Rapid thermal annealing of doped polycrystalline silicon structures formed in a single-wafer cluster tool

摘要

An embodiment of the instant invention is a method of fabricating an electronic device over a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising the steps of: forming a doped polycrystalline silicon layer insulatively disposed over the semiconductor substrate; and subjecting the doped polycrystalline silicon layer to a temperature of around 700 to 1100 C. in an oxidizing ambient for a period of around 5 to 120 seconds. Preferably, the oxidizing ambient is comprised of: O₂,O₃, NO, N₂O, H₂O, and any combination thereof. The temperature is, preferably, around 950 to 1050 C. (more preferably around 1000 C.). The step of subjecting the doped polycrystalline silicon layer to a temperature of around 700 to 1100 C. in an oxidizing ambient for a period of around 5 to 120 seconds, preferably, forms an oxide layer on the polycrystalline silicon layer, which has a thickness which is, preferably, greater than the thickness of a native oxide layer. More preferably, it has a thickness which is greater than 3 nm (more preferably greater than 2 nm). In an alternative embodiment, the thickness of the oxide layer is less than 20 nm (more preferably, less than 10 nm thick).