In one embodiment, a method for forming a tungsten-containing material on a substrate is provided which includes forming a tungsten nucleation layer by sequentially exposing a substrate to a boron-containing gas and a tungsten-containing gas within a processing chamber during an atomic layer deposition process, and forming a tungsten bulk layer on the tungsten nucleation layer by exposing the substrate to a processing gas that contains the tungsten-containing gas and a reactive precursor gas within another processing chamber during a chemical vapor deposition process. In one example, the tungsten nucleation layer is deposited on a dielectric material, such as silicon oxide. In another example, the tungsten nucleation layer is deposited on a barrier material, such as titanium or titanium nitride. Other examples provide that the tungsten nucleation layer and the tungsten bulk layer are deposited in the same processing chamber.