Low temperature zirconia based thermal barrier layer by PVD

BACKGROUND

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention is related to annealing of surface films on low temperature substrates and, in particular, to deposition of low temperature Zirconia Based Thermal Barrier Layer which enables such annealing of surface films.

[0004] 2. Discussion of Related Art

[0005] Many thermal processes for thin films, such as rapid thermal heating or pulsed laser recrystallization, require the surface film to be heated to high temperature for a period of time. Such processing can be carried out on low temperature material such as glass or plastic substrates if a thermal barrier layer is formed between the layer to be treated and the substrate.

[0006] One example of such a thermal process is the laser crystallization of amorphous silicon on a low temperature substrate. The recrystallization to form electronic grade poly silicon, requires that the silicon layer be completely melted for a period of time, typically several hundred nano seconds. The completely melted state is referred to as the full melt state (FMS) and the threshold laser power to accomplish such a melted state is referred to as the full melt threshold (FMT).

[0007] If the amorphous silicon is deposited directly on a glass substrate, the substrate may be structurally damaged by the high temperature of the liquid silicon in the full melt state. In the case of glass, diffusion of alkali or boron from the glass into the liquid silicon or other harmful diffusion or structural effects may result from the proximity heating of the glass substrate. Clearly low temperature materials such as plastic would be harmed by such a thermal process.

[0008] Consequently, a thermal barrier layer or film to isolate the heat affected layer from the substrate is advantageous. Silica is often utilized for this purpose when the substrate is glass. However the thermal conductivity of Silica are poorly matched to glass or plastic substrates and it is known that standard sputtered or CVD deposited silica results in a poor barrier for water or oxygen, and is only a marginal barrier for alkali ions and boron.

[0009] Therefore, there is a general need for a vacuum thin film, thermal barrier layer material and process demonstrating lower thermal conductivity and improved electrical and barrier properties.

SUMMARY

[0010] In accordance with the present invention, a thermal barrier layer composed of zirconia or an allow of zirconia is presented. An advantageous layer might be composed of zirconia or an alloy of zirconia with silica having improved thermal and barrier properties.

[0011] In some embodiments, such a zirconia layer might be deposited with a fraction of it's zirconia in a metallic state. Such a fraction, particularly if it were very low and at the silicon interface, would act to nucleate crystalline grains of silicon during the recrystallization phase of excimer laser melting due to the formation of point defects of zirconium silicide or other nucleating compound or formation.

[0012] In some embodiments, a smooth, amorphous thermal barrier layer composed of zirconium oxide or zirconia or an alloy of zirconia is presented. An advantageous layer might be composed of zirconia or an alloy of zirconia with silica or other compound having improved properties such as thermal resistivity or thermal capacity. In accordance with the present invention, such a zirconium layer can be deposited as a dense, amorphous layer having high dielectric breakdown due to the lack of defects or grain boundaries by a biased PVD process.

[0013] These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to the following figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0014]
FIG. 1 illustrates the thermal resistivity of various refractory metals and carbide compounds.

[0015]
FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a PVD reactor for depositing thermal barrier layers according to the present invention.

[0016]
FIG. 3 illustrates a thermal barrier layer in accordance with the present invention.

[0017]
FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of a thermal barrier layer arrangement according to the present invention.

[0018]
FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of a thermal barrier layer arrangement according to the present invention.

[0019]
FIG. 6 illustrates thermal barrier properties of zirconia layers formed according to the present invention.

[0020]
FIG. 7 illustrates gate dielectric properties of zirconia layers formed according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021]
FIG. 1 shows the thermal resistivity of several refractory metal and carbide compounds. See, e.g., W. D. KINGERY, INTRODUCTION TO CERAMICS, J. WILEY, 627 (second ed., 1976). As is clearly demonstrated in FIG. 1, stabilized zirconia provides a very high resistivity to heat flow at lower temperatures. In particular, at the melting temperature of ammorphous silicon (about 1200 K), stabilized Zironia (ZrO2) has a much higher thermal resistivity than other oxide materials, including MgSiO4, ThO2, TiO2, Mullite, Al2O3, MgO, SiC or BeO.

[0022] In accordance with the present invention, an amorphous, zirconia thermal barrier layer can be deposited. In addition to providing high thermal resistivity, in some embodiments such a layer can further exhibit selective barrier properties such that oxygen or another gas is permeable but other gasious or liquid materials are not. An example is that oxygen can be conducted through a zirconia layer by an ionic mechanism which can be accelerated by an electric field or by high temperature. However, other gasses or water are not conducted through zirconia.

[0023] In some embodiments, such a layer of zirconia would act as a thermal barrier layer, protecting the underlying substrate from high temperature processes such as laser recrystallization of silicon. In such cases, the silicon layer is temporarily a liquid layer and the substrate material, which is typically a low temperature material such as a glass or plastic material, is easily damaged or impurities are diffused from the low temperature material into the silicon layer, damaging the silicon layer. The thermal layer of zirconia provides both chemical barrier and thermal barrier properties.

[0024] In some embodiments, the zirconia layer can also act as a gate oxide after thermal process of an adjacent layer, either above or below. Such a high K or high-dielectric gate oxide can be useful in various aspects of semiconductor device manufacture.

[0025] In some embodiments, a zirconia layer can be deposited with a fraction of it's zirconia in a metallic state. Such a fraction of mettalic zirconia, particularly if it's concentration were very low, would act to form a compound between the metallic zirconia and a silicon layer, for example. Such a zirconia layer would be advantageous to nucleate crystalline grains of silicon during the recrystallization phase of xcimer laser melting due to the formation of point defects of zirconium silicide or other nucleating compound or entity.

[0026] Reactive DC magnetron sputtering of nitrides and carbides is a widely practiced technique, but the reactive dc magnetron sputtering of nonconducting oxides is done rarely. Films such as aluminum oxide are almost impossible to deposit by conventional reactive DC magnetron sputtering due to rapid formation of insulating oxide layers on the target surface. The insulating surfaces charges up and result in arcing during process. This arcing can damage the power supply, produce particles and degrade the properties of deposited oxide films.

[0027] RF sputtering of oxide films is discussed in application Ser. No. 09/903,050 (the '050 application), filed on Jul. 10, 2001, by Demaray et al., entitled “Planar Optical Devices and Methods for Their Manufacture,” assigned to the same assignee as is the present invention, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Further, targets that can be utilized in a reactor according to the present invention are discussed in U.S. application Ser. No. 10/101,341, filed on Mar. 16, 2002, assigned to the same assignee as is the present invention, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Method of depositing oxides is further discussed in U.S. application Ser. No. 10/101,863, filed on Mar. 16, 2002, assigned to the same assignee as is the present application, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0028]
FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a reactor apparatus 10 for sputtering of material from a target 12 according to the present invention. In some embodiments, apparatus 10 may, for example, be adapted from an AKT-1600 PVD (400×500 mm substrate size) system from Applied Komatsu or an AKT-4300 (600×720 mm substrate size) system from Applied Komatsu, Santa Clara, Calif. The AKT-1600 reactor, for example, has three or four deposition chambers connected by a vacuum transport chamber. These AKT PVD reactors can be modified such that pulsed DC power is supplied to the target and RF power is supplied to the substrate during deposition of a material film.

[0029] Apparatus 10 includes a target 12 which is electrically coupled through a filter 15 to a pulsed DC power supply 14. In some embodiments, target 12 is a wide area sputter source target, which provides material to be deposited on substrate 16. Substrate 16 is positioned parallel to and opposite target 12. Target 12 functions as a cathode when power is applied to it and is equivalently termed a cathode. Application of power to target 12 creates a plasma 53. Substrate 16 is capacitively coupled to an electrode 17 through an insulator 54. Electrode 17 can be coupled to an RF power supply 18. Magnet 20 is scanned across the top of target 12.

[0030] For pulsed reactive dc magnetron sputtering, as performed by apparatus 10, the polarity of the power supplied to target 12 by power supply 14 oscillates between negative and positive potentials. During the positive period, the insulating layer on the surface of target 12 is discharged and arcing is prevented. To obtain arc free deposition, the pulsing frequency exceeds a critical frequency that depend on target material, cathode current and reverse time. High quality oxide films can be made using reactive pulse DC magnetron sputtering in apparatus 10.

[0031] Pulsed DC power supply 14 can be any pulsed DC power supply, for example an AE Pinnacle plus 10K by Advanced Energy, Inc. With this example supply, up to 10 kW of pulsed DC power can be supplied at a frequency of between 0 and 350 KHz. The reverse voltage is 10% of the negative target voltage. Utilization of other power supplies will lead to different power characteristics, frequency characteristics and reverse voltage percentages. The reverse time on this embodiment of power supply 14 can be adjusted between 0 and 5 μs.

[0032] Filter 15 prevents the bias power from power supply 18 from coupling into pulsed DC power supply 14. In some embodiments, power supply 18 is a 2 MHz RF power supply, for example can be a Nova-25 power supply made by ENI, Colorado Springs, Co.

[0033] Therefore, filter 15 is a 2 MHz band rejection filter. In some embodiments, the band-width of the filter can be approximately 100 kHz. Filter 15, therefore, prevents the 2 MHz power from the bias to substrate 16 from damaging power supply 18.

[0034] However, both RF and pulsed DC deposited films are not fully dense and most likely have columnar structures. These columnar structures are detrimental for optical wave guide applications due to the scattering loss caused by the structure. By applying a RF bias on wafer 16 during deposition, the deposited film can be dandified by energetic ion bombardment and the columnar structure can be substantially eliminated.

[0035] In the AKT-1600 based system, for example, target 12 can have an active size of about 675.70×582.48 by 4 mm in order to deposit films on substrate 16 that have dimension about 400×500 mm. The temperature of substrate 16 can be held at between −50C and 500C. The distance between target 12 and substrate 16 can be between about 3 and about 9 cm. Process gas can be inserted into the chamber of apparatus 10 at a rate up to about 200 sccm while the pressure in the chamber of apparatus 10 can be held at between about 0.7 and 6 millitorr. Magnet 20 provides a magnetic field of strength between about 400 and about 600 Gauss directed in the plane of target 12 and is moved across target 12 at a rate of less than about 20-30 sec/scan. In some embodiments utilizing the AKT 1600 reactor, magnet 20 can be a race-track shaped magnet with dimension about 150 mm by 600 mm.

[0036]
FIG. 3 shows a thermal barrier layer according to the present invention. A thermal barrier layer 302 deposited on a substrate 301. Substrate 301 shown in FIG. 3 can be, for example, glass. A SiO2 layer 303 is deposited on thermal barrier layer 302. In some cases a doped silicon layer 304 can be deposited over SiO2 layer 304 and a second zirconia layer 305 is deposited over SiO2 layer 304. In some embodiments, layer 302 can be about 2000 Angstroms, layer 303 can be about 300 Angstroms, layer 304 can be about 500 Angstroms, and layer 305 can be about 1000 Angstroms. A layer structure such as that shown in FIG. 3 is applicable to high-performance LTPS displays. Due to the high thermal resistivity of zirconia layer 302, layers 303 and 304 can be heated longer and cool slower, resulting in larger grain-growth, reduced surface roughness, and reduced ELC energy fluence. Additionally, due to the addition of layer 305 a de-gass step can be eliminated, a dense film with uniform thickness can be produced, and doping can be better controlled.

[0037] In some embodiments only the lower layer of zirconia, layer 302, is applied and silicon layer 304 is recrystallized by direct absorption of laser light. In a second embodiment, upper zirconia layer 305 can be deposited and the silicon is heated by absorption and conduction of a pre-selected thickness of zirconia, for example about 1000 Angstroms. In either case the recrystallization can be carried out either before or after patterning of the silicon.

[0038]
FIG. 3 shows the inclusion of at least one layer of silicon dioxide, layer 303. As an under layer to the silicon, silica layer 303 acts as a lower dielectric where a transistor can subsequently be formed. By inclusion in the thermal barrier sandwich, silica layer 303 is annealed so that the gate region leakage is reduced. The zirconia thermal barrier layer 305 is annealed during the recrystallization of the amorphous silicon and can act as the gate for a formed transistor.

[0039]
FIG. 4 shows another film stack 400 according to the present invention. Film stack 400 includes a zirconia layer 402 and an amorphous silicon layer 403 deposted over a glass substrate 401. In some embodiments, stack 400 further includes a second zirconia layer 404 deposited over the amorphous silicon layer 403. As shown in FIG. 4, zirconia layers 402 and 403 can be about 1000 Angstroms thick while amorphous silicon layer 403 can be about 500 Angstroms thick. One skilled in the art will recognize that the layer thicknesses given here are for example only and a wide range of layer thicknesses can be utilized.

[0040] In stack 400, the thermal barrier zirconia layer 402 can also be utilized as a dielectric layer. In some embodiments, stack 400 can further include a catalyst layer, such as nickel for example, deposited between lower zirconia layer 402 and amorphous silicon layer 403 to form polysilicon by means of a low temperature solid phase recrystallization process.

[0041] Embodiments of stack 400 shown in FIG. 4 can be utilized to form low-cost LTPS FPDs. Lower threshold voltages and higher performing TFTs can be obtained utilizing the thinner zirconia layer 404. Further, impurities concentrations and crystallization of amorphous polysilicon layer 403 can be better controlled resulting in more efficient devices.

[0042]
FIG. 5 shows another film stack 500 according to the present invention. In film stack 500, a plastic substrate 501 is utilized. Further, a barrier film 502 is placed on the plastic substrate. A zirconia thermal barrier layer 503 is deposited over the barrier film 502. A SiO2 layer 504 and doped Si layer 505 are then deposited over thermal layer 503. In some embodiments, a second zirconia layer 506 can be deposited over layers 504 and 505.

[0043] In some embodiments, barrier film 502 can be an amorphous alumina silicate film deposited as disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 10/101,863, incorporated into this disclosure by reference above, or U.S. application Ser. No. 09/903,050, also incorporated into this disclosure by reference above.

[0044] Layer stack 500 as shown in FIG. 5 can enable low-cost, light rugged LCDs. High efficiency, resulting in lower threshold voltages, can be controlled by thinner barrier layer 506 and lower impurity levels by using layer 503. Additionally, low cost plastic can be utilized in formation.

[0045] As illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, zirconia layers of about 1000 to about 2000 Angstroms can be utilized.

[0046]
FIG. 6 shows the liquid lifetime in nanoseconds due to the excimer laser crystallization (ELC) of a 500 Ang. thick amorphous silicon (α-si) layer on a silica layer 2000 Ang. thick and also on a 2000 Ang. Thick layer of zirconia as a function of the laser power in units of milli Jouls per centimeter squared.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 6, where the α-Si is formed on the silica layer, a laser power of about 325 mJ/cm2 is required to achieve α-Si full melt threshold. However, where the α-Si is formed on the zirconia layer, a laser power of only about 200 mJ/cm2 is required to achieve the α-Si melt threshold. Therefore, presence of the thermal barrier layer reduced the power requirement for the ELC of the α-Si. At ELC power below the FMT of the α-Si formed on the silica layer, the α-Si formed on the zirconia demonstrates a prolonged melt duration, and lower cooling rate which results in larger c-Si grains and higher mobility. Due to the prolonged melt duration and lower cooling rates, surface roughness is reduced and lower temperature substrates such as plastics can also be utilized.

[0048]
FIG. 7 shows the CV curve for stabilized zirconia layer according to the present invention. It demonstrates a lower Dit or interface traps than a sputtered silica layer (e.g., 1011/cm2ev for zirconia versus 1012/cm2ev for sputtered silica), a flat band of −4 Volts, and a higher K value (about 8 to 25) for a lower deposition temperature (70° C.), suitable for use as a gate oxide. Sputtered silica demonstrated a dielectric constant K of 4 at a deposition temperature of about 280° C.

[0049] Table I shows the level of impurities of an as deposited α-Si layer according to the present invention. About 2500 Angstroms of Silicon film was deposited on a zirconia layer deposited according to the present invention. In addition to the low impurity levels displayed, very high thickness non-uniformity can be achieved. In one test, only about a ±2.28% thickness non-uniformity on a 500 Angstrom film was demonstrated.

[0050] Table 2 shows as deposited properties of sputtered α-Si and silicon dioxide layers deposited according to the present application. Impurity levels and the various layers of films deposited on thermal barrier layers according to the present invention are shown.

[0051] In accordance with the present invention, a zirconia thermal barrier layer is deposited over a substrate. Other layers, such as for example those of silicon dioxide and amorphous silicon, can then be deposited over the zirconia thermal barrier layer.

[0052] A Zirconia thermal barrier layer is formed by forming a ceramic target of zirconia or a metallic target of substantially zirconia metal. U.S. application Ser. No. 09/903,050 discusses ceramic target formation according to the present invention while U.S. application Ser. No. 10/101,341 discussed formation of metallic targets. In general, one or more constituent of zirconia or zirconia metal and desired impurity compounds are mixed, for example by mixing in a ball mill and the mixture is isostatically pressed or hipped to form the target. The target is utilized in a deposition chamber such as that shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Processes for depositing materials in that chamber is further described in U.S. application Ser. Nos. 10/101,863 and 09/903,053. Each of U.S. application Ser. Nos. 10/101,341, 10/101,863, and 09/903,053 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0053] Additionally, Zirconia thermal layers are further discussed in U.S. Provisional application serial No. 60/337,938, filed on Nov. 9, 2001, and from which this disclosure claims priority, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0054] Specific examples of depositions according to the present invention are described below.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

Deposition of a Stabilized Zirconia Layer

[0055] In one embodiment a ceramic stabilized zirconia sputter target is fabricated. Zirconia powder is mixed with yttria powder to form about an 8 to about a 12% yttria powder mix. The Zirconia powder and yttria powder are mixed in a ball mill and isostatically pressed to form the target. The isostatic pressing is performed at a temperature below about 1000° C. and a pressure of above about 28 Kpsi. During degassing in vacuum at about 50° C., the target material turns a black, glassy material. The deposition can be performed according to processes discussed in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/903,050, for example, by RF reactive deposition. The deposition process parameters can be as follows between about 4 and about 6 kW of 13.56 MHz RF power on the target cathode, at about 3 to about 6 mTorr of system pressure, with a bias power of about 200 to about 600 Watts at about 2 MHz. Process gas flows can be about 60 to about 80 sccm O2 and about 40 to about 20, respecitively, sccms of Argon. A resulting 2000 Angstrom film is fully stoichiometric cubic stabilized zirconia having a smooth amorphous consistency and a surface roughness of about 2 to about 10 Angstrom (average).

[0056] According to another embodiment, a metallurgical target can be prepared with zirconium metal and about 8 to about 12% yttria metal powder. These powders are mixed in a ball mill and hipped at about 1000° C. at a pressure of about 28 kPsi to form the target. The sputter target is sputtered with a reactive pulsed DC process as described in U.S. application Ser. No. 10/101,863. The deposition process parameters can be as follows between about 4 and about 8 kW of 200 MHz pulsed DC power on the target cathode, at about 3 to about 6 mTorr of system pressure, with a bias power of about 200 to about 600 Watts at about 2 MHz. Process gas flows can be about 60 to about 80 sccm O2 and about 40 to about 20, respecitively, sccms of Argon. The resulting 2000 to 3000 Ang. zirconia film is fully stoichiometric cubic stabilized, amorphous and has a surface roughness of about 2 to about 10 Angstroms (average) and is suitable for use as a thermal barrier and gate oxide layer. Advantageously, a thicker film can be utilized for a plastic or other substrate has a lower softening point.

Example 2

Deposition of an Amorphous Silicon Layer on the Zirconia Layer

[0057] An amorphous silicon (α-Si) layer is deposited according by pulsed DC deposition from a sputter target comprised as a plurality of crystalline silicon tiles. Such a film can be deposited as described in application Ser. Nos. 10/101,863 and 09/903,050 and additionally in application Ser. No. 09/766,463, “Method of Producing Amorphous Silicon for Hard Mask and Waveguide Applications, filed on Jan. 19, 2001, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. A 500 Angstrom silicon film having the properties similar to those shown in Table 1 and Table 2 results.

Example 3

Deposition of an Adhesion/Diffusion Layer on a Plastic Substrate at Low Temperature

[0058] Deposition of a silica or aluminosilicate barrier film can be carried out, for example as described in U.S. application Ser. No. 10/101,863. Aluminum and silicon powder, in the cation ratio 92% silicon and 8% aluminum are mixed in a ball mill and HIPed at a temperature above about 600° C. at a pressure of about 20 kPsi. The resulting block is saw cut into tiles of 4 mm thickness and bonded so as to cover a water cooled titanium backing plate using indium solder. The substrate is clamped by electrostatic means to a table having both cooling means and electrical means. It is coated according to U.S. application Ser. No. 10/101,863. The resulting aluminosilicate layer provides excellent protection from the incursion of water and oxygen having an origin in the plastic substrate.

Example 4

Deposition of a Silicon Dioxide Layer

[0059] The silicon dioxide layer can be deposited by a process similar to the process of example 3, with the exception that the sputter target is formed by plasma spraying pure silicon powder onto the titanium backing plate.

[0060] The examples of the invention provided above are intended to be examples only and are not intended to be limiting. One skilled in the art will recognize various modifications that can be made in the invention. These modifications are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the invention. As such, the invention is limited only by the following claims.

1TABLE IAs-dep m-SiH<0.1%Ar<0.1%O3.E+18N2.E+17C2.E+18B2.E+16P2.E+15Na1.E+15K1.E+16Li1.E+14In2.E+13Al1.E+16NiND < 3E+15CuND < 2E+15Ti2.E+18

[0061]

2

TABLE II

Feature
Specifications
Measured By

Si
As-deposited order
2 modes
Between 200 and 600 cm−1
Raman

< 470 cm−1
T0 peak position

Very low impurity levels
< 1 × 1015 cm−3
Na, K (each)
SIMS

< 5 × 1016 cm−3
B, P (each)

< 5 × 1017 cm−3
Al, Ni, Cu (each)

< 5 × 1018 cm−3
N, O, C (each)

Low gas content
< 1 at −%
H
FTIR

< 1 at −%
Ar
SIMS

Uniform film thickness
< +/− 5%
Measured at 25 points with 10
Ellipsometry

mm edge exclusion

Smooth film surface
<5 Å Ra
As-deposited
AFM

(5 μm × 5 μm area)
<50 Å Rmax
Note: stack up with undercoat

Doping
<5 × 1016 cm−3
Intrinsic, n or p
SIMS

Boron or Phosphorus

Thickness
500 Å

Ellipsometry

SiO2

Good barrier property
< 1 × 1015 cm−3
Na in Si film after 2 hours at
SIMS

500° C. (silicon on dielectric on

Corning 1737 F unannealed)

Very low impurity levels
< 1 × 1015 cm−3
Na, K (each)
SIMS

< 5 × 1016 cm−3
B, P (each)

< 5 × 1017 cm−3
Al, Ni, Cu (each)

Low gas content
< 1 at −%
Ar
SIMS

Uniform film thickness
< +/− 10%
Measured at 25 points with 10
Ellipsometry

mm edge exclusion

Film thickness
3000 Å

Ellipsometry

Low temperature zirconia based thermal barrier layer by PVD

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