System for treatment of deposition reactor

Abstract

A system and method for treating a deposition reactor are disclosed. The system and method remove or mitigate formation of residue in a gas-phase reactor used to deposit doped metal films, such as aluminum-doped titanium carbide films or aluminum-doped tantalum carbide films. The method includes a step of exposing a reaction chamber to a treatment reactant that mitigates formation of species that lead to residue formation.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for treating a reaction chamber, the system comprising:
 a reactor comprising a reaction chamber;   a metal halide source fluidly coupled to the reactor;   a metal CVD source selected from the group consisting of one or more of organometallic compounds and aluminum CVD compounds fluidly coupled to the reactor;   a treatment reactant source coupled to the reactor;   a vacuum pump coupled to the reactor; and   a controller configured to perform a reaction chamber treatment using a treatment reactant from the treatment reactant source before or during introduction of the metal CVD precursor to the reaction chamber.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a plasma source, wherein a treatment reactant from the treatment reactant source is exposed to the plasma source to form one or more excited treatment reactant species. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a thermal excitation source, wherein treatment reactant from the treatment reactant source is exposed to the thermal excitation source to form one or more excited treatment reactant species. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the treatment reactant source comprises one or more compounds selected from the group of compounds comprising one or more hydrogen atoms and compounds comprising a halogen. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the treatment reactant source comprises one or more of ammonia, hydrogen, one or more silanes, methane, silicon hydrides, boron hydrides, halosilanes, haloboranes, alkenes, alkynes, and hydrazine and its derivatives. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the treatment reactant source comprises a material with the same chemical formula as a decomposition product of the metal CVD source. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the material comprises a material with the same chemical formula as a beta hydride elimination product of the metal CVD source. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a remote plasma source. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a remote thermal excitation source. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 provide the metal halide chemistry to the reaction chamber for a period of time;   after the step of providing the metal halide chemistry to a reaction chamber for a period of time, providing the treatment reactant chemistry to the reaction chamber for a period of time; and   during or after providing the treatment reactant chemistry to the reaction chamber for a period of time, providing the metal CVD precursor chemistry to the reaction chamber.   
     
     
         11 . A system for treating a reaction chamber, the system comprising:
 a reactor comprising a reaction chamber having a reaction space;   a metal halide source fluidly coupled to the reactor;   a metal CVD source selected from the group consisting of one or more of organometallic compounds and aluminum CVD compounds fluidly coupled to the reactor;   a treatment reactant source coupled to the reactor;   a vacuum pump coupled to the reactor; and   a controller configured to:
 provide a metal halide chemistry from the metal halide source to the reaction space; 
 provide a metal CVD precursor selected from the group consisting of organometallic compound chemistry and aluminum CVD compound chemistry from the metal CVD source to the reaction space; 
 form a deposited doped metal film comprising one or more of B, C, Si N overlying a substrate; 
 optionally remove the substrate; 
 provide a treatment reactant chemistry from the treatment reactant source to the reaction space; 
 expose the reaction space to the treatment reactant chemistry to mitigate formation of particles comprising decomposition products of the metal CVD precursor; and 
 purge the reaction chamber. 
   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising a plasma source, wherein the treatment reactant chemistry is exposed to the plasma source. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising a thermal excitation source, wherein the treatment reactant chemistry is exposed to the thermal excitation source. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the treatment reactant source comprises one or more compounds selected from the group of compounds comprising one or more hydrogen atoms and compounds comprising a halogen. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the treatment reactant source comprises one or more of ammonia, hydrogen, one or more silanes, methane, silicon hydrides, boron hydrides, halosilanes, haloboranes, alkenes, alkynes, and hydrazine and its derivatives. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the treatment reactant source comprises a material with the same chemical formula as a decomposition product of the metal CVD source. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the material comprises a material with the same chemical formula as a beta hydride elimination product of the metal CVD source. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising a remote plasma source. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising a remote thermal excitation source. 
     
     
         20 . A system for treating a reaction chamber, the system comprising:
 a reactor comprising a reaction chamber;   a metal halide source fluidly coupled to the reactor;   a metal CVD source selected from the group consisting of one or more of organometallic compounds and aluminum CVD compounds fluidly coupled to the reactor;   a treatment reactant source coupled to the reactor, the treatment reactant source comprising a treatment gas configured to perform one or more of mitigate formation of residue within the reaction chamber and transforms residue formed within the reaction chamber, such that the residue forms less particles on substrates processed within the reaction chamber; and   a vacuum pump coupled to the reactor,   wherein the system is configured to perform a reaction chamber treatment using the treatment gas before or during introduction of the metal CVD precursor to the reaction chamber.