Dielectric films for semiconductor devices and methods of forming. A processing method includes forming a first film of a first dielectric material on a substrate by performing a first plurality of cycles of atomic layer deposition and, thereafter, heat-treating the first film, where a thickness of the first film is below a threshold thickness needed for spontaneous polarization in the first dielectric material. The processing method further includes forming a second film of a second dielectric material on the substrate by performing a second plurality of cycles of atomic layer deposition and, thereafter, heat-treating the second film, where a thickness of the second film is greater than the thickness of the first film, and the second film is ferroelectric or antiferroelectric. The first and second dielectric materials can include at least one metal oxide, for example zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, or a laminate or mixture thereof.

Methods of depositing metal nitride layers employing low temperature cyclical deposition processes including cyclic compounds are disclosed. The cyclical deposition processes include repeatedly performing a deposition cycle including introducing a metal precursor into a reaction chamber, introducing a nitrogen reactant into the reaction chamber, and introducing a reducing agent comprising a cyclic compound into the reaction chamber. Metal nitride layers and semiconductor structures including metal nitride layers are also disclosed.

A topology-selective deposition method is disclosed. An exemplary method includes providing an inhibition agent comprising a first nitrogen-containing gas, providing a deposition promotion agent comprising a second nitrogen-containing gas to form an activated surface on one or more of a top surface, a bottom surface, and a sidewall surface relative to one or more of the other of the top surface, the bottom surface, and the sidewall surface, and providing a precursor to react with the activated surface to thereby selectively form material comprising a nitride on the activated surface.

A method for depositing an oxide film on a substrate by a cyclical deposition is disclosed. The method may include: depositing a metal oxide film over the substrate utilizing at least one deposition cycle of a first sub-cycle of the cyclical deposition process; and depositing a silicon oxide film directly on the metal oxide film utilizing at least one deposition cycle of a second sub-cycle of the cyclical deposition process. Semiconductor device structures including an oxide film deposited by the methods of the disclosure are also disclosed.

Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for performing spacer on spacer multiple patterning schemes using an exhumable first spacer material and a complementary second spacer material. Certain embodiments involve using a tin oxide spacer material for one of the spacer materials in spacer on spacer self aligned multiple patterning.