US3765937A - Method of making thin film devices - Google Patents

Method of making thin film devices Download PDF

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Publication number
US3765937A
US3765937A US00087462A US3765937DA US3765937A US 3765937 A US3765937 A US 3765937A US 00087462 A US00087462 A US 00087462A US 3765937D A US3765937D A US 3765937DA US 3765937 A US3765937 A US 3765937A
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Prior art keywords
contact
circuit
film
substrates
bevelled surfaces
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Expired - Lifetime
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US00087462A
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English (en)
Inventor
J Hudnall
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AT&T Corp
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Western Electric Co Inc
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Assigned to AT & T TECHNOLOGIES, INC., reassignment AT & T TECHNOLOGIES, INC., CHANGE OF NAME (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). EFFECTIVE JAN. 3,1984 Assignors: WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01C—RESISTORS
    • H01C17/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing resistors
    • H01C17/06—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing resistors adapted for coating resistive material on a base
    • H01C17/075—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing resistors adapted for coating resistive material on a base by thin film techniques
    • H01C17/12—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing resistors adapted for coating resistive material on a base by thin film techniques by sputtering
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01C—RESISTORS
    • H01C17/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing resistors
    • H01C17/28—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing resistors adapted for applying terminals
    • H01C17/288—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing resistors adapted for applying terminals by thin film techniques

Definitions

  • a thin film device includes a substantially flat ceramic substrate having bevelled surfaces formed in opposite corners of a major flat surface at one end thereof.
  • Tantalum nitride is sputtered simultaneously onto the major flat surface and the bevelled surfaces to form a resistive film thereon. Thereafter a contact material is directed, in an evaporation process, onto an end edge surface of the ceramic substrate which is adjacent to the bevelled surfaces. The contact material is thereby deposited simultaneously onto the end edge surface and the bevelled surfaces having portions of the tantalum nitride film thereon. The contact material which was deposited onto the end edge surface of the substrate is removed so that the contact material remains only on the bevelled surface in overlapping engagement with underlying portions of the tantalum nitride film. This provides thin film device having contact areas in electrical connection with the tantalum nitride film to provide connection of the film with external circuits.
  • Thin film devices are manufactured by using various techniques, such as sputtering, evaporation, electrodeposition and the like. Generally, such techniques require masking and etching to form an ultimate product. For example, in the manufacture of thin film resisotrs using tantalum nitride as the resistive material, the tantalum nitride is sputtered as a film onto a major flat surface of a ceramic substrate. In order to provide electrical connection with the film, multiple layers of different contact materials must then be placed over selected spaced portions of the tantalum nitride film. Generally, the different contact materials can be placed on the tantalum nitride film in several different ways.
  • the different contact materials can be evaporated onto the entire exposed surface of the tantalum nitride and then, through a masking and etching technique, the unwanted portions of the contact materials are removed so that only those areas of contact material remain which are necessary to facilitate external connection of the resistive film with other circuits.
  • Another method of placing the different contact materials on the desired areas on the tantalum nitride film involves the masking of portions of the tantalum nitride film to cover those areas which are not to be ultimately covered by the different contact materials, and thereafter evaporating the contact materials onto the exposed areas of the tantalum nitride film. Since the mask is adjacent to the exposed areas of the tantalum nitride film, some of the contact materials will deposit on the mask. In a process such as this, the different contact materials which are deposited on the mask must be removed. In addition, the masking step must be utilized just as it is utilized in the process where the unwanted contact material is etched away.
  • Another object of this invention is to provide new and improved thin film devices having structure which facilitates new and improved methods of making the devices to reduce the number of steps required and the amount of contact material utilized.
  • Still another object of this invention is the provision of new and improved thin film devices having contact areas which lie in a plane which intersects the plane supporting a circuit on the devices to facilitate new and improved methods of manufacturing the devices with relatively fewer steps and less contact material than previously required.
  • a thin film device illustrating certain principles of the invention may include a substrate having contiguous, multiple material-receiving surfaces which lie in at least two different planes which intersect at an acute angle where the surfaces diverge with a circuit-element film being supported on at least portions of the surfaces of the two different planes and conducting-material film overlapping portions of the circuit-element film in portions of at least one surface in one of the planes.
  • a method illustrating certain principles of the invention may include the steps of depositing simultaneously circuit-element film onto exposed areas of a substrate, which includes contiguous surfaces lying in at least two planes which intersect at an acute angle where the surfaces diverge, and thereafter depositing a contact material onto portions of at least one surface lying in one of the planes to provide connecting facilities between the circuit-element film and external circuits.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a substrate showing bevelled surfaces contiguous with a major flat surface of the substrate;
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the depositing of a film of a resistive material onto the flat and bevelled surfaces of the substrate illustrated in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a film of the deposited resistive material on the flat surface and the bevelled surfaces of the substrate illustrated in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the depositing of a film of a contact material onto the area of one end of the substrate which includes the bevelled surfaces illustrated in FIG. ll;
  • FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a film of the contact material on the one end of the substrate and also in overlapping engagement with the resistive film on the bevelled surfaces of the substrate;
  • FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a completed thin film device in accordance with certain principles of the invention.
  • FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a stack of the substrates subsequent to the depositing of the resistive film thereon wherein contact material is being deposited thereon in accordance with certain principles of the invention
  • FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the stacked substrates with a film of the contact material deposited on the end and the bevelled surfaces thereof, and
  • FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the stacked substrates with the contact material removed from the ends of the substrates.
  • the resistive film is altered in some way, such as by anodizing or selective removal, to establish a precise and desired resistance value of the thin film resistor.
  • terminating means are attached to the contact areas to facilitate connection to external circuits. It is noted that the attachment of the terminating means could be accomplished prior to the resistance value adjustment procedure. If the device is a thin film device of the type which includes various passive and active electrical elements, the terminating means must still be attached to the contact areas which are deposited in engagement with portions of the circuit-displayed on the device to facilitate connection of the thin film circuits with external circuits.
  • a ceramic substrate designated generally by the numeral 16, which includes at least one major flat surface 17 and bevelled surfaces 18 and 19 formed in the major flat surface at one end thereof along an end edge surface 21.
  • the forming of the bevelled surfaces 18 and 19 in the substrate 16 is accomplished in such away that the bevelled surfaces are contiguous with the major flat surface 17 and the end edge surface 21.
  • Through-hole openings 22 and 23 are formed in the bevelled surfaces 18 and 19, respectively.
  • the substrate 16 is formed in such a manner that the major flat surface 17 lies in a first plane while the bevelled surfaces 18 and 19 lie in a second plane which intersects the first plane, with the intersecting planes forming an acute angle where the bevelled surfaces diverge from the, major flat surface.
  • the end edge surface 21 lies in a third plane which intersects both the first and second planes. The intersection of the second and third planes forms an acute angle where the bevelled surfaces 18 and 19 diverge from the end edge surface 21.
  • bevelled surfaces 18 and 19 could lie in two different planes, each of which intersect the first and third planes of the fiat surface 17 and the edge surface 21, respectively, and which would fall within the above definition of the second plane without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
  • the substrate 16 is positioned in such a manner that tantalum nitride is sputtered by a conventional process onto the major flat surface-17 and the bevelled surfaces 18 and 19.
  • a tantalum nitride resistive film 24 is deposited onto the major flat surface 17 (FIG. 1) of'the substrate 16 with portions 26 and 27 of the tantalum nitride film being deposited onto the bevelled surfaces 18 and 19. It is noted that the tantalum nitride film 24 and the portions 26 and 27 are joined togther to form an integral tantalum nitride resistive film.
  • FIGS. 2 and 3 the positioning of the substrate 16, as illustrated in FIG. 2, permits the simultaneous sputtering of the tantalum nitride onto the major flat surface 17 and the bevelled surfaces 18 and 19, which lie in separate intersecting planes.
  • the substrate 16 is positioned so that a contact material can be evaporated onto the end edge surface 21 of the substrate and also onto the portions 26 and 27 of the tantalum nitride film 24 which are deposited on the bevelled surfaces 18 and 19 (FIGS. 1 and 2).
  • the evaporation process results in a contact material film 28 being deposited onto the end edge surface 21 (FIGS. 1 through 4) with portions 29 and 31 of the film being deposited in overlapping engagement with the underlying tively, of the film 24.
  • the next film layer could be composed of a contact material such as titanium which provides adherence between the first and third film layers.
  • the third film layer could be a contact material such as gold, copper or other suitable materials.
  • the second and third film layers would be applied to the substrate in the same manner as that described with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5.
  • FIG. 6 there is illustrated a completed thin film device, such as a thin film resistor, designated generally by the numeral 32.
  • the portion of the contact material film 28, which is deposited onto the end edge surface 21, is removed by conventional techniques, such as abrading.
  • the removal of the contact material from the end edge surface 21 leaves the portions 29 and 31 of the contact material in overlapping engagement with the underlying portions 26 and 27 (FIG. 3) of the tantalum nitride film 24. Since the openings 22 and 23 remain in the bevelled surfaces 18 and 19, respectively, terminating means, such as terminal pins (not shown) can be secured with or attached to the portions 29 and 31 of the contact material to provide connection between the tantalum nitride film 24 and external circuits.
  • terminating means such as terminal pins (not shown) can be secured with or attached to the portions 29 and 31 of the contact material to provide connection between the tantalum nitride film 24 and external circuits.
  • the resistance value of the thin film resistor 32 can be adjusted by known techniques, .suchas-anodization or selective film removal.
  • the end edge surface 21 of the substrate 16 could be masked to prevent the depositing of the contact material onto the surface so that only the portions 29 and 31 (FIGS. 5 and 6) would be deposited onto the portions 26 and 27 (FIG. 3) of the tantalum nitride film 24. In this manner, when the mask is removed from the end edge surface 21 of the substrate 16, the thin film resistor 32, as illustrated in FIG. 6, would be completed.
  • the portion of the major flat surface 17, which extends between the bevelled surfaces 18 and 19, could be formed in such a manner that the entire end of the major flat surface was bevelled in the plane which includes the bevelled surfaces 18 and 19.
  • a masking technique could be utilized to shield those areas which should not be covered with the contact material.
  • the bevelled surfaces 18 and 19 do not have to lie in the same plane in order to accomplish the method of making the thin film resistor 32, but the surfaces should at least lie in a plane other than the plane which includes the major flat surface 17 but in a plane which will facilitate the evaporation process, as illustrated in FIG. 4.
  • FIG. 7 there is illustrated a stack of substrates 16-16, each of which have passed individually through the sputtering operation and include the tantalum nitride film 24, and the portions 26 and 27 thereof, as illustrated in FIG. 3.
  • the substrates 16-16 are stacked in such a manner that each pair of substrates is stacked with the tantalum nitride film 24 being in interfacing engagement with the tantalum nitride film of the adjacent substrate of the pair, with the end edge surfaces 21-21 of the substrates appearing at a common end of the stack.
  • the contact material is deposited onto the end edge sudfaces 21-21 of the substrates 16-16 and the portions 26-26 and 27-27 of the film 24 of each substrate to simultaneously place the portions 29-29 and 31-31 of the contact material onto the individual substrates 16-16 in a manner similar to that illustrated in FIG. 5.
  • films 28-28 ofthe contact material cover the end edge surfaces 21-21 (FIG. 7) of the stack of substrates 16-16.
  • the portions 29-29 and 31-31 of the contact material cover the underlying portions 26 and 27 (FIG. 3), respectively, of the film 24 of each of the substrates 16-16.
  • FIG. 9 there is illustrated the stack of substrates 16-16 which have had the contact material removed from the end edge surfaces 21-21 to form a plurality of completed thin film resistors 32-32.
  • the contact material which is evaporated onto the end edge surfaces 21-21 is removed by any suitable means such as, for example, abrading.
  • a mask could be used to cover the end edge surfaces 21-21 during the evaporating process so that there would not be any contact material evaporated onto the end edge surfaces. In this manner, only the film portions 26 and 27 of each substrate would have contact material evaporated thereon.
  • multiple layers of different contact materials may be required to provide a satisfactory contact area for the thin film resistor 32.
  • Application of the multiple layers of different contact materials may be accomplished by repeating, for example, the process explained with reference to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9.
  • the structure of the substrate 16 permits the cf- 5 ficient and economical manufacture of thin film devices, such as resistors 32, when made singly as well as when made in groups.
  • a method of making a thin film device having a substrate with a major flat surface and at least one bevelled surface formed inthe major flat surface which comprises the steps of:
  • circuit-element material onto at least portions of the commonly exposed major flat surface and the bevelled surface to form a circuit-element film thereon;
  • each device includes a substrate having a major flat surface and a bevelled surface formed in the 35 major flat surface, which comprises the steps of:
  • circuit-element material onto the major flat surface and the bevelled surface of each of at least two substrates to form circuit-element films thereon;
  • a method of making a thin film device having a substrate with a major flat surface and at least two, spaced, bevelled surfaces formed in and diverging from the major flat surface along a common edge of the substrate which comprises the steps of:
  • circuit-element material onto the major flat surface and the bevelled surfaces to form a integral circuit-element film
  • each device includes a substrate having a major flat surface and at least two, spaced, bevelled surfaces formed in and diverging from the major flat surface along a common edge of the substrate, which comrises the steps of:
  • circuit-element material onto the major flat surface and the bevelled surfaces of each of at least two substrates to form circuit-element films thereon;

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Apparatuses And Processes For Manufacturing Resistors (AREA)
  • Non-Adjustable Resistors (AREA)
  • Manufacturing Of Printed Wiring (AREA)
US00087462A 1970-11-06 1970-11-06 Method of making thin film devices Expired - Lifetime US3765937A (en)

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US8746270A 1970-11-06 1970-11-06

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US3765937A true US3765937A (en) 1973-10-16

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US (1) US3765937A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
JP (1) JPS5146250B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
BE (1) BE774894A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CA (1) CA929277A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE2154794B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
FR (1) FR2113648A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB1363907A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
IT (1) IT942287B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
SE (1) SE370162B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3925572A (en) * 1972-10-12 1975-12-09 Ncr Co Multilevel conductor structure and method

Citations (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2000226A (en) * 1932-02-29 1935-05-07 Lehon Co Method of treating asphalt shingles and composition therefor
US2063268A (en) * 1933-05-15 1936-12-08 Patent & Licensing Corp Roofing unit and method of making the same
US2563936A (en) * 1948-02-06 1951-08-14 Willard Storage Battery Co Method of manufacturing battery grids
GB932210A (en) * 1959-12-12 1963-07-24 Dielektra Ag Improvements in and relating to printed circuits
US3161457A (en) * 1962-11-01 1964-12-15 Ncr Co Thermal printing units
US3322655A (en) * 1963-08-12 1967-05-30 United Aircraft Corp Method of making terminated microwafers
US3329922A (en) * 1964-05-08 1967-07-04 Allen Bradley Co Welded terminal resistor
US3345210A (en) * 1964-08-26 1967-10-03 Motorola Inc Method of applying an ohmic contact to thin film passivated resistors
US3387952A (en) * 1964-11-09 1968-06-11 Western Electric Co Multilayer thin-film coated substrate with metallic parting layer to permit selectiveequential etching
US3437888A (en) * 1966-07-01 1969-04-08 Union Carbide Corp Method of providing electrical contacts by sputtering a film of gold on a layer of sputtered molybdenum
US3469226A (en) * 1967-10-26 1969-09-23 Angstrohm Precision Inc Thin film resistor
US3591413A (en) * 1967-08-25 1971-07-06 Nippon Electric Co Resistor structure for thin film variable resistor

Patent Citations (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2000226A (en) * 1932-02-29 1935-05-07 Lehon Co Method of treating asphalt shingles and composition therefor
US2063268A (en) * 1933-05-15 1936-12-08 Patent & Licensing Corp Roofing unit and method of making the same
US2563936A (en) * 1948-02-06 1951-08-14 Willard Storage Battery Co Method of manufacturing battery grids
GB932210A (en) * 1959-12-12 1963-07-24 Dielektra Ag Improvements in and relating to printed circuits
US3161457A (en) * 1962-11-01 1964-12-15 Ncr Co Thermal printing units
US3322655A (en) * 1963-08-12 1967-05-30 United Aircraft Corp Method of making terminated microwafers
US3329922A (en) * 1964-05-08 1967-07-04 Allen Bradley Co Welded terminal resistor
US3345210A (en) * 1964-08-26 1967-10-03 Motorola Inc Method of applying an ohmic contact to thin film passivated resistors
US3387952A (en) * 1964-11-09 1968-06-11 Western Electric Co Multilayer thin-film coated substrate with metallic parting layer to permit selectiveequential etching
US3437888A (en) * 1966-07-01 1969-04-08 Union Carbide Corp Method of providing electrical contacts by sputtering a film of gold on a layer of sputtered molybdenum
US3591413A (en) * 1967-08-25 1971-07-06 Nippon Electric Co Resistor structure for thin film variable resistor
US3469226A (en) * 1967-10-26 1969-09-23 Angstrohm Precision Inc Thin film resistor

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3925572A (en) * 1972-10-12 1975-12-09 Ncr Co Multilevel conductor structure and method

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB1363907A (en) 1974-08-21
CA929277A (en) 1973-06-26
DE2154794B2 (de) 1972-10-05
JPS5146250B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1976-12-08
DE2154794A1 (de) 1972-05-25
SE370162B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1974-09-30
BE774894A (fr) 1972-03-01
FR2113648A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1972-06-23
IT942287B (it) 1973-03-20

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