Selective nitride passivation using vapor-dosed aldehyde inhibitors for area-selective atomic layer deposition

Abstract

We present a methodology for achieving selective deposition of Ru films through surface modification via vapor-phase functionalization of aldehyde inhibitor molecules. We conduct a comparative evaluation of the blocking capability using vapor-dosing of two different types of aldehyde molecules: undecylaldehyde and benzaldehyde as aliphatic and aromatic ring inhibitors, respectively, on W, TiN, SiN, and SiO2 substrates. By adjusting the vapor-process conditions of both aldehydes, we confirm chemo-selective adsorption on nitride surfaces, resulting in significant growth retardation during subsequent Ru atomic layer deposition. Under optimized conditions for achieving nitride versus oxide selectivity, we successfully demonstrated area-selective atomic layer deposition (AS-ALD) of Ru films on patterned-TiN/SiO2 substrates. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.