For next-generation microelectronics, Area Selective Deposition (ASD)is a promising approach to simplify integration schemes for the most advanced technology nodes. These ASD approaches need to be adapted according to a trio comprising the material to be deposited, the growth surface, and the inhibited surface.
This PhD focuses on the area selective deposition of oxides (such as SiO2, Al2O3, …) on Si or SiO2 and not on silicon nitride (SiN), which is one of the most complex topics in ASD, and aims to evaluate the relevance of this type of process for simplifying the integration and the fabrication of advanced FDSOI transistors.
To develop this selective oxide deposition process, various approaches aiming at making SiN an inhibitor of the Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) will be explored (plasma treatments, Small Molecular Inhibitors, combination of both, etc.). Dedicated surface characterizations will be carried out in order to better understand the mechanisms of inhibition at the origin of the selective deposition and allowing to achieve high selectivity for oxide thicknesses of 10 nm and above.
This PhD project will take place at CEA-LETI, within the advanced materials deposition department, in collaboration with LMI UMR 5615 CNRS/UCBLyon. The student will have access to the CEA-LETI 300 mm cleanroom fabrication platforms for thin film deposition by PEALD, the CEA nanocharacterization platform and gas-phase surface functionalization at LMI. Surface analyses and thin film characterizations (ellipsometry, XRR, AFM, FTIR, contact angle, SEM, XPS, ToF-SIMS) will be used to determine the best selectivity and understand the physico-chemical mechanisms.