The embodiments of mechanisms for doping wells of finFET devices described in this disclosure utilize depositing doped films to dope well regions. The mechanisms enable maintaining low dopant concentration in the channel regions next to the doped well regions. As a result, transistor performance can be greatly improved. The mechanisms involve depositing doped films prior to forming isolation structures for transistors. The dopants in the doped films are used to dope the well regions near fins. The isolation structures are filled with a flowable dielectric material, which is converted to silicon oxide with the usage of microwave anneal. The microwave anneal enables conversion of the flowable dielectric material to silicon oxide without causing dopant diffusion. Additional well implants may be performed to form deep wells. Microwave anneal(s) may be used to anneal defects in the substrate and fins.

Multilayer dielectric structures are provided with graded composition. For example, a multilayer dielectric structure includes a stack of dielectric films, wherein the dielectric films include at least a first SiCNO (silicon carbon nitride oxide) film and a second SiCNO film. The first SiCNO film has a first composition profile of C, N, and O atoms. The second SiCNO film has a second composition profile of C, N, and O atoms, which is different from the first composition profile of C, N, and O atoms. The composition profiles of C, N and/or O atoms of the constituent dielectric films of the multilayer dielectric structure are customized to enhance or otherwise optimize one or more electrical and/or physical properties of the multilayer dielectric structure.

A process for encapsulating an apparatus to restrict environmental element permeation between the apparatus and an external environment includes applying multiple barrier layers to the apparatus and preceding each layer application with a separate cleaning of the presently-exposed apparatus surface, resulting in an apparatus which includes an encapsulation stack, where the encapsulation stack includes a multi-layer stack of barrier layers. Each separate cleaning removes particles from the presently-exposed apparatus surface, exposing gaps in the barrier layer formed by the particles, and the subsequently-applied barrier layer at least partially fills the gaps, so that a permeation pathway through the encapsulation stack via gap spaces is restricted. The quantity of barrier layers applied to form the stack can be based on a determined probability that a stack of the particular quantity of barrier layers is independent of at least a certain quantity of continuous permeation pathways through the stack.

A method for fabricating a semiconductor structure includes forming a plurality of mandrels over a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a semiconductor substrate as a base. Then, a first dielectric layer is formed to cover on a predetermined mandrel of the mandrels. A second dielectric layer is formed over the substrate to cover the mandrels. The mandrels are removed, wherein a remaining portion of the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer at a sidewall of the mandrels remains on the substrate. An anisotropic etching process is performed over the substrate until a top portion of the semiconductor substrate is etched to form a plurality of fins corresponding to the remaining portion of the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a three-dimensional (3D) structure on a substrate, forming an adsorption control layer to cover an upper portion of the 3D structure, and forming a material layer on the adsorption control layer and on a lower portion of the 3D structure that is not covered by the adsorption control layer, wherein a minimum thickness of the material layer on the adsorption control layer is less than a maximum thickness of the material layer on the lower portion of the 3D structure.

A process for encapsulating an apparatus to restrict environmental element permeation between the apparatus and an external environment includes applying multiple barrier layers to the apparatus and preceding each layer application with a separate cleaning of the presently-exposed apparatus surface, resulting in an apparatus which includes an encapsulation stack, where the encapsulation stack includes a multi-layer stack of barrier layers. Each separate cleaning removes particles from the presently-exposed apparatus surface, exposing gaps in the barrier layer formed by the particles, and the subsequently-applied barrier layer at least partially fills the gaps, so that a permeation pathway through the encapsulation stack via gap spaces is restricted. The quantity of barrier layers applied to form the stack can be based on a determined probability that a stack of the particular quantity of barrier layers is independent of at least a certain quantity of continuous permeation pathways through the stack.

The embodiments of mechanisms for doping wells of finFET devices described in this disclosure utilize depositing doped films to dope well regions. The mechanisms enable maintaining low dopant concentration in the channel regions next to the doped well regions. As a result, transistor performance can be greatly improved. The mechanisms involve depositing doped films prior to forming isolation structures for transistors. The dopants in the doped films are used to dope the well regions near fins. The isolation structures are filled with a flowable dielectric material, which is converted to silicon oxide with the usage of microwave anneal. The microwave anneal enables conversion of the flowable dielectric material to silicon oxide without causing dopant diffusion. Additional well implants may be performed to form deep wells. Microwave anneal(s) may be used to anneal defects in the substrate and fins.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for selective surface deposition. In one example, the method includes providing a substrate containing a first material having a first surface and a second material having a second surface, forming a modified first surface and a modified second surface by exposing the first surface and the second surface to hydrogen gas excited by a plasma source, and selectively depositing a film on the modified second surface but not on the modified first surface.

A method for manufacturing a substrate is disclosed. The method comprises the following steps: step one, depositing an amorphous silicon layer on a base material; step two, depositing a silicon dioxide layer with a first thickness on the amorphous silicon layer; and step three, etching the silicon dioxide layer until a thickness thereof is reduced to a second thickness. According to the method of the present disclosure, the silicon dioxide layer with a needed thickness can be manufactured on the amorphous silicon layer. When the ELA procedure is performed, the silicon dioxide layer has an enough thickness to prevent the formation of protrusions at grain boundary of polysilicon, so that the semi-conductive layer manufactured therein can have a relatively low roughness.

Representative systems and methods for preventing or otherwise reducing extreme-ultraviolet-induced material property changes (e.g., layer thickness shrinkage) include one or more thermal treatments to at least partially stabilize a material forming a material layer disposed over a substrate prior to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) exposure (e.g., wavelengths spanning about 124 nm to about 10 nm) attendant to photolithographic processing. Representative systems and methods provide for reduction of average compressive stress in a material layer after thermal treatment prior to extreme EUV photolithographic patterning. Representative thermal treatments may include one or more annealing processes, ultraviolet (UV) radiation treatments, ion implantations, ion bombardments, plasma treatments, surface baking treatments, surface coating treatments, surface ashing treatments, or pulsed laser treatments.