Methods of selectively forming n-type doped material on a surface, systems for selectively forming n-type doped material, and structures formed using same

Abstract

A method for selectively forming an n-type doped material on a surface of a substrate is disclosed. A system for performing the method and structures and devices formed using the method are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for selectively forming n-type doped material on a surface of a substrate, the method comprising the steps of: providing a substrate, comprising a surface comprising a first area comprising a first material and a second area comprising a second material, within a reaction chamber; depositing an n-type doped semiconductor material overlying the surface, wherein the n-type doped semiconductor material forms as doped monocrystalline material overlying the first area and as doped non-monocrystalline material overlying the second area; and depositing a semiconductor material overlying the n-type doped semiconductor material, wherein the semiconductor material forms as monocrystalline material overlying the first area and as non-monocrystalline material overlying the second area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor material comprises intrinsically-doped semiconductor material.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein any extrinsic dopant concentration in the semiconductor material is less than 1 at-%, or less than 0.0 tat-%.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor material comprises a Group IV semiconductor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the n-type doped semiconductor material comprises one or more Group V dopants.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more Group V dopants are selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, arsenic, and antimony, or a mixture of two or more Group V dopants.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a concentration of one or more n-type dopants in the n-type doped semiconductor material is greater than 0.3 at-%, greater than 2 at-%, greater than 3 at-%, greater than 4 at-%, greater than 5 at-%, greater than 6 at-%, greater than 7 at-%, greater than 8 at-%, and/or less than 20 at-%, less than 15 at-%, or less than 10 at-%.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a temperature within the reaction chamber is less than 700° C., less than 600° C., less than 550° C., less than 525° C., less than 500° C., less than 475° C., or between about 400° C. and about 600° C.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of etching the monocrystalline material overlying the first area and the non-monocrystalline material overlying the second area.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of selectively removing the n-type doped semiconductor material in the second area.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first material is monocrystalline.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the second material is non-monocrystalline.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first material comprises semiconductor material.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the second material comprises dielectric material.

15. A method for selectively forming n-type doped material on a surface of a substrate, the method comprising the steps of: providing a substrate, comprising a surface comprising a first area comprising a first material and a second area comprising a second material, within a reaction chamber; depositing an n-type doped semiconductor material overlying the surface, wherein the n-type doped semiconductor material forms as doped monocrystalline material overlying the first area and as doped non-monocrystalline material overlying the second area; depositing a semiconductor material overlying the n-type doped semiconductor material, wherein the semiconductor material forms as monocrystalline material overlying the first area and as non-monocrystalline material overlying the second area; and etching the monocrystalline material overlying the first area and the non-monocrystalline material overlying the second area.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein an etchant used during the step of etching comprises a halide.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the halide is selected from one or more of Cl.sub.2, Br.sub.2, HCl, HBr, I.sub.2, and HF.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein a gas used during the step of etching comprises an etchant and a diluent.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the diluent comprises one or more of nitrogen, argon, and helium.

20. A method for selectively forming n-type doped material on a surface of a substrate, the method comprising the steps of: providing a substrate, comprising a surface comprising a first area comprising a first material and a second area comprising a second material, within a reaction chamber; depositing an n-type doped semiconductor material overlying the surface, wherein the n-type doped semiconductor material forms as doped monocrystalline material overlying the first area and as doped non-monocrystalline material overlying the second area; depositing a semiconductor material overlying the n-type doped semiconductor material, wherein the semiconductor material forms as monocrystalline material overlying the first area and as non-monocrystalline material overlying the second area; and selectively removing the n-type doped semiconductor material in the second area.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein an etchant used during the step of selectively removing comprises a halide.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the halide is selected from one or more of Cl.sub.2, Br.sub.2, HCl, HBr, I.sub.2, and HF.

23. The method according to claim 20, wherein a gas used during the step of selectively removing comprises an etchant and a diluent.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the diluent comprises one or more of nitrogen, argon, and helium.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

(1) A more complete understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the following illustrative figures.

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a method in accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure.

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a substrate or structure for use with methods in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

(4) FIGS. 3-5 illustrate structures formed in accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure.

(5) FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an NMOS device formed in accordance with at least one embodiment of the invention.

(6) FIG. 7 illustrates a reactor system in accordance with additional exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

(7) It will be appreciated that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve the understanding of illustrated embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

(8) Although certain embodiments and examples are disclosed below, it will be understood by those in the art that the invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments and/or uses of the invention and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the invention disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described below. Further, the illustrations presented herein are not necessarily meant to be actual views of any particular material, structure, or device, but rather may be idealized representations that can be used to describe embodiments of the disclosure.

(9) As set forth in more detail below, various embodiments of the disclosure provide methods for selectively forming n-type doped semiconductor material overlying a portion of a surface of a substrate relative to another portion of the surface of the substrate. Exemplary methods can be used to, for example, form source and/or drain regions of semiconductor devices (e.g., MOSFETs and/or FinFETs) that exhibit relatively low contact resistance, can be formed at relatively low temperatures, and/or can be formed relatively quickly and/or inexpensively—e.g., compared to similar devices or structures using typical cyclical deposition and etch techniques.

(10) In this disclosure, “gas” can include material that is a gas at normal temperature and pressure (NTP), a vaporized solid and/or a vaporized liquid, and can be constituted by a single gas or a mixture of gases, depending on the context. A gas other than the process gas, e.g., a gas introduced without passing through a gas distribution assembly, a multi-port injection system, other gas distribution device, or the like, can be used for, e.g., sealing the reaction space, and can include a seal gas, such as a rare gas. In some cases, the term “precursor” can refer to a compound that participates in the chemical reaction that produces another compound, and particularly to a compound that constitutes a film matrix or a main skeleton of a film; in this disclosure, the term “reactant” can be used interchangeably with the term precursor. The term “inert gas” can refer to a gas that does not take part in a chemical reaction and/or does not become a part of a film matrix to an appreciable extent. Exemplary inert gases include helium (He), Argon (Ar), and nitrogen (N.sub.2), and any combination thereof. Inert gases can be used as dilution gases and/or carrier gases.

(11) As used herein, the term “substrate” can refer to any underlying material or materials that can be used to form, or upon which, a device, a circuit, or a film can be formed. A substrate can include a bulk material, such as silicon (e.g., single-crystal silicon), other Group IV materials, such as carbon, germanium, and/or tin, or compound semiconductor material, and can include one or more layers overlying or underlying the bulk material. Further, the substrate can include various features, such as recesses, protrusions, and the like formed within or on at least a portion of a layer of the substrate. As set forth in more detail below, a surface of a substrate can include two or more areas, wherein a material in the first area differs from the material in the second area—e.g., the materials can have different compositions and/or different crystalline structure.

(12) As used herein, the term “epitaxial layer” can refer to a substantially single crystalline layer upon an underlying substantially single crystalline substrate or layer.

(13) As used herein, the term “monocrystalline” may refer to a material that includes a substantial single crystal, i.e., a crystalline material that displays long range ordering. It should, however, be appreciated that a “monocrystalline” material may not be a perfect single crystal but may comprise various defects, stacking faults, atomic substitutions, and the like, as long as the “monocrystalline” material exhibits long range ordering.

(14) As used herein, the term “non-monocrystalline” may refer to a material that does not comprise a substantial single crystal, i.e., a material which displays either short range ordering or no ordering of the crystalline structure. Non-monocrystalline materials may comprise polycrystalline materials which may display short range ordering and amorphous materials which may display substantially no ordering of the crystalline structure.

(15) As used herein, the term “chemical vapor deposition” can refer to any process wherein a substrate is exposed to one or more volatile precursors, which react and/or decompose on a substrate surface to produce a desired deposition.

(16) As used herein, the term “film” and/or “layer” can refer to any continuous or non-continuous structures and material, such as material deposited by the methods disclosed herein. For example, film and/or layer can include two-dimensional materials, three-dimensional materials, nanoparticles or even partial or full molecular layers or partial or full atomic layers or clusters of atoms and/or molecules. A film or layer may comprise material or a layer with pinholes, which may be at least partially continuous.

(17) As used herein, a “structure” can include a substrate as described herein. Structures can include one or more layers overlying the substrate, such as one or more layers formed according to a method as described herein.

(18) Further, in this disclosure, any two numbers of a variable can constitute a workable range of the variable, and any ranges indicated may include or exclude the endpoints. Additionally, any values of variables indicated (regardless of whether they are indicated with “about” or not) may refer to precise values or approximate values and include equivalents, and may refer to average, median, representative, majority, or the like. Further, in this disclosure, the terms “include,” “including,” “constituted by” and “having” can refer independently to “typically or broadly comprising,” “comprising,” “consisting essentially of,” or “consisting of” in some embodiments. In this disclosure, any defined meanings do not necessarily exclude ordinary and customary meanings in some embodiments.

(19) A selective deposition process as described herein can involve a greater amount of material remaining on a first surface relative to a second surface. For example, a selective process may result in a greater amount of the n-type doped material remaining in a first area formed over monocrystalline material relative to any n-type doped material remaining in a second area over non-monocrystalline material. In some embodiments of the disclosure, a selectivity of a process can be expressed as a ratio of material remaining on the first surface relative to the amount of material formed on the first and second surfaces combined. For example, if 10 nm of n-type doped material remains in the first area and 1 nm of n-type doped material remains in the second area, the selective deposition process will be considered to have 91% selectivity. In some embodiments, the selectivity of the methods disclosed herein may be greater than 80%, greater than 90%, greater than 95%, greater than 99.5%, greater than 98%, greater than 99%, or even about 100%.

(20) Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a method 100 for selectively forming n-type doped material on a surface of a substrate. FIGS. 2-5 illustrate structures 200, 300, 400, and 500 that can correspond to steps of method 100.

(21) Method 100 includes the steps of providing a substrate within a reaction chamber (step 102), depositing an n-type doped semiconductor material (step 104), and depositing a semiconductor material (step 106). In the illustrated example, method 100 also includes selectively removing a portion of the n-type doped semiconductor material (step 108).

(22) Step 102 can include providing a substrate, comprising a surface comprising a first area comprising a first material and a second area comprising a second material, within a reaction chamber. With reference to FIG. 2, a structure/substrate 200 can include a first area 206 comprising a first material 202 and a second area 208 comprising a second material 204. First material 202 can include a monocrystalline surface 210; second material 204 can include a non-monocrystalline surface 212, such as a polycrystalline surface or an amorphous surface. First material 202 and monocrystalline surface 210 may comprise a Group IV semiconductor material, such as, for example, one or more of: silicon (Si), silicon germanium (SiGe), germanium tin (GeSn), silicon germanium tin (SiGeSn), germanium (Ge), or the like. Second material 204 and non-monocrystalline surface 212 can include dielectric material, such as, for example, an oxide, an oxynitride, or a nitride, including, for example, a silicon oxide, a silicon nitride, and/or a silicon oxynitride.

(23) As a non-limiting example, a reaction chamber suitable for step 102 can include a reaction chamber of a chemical vapor deposition system. However, it is also contemplated that other reaction chambers and alternative chemical vapor deposition systems may also be utilized to perform the embodiments of the present disclosure. The reaction chamber can be a stand-alone reaction chamber or part of a cluster tool.

(24) Step 102 can include heating the substrate to a desired deposition temperature (e.g., for step 104) within the reaction chamber. In some embodiments of the disclosure, step 102 includes heating the substrate (or a susceptor holding the substrate) to a temperature of less than 700° C., less than 600° C., less than 550° C., less than 525° C., less than 500° C., or less than 475° C. For example, in some embodiments of the disclosure, heating the substrate to a deposition temperature may comprise heating the substrate to a temperature between approximately 400° C. and approximately 600° C.

(25) In addition to controlling the temperature of the substrate, a pressure within the reaction chamber may also be regulated. For example, in some embodiments of the disclosure, a pressure within the reaction chamber during step 102 may be less than 200 Torr, or less than 100 Torr, or less than 50 Torr, or less than 25 Torr, or even less than 10 Torr. In some embodiments, a pressure in the reaction chamber may be between 10 Torr and 100 Torr.

(26) With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, during step 104, n-type doped semiconductor material is deposited overlying the surface of the substrate to form structure 300. The n-type doped semiconductor material can epitaxially form as doped monocrystalline material 302 overlying first area 206 and as doped non-monocrystalline material 304 overlying the second area 208. Doped monocrystalline material 302 can include a monocrystalline surface 306. Non-monocrystalline material 304 can include a non-monocrystalline surface 308. The n-type doped semiconductor material can be epitaxially grown in a single step—i.e., without using a cyclical deposition and etch process.

(27) During step 104, semiconductor precursor—e.g., a Group IV semiconductor precursor and an n-type dopant (e.g., phosphorus, arsenic, and/or antimony) precursor are flowed into the reaction chamber—e.g., through one or more gas injectors, such as multi-port injectors (MPIs) including a plurality of individual port injectors for providing a gas mixture into the reaction chamber. Various combinations of the precursors can be supplied to one or more of the individual port injectors to fine tune concentration profiles as desired. Step 104 can include coflowing or alternately flowing multiple dopant sources. Further, one or more dopant precursors can be coflowed or alternately flowed with one or more Group IV precursors.

(28) In some embodiments, a single Group IV precursor may be utilized during the deposition process; for example, a single Group IV precursor may be utilized when the Group IV semiconductor to be deposited comprises silicon (Si) or germanium (Ge). In some embodiments, two or more Group IV precursors may be utilized during the deposition process; for example, two or more Group IV precursors may be utilized when the Group IV semiconductor to be deposited comprises a Group IV semiconductor alloy including, but not limited to, silicon germanium, silicon germanium carbide (Si.sub.1-x-yGe.sub.xC.sub.y), germanium tin (Ge.sub.1-xSn.sub.x), germanium silicon tin (Ge.sub.1-x-ySi.sub.xSn.sub.y), germanium silicon tin carbide (Ge.sub.1-x-ySi.sub.xSn.sub.yC.sub.x), silicon tin (Si.sub.1-xSn.sub.x), silicon tin carbide (Si.sub.1-x-ySn.sub.xC.sub.y), or silicon carbide (Si.sub.1-xC.sub.x).

(29) Exemplary silicon precursors include one or more hydrogenated and/or halide silicon precursors, such as those selected from the group comprising: silane (SiH.sub.4), disilane (Si.sub.2H.sub.6), trisilane (Si.sub.3H.sub.8), tetrasilane (Si.sub.4H.sub.10), diiodosilane (SiI.sub.2H.sub.2), triiodosilane (SiI.sub.3H), the like, or any other suitable silicon-containing precursor—e.g., such as those that can be used at low temperature, without significant reduction of the growth rate.

(30) Exemplary germanium precursors include one or more of germane (GeH.sub.4), digermane (Ge.sub.2H.sub.6), trigermane (Ge.sub.3H.sub.8), and germylsilane (GeH.sub.6Si).

(31) Exemplary tin precursors include tin tetrachloride (SnCl.sub.4) and tin deuteride (SnD.sub.4).

(32) Exemplary n-type dopant precursors include Group V dopant precursors comprising one or more of P, As and Sb. Exemplary n-type dopant precursors include Group V dopant precursors comprising H and one of P, As or Sb. Exemplary n-type dopant precursors include Group V dopant precursors comprising halide, such as CI, Br or I, and one of P, As or Sb. Exemplary n-type dopant precursors include Group V dopant precursors, such as, for example, phosphine (PH.sub.3), phosphorus trichloride (PCl.sub.3), phosphorus tribromide (PBr.sub.3), phosphorus triiodide (PI.sub.3), arsine (AsH.sub.3), arsenic tribromide (AsBr.sub.3), arsenic triiodide (AsI.sub.3), antimony trichloride (SbCl.sub.3), antimony pentachloride (SbCl.sub.5), stibine (SbH.sub.3), deuterated stibine (SbD.sub.3), the like or mixtures or derivatives thereof, or any other suitable precursor containing a Group V element. In some embodiments, the n-type dopant precursor may be provided in diluted form and the diluted form may comprise approximately 1% to approximately 20% dopant precursor in a carrier gas.

(33) A temperature and pressure within the reaction chamber can be the same or similar to the temperature and pressure within the reaction chamber during step 102.

(34) A thickness of n-type doped semiconductor material formed during step 104 in area 206 and/or area 208 can be between about 1 nm and about 50 nm, between about 5 nm and about 30 nm, or between about 7 nm and about 10 nm. A concentration of one or more n-type dopants in the n-type doped semiconductor material can be greater than 0.3 at-%, greater than 2 at-%, greater than 3 at-%, greater than 4 at-%, greater than 5 at-%, greater than 6 at-%, greater than 7 at-%, greater than 8 at-%, and/or less than 20 at-%, less than 15 at-%, or less than 10 at-%.

(35) With reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, during step 106, semiconductor material 406 is deposited overlying the n-type doped semiconductor material formed during step 104. Semiconductor material 406 can include intrinsically-doped Group IV semiconductor material. Or, any extrinsic doping can be less than 1×10.sup.17.

(36) As illustrated, structure 400 can include a monocrystalline material 402 overlying the first area 206 and non-monocrystalline material 404 formed overlying second area 208. A thickness of semiconductor material 406 over area 206 and/or 208 formed during step 106 can be between about 1 nm and about 10 nm, between about 2 nm and about 8 nm, or between about 3 nm and about 6 nm.

(37) Step 106 can be performed in the same reaction chamber used during step 104. Alternatively, step 106 can be performed in another reaction chamber, such as another reaction chamber in the same cluster tool as the reaction chamber used during step 104. A pressure and temperature within the reaction chamber can be the same or similar to the temperature and pressure described above in connection with steps 102 and 104.

(38) During step 108, an etch is performed to remove monocrystalline material 402 overlying doped monocrystalline material 302, non-monocrystalline material 404 overlying non-monocrystalline material 304, and non-monocrystalline material 304 to form structure 500, illustrated in FIG. 5.

(39) A halide gas can be used to etch materials during step 108. By way of examples, a gas including an etchant, such as one or more of Cl.sub.2, Br.sub.2, HCl, HBr, I.sub.2, HF, or the like can be used during step 108. The gas can additionally include a diluent, such as one or more of nitrogen, argon, and/or helium. By way of one example, the gas can include a chlorine-containing gas, such as chlorine, and a diluent, such as nitrogen.

(40) Step 108 can be performed in the same reaction chamber used during step 106. Alternatively, step 108 can be performed in another reaction chamber, such as another reaction chamber in the same cluster tool as the reaction chamber used during step 106. A pressure within the reaction chamber can be the same or similar to the pressure described above in connection with steps 102 and 104. A temperature within the reaction chamber can be about 400° C. to about 600° C.

(41) During step 108, non-monocrystalline material 404 and non-monocrystalline material 304 can exhibit a much greater etch rate compared to monocrystalline material 402. For example, the etch rate of non-monocrystalline material 404 can be greater than 2 or greater than 5 times an etch rate of monocrystalline material 402. As a result, non-monocrystalline material 404 and non-monocrystalline material 304 are etched quickly, while doped monocrystalline material 302 is protected or shielded from the etch process by monocrystalline material 402.

(42) FIG. 5 illustrates structure 500 after the selective removal of non-monocrystalline material 404, non-monocrystalline material 304, and then monocrystalline material 402. In accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure, each of non-monocrystalline material 404, non-monocrystalline material 304, and monocrystalline material 402 can be removed in a single etch step using the same etchant.

(43) Although not separately illustrated, method 100 can additionally include a preclean step. The preclean step can include a process to remove any oxides and/or other contaminants on a surface prior to forming the n-type doped material on the surface. The preclean step may incorporate flow of chemicals and sublimation. Additionally or alternatively, the preclean step can include flow nitrogen trifluoride (NF.sub.3) and ammonia (NH.sub.3) with remote plasma to form activated species. The preclean step may take place at a temperature range between 500° C. and 800° C., between 550° C. and 700° C., or between 600° C. and 650° C. In other embodiments, the preclean step may take place at a temperature range between 20° C. and 500° C., between 50° C. and 300° C., or between 100° C. and 250° C.

(44) FIG. 6 illustrates a device 600 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the disclosure. Device 600 includes a fin 610, a shallow trench isolation (STI) layer 620, a contact layer 630, and a gate 640. Fin 610 may include a stack of lateral nanowires including, for example, at least one of: silicon, germanium, silicon germanium, or combinations thereof. STI layer 620 can include a dielectric material, such as silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon oxycarbon, or any combination thereof, for example. Gate 640 may also comprise an oxide material, such as hafnium oxide or aluminum oxide, for example.

(45) Contact layer 630 can include an n-type doped material, such as silicon phosphine (SiP), silicon arsenide (SiAs), silicon antimonide (SiSb), or the like, which can be formed according to method 100. Contact layer 630 can be grown with a particular crystallographic orientation, such as a (111) direction in accordance with the Miller indices notation. Contact layer 630 can be used to form a source and/or drain region of device 600.

(46) FIG. 7 illustrates a system 700 in accordance with yet additional exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. System 700 can be used to perform a method as described herein and/or to form a structure, device, or portion thereof as described herein.

(47) In the illustrated example, system 700 includes an optional substrate handling system 702, one or more reaction chambers 704, a gas injection system 706, and optionally a wall 708 disposed between reaction chamber(s) 704 and substrate handling system 702. System 700 can also include a first gas source 710, a second gas source 712, a third gas source 714, a fourth gas source 716, an exhaust source 726, and a controller 728.

(48) Although illustrated with four gas sources 710-716, system 700 can include any suitable number of gas sources. One or more of gas sources 710-716 can include, for example, a precursor gas, such as Group IV precursor(s) and/or n-type dopant precursor(s), as described above, including mixtures of such precursors and/or mixtures of one or more precursors with a carrier gas, such as nitrogen, argon, helium or the like. Additionally or alternatively, one of gas sources 710-716 or another gas source can include an etchant, such as a halide, such as the one or more etchants as described above. One or more gas sources 710-716 can also include an inert gas. Gas sources 710-716 can be coupled to reaction chamber 704 via lines 718-724, which can each include flow controllers, valves, heaters, and the like.

(49) System 700 can include any suitable number of reaction chambers 704 and substrate handling systems 702. Further, one or more reaction chambers 704 can be or include a cross-flow, cold wall epitaxial reaction chamber.

(50) Exhaust source 726 can include one or more vacuum pumps.

(51) Controller 728 can be configured to perform various functions and/or steps as described herein. Controller 728 can include one or more microprocessors, memory elements, and/or switching elements to perform the various functions. Although illustrated as a single unit, controller 728 can alternatively comprise multiple devices. By way of examples, controller 728 can be used to control gas flow (e.g., by monitoring flow rates of precursors and/or other gases from sources 710-716 and/or controlling valves, motors, heaters, and the like). Further, when system 700 includes two or more reaction chambers, the two or more reaction chambers can be coupled to the same/shared controller.

(52) During operation of reactor system 700, substrates, such as semiconductor wafers (not illustrated), are transferred from, e.g., substrate handling system 702 to reaction chamber 704. Once substrate(s) are transferred to reaction chamber 704, one or more gases from gas sources 710-716, such as precursors, dopants, carrier gases, etchants, and/or purge gases, are introduced into reaction chamber 704 via gas injection system 706. Gas injection system 706 can be used to meter and control gas flow of one or more gases (e.g., from one or more gas sources 710-716) during substrate processing and to provide desired flows of such gas(es) to multiple sites within reaction chamber 704.

(53) It is to be understood that the configurations and/or approaches described herein are exemplary in nature, and that these specific embodiments or examples are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. The specific routines or methods described herein may represent one or more of any number of processing strategies. Thus, the various acts illustrated may be performed in the sequence illustrated, in other sequences, or omitted in some cases.

(54) The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various processes, systems, and configurations, and other features, functions, acts, and/or properties disclosed herein, as well as any and all equivalents thereof.