U.S. patent application number 10/762764 was filed with the patent office on 2004-10-21 for method and apparatus for depositing refractory metal layers employing sequential deposition techniques to form a nucleation layer.
This patent application is currently assigned to APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.. Invention is credited to Kori, Moris, Lai, Ken Kaung, Littau, Karl A., Lu, Xinliang, Mak, Alfred W., Sinha, Ashok, Xi, Ming.
Application Number | 20040209465 10/762764 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27084989 |
Filed Date | 2004-10-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040209465 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Xi, Ming ; et al. |
October 21, 2004 |
Method and apparatus for depositing refractory metal layers
employing sequential deposition techniques to form a nucleation
layer
Abstract
A method and apparatus to form a refractory metal layer on a
substrate features nucleating a substrate using sequential
deposition techniques in which the substrate is serially exposed to
first and second reactive gases followed by forming a layer,
employing vapor deposition, to subject the nucleation layer to a
bulk deposition of a compound contained in one of the first and
second reactive gases.
Inventors: |
Xi, Ming; (Milpitas, CA)
; Sinha, Ashok; (Palo Alto, CA) ; Kori, Moris;
(Palo Alto, CA) ; Mak, Alfred W.; (Union City,
CA) ; Lu, Xinliang; (Sunnyvale, CA) ; Lai, Ken
Kaung; (Milpitas, CA) ; Littau, Karl A.; (Palo
Alto, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Patent Counsel
P.O. Box 450A
Santa Clara
CA
95052
US
|
Assignee: |
APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
|
Family ID: |
27084989 |
Appl. No.: |
10/762764 |
Filed: |
January 22, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10762764 |
Jan 22, 2004 |
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09678266 |
Oct 3, 2000 |
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09678266 |
Oct 3, 2000 |
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09605593 |
Jun 28, 2000 |
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6551929 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
438/680 ;
257/E21.171 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C23C 16/0272 20130101;
H01L 21/76843 20130101; C30B 25/14 20130101; H01L 21/28562
20130101; C23C 16/45525 20130101; H01L 21/76876 20130101; C23C
16/45527 20130101; C23C 16/34 20130101; C30B 25/02 20130101; C23C
16/45561 20130101; C30B 29/38 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
438/680 |
International
Class: |
H01L 021/44 |
Claims
1. A method for forming a nucleation layer and a bulk deposition
layer on a substrate disposed in a processing chamber, said method
comprising: forming a refractory metal nucleation layer by serially
exposing said substrate to first and second reactive gases; and
forming a bulk deposition layer on said nucleation layer by
employing vapor deposition to bulk deposit a refractory metal
contained in one of said first and second reactive gases.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said bulk deposition
layer is deposited employing chemical vapor deposition.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said bulk deposition
layer is deposited employing physical vapor deposition.
4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein forming a nucleation
layer further includes introducing a purge gas into the processing
chamber after exposing said substrate to the first reactive gas and
before exposing said substrate to said second reactive gas.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein forming a nucleation
layer further includes purging said processing chamber of said
first reactive gas by pumping said processing chamber clear of all
gases disposed therein before introducing said second reactive
gas.
6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein forming the refractory
metal nucleation layer further includes purging said processing
chamber of said first reactive gas by introducing a purge gas and
subsequently pumping said processing chamber clear of all gases
disposed therein before exposing said substrate to said second
reactive gas.
7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein forming the refractory
metal nucleation layer includes forming alternating layers of a
boron-containing compound and a refractory metal compound onto said
substrate.
8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein the boron-containing
compound is diborane B.sub.2H.sub.6.
9. The method as recited in claim 7 further including subjecting
said substrate to a purge gas following formation of each of said
alternating layers.
10. A method for forming a nucleation layer and a bulk deposition
layer on a substrate, said method comprising: serially exposing
said substrate to first and second reactive gases, wherein said
second reactive gas comprises a refractory metal selected from the
group consisting of titanium (Ti) and tungsten (W), while said
substrate is disposed in a processing chamber, to form a nucleation
layer; removing from said processing chamber said first reactive
gas before exposing said substrate to said second reactive gas;
forming said layer adjacent to said nucleation layer by chemical
vapor deposition while said substrate is disposed in said
processing chamber by concurrently exposing said nucleation layer
to said second reactive gas and a reducing agent.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein said reducing agent comprises
silane.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein said refractory metal is
tungsten (W).
13. The method of claim 10 wherein removing from said processing
chamber further includes introducing a purge gas into said
processing chamber and pumping said processing chamber clear of all
gases present therein.
14. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein said nucleation layer
has a thickness in the range of 10 to 100 .ANG..
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/678,266, filed Oct. 3, 2000, which claims
priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/605,593, filed Jun.
28, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to the
processing of semiconductor substrates. More particularly, this
invention relates to improvements in the process of depositing
refractory metal layers on semiconductor substrates.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] The semiconductor processing industry continues to strive
for larger production yields while increasing the uniformity of
layers deposited on substrates having larger surface areas. These
same factors in combination with new materials also provide higher
integration of circuits per unit area of the substrate. As circuit
integration increases, the need for greater uniformity and process
control regarding layer thickness rises. As a result, various
technologies have been developed to deposit layers on substrates in
a cost-effective manner, while maintaining control over the
characteristics of the layer. Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) is
one of the most common deposition processes employed for depositing
layers on a substrate. CVD is a flux-dependent deposition technique
that requires precise control of the substrate temperature and
precursors introduced into the processing chamber in order to
produce a desired layer of uniform thickness. These requirements
become more critical as substrate size increases, creating a need
for more complexity in chamber design and gas flow technique to
maintain adequate uniformity.
[0006] A variant of CVD that demonstrates superior step coverage,
compared to CVD, is Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). ALD is based
upon Atomic Layer Epitaxy (ALE) that was employed originally to
fabricate electroluminescent displays. ALD employs chemisorption to
deposit a saturated monolayer of reactive precursor molecules on a
substrate surface. This is achieved by alternatingly pulsing an
appropriate reactive precursor into a deposition chamber. Each
injection of a reactive precursor is separated by an inert gas
purge to provide a new atomic layer additive to previously
deposited layers to form a uniform layer on the substrate. The
cycle is repeated to form the layer to a desired thickness. A
drawback with ALD techniques is that the deposition rate is much
lower than typical CVD techniques by at least one order of
magnitude.
[0007] Formation of film layers at a high deposition rate while
providing adequate step coverage are conflicting characteristics
often necessitating sacrificing one to obtain the other. This
conflict is true particularly when refractory metal layers are
deposited to cover gaps or vias during formation of contacts that
interconnect adjacent metallic layers separated by dielectric
layers. Historically, CVD techniques have been employed to deposit
conductive material such as refractory metals in order to
inexpensively and quickly form contacts. Due to the increasing
integration of semiconductor circuitry, tungsten has been used
based upon superior step coverage. As a result, deposition of
tungsten employing CVD techniques enjoys wide application in
semiconductor processing due to the high throughput of the
process.
[0008] Depositing tungsten by traditional CVD methods, however, is
attendant with several disadvantages. For example, blanket
deposition of a tungsten layer on a semiconductor wafer is
time-consuming at temperatures below 400.degree. C. The deposition
rate of tungsten may be improved by increasing the deposition
temperature to, e.g., about 500.degree. C. to about 550.degree. C.;
however, temperatures in this higher range may compromise the
structural and operational integrity of the underlying portions of
the integrated circuit being formed. Use of tungsten has also
frustrated photolithography steps during the manufacturing process
as it results in a relatively rough surface having a reflectivity
of 20% or less than that of a silicon substrate. Finally, tungsten
has proven difficult to deposit uniformly. Variance in film
thickness of greater than 1% has been shown with tungsten, thereby
frustrating control of the resistivity of the layer. Several prior
attempts to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks have been
attempted.
[0009] For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,565 to Chang et al.,
which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, a
method is disclosed to improve, inter alia, uniformity of tungsten
layers by varying the deposition chemistry. The method includes, in
pertinent part, formation of a nucleation layer over an
intermediate, barrier layer before depositing the tungsten layer
via bulk deposition. The nucleation layer is formed from a gaseous
mixture of tungsten hexafluoride, hydrogen, silane and argon. The
nucleation layer is described as providing a layer of growth sites
to promote uniform deposition of a tungsten layer thereon. The
benefits provided by the nucleation layer are described as being
dependent upon the barrier layer present. For example, were the
barrier layer formed from titanium nitride, the tungsten layer's
thickness uniformity is improved as much as 15%. Were the barrier
layer formed from sputtered tungsten or sputtered titanium
tungsten, the benefits provided by the nucleation layer are not as
pronounced.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,459 to Gadgil et al. discloses an
apparatus that takes advantage of ALD. To that end, the apparatus,
a low profile, compact atomic layer deposition reactor (LP-CAR),
has a body with a substrate processing region adapted to serve a
single substrate or a planar array of substrates, as well as a
valve, and a port for substrate loading and unloading. In some
embodiments multiple reactors are stacked vertically and share a
common robotic handler interface with a CVD system. In this manner,
the robotic handler may manipulate substrates associated with both
the CVD system and the LP-CAR. The compact reactor is distinguished
by having individual injectors, each of which comprises a charge
tube formed between a charge valve and an injection valve. The
charge valve connects the charge tube to a pressure regulated
supply, and the injection valve opens the charge tube into the
compact reactor. Rapidly cycling the valves injects fixed
mass-charges of gas or vapor into the compact reactor.
[0011] What is needed, however, is a technique to deposit
conductive layers having a deposition rate comparable to CVD
techniques while providing the step coverage associated with ALD
techniques.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The present invention generally a method and system to form
a refractory metal layer on a substrate features nucleating a
substrate using sequential deposition techniques in which the
substrate is serially exposed to first and second reactive gases
followed by forming a layer, employing vapor deposition, to subject
the nucleation layer to a bulk deposition of a compound contained
in one of the first and second reactive gases. To that end, the
system includes a processing chamber that has a holder disposed
therein to support the substrate. A gas delivery system and a
pressure control system is in fluid communication with the
processing chamber. A temperature control system is in thermal
communication therewith. A controller is in electrical
communication with gas delivery systems, temperature control
systems and pressure control systems. A memory is in data
communication with the controller. The memory comprises a
computer-readable medium having a computer-readable program
embodied therein. The computer-readable program includes
instructions for controlling the operation of the processing
chamber.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a semiconductor processing
system in accordance with the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the processing chambers shown
above in FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing deposition of a first
molecule onto a substrate during ALD;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing deposition of second
molecule onto a substrate during ALD to form a refractory metal
layer;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a graphical representation showing the
concentration of gases, introduced into the processing chamber
shown above in FIG. 2, and the time in which the gases are present
in the processing chamber, in accordance with the present
invention;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a graphical representation showing the
relationship between the number of ALD cycles and the thickness of
a layer formed on a substrate employing ALD, in accordance with the
present invention;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a graphical representation showing the
relationship between the number of ALD cycles and the resistivity
of a layer formed on a substrate employing ALD, in accordance with
the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 8 is a graphical representation showing the
relationship between the deposition rate of a layer formed on a
substrate employing ALD and the temperature of the substrate;
[0021] FIG. 9 is a graphical representation showing the
relationship between the resistivity of a layer formed on a
substrate employing ALD and the temperature of the substrate, in
accordance with the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a patterned substrate
having a nucleation layer formed thereon employing ALD, in
accordance with the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of the substrate,
shown above in FIG. 10, with a refractory metal layer formed atop
of the nucleation layer employing CVD, in accordance with the
present invention; and
[0024] FIG. 12 is a graphical representation showing the
concentration of gases shown above in FIG. 3 in accordance with a
first alternate embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0025] Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary wafer processing system
includes one or more processing chambers 12 and 14 disposed in a
common work area 16 surrounded by a wall 18. The processing
chambers 12 and 14 are in data communication with a controller 22
that is connected to one or more monitors, shown as 24 and 26. The
monitors typically display common information concerning the
process associated with the processing chamber 12 and 14. One of
the monitors 26 is mounted to the wall 18, with the remaining
monitor 24 being disposed in the work area 16. Operational control
of the processing chambers 12 and 14 may be achieved by the use of
a light pen, associated with one of the monitors 24 and 26, to
communicate with the controller 22. For example, light pen 28 is
associated with monitor 24 and facilitates communication with the
controller 22 through monitor 24. Light pen 29 facilitates
communication with the controller 22 through monitor 26.
[0026] Referring both to FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the processing
chambers 12 and 14 includes a housing 30 having a base wall 32, a
cover 34, disposed opposite to the base wall 32, and a sidewall 36,
extending therebetween. The housing 30 defines a chamber 37, and a
pedestal 38 is disposed within the processing chamber 37 to support
a substrate 42, such as a semiconductor wafer. The pedestal 38 may
be mounted to move between the cover 34 and the base wall 32, using
a displacement mechanism (not shown), but the position thereof is
typically fixed. Supplies of processing gases 39a, 39b and 39c are
in fluid communication with the processing chamber 37 via a
showerhead 40. Regulation of the flow of gases from the supplies
39a, 39b and 39c is effectuated via flow valves 41.
[0027] Depending on the specific process, the substrate 42 may be
heated to a desired temperature prior to layer deposition via a
heater embedded within the pedestal 38. For example, the pedestal
38 may be resistively heated by applying an electric current from
an AC power supply 43 to the heater element 44. The substrate 42
is, in turn, heated by the pedestal 38, and can be maintained
within a desired process temperature range of, for example, about
20.degree. C. to about 750.degree. C. A temperature sensor 46, such
as a thermocouple, is also embedded in the wafer support pedestal
38 to monitor the temperature of the pedestal 38 in a conventional
manner. For example, the measured temperature may be used in a
feedback loop to control the electrical current applied to the
heater element 44 by the power supply 43 such that the substrate
temperature can be maintained or controlled at a desired
temperature that is suitable for the particular process
application. Optionally, the pedestal 38 may be heated using
radiant heat (not shown). A vacuum pump 48 is used to evacuate the
processing chamber 37 and to help maintain the proper gas flows and
pressure inside the processing chamber 37.
[0028] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, one or both of the processing
chambers 12 and 14, discussed above may operate to deposit
refractory metal layers on the substrate employing sequential
deposition techniques. One example of sequential deposition
techniques in accordance with the present invention includes atomic
layer deposition. Depending on the specific stage of processing,
the refractory metal layer may be deposited on the material from
which the substrate 42 is fabricated, e.g., SiO.sub.2. The
refractory metal layer may also be deposited on a layer previously
formed on the substrate 42, e.g., titanium, titanium nitride and
the like.
[0029] During the sequential deposition technique in accordance
with the present invention, a batch of a first processing gas, in
this case Aa.sub.x, results in a layer of A being deposited on the
substrate 42 having a surface of ligand x exposed to the processing
chamber 37. Thereafter, a purge gas enters the processing chamber
37 to purge the gas Aa.sub.x. After purging gas Aa.sub.x from the
processing chamber 37, a second batch of processing gas, Bb.sub.y,
is introduced into the processing chamber 37. The a ligand present
on the substrate surface reacts with the b ligand and B atom on
the, releasing molecules ab and Ba, that move away from the
substrate 42 and are subsequently pumped from the processing
chamber 37. In this manner, a surface comprising a layer of A
compound remains upon the substrate 42 and exposed to the
processing chamber 37, shown in FIG. 4. The composition of the
layer of A compound may be a monolayer of atoms typically formed
employing ATD techniques. Alternatively, the layer of compound A
may include a layer of multiple atoms. In such as case, the first
processing gases may include a mixture of process gases each of
which has atoms that would adhere to the substrate 42. The process
proceeds cycle after cycle, until the desired thickness is
achieved.
[0030] Referring to both FIGS. 2 and 5, although any type of
processing gas may be employed, in the present example, the
processing gas Aa.sub.x includes WF.sub.6 and the processing gas
Bb.sub.y is B.sub.2H.sub.6. Two purge gases are employed: Ar and
N.sub.2. Each of the processing gases was flowed into the
processing chamber 37 with a carrier gas, which in this example
were one of the purge gases: WF.sub.6 is introduced with Ar and
B.sub.2H.sub.6 is introduced with N.sub.2. It should be understood,
however, that the purge gas may differ from the carrier gas,
discussed more fully below. One cycle of the ALD technique in
accordance with the present invention includes flowing the purge
gas, N.sub.2, into the processing chamber 37 during time t.sub.1,
which is approximately 0.01 to 15 seconds before B.sub.2H.sub.6 is
flowed into the processing chamber 37. During time t.sub.2, the
processing gas B.sub.2H.sub.6 is flowed into the processing chamber
37 for a time in the range of 0.01 to 15 seconds, along with a
carrier gas, which in this example is N.sub.2. After 0.01 to 15
seconds have lapsed, the flow of B.sub.2H.sub.6 terminates and the
flow of N.sub.2 continues during time t.sub.3 for an additional
time in the range of 0.01 to 15 seconds, purging the processing
chamber of B.sub.2H.sub.6. During time t.sub.4, the processing
chamber 37 is pumped so as to remove most, if not all, gases. After
pumping of the process chamber 37, the carrier gas Ar is introduced
for a time in the range of 0.01 to 15 seconds during time t.sub.5,
after which time the process gas WF.sub.6 is introduced into the
processing chamber 37, along with the carrier gas Ar during time
t.sub.6. The time t.sub.6 lasts between 0.01 to 15 seconds. The
flow of the processing gas WF.sub.6 into the processing chamber 37
is terminated approximately 0.01 to 15 seconds after it commenced.
After the flow of WF.sub.6 into the processing chamber 37
terminates, the flow of Ar continues for an additional time in the
range of 0.01 to 15 seconds, during time t.sub.7. Thereafter, the
processing chamber 37 is pumped so as to remove most, if not all,
gases therein, during time t.sub.8. As before, the pumping process
lasts approximately thirty seconds, thereby concluding one cycle of
the sequential deposition technique in accordance with the present
invention.
[0031] The benefits of employing the sequential deposition
technique are manifold, including flux-independence of layer
formation that provides uniformity of deposition independent of the
size of a substrate. For example, the measured difference of the
layer uniformity and thickness measured between a 200 mm substrate
and a 32 mm substrate deposited in the same chamber is negligible.
This is due to the self-limiting characteristics of the sequential
deposition techniques. Further, this technique contributes to a
near-perfect step coverage over complex topography.
[0032] In addition, the thickness of the layer B, shown in FIG. 4,
may be easily controlled while minimizing the resistance of the
same by employing sequential deposition techniques. With reference
to FIG. 6 it is seen in the slope of line 50 that the thickness of
the tungsten layer B is proportional to the number of cycles
employed to form the same. The resistivity of the tungsten layer,
however, is relatively independent of the thickness of the layer,
as shown by the slope of line 52 in FIG. 7. Thus, employing
sequential deposition techniques, the thickness of a refractory
metal layer may be easily controlled as a function of the cycling
of the process gases introduced into the processing chamber with a
negligible effect on the resistivity.
[0033] Referring to FIG. 8, control of the deposition rate was
found to be dependent upon the temperature of the substrate 42. As
shown by the slope of line 54, increasing the temperature of the
substrate 42 increased the deposition rate of the tungsten layer B.
For example, at 56, the deposition rate is shown to be
approximately 2 .ANG./cycle at 250.degree. C. However at point 58
the deposition rate is approximately 5 .ANG./cycle at a temperate
of 450.degree. C. The resistivity of the tungsten layer, however,
is virtually independent of the layer thickness, as shown by the
slope of curve 59, shown in FIG. 9. As a result, the deposition
rate of the tungsten layer may be controlled as a function of
temperature without compromising the resistivity of the same.
However, it may be desired to reduce the time necessary to deposit
an entire layer of a refractory metal.
[0034] To that end, a bulk deposition of the refractory metal layer
may be included in the deposition process. Typically, the bulk
deposition of the refractory metal occurs after the nucleation
layer is formed in a common processing chamber. Specifically, in
the present example, nucleation of a tungsten layer occurs in
chamber 12 employing the sequential deposition techniques discussed
above, with the substrate 42 being heated in the range of
200.degree. C. to 400.degree. C., and the processing chamber 37
being pressurized in the range of 1 to 10 Torr. A nucleation layer
60 of approximately 12 to 20 nm is formed on a patterned substrate
42, shown in FIG. 10. As shown, the substrate 42 includes a barrier
layer 61 and a patterned layer having a plurality of vias 63. The
nucleation layer is formed adjacent to the patterned layer covering
the vias 63. As shown, forming the nucleation layer 60 employing
ALD techniques provides 100% step coverage. To decrease the time
required to form a complete layer of tungsten, a bulk deposition of
tungsten onto the nucleation layer 60 occurs using CVD techniques,
while the substrate 42 is disposed in the same processing chamber
12, shown in FIG. 1. The bulk deposition may be performed using
recipes well known in the art. In this manner, a tungsten layer 65
providing a complete plug fill is achieved on the patterned layer
with vias having aspect ratios of approximately 6:1, shown in FIG.
11.
[0035] As mentioned above, in an alternate embodiment of the
present invention, the carrier gas may differ from the purge gas,
as shown in FIG. 12. The purge gas, which is introduced at time
intervals t.sub.1, t.sub.3, t.sub.5 and t.sub.7 comprises of Ar.
The carrier gas, which is introduced at time intervals t.sub.2 and
t.sub.6, comprises of N.sub.2. Thus, at time interval t.sub.2 the
gases introduced into the processing chamber include a mixture of
B.sub.2H.sub.6 and N.sub.2, and a time interval t.sub.6, the gas
mixture includes WF.sub.6 and N.sub.2. The pump process during time
intervals t.sub.4 and t.sub.8 is identical to the pump process
discussed above with respect to FIG. 5.
[0036] Referring again to FIG. 2, the process for depositing the
tungsten layer may be controlled using a computer program product
that is executed by the controller 22. To that end, the controller
22 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 70, a volatile memory,
such as a random access memory (RAM) 72 and permanent storage
media, such as a floppy disk drive for use with a floppy diskette,
or hard disk drive 74. The computer program code can be written in
any conventional computer readable programming language; for
example, 68000 assembly language, C, C++, Pascal, Fortran and the
like. Suitable program code is entered into a single file, or
multiple files, using a conventional text editor and stored or
embodied in a computer-readable medium, such as the hard disk drive
74. If the entered code text is in a high level language, the code
is compiled and the resultant compiler code is then linked with an
object code of precompiled Windows.RTM. library routines. To
execute the linked and, compiled object code the system user
invokes the object code, causing the CPU 70 to load the code in RAM
72. The CPU 70 then reads and executes the code to perform the
tasks identified in the program.
[0037] Although the invention has been described in terms of
specific embodiments, one skilled in the art will recognize that
various changes to the reaction conditions, i.e., temperature,
pressure, film thickness and the like can be substituted and are
meant to be included herein. Additionally, while the deposition
process has been described as occurring in the same chamber, it may
be bifurcated. In this manner, the nucleation layer may be
deposited in one chamber and the bulk deposition occurring in a
differing chamber, located within the same mainframe deposition
system. However, the bulk deposition may occur in a processing
chamber of a mainframe deposition system that is different from the
mainframe deposition system in which the processing chamber is
located that is employed to deposit the nucleation layer. Finally,
other refractory metals may be deposited, in addition to tungsten,
and other deposition techniques may be employed in lieu of CVD. For
example, physical vapor deposition (PVD) techniques, or a
combination of both CVD and PVD techniques may be employed. The
scope of the invention should not be based upon the foregoing
description. Rather, the scope of the invention should be
determined based upon the claims recited herein, including the full
scope of equivalents thereof.
[0038] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the
present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention
may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and
the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
* * * * *