Methods of forming a silicon oxycarbide layer on a surface of a substrate are disclosed. Exemplary methods include providing an oxygen-free reactant to a reaction chamber and performing one or more deposition cycles, wherein each deposition cycle includes providing a silicon precursor to the reaction chamber for a silicon precursor pulse period and providing plasma power for a plasma power period to form the silicon oxycarbide layer. Exemplary silicon precursors comprise a molecule comprising silicon, oxygen, carbon, and optionally nitrogen. The silicon precursor can further include one or more of (i) one or two silicon-oxygen bonds, (ii) one or two silicon-carbon bonds, or (iii) one carbon-carbon double bond.

The disclosed technology generally relates to forming a titanium nitride-based thin films, and more particularly to a conformal and smooth titanium nitride-based thin films and methods of forming the same. In one aspect, a method of forming a thin film comprising one or both of TiSiN or TiAlN comprises exposing a semiconductor substrate to one or more vapor deposition cycles at a pressure in a reaction chamber greater than 1 torr, wherein a plurality of the vapor deposition cycles comprises an exposure to a titanium (Ti) precursor, an exposure to a nitrogen (N) precursor and an exposure to one or both of a silicon (Si) precursor or an aluminum (Al) precursor.

There are included (a) supplying a gas containing an organic ligand to a substrate; (b) supplying a metal-containing gas to the substrate; and (c) supplying a first reducing gas to the substrate, wherein after (a), a metal-containing film is formed on the substrate by performing (b) and (c) one or more times, respectively.

A method of forming a microelectronic device comprises treating a base structure with a first precursor to adsorb the first precursor to a surface of the base structure and form a first material. The first precursor comprises a hydrazine-based compound including Si—N—Si bonds. The first material is treated with a second precursor to covert the first material into a second material. The second precursor comprises a Si-centered radical. The second material is treaded with a third precursor to covert the second material into a third material comprising Si and N. The third precursor comprises an N-centered radical. An ALD system and a method of forming a seal material through ALD are also described.

Methods of forming copper interconnects are described. A doped tantalum nitride layer formed on a copper layer on a substrate has a first amount of dopant. The doped tantalum nitride layer is exposed to a plasma comprising one or more of helium or neon to form a treated doped tantalum nitride layer with a decreased amount of dopant. Apparatus for performing the methods are also described.

A method for manufacturing an inorganic thin film electroluminescent display element comprises forming a layer structure, said forming the layer structure comprising forming a first dielectric layer (11); forming a luminescent layer (12), comprising manganese doped zinc sulfide ZnS:Mn, on the first dielectric layer, and forming a second dielectric layer (13) on the luminescent layer. Each of the first and the second dielectric layers are formed so as to comprise nanolaminate with alternating aluminum oxide Al.sub.2O.sub.3 and zirconium oxide ZrO.sub.2 sub-layers.

The invention relates to a method for fabricating a plasma etch-resistant film (1) on a surface of a substrate (2), wherein the method comprises the step of forming a film comprising an intermediate layer (4) of rare earth metal oxide, rare earth metal carbonate, or rare earth metal oxycarbonate, or any mixture thereof on a first layer (3) of rare earth metal oxide, wherein the rare earth metal is the same in the first layer and in the intermediate layer. The invention further relates to a plasma etch-resistant film and to the use thereof.

The invention relates to methods for the formation of rare earth nickelate thin films and “doped” (i.e. cation-substituted) variants thereof on a substrate using atomic layer deposition (ALD). The films can be deposited at low temperature (e.g. at temperatures as low as 225° C.) and have a range of useful properties including good crystallinity and high electrical conductivity, as well as interesting magnetic, optic and catalytic properties. These properties make the materials suitable for use in microelectronic applications, in the production of electrodes and as catalytic surfaces.

In one aspect, the disclosure relates to method of forming an electrocatalyst structure on an electrode, comprising depositing a first layer on the electrode using atomic layer deposition (ALD), wherein the first layer comprises a plurality of discrete nanoparticles of a first electrocatalyst, and depositing one or more of a second layer on the first layer and the electrode using ALD, wherein the one or more second layer comprises a second electrocatalyst, wherein the first layer and the one or more second layers, collectively, form a multi-layer electrocatalyst structure on the electrode. Also disclosed are electrodes having a multi-layer electrocatalyst structure. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are deposited as thin layers on a substrate. The TMDs may be grown on oxide substrates and may have a tunable TMD-oxide interface.