing the helium metastable atoms to react with the silicon precursor adsorbed thereon to desorb non-silicon atoms. For example, for disilane monolayers, helium metastable atoms can help remove excess hydrogen atoms to form the desired silicon monolayer film. Exposing the substrate surface to metastable atoms can last for a few seconds or even tens of seconds.

In step 412, the helium plasma may be turned off and the deposition system may be purged again with one or more inert gases.

At step 414, it may be determined whether doping of the silicon film is required. If doping is required and is a suitable time to introduce the dopant, the process may go to step 416. Otherwise, the process may return to step 406 to begin the next monolayer deposition of silicon and / or terminate the partial monolayer deposition of silicon.

At step 416, a dopant precursor gas, such as diborane (and its carrier gas, if any) may be introduced into the process chamber. The dopant precursor gas may be supplied at a flow rate or pressure sufficient to saturate the substrate surface. The flow of diborane can last for a few seconds or even tens of seconds. Diborane's monolayer can partially or completely cover the substrate surface.

In step 418, after surface saturation, the dopant precursor may be turned off and the deposition system may be purged with one or more inert gases to remove excess dopant precursor.

In step 420, helium plasma may be turned on to generate helium metastable atoms. In the process chamber the substrate is again exposed to helium metastable atoms, where helium metastable atoms can react with the dopant precursor adsorbed thereon to desorb non-dopant atoms. For example, for diborane monolayers, helium metastable atoms can help remove excess hydrogen atoms to form the desired partial or complete boron monolayer. Exposing the substrate surface to metastable atoms can last for a few seconds or even tens of seconds.

At step 422, the helium plasma may be turned off and the deposition system may be purged again with one or more inert gases.

The process steps 406-412 described above and / or the process steps 416-422 can be repeated until a desired silicon film is obtained having one or more monolayer films having a desired dopant profile.

Although only the deposition and / or doping of silicon films in the above embodiments has been described, it should be understood that embodiments of the present invention may be readily applied to deposit or dope thin films of other materials or species. For example, an ALD thin film containing the following species may also be deposited or doped: germanium (Ge), carbon (C), gallium (Ga), arsenic (As), indium (In), aluminum (Al) Or phosphorus (P). The resulting thin film may contain a single species such as carbon or germanium or may contain compounds such as III-V compounds (eg GaAs, InAlP). For this purpose, precursor materials containing the corresponding species can be used. Candidates for precursor materials may include, but are not limited to: hydrides (eg SiH ₄ , Si ₂ H ₆ , GeH ₄ ) or halogenated hydrides (eg SiHCl ₃ ), halogenated hydrocarbons (E.g. CHF ₃ ), alkyl (e.g. trimethyl aluminum-Al (CH ₃ ) ₃ , or dimethyl ethyl aluminum-CH ₃ CH ₂ -Al (CH ₃ ) ₂ ), or halide (e.g. CCl ₄ or CCl ₂ F ₂ ).

The present invention is not to be limited in scope by the specific embodiments disclosed herein. Indeed, various other embodiments and modifications, in addition to those disclosed herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings. Accordingly, such other embodiments and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention. Moreover, while the invention has been disclosed herein in the context of particular embodiments in specific circumstances for specific purposes, those skilled in the art will recognize that its usefulness is not limited thereto and that the invention may be advantageously performed in numerous environments for a number of purposes. I will understand. Accordingly, the following claims should be construed in light of the full scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein.

Claims (35)

A process chamber having a substrate platform supporting at least one substrate; A supply of precursor material to saturate the at least one substrate surface by providing a precursor material comprising at least one first type of atoms and at least one second type of atoms; And A plasma source of at least one third type of metastable atoms, Wherein the metastable atoms are capable of desorbing the at least one second type of atom from the saturated surface of the at least one substrate to form the at least one first type of one or more atomic layers. . The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more devices to prevent at least a portion of the charge particles generated in the plasma source from reaching the substrate surface. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate platform is oriented to prevent at least a portion of the charge particles generated at the plasma source from reaching the substrate surface. The method of claim 1, further comprising a feeder of a dopant precursor, wherein the feeder of the dopant precursor is configured to replace the feeder of precursor material in one or more deposition cycles, thereby providing at least one atomic layer of the at least one first species. An apparatus for doping atomic layer deposition. The method of claim 1, further comprising a feeder of a dopant precursor, wherein in one or more deposition cycles, the feeder of the dopant precursor is configured to supply the dopant precursor simultaneously when the feeder of precursor material feeds the precursor material, thereby providing the at least An apparatus for atomic layer deposition that dope one or more atomic layers of one first species. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plasma source of metastable atoms further comprises a plasma chamber coupled to the process chamber, the plasma chamber generating the at least one third type of metastable atoms. . The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plasma chamber generates the at least one third type of metastable atoms from an inductively coupled plasma. The method of claim 1, wherein the precursor material is silicon; carbon; germanium; gallium; arsenic; indium; aluminum; And An apparatus for atomic layer deposition comprising at least one species selected from the group consisting of phosphorus. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate surface is silicon; Silicon-on-insulators (SOI); Silicon dioxide; Diamond; Silicon germanium; Silicon carbide; III-V compounds; Flat panel materials; polymer; And An apparatus for atomic layer deposition comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of flexible substrate materials. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one third species Helium (He); Neon (Ne); Argon (Ar); Krypton (Kr); Radon (Rn); And An apparatus for atomic layer deposition comprising at least one species selected from the group consisting of xenon (Xe). The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one substrate is maintained at a temperature of less than 500 degrees Celsius. Forming a monolayer film of precursor material on the substrate surface by saturating the substrate surface with a precursor material having at least one first type of atoms and at least one second type of atoms; And Exposing the substrate surface to a third type of plasma-generated metastable atoms, wherein the metastable atoms are formed from the at least one surface from the substrate surface to form the at least one first kind of atomic layer. A method for atomic layer deposition that desorbs a second kind of atoms. A method for atomic layer deposition, comprising multiple deposition cycles for forming a plurality of first types of atomic layers, each deposition cycle repeating steps of claim 12 to form one atomic layer of the first type. The atom of claim 13, further comprising doping the at least one first plurality of atomic layers by simultaneously supplying a dopant precursor with a supply of precursor material to the substrate surface in one or more of the multiple deposition cycles. Method for Layer Deposition. The method of claim 13, further comprising doping the at least one first type of plurality of atomic layers by replacing a precursor material with a dopant precursor in one or more of the multiple deposition cycles. The method of claim 13, further comprising preventing at least a portion of the charge particles generated in the plasma source of metastable atoms from reaching the substrate surface. The method of claim 13, further comprising annealing the substrate surface at a temperature below 500 ° C. 15. The method according to claim 13, The precursor material comprises disilane (Si ₂ H ₆ ); The at least one first species comprises silicon; Said at least one second species comprises hydrogen; Wherein said third species comprises helium. The method of claim 18, further comprising masking one or more selected portions of the substrate surface with silicon dioxide (SiO ₂ ). The method of claim 13, wherein the precursor material is silicon; carbon; germanium; gallium; arsenic; indium; aluminum; And A method for atomic layer deposition comprising at least one species selected from the group consisting of phosphorus. The method of claim 13, wherein the substrate surface is silicon; Silicon-on-insulators (SOI); Silicon dioxide; Diamond; Silicon germanium; Silicon carbide; III-V compounds; Flat panel materials; polymer; And A method for atomic layer deposition comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of flexible substrate materials. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one third species Helium (He); Neon (Ne); Argon (Ar); Krypton (Kr); Radon (Rn); And A method for atomic layer deposition comprising at least one species selected from the group consisting of xenon (Xe). A process chamber having a substrate platform for supporting at least one substrate; A feeder of disilane (Si ₂ H ₆ ) to supply a sufficient amount of disilane to saturate the at least one substrate surface; Feeder of helium; And A plasma chamber coupled to the process chamber, the plasma chamber generating helium metastable atoms from helium supplied by a supply of helium, And the metastable atoms desorb hydrogen atoms from the saturated surface of the at least one substrate to form one or more atomic layers of silicon. The method of claim 23, further comprising a feeder of diborane (B ₂ H ₆ ), wherein the feeder of diborane is configured to replace at least a portion of the feeder of the disilane in one or more deposition cycles, thereby providing at least one atomic layer of silicon. Apparatus for atomic layer deposition to introduce boron atoms into. Forming a thin film on the substrate surface in one or more deposition cycles, wherein in each of the one or more deposition cycles a precursor material having at least one first type of atoms and at least one second type of atoms is supplied to saturate the substrate surface Then, the at least one second kind of atoms is desorbed from the saturated substrate surface to form at least one atomic layer of the at least one first kind; And In one or more of the multiple deposition cycles, comprising doping the at least one first layer of at least one first species by replacing at least a portion of the supply of precursor material with a dopant precursor. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one second type of atoms is desorbed into at least one third type of metastable atoms. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one third species of metastable atoms are generated in a plasma. The method of claim 27, wherein at least a portion of charge particles are prevented from reaching the substrate surface. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one third species is Helium (He); Neon (Ne); Argon (Ar); Krypton (Kr); Radon (Rn); And Conformal doping method comprising at least one species selected from the group consisting of xenon (Xe). The method of claim 25, wherein the precursor material is silicon; carbon; germanium; gallium; arsenic; indium; aluminum; And A method of conformal doping comprising at least one species selected from the group consisting of phosphorus. The substrate of claim 25, wherein the substrate surface is silicon; Silicon-on-insulators (SOI); Silicon dioxide; Diamond; Silicon germanium; Silicon carbide; III-V compounds; Flat panel materials; polymer; And A method of conformal doping comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of flexible substrate materials. The method of claim 25, wherein the substrate surface is maintained at a temperature of less than 500 degrees Celsius. The method of claim 25, wherein the substrate surface is not subjected to an additional thermal process to redistribute the atoms of the dopant precursor. The method of claim 25, wherein the substrate surface has a three dimensional shape and the thin film is conformally formed thereon and conformally doped. The method of claim 34, wherein the thin film is part of a FinFET structure.

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