The invention provides a PEALD process to deposit etch resistant SiOCN films. These films provide improved growth rate, improved step coverage and excellent etch resistance to wet etchants and post-deposition plasma treatments containing O.sub.2 co-reactant. In one embodiment, this PEALD process relies on a single precursor—a bis(dialkylamino)tetraalkyldisiloxane, together with hydrogen plasma to deposit the etch-resistant thin-films of SiOCN. Since the film can be deposited with a single precursor, the overall process exhibits improved throughput.

A method for forming a film, the method including: forming a SiCN seed layer on a substrate by a thermal ALD, forming a SiN protective layer on the SiCN seed layer by a thermal ALD, and forming a SiN bulk layer on the SiN protective layer by a plasma enhanced ALD.

Embodiments include devices and methods for managing network communication of an unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV). A processor of the UAV may determine an altitude of the UAV. The processor may optionally also determine a speed or vector of the UAV. Based on the determined altitude and/or speed/vector of the UAV, the processor may adjust the communication parameter of the communication link between the UAV and a communication network. The processor may transmit signals based on the adjusted communication parameter, which may reduce radio frequency interference caused by the transmissions of the UAV with the communication network.

Processing methods comprising exposing a substrate to a first reactive gas comprising a cyclopentadienyl nickel complex and a second reactive gas comprising a sub-saturative amount of oxygen to form a nickel oxide film with a carbon content in the range of about 2 to about 10 atomic percent are 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 process for depositing titanium aluminum or tantalum aluminum thin films comprising nitrogen on a substrate in a reaction space can include at least one deposition cycle. The deposition cycle can include alternately and sequentially contacting the substrate with a vapor phase Ti or Ta precursor and a vapor phase Al precursor. At least one of the vapor phase Ti or Ta precursor and the vapor phase Al precursor may contact the substrate in the presence of a vapor phase nitrogen precursor.

A method for forming a silicon nitride film that may be carbon doped via a plasma ALD process includes introducing a substrate into a reactor, which is heated to up to about 600° C. At least one silicon precursor as defined herein and having one or two Si—C—Si linkages is introduced to form a chemisorbed film on the substrate. The reactor is then purged of any unconsumed precursors and/or reaction by-products with a suitable inert gas. A plasma comprising nitrogen is introduced into the reactor to react with the chemisorbed film to form the silicon nitride film that may be carbon doped. The reactor is again purged of any reaction by-products with a suitable inert gas. The steps are repeated as necessary to bring the deposited silicon nitride film that may be carbon doped to a predetermined thickness.

There is included (a) loading a substrate where a conductive metal-element-containing film is exposed on a surface of the substrate into a process chamber under a first temperature; (b) supplying a reducing gas to the substrate while raising a temperature of the substrate to a second temperature higher than the first temperature in the process chamber; (c) forming a first film on the metal-element-containing film, by supplying a first process gas, which does not include an oxidizing gas, to the substrate under the second temperature in the process chamber; and (d) forming a second film on the first film such that the second film is thicker than the first film, by supplying a second process gas, which includes an oxidizing gas, to the substrate under a third temperature higher than the first temperature in the process chamber.

Described herein are conformal films and methods for forming a conformal metal or metalloid doped silicon nitride dielectric film wherein the conformal metal is zirconium, hafnium, titanium, tantalum, or tungsten. A method includes providing a substrate in a reactor; introducing into the reactor an at least one metal precursor which reacts; purging the reactor with a purge gas; introducing into the reactor an organoaminosilane precursors to react on at least a portion of the surface of the substrate to provide a chemisorbed layer; introducing a plasma comprising nitrogen and an inert gas into the reactor to react with at least a portion of the chemisorbed layer and provide at least one reactive site wherein the plasma is generated; and optionally purge the reactor with an inert gas; and the steps are repeated until a desired thickness of the conformal metal nitride film is obtained.

Methods for plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) of low-K films are described. A method of depositing a film comprises exposing a substrate to a silicon precursor having the general formula (I)

##STR00001##

wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5, and R.sup.6 are independently selected from hydrogen (H), substituted alkyl, or unsubstituted alkyl; purging the processing chamber of the silicon precursor; exposing the substrate to a carbon monoxide (CO) plasma to form one or more of a silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) or silicon oxycarbonitride (SiOCN) film on the substrate; and purging the processing chamber.