Claims
- 1. A system for forming a chemically reacted layer proximate an exposed surface of at least one substrate, comprising:
(a) at least one gas supply that provides a chemically reactive molecular gas to at least one ion source, wherein the at least one ion source generates at least one divergent ion current directed at at least one target, the ion current contains at least one species of chemically reactive molecular ion, and the at least one target is disposed in a chamber having a partial vacuum in the range of 10−2 to 10−5 Torr; (b) a voltage source that applies a bias to the at least one target with respect to ground such that chemically reactive molecular ions from the at least one ion source are accelerated toward the at least one target with sufficient kinetic energy to dissociate at least some of the chemically reactive molecular ions by collision with a surface of the at least one target to form a population of neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals at least some of which scatter away from the surface of the at least one target and into the chamber; and (c) at least one substrate in the chamber, wherein at least a portion of said population of neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals is intercepted at an exposed surface of the at least one substrate, and wherein the neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals intercepted at the exposed surface of the at least one substrate have a kinetic energy that is a function of a value of the bias; wherein the chemically reacted layer corresponds to a product of at least one chemical reaction of the neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals intercepted at the exposed surface of the at least one substrate with other atoms proximate the exposed surface of the at least one substrate.
- 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the chemically reacted layer is formed without bombarding the exposed surface of the at least one substrate with ions.
- 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a controller that varies the value of the bias applied to the at least one target, and thereby varies the kinetic energy of the neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals intercepted at the exposed surface of the at least one substrate.
- 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the controller can continuously vary the kinetic energy over a range of values.
- 5. The system of claim 4, wherein an upper end of the range is equal to or greater than 30 eV.
- 6. The system of claim 2, further comprising a controller that varies an angle of the exposed surface of the at least one substrate such that an arrival angle of the neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals intercepted at the exposed surface of the at least one substrate varies.
- 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller varies the arrival angle of the neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals intercepted at the exposed surface of the at least one substrate from a substantially normal angle of incidence to a substantially grazing angle of incidence.
- 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the chemically reactive molecular ions accelerated toward the at least one target cause atoms from the surface of the at least one target to be sputtered away from the target.
- 9. The system of claim 8, wherein a portion of the atoms sputtered from the surface of the at least one target collect upon the exposed surface of the at least one substrate with the neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals intercepted at the exposed surface of the at least one substrate.
- 10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a thin film formed on the exposed surface of the at least one substrate, wherein the thin film includes a chemical compound or alloy resulting from reaction of the atoms sputtered from the surface of the at least one target with the neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals intercepted at the exposed surface of the at least one substrate.
- 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one gas supply provides an inert gas to the at least one ion source, and a portion of the ion current generated by the at least one ion source includes ions of the inert gas.
- 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one target comprises first and second targets, and the first target is biased with a different voltage amplitude than the second target.
- 13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a controller that independently varies the biases applied to the first and second targets.
- 14. The system of claim 12, wherein a base material of the first target is the same as a base material of the second target.
- 15. The system of claim 12, wherein a base material of the first target is different from a base material of the second target.
- 16. The system of claim 12, wherein an amount of material sputtered from the first target is different from an amount of material sputtered from the second target.
- 17. The system of claim 12,
wherein chemically reactive molecular ions accelerated toward the first target cause atoms from the surface of the first target to be sputtered away from the first target, and chemically reactive molecular ions accelerated toward the second target cause atoms from the surface of the second target to be sputtered away from the second target; wherein portions of the atoms sputtered from the surfaces of the first and second targets collect upon the exposed surface of the at least one substrate with neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals scattered from the first and second targets and intercepted at the exposed surface of the at least one substrate; and wherein a thin film is formed on the exposed surface of the at least one substrate, the thin film includes a chemical compound or alloy resulting from reaction of the atoms sputtered from the surfaces of the first and second targets with the neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals scattered from the first and second targets and intercepted at the exposed surface of the at least one substrate.
- 18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a controller that controls properties of the thin film by controlling arrival rates at the exposed surface of the at least one substrate of the atoms sputtered from the surfaces of the first and second targets and the neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals scattered from the first and second targets.
- 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one ion source includes a first ion source that generates a first divergent ion current directed predominately at the first target and a second ion source that generates a second divergent ion current directed predominately at the second target.
- 20. The system of claim 19, wherein a base material of the first target is the same as a base material of the second target.
- 21. The system of claim 19, wherein a base material of the first target is different from a base material of the second target.
- 22. The system of claim 19, wherein an amount of material sputtered from the first target is different from an amount of material sputtered from the second target.
- 23. The system of claim 19, wherein the first divergent ion current includes a first species of ions that is different from a second species of ions in the second divergent ion current.
- 24. The system of claim 23, wherein the first species comprises inert gas ions and the second species comprises reactive molecular gas ions.
- 25. The system of claim 23, wherein the first and second species respectively comprise first and second species of reactive molecular gas ions.
- 26. The system of claim 23, further comprising a controller that independently controls a quantity of the first species of ions directed at the first target and a quantity of the second species of ions directed at the second target.
- 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the controller independently controls a first magnitude of flux of neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals scattered from the first target and a second magnitude of flux of neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals scattered from the second target.
- 28. The system of claim 27, wherein a chemical composition of the thin film depends at least in part on a ratio of the first magnitude to the second magnitude, and wherein the controller varies the ratio over time such that the chemical composition of the thin film formed on the exposed surface of the at least one substrate varies within a thickness of the thin film.
- 29. The system of claim 28, wherein the chemical composition of the thin film formed on the exposed surface of the at least one substrate varies linearly within the thickness of the thin film.
- 30. The system of claim 28, wherein the chemical composition of the thin film formed on the exposed surface of the at least one substrate varies in a sinusoidal fashion within the thickness of the thin film.
- 31. The system of claim 28, wherein the chemical composition of the thin film formed on the exposed surface of the at least one substrate varies in a parabolic fashion within the thickness of the thin film.
- 32. The system of claim 28, wherein the chemical composition of the thin film formed on the exposed surface of the at least one substrate varies in as a step function within the thickness of the thin film.
- 33. The system of claim 1, further comprising an electron source disposed in the chamber, wherein the electron source provides electrons that neutralize accumulated ion-charge build-up on the at least one target.
- 34. The system of claim 3, wherein the bias applied to the at least one target corresponds to a pulsed DC voltage signal.
- 35. The system of claim 34, wherein the pulse DC voltage pulse signal is a bi-polar DC voltage pulse signal.
- 36. The system of claim 35, wherein the bi-polar DC voltage pulse signal is an asymmetric bi-polar DC voltage pulse signal.
- 37. The system of claim 34, wherein the controller varies a flux of the neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals scattered from the surface of the at least one target by varying a width, amplitude or frequency of negative pulses in the DC voltage pulse signal.
- 38. The system of claim 1, wherein a chemically-reacted layer is disposed proximate the surface of the at least one target.
- 39. The system of claim 38, wherein the chemically-reacted layer disposed proximate the surface of the at least one target comprises an electrical insulator.
- 40. A method for forming a chemically reacted layer proximate an exposed surface of at least one substrate, comprising:
(a) providing a chemically reactive molecular gas to at least one ion source; (b) generating, with the at least one ion source, at least one divergent ion current directed at at least one target, wherein the ion current contains at least one species of chemically reactive molecular ion, and the at least one target is disposed in a chamber having a partial vacuum in the range of 10−2 to 10−5 Torr; (c) applying a bias to the at least one target with respect to ground such that chemically reactive molecular ions from the at least one ion source are accelerated toward the at least one target with sufficient kinetic energy to dissociate at least some of the chemically reactive molecular ions by collision with a surface of the at least one target to form a population of neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals at least some of which scatter away from the surface of the at least one target and into the chamber; and (d) intercepting, with at least one substrate in the chamber, at least a portion of said population of neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals at an exposed surface of the at least one substrate, wherein the neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals intercepted at the exposed surface of the at least one substrate have a kinetic energy that is a function of a value of the bias; wherein the chemically reacted layer corresponds to a product of at least one chemical reaction of the neutral chemically reactive molecular fragments, atoms or radicals intercepted at the exposed surface of the at least one substrate with other atoms proximate the exposed surface of the at least one substrate.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/137,897, filed May 2, 2002, entitled “System and Method for Performing Sputter Deposition With Multiple Targets Using Independent Ion and Electron Sources and Target Biasing with DC Pulse Signals” (incorporated herein by reference), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,904, filed Mar. 16, 2001, entitled “System and Method for Performing Sputter Deposition Using Independent Ion and Electron Current Sources and a Target Biased with an A-Symmetric Bi-Polar DC Pulse Signal” (incorporated herein by reference).
Continuation in Parts (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10137897 |
May 2002 |
US |
Child |
10200578 |
Jul 2002 |
US |
Parent |
09810687 |
Mar 2001 |
US |
Child |
10137897 |
May 2002 |
US |