Embodiments of the invention provide methods for selective deposition on different materials using a surface treatment. According to one embodiment, the method includes providing a substrate containing a first material layer having a first surface and a second material layer having a second surface, and performing a chemical oxide removal process that terminates that second surface with hydroxyl groups. The method further includes modifying the second surface by exposure to a process gas containing a hydrophobic functional group, the modifying substituting the hydroxyl groups on the second surface with the hydrophobic functional group, and selectively depositing a metal-containing layer on the first surface but not on the modified second surface by exposing the substrate to a deposition gas.

A method includes forming an insulating layer over a conductive feature; etching the insulating layer to expose a first surface of the conductive feature; covering the first surface of the conductive feature with a sacrificial material, wherein the sidewalls of the insulating layer are free of the sacrificial material; covering the sidewalls of the insulating layer with a barrier material, wherein the first surface of the conductive feature is free of the barrier material, wherein the barrier material includes tantalum nitride (TaN) doped with a transition metal; removing the sacrificial material; and covering the barrier material and the first surface of the conductive feature with a conductive material.

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.

The present application discloses method for fabricating a semiconductor device. The method includes providing a substrate; forming a word line trench in the substrate; conformally forming a first insulating layer in the word line trench and conformity forming a first barrier layer on the first insulating layer; conformally forming a first nucleation layer on the first barrier layer; performing a post-treatment to the first nucleation layer, wherein the post-treatment comprises a reducing agent comprising diborane and a tungsten-containing precursor; forming a first bulk layer on the first nucleation layer, wherein the first nucleation layer and the first bulk layer configure a first conductive layer; and performing a planarization process to turn the first insulating layer, the first barrier layer, and the first conductive layer into a word line insulating layer, a word line barrier layer, and a word line conductive layer, respectively and correspondingly.

A selective film forming method includes: preparing a substrate including a first film having a first surface and a second film having a second surface, the second film being different from the first film; selectively adsorbing a secondary alcohol gas and/or a tertiary alcohol gas to the second surface; and selectively forming a film on the first surface by supplying at least a raw material gas.

Methods for forming a metallic film on a substrate by cyclical deposition are provided. In some embodiments methods may include contacting the substrate with a first reactant comprising a non-halogen containing metal precursor comprising at least one of copper, nickel or cobalt and contacting the substrate with a second reactant comprising a hydrocarbon substituted hydrazine. In some embodiments related semiconductor device structures may include at least a portion of a metallic interconnect formed by cyclical deposition processes.

A method includes forming an opening in a dielectric layer, depositing a seed layer in the opening, wherein first portions of the seed layer have a first concentration of impurities, exposing the first portions of the seed layer to a plasma, wherein after exposure to the plasma the first portions have a second concentration of impurities that is less than the first concentration of impurities, and filling the opening with a conductive material to form a conductive feature. In an embodiment, the seed layer includes tungsten, and the conductive material includes tungsten. In an embodiment, the impurities include boron.

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to methods of depositing tungsten. Some embodiments of the disclosure provide methods for depositing tungsten which are performed at relatively low temperatures. Some embodiments of the disclosure provide methods in which the ratio between reactant gasses is controlled. Some embodiments of the disclosure provide selective deposition of tungsten. Some embodiments of the disclosure provide methods for depositing tungsten films at a low temperature with relatively low roughness, stress and impurity levels.

A method is disclosed for delectively depositing a material on a substrate wherein the substrate has at least two different surfaces wherein one surface is passivated thereby allowing selective deposition on the non-passivated surface. In particular, disclosed is a method for preparing a surface of a substrate for selective film deposition, wherein the surface of the substrate comprises at least a first surface comprising SiO.sub.2 and an initial concentration of surface hydroxyl groups and a second surface comprising SiH, the method comprising the steps of: contacting the substrate with a wet chemical composition to obtain a treated substrate comprising an increased concentration of surface hydroxyl groups relative to the initial concentration of surface hydroxyl groups; and heating the treated substrate to a temperature of from about 200° C. to about 600° C., wherein the heating step converts at least a portion of the surface hydroxyl groups on the first surface to surface siloxane groups on the surface of the substrate.

Described herein are methods of filling features with tungsten, and related systems and apparatus, involving inhibition of tungsten nucleation. In some embodiments, the methods involve selective inhibition along a feature profile. Methods of selectively inhibiting tungsten nucleation can include exposing the feature to ammonia vapor in a non-plasma process. Process parameters including exposure time, substrate temperature, and chamber pressure can be used to tune the inhibition profile. Also provided are methods of filling multiple adjacent lines with reduced or no line bending. The methods involve selectively inhibiting the tungsten nucleation to reduce sidewall growth during feature fill.