| abstract |
Dielectric AlO, AlOC, AlON and AlOCN films characterized by a dielectric constant (k) of less than about 10 and having a density of at least about 2.5 g/cm 3 are deposited on partially fabricated semiconductor devices to serve as etch stop layers and/or diffusion barriers. In one implementation, a substrate containing an exposed dielectric layer (e.g., a ULK dielectric) and an exposed metal layer is contacted with an aluminum-containing compound (such as trimethylaluminum) in an iALD process chamber and the aluminum-containing compound is allowed to adsorb onto the surface of the substrate. This step is performed in an absence of plasma. Next, the unadsorbed aluminum-containing compound is removed from the process chamber, and the substrate is treated with a process gas containing CO 2 or N 2 O, and an inert gas in a plasma to form an AlO, AlOC, or AlON layer. These steps are then repeated. |