There is 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.

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 diffusion barrier comprising TiSiN comprises exposing a semiconductor substrate to one or more first deposition phases alternating with one or more second deposition phases. Exposing the semiconductor substrate to the one or more first deposition phases comprises alternatingly exposing the semiconductor substrate to a titanium (Ti) precursor and a nitrogen (N) precursor. Exposing the semiconductor substrate to the one or more second deposition phases comprises sequentially exposing the semiconductor substrate to the Ti precursor and a silicon (Si) precursor without an intervening exposure to the N precursor therebetween, followed by exposing the semiconductor substrate to the N precursor.

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 comprises forming a diffusion barrier comprising TiSiN having a modulus exceeding 290 GPa and a Si content exceeding 2.7 atomic % by exposing a semiconductor substrate to one or more first deposition phases alternating with one or more second deposition phases. Exposing the semiconductor substrate to the one or more first deposition phases comprises alternatingly exposing the semiconductor substrate to a titanium (Ti) precursor and a nitrogen (N) precursor. Exposing the semiconductor substrate to the one or more second deposition phases comprises sequentially exposing the semiconductor substrate to the Ti precursor, followed by a silicon (Si) precursor, followed by the N precursor.

Methods of forming a metal oxyfluoride films are provided. A substrate is placed in an atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber having a processing region. Flows of zirconium-containing gas, a zirconium precursor gas, for example, Tris(dimethylamino)cyclopentadienyl zirconium, an oxygen-containing gas, a fluorine containing gas, and an yttrium precursor, for example, tris(butylcyclopentadienyl)yttrium gas are delivered to the processing region, where a metal oxyfluoride film such as an yttrium zirconium oxyfluoride film, is formed.

A method includes: forming a titanium nitride base film containing silicon by alternately repeating: precipitation of titanium nitride by alternately and repeatedly supplying a titanium-containing gas, and supplying a nitriding gas to a substrate on which a recess is formed; and precipitation of silicon nitride by alternately and repeatedly supplying a silicon-containing gas, and supplying a nitriding gas to the substrate; and subsequently, forming a tungsten film so as to bury tungsten in the recess in which the titanium nitride base film is formed, by alternately and repeatedly supplying a raw material gas containing a tungsten raw material and a reaction gas reacting with the raw material gas, to the substrate. A supply flow rate of the silicon-containing gas is adjusted so that a content of the silicon in the titanium nitride base film is high on an opening side rather than on an inner side of the recess.

Silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and silicon oxynitride films may be deposited by thermal atomic layer deposition (thermal ALD) in a single wafer plasma reactor. The single wafer plasma reactor can perform thermal ALD and plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). Highly conformal films may be deposited at a high deposition rate without damaging or with minimal damage to the substrate using thermal ALD. The substrate may be heated at an elevated temperature during oxidation and/or nitridation. In some implementations, the elevated temperature is between about 500 C and about 750 C. In some implementations, hydrogen and oxygen may be flowed as reactant gases during oxidation, where the hydrogen and oxygen may react in an exothermic reaction to drive formation of oxide.

There is included (a) forming a film on a substrate by supplying a first processing gas to the substrate in a process container; (b) forming a first pre-coated film, which has a first thickness and has a material different from a material of the film formed in (a), in the process container by supplying a second processing gas into the process container in a state in which the substrate does not exist in the process container; and (c) forming a second pre-coated film, which has a second thickness smaller than the first thickness and has the same material as the material of the film formed in (a), on the first pre-coated film formed in the process container by supplying a third processing gas into the process container in the state in which the substrate does not exist in the process container.

The fabrication of robust interfaces between transition metal oxides and non-aqueous electrolytes is one of the great challenges of lithium ion batteries. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of aluminum tungsten fluoride (AlW.sub.xF.sub.y) improves the electrochemical stability of LiCoO.sub.2. AlW.sub.xF.sub.y thin films were deposited by combining trimethylaluminum and tungsten hexafluoride. in-situ quartz crystal microbalance and transmission electron microscopy studies show that the films grow in a layer-by-layer fashion and are amorphous nature. Ultrathin AlW.sub.xF.sub.y coatings (<10 Å) on LiCoO.sub.2 significantly enhance stability relative to bare LiCoO.sub.2 when cycled to 4.4 V. The coated LiCoO2 exhibited superior rate capability (up to 400 mA/g) and discharge capacities at a current of 400 mA/g were 51% and 92% of the first cycle capacities for the bare and AlW.sub.xF.sub.y coated materials. These results open new possibilities for designing ultrathin and electrochemically robust coatings of metal fluorides via ALD to enhance the stability of Li-ion electrodes.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods of forming coated articles. In one embodiment, a method comprises depositing one or more rare earth metal-containing ceramic compounds on an article by atomic layer deposition, for example, to coat surfaces of high aspect ratio internal channels.

Disclosed is a method of forming a thin film using a surface protection material, the method comprising supplying the surface protection material to the inside of a chamber on which a substrate is placed; purging the interior of the chamber; supplying a doping precursor to the inside of the chamber; purging the interior of the chamber; supplying a first reactant to the inside of the chamber so that the first reactant reacts with the adsorbed doping precursor to form a doping thin film; supplying a dielectric film precursor to the inside of the chamber; purging the interior of the chamber; and supplying a second reactant to the inside of the chamber so that the second reactant reacts with the adsorbed dielectric film precursor to form a dielectric film.