Provided are apparatuses and methods for performing deposition and etch processes in an integrated tool. An apparatus may include a plasma processing chamber that is a capacitively-coupled plasma reactor, and the plasma processing chamber can include a showerhead that includes a top electrode and a pedestal that includes a bottom electrode. The apparatus may be configured with an RF hardware configuration so that an RF generator may power the top electrode in a deposition mode and power the bottom electrode in an etch mode. In some implementations, the apparatus can include one or more switches so that at least an HFRF generator is electrically connected to the showerhead in a deposition mode, and the HFRF generator and an LFRF generator is electrically connected to the pedestal and the showerhead is grounded in the etch mode.

Embodiments of the invention provide processes to selectively form a cobalt layer on a copper surface over exposed dielectric surfaces. In one embodiment, a method for capping a copper surface on a substrate is provided which includes positioning a substrate within a processing chamber, wherein the substrate contains a contaminated copper surface and a dielectric surface, exposing the contaminated copper surface to a reducing agent while forming a copper surface during a pre-treatment process, exposing the substrate to a cobalt precursor gas to selectively form a cobalt capping layer over the copper surface while leaving exposed the dielectric surface during a vapor deposition process, and depositing a dielectric barrier layer over the cobalt capping layer and the dielectric surface. In another embodiment, a deposition-treatment cycle includes performing the vapor deposition process and subsequently a post-treatment process, which deposition-treatment cycle may be repeated to form multiple cobalt capping layers.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, includes forming a film on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times. The cycle includes non-simultaneously performing (a) supplying a precursor containing a first element to the substrate, (b) supplying a plasma-excited nitrogen gas to the substrate after the act (a), (c) supplying a reactant containing a second element to the substrate after the act (b), and (d) supplying a plasma-excited nitrogen gas to the substrate after the act (c). A gas purge of a space where the substrate is located and vacuumization of the space without gas supply are not performed between the act (a) and the act (b) and between the act (c) and the act (d).

A method of fabricating air gaps in advanced semiconductor devices for low capacitance interconnects. The method includes exposing a substrate to a gas pulse sequence to deposit a material that forms an air gap between raised features.

Methods for controlling the formation of oxygen containing thin films, such as silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) and silicon oxycarbonitride (SiOCN) thin films, on a substrate in a reaction space are provided. The methods can include at least one plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) cycle including alternately and sequentially contacting the substrate with a silicon precursor that comprises oxygen and a second reactant that does not include oxygen. In some embodiments the plasma power can be selected from a range to achieve a desired step coverage or wet etch rate ratio (WERR) for films deposited on three dimensional features.

Methods of providing control of film properties during atomic layer deposition using intermittent plasma treatment in-situ are provided herein. Methods include modulating gas flow rate ratios used to generate plasma during intermittent plasma treatment, toggling plasma power, and modulating chamber pressure.

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 and an apparatus for filling a gap by using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) method are provided. The method includes forming a first reaction inhibition layer by adsorbing a reaction inhibitor onto a side wall of the gap, forming a first precursor layer by adsorbing a first reactant onto the bottom of the gap and the side wall of the gap around the bottom of the gap, and forming a first atomic layer on the bottom of the gap and the side wall of the gap around the bottom of the gap. The reaction inhibitor includes a precursor material that does not react with a second reactant. The first reaction inhibition layer may have a density gradient in which a density of the reaction inhibitor decreases toward a bottom of the gap. The forming the first atomic layer includes adsorbing the second reactant onto the first precursor layer.

A film forming method includes: a first measurement process of measuring a substrate on which a pattern including recesses is formed using infrared spectroscopy; a film formation process of forming a film on the substrate after the first measurement process; a second measurement process of measuring the substrate using infrared spectroscopy after the film formation process; and an extraction process of extracting difference data between measurement data obtained in the first measurement process and measurement data obtained in the second measurement process.

A process is provided for depositing a substantially amorphous titanium oxynitride thin film that can be used, for example, in integrated circuit fabrication, such as in forming spacers in a pitch multiplication process. The process comprises contacting the substrate with a titanium reactant and removing excess titanium reactant and reaction byproducts, if any. The substrate is then contacted with a second reactant which comprises reactive species generated by plasma, wherein one of the reactive species comprises nitrogen. The second reactant and reaction byproducts, if any, are removed. The contacting and removing steps are repeated until a titanium oxynitride thin film of desired thickness has been formed.