Provided is a technique of forming a film on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times. The cycle includes: forming a first layer by supplying a gas containing a first element to the substrate, wherein the first layer is a discontinuous layer, a continuous layer, or a layer in which at least one of the discontinuous layer or the continuous layer is overlapped; forming a second layer including the first layer and a discontinuous layer including a second element stacked on the first layer; and forming a third layer by supplying a gas containing a third element to the substrate to modify the second layer under a condition where a modifying reaction of the second layer by the gas containing the third element is not saturated.

A method of scaling a nonvolatile trapped-charge memory device and the device made thereby is provided. In an embodiment, the method includes forming a channel region including polysilicon electrically connecting a source region and a drain region in a substrate. A tunneling layer is formed on the substrate over the channel region by oxidizing the substrate to form an oxide film and nitridizing the oxide film. A multi-layer charge trapping layer including an oxygen-rich first layer and an oxygen-lean second layer is formed on the tunneling layer, and a blocking layer deposited on the multi-layer charge trapping layer. In one embodiment, the method further includes a dilute wet oxidation to densify a deposited blocking oxide and to oxidize a portion of the oxygen-lean second layer.

An article having a surface treated to provide a protective coating structure in accordance with the following method: vapor depositing a first layer on a substrate, wherein the first layer is a metal oxide adhesion layer selected from the group consisting of an oxide of a Group IIIA metal element, a Group IVB metal element, a Group VB metal element, and combinations thereof; vapor depositing a second layer upon the first layer, wherein the second layer includes a silicon-containing layer selected from the group consisting of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and silicon oxynitride; and vapor depositing a third layer upon the second layer, wherein the third layer is a functional organic-comprising layer, wherein the functional organic-comprising layer is a SAM.

Methods of producing metal-containing thin films with low impurity contents on a substrate by atomic layer deposition (ALD) are provided. The methods preferably comprise contacting a substrate with alternating and sequential pulses of a metal source chemical, a second source chemical and a deposition enhancing agent. The deposition enhancing agent is preferably selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons, hydrogen, hydrogen plasma, hydrogen radicals, silanes, germanium compounds, nitrogen compounds, and boron compounds. In some embodiments, the deposition-enhancing agent reacts with halide contaminants in the growing thin film, improving film properties.

Provided is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. The method includes: (a) forming an oxide film having a predetermined thickness on a substrate by alternately repeating: (a-1) forming a layer containing a predetermined element on the substrate by supplying a source gas containing the predetermined element into a process vessel accommodating the substrate and exhausting the source gas from the process vessel; and (a-2) changing the layer containing the predetermined element into an oxide layer by supplying an oxygen-containing gas and an hydrogen-containing gas into the process vessel, wherein inside of the process vessel is under a heated atmosphere having a pressure lower than an atmospheric pressure; and exhausting the oxygen-containing gas and the hydrogen-containing gas from the process vessel; and (b) modifying the oxide film formed on the substrate by supplying the oxygen-containing gas and the hydrogen-containing gas into the process vessel, wherein the inside of the process vessel is under the heated atmosphere having the pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure, and exhausting the oxygen-containing gas and the hydrogen-containing gas from the process vessel.

Provided is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. The method includes: (a) forming an oxide film having a predetermined thickness on a substrate by alternately repeating: (a-1) forming a layer containing a predetermined element on the substrate by supplying a source gas containing the predetermined element into a process vessel accommodating the substrate and exhausting the source gas from the process vessel; and (a-2) changing the layer containing the predetermined element into an oxide layer by supplying an oxygen-containing gas and an hydrogen-containing gas into the process vessel, wherein inside of the process vessel is under a heated atmosphere having a pressure lower than an atmospheric pressure; and exhausting the oxygen-containing gas and the hydrogen-containing gas from the process vessel; and (b) modifying the oxide film formed on the substrate by supplying the oxygen-containing gas and the hydrogen-containing gas into the process vessel, wherein the inside of the process vessel is under the heated atmosphere having the pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure, and exhausting the oxygen-containing gas and the hydrogen-containing gas from the process vessel.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes a process of forming a film on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times. The cycle includes: supplying a precursor containing a predetermined element to the substrate; supplying a first reactant containing nitrogen and carbon to the substrate; supplying a second reactant containing nitrogen to the substrate; and supplying a third reactant containing oxygen to the substrate, wherein in the cycle, a supply amount of the second reactant is set to be smaller than a supply amount of the first reactant.

Metal silicates or phosphates are deposited on a heated substrate by the reaction of vapors of alkoxysilanols or alkylphosphates along with reactive metal amides, alkyls or alkoxides. For example, vapors of tris(tert-butoxy)silanol react with vapors of tetrakis(ethylmethylamido) hafnium to deposit hafnium silicate on surfaces heated to 300 C. The product film has a very uniform stoichiometry throughout the reactor. Similarly, vapors of diisopropylphosphate react with vapors of lithium bis(ethyldimethylsilyl)amide to deposit lithium phosphate films on substrates heated to 250 C. Supplying the vapors in alternating pulses produces these same compositions with a very uniform distribution of thickness and excellent step coverage.

The reliability of wirings, each of which includes a main conductive film containing copper as a primary component, is improved. On an insulating film including the upper surface of a wiring serving as a lower layer wiring, an insulating film formed of a silicon carbonitride film having excellent barrier properties to copper is formed; on the insulating film, an insulating film formed of a silicon carbide film having excellent adhesiveness to a low dielectric constant material film is formed; on the insulating film, an insulating film formed of a low dielectric constant material as an interlayer insulating film is formed; and thereafter a wiring as an upper layer wiring is formed.

Methods and apparatus for depositing nanolaminate films are provided. In various embodiments, the nanolaminate film may be deposited over a core layer, which may be patterned. The nanolaminate film may act as a spacer while performing a double or quadruple patterning process. The nanolaminate film may include at least two different types of film. In some cases, the two different types of film have different compositions. In some cases, the two different types of film may be deposited under different deposition conditions, and may or may not have the same composition. After the nanolaminate film is deposited, the substrate may be etched to expose the core layer. Some portions of the nanolaminate film (e.g., portions that form on sidewalls of features patterned in the core layer) may remain after etching, and may serve as a mask during later processing steps in a double or quadruple patterning process.