The present disclosure relates to a method of fabricating a semiconductor structure, the method includes forming an opening and depositing a metal layer in the opening. The depositing includes performing one or more deposition cycles, wherein each deposition cycle includes flowing a first precursor into a deposition chamber and performing an ultraviolet (UV) radiation process on the first precursor. The method further includes performing a first purging process in the deposition chamber to remove at least a portion of the first precursor, flowing a second precursor into the deposition chamber, and purging the deposition chamber to remove at least a portion of the second precursor.

Provided by the inventive concept are methods for fabricating semiconductor devices, such as methods of atomic layer deposition (ALD). Aspects of the inventive concept include methods for depositing and forming Ru metal layers having low resistivity, forming Ru metal layers without the need for a post-deposition annealing step, forming Ru metal layers selectively on portions of a substrate without the need for passivation, and providing Ru metal layers for use in back end of the line (BEOL) applications in semiconductor devices that do not require a liner/barrier layer.

Disclosed are methods of depositing a transition metal such as tungsten on a semiconductor substrate. The method includes providing a gas mixture of diborane with a balance of hydrogen, where the hydrogen serves to stabilize the diborane in the gas mixture. The method further includes delivering the gas mixture to the semiconductor substrate to form a boron layer, where the boron layer serves as a reducing agent layer to convert a metal-containing precursor to metal, such as a tungsten-containing precursor to tungsten. In some implementations, the semiconductor substrate includes a vertical structure, such as a three-dimensional vertical NAND structure, with horizontal features or wordlines having openings in sidewalls of the vertical structure, where the boron layer may be conformally deposited in the horizontal features of the vertical structure.

Disclosed are methods of depositing a transition metal such as tungsten on a semiconductor substrate. The method includes providing a gas mixture of diborane with a balance of hydrogen, where the hydrogen serves to stabilize the diborane in the gas mixture. The method further includes delivering the gas mixture to the semiconductor substrate to form a boron layer, where the boron layer serves as a reducing agent layer to convert a metal-containing precursor to metal, such as a tungsten-containing precursor to tungsten. In some implementations, the semiconductor substrate includes a vertical structure, such as a three-dimensional vertical NAND structure, with horizontal features or wordlines having openings in sidewalls of the vertical structure, where the boron layer may be conformally deposited in the horizontal features of the vertical structure.

A deposition method performed using a deposition apparatus is provided. The deposition apparatus includes: a source line configured to supply Ru.sub.3(CO).sub.12 contained in a raw material container into a chamber; a CO gas line configured to supply a CO gas into the raw material container; a bypass line connecting the source line and the CO gas line, and forming a line that does not pass through the raw material container; and a first valve connected to the source line. The deposition method includes: opening the first valve to supply Ru.sub.3(CO).sub.12 and the CO gas from the raw material container through the source line; and controlling a pressure in the source line such that the pressure in the source line is a predetermined first pressure or more, and closing the first valve to stop supplying of Ru.sub.3(CO).sub.12 and the CO gas to the chamber.

A deposition method performed using a deposition apparatus is provided. The deposition apparatus includes: a source line configured to supply Ru.sub.3(CO).sub.12 contained in a raw material container into a chamber; a CO gas line configured to supply a CO gas into the raw material container; a bypass line connecting the source line and the CO gas line, and forming a line that does not pass through the raw material container; and a first valve connected to the source line. The deposition method includes: opening the first valve to supply Ru.sub.3(CO).sub.12 and the CO gas from the raw material container through the source line; and controlling a pressure in the source line such that the pressure in the source line is a predetermined first pressure or more, and closing the first valve to stop supplying of Ru.sub.3(CO).sub.12 and the CO gas to the chamber.

A method of filling a feature in a semiconductor structure includes forming a barrier layer in the feature by one of atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), or physical vapor deposition (PVD); wherein the barrier layer is one of cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), molybdenum nitride (MoN) plus Mo, titanium (Ti), titanium aluminum carbide (TiAlC), or titanium nitride (TiN); and forming a metal layer in the feature and over the barrier layer by one of ALD or CVD; wherein the metal layer is one of aluminum (Al), Co, Mo, ruthenium (Ru), or tungsten (W).

A semiconductor arrangement is provided. The semiconductor arrangement includes a dielectric layer defining an opening, an adhesion layer in the opening, and a conductive layer in the opening over the adhesion layer. A material of the conductive layer is a same material as an adhesion material of the adhesion layer.

A method of forming a ruthenium film on a surface of a substrate in order to embed ruthenium in a recess formed in the surface of the substrate includes depositing ruthenium by supplying a ruthenium raw material gas to the substrate under a preset first pressure, and depositing the ruthenium by supplying the ruthenium raw material gas to the substrate under a preset second pressure, which is lower than the first pressure. The ruthenium film is formed by alternately repeating the depositing the ruthenium under the first pressure and the depositing the ruthenium under the second pressure.

A semiconductor device includes: a fin structure disposed on a substrate; a gate feature that traverses the fin structure to overlay a central portion of the fin structure; a pair of source/drain features, along the fin structure, that are disposed at respective sides of the gate feature; and a plurality of contact structures that are formed of tungsten, wherein a gate electrode of the gate feature and the pair of source/drain features are each directly coupled to a respective one of the plurality of contact structures.