WO2015134108A1 - Ensemble de dépot par pulvérisation cathodique à faisceau ionique, système de pulvérisation cathodique et procédé de pulvérisation cathodique de dépot physique en phase vapeur - Google Patents

Ensemble de dépot par pulvérisation cathodique à faisceau ionique, système de pulvérisation cathodique et procédé de pulvérisation cathodique de dépot physique en phase vapeur Download PDF

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WO2015134108A1
WO2015134108A1 PCT/US2015/000023 US2015000023W WO2015134108A1 WO 2015134108 A1 WO2015134108 A1 WO 2015134108A1 US 2015000023 W US2015000023 W US 2015000023W WO 2015134108 A1 WO2015134108 A1 WO 2015134108A1
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ion beam
ion
target
electrode
sputter
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PCT/US2015/000023
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English (en)
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Nicholas R. White
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White Nicholas R
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    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
    • C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
    • C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
    • C23C14/22—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material characterised by the process of coating
    • C23C14/34—Sputtering
    • C23C14/46—Sputtering by ion beam produced by an external ion source
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/02—Details
    • H01J37/04—Arrangements of electrodes and associated parts for generating or controlling the discharge, e.g. electron-optical arrangement, ion-optical arrangement
    • H01J37/08—Ion sources; Ion guns
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/30—Electron-beam or ion-beam tubes for localised treatment of objects
    • H01J37/317—Electron-beam or ion-beam tubes for localised treatment of objects for changing properties of the objects or for applying thin layers thereon, e.g. for ion implantation
    • H01J37/3178—Electron-beam or ion-beam tubes for localised treatment of objects for changing properties of the objects or for applying thin layers thereon, e.g. for ion implantation for applying thin layers on objects
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
    • H01J37/32009—Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources
    • H01J37/32055—Arc discharge
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
    • H01J37/32009—Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources
    • H01J37/32422—Arrangement for selecting ions or species in the plasma
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
    • H01J37/34—Gas-filled discharge tubes operating with cathodic sputtering
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
    • H01J37/34—Gas-filled discharge tubes operating with cathodic sputtering
    • H01J37/3411—Constructional aspects of the reactor
    • H01J37/3414—Targets
    • H01J37/3417—Arrangements
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
    • H01J37/34—Gas-filled discharge tubes operating with cathodic sputtering
    • H01J37/3411—Constructional aspects of the reactor
    • H01J37/3414—Targets
    • H01J37/3423—Shape
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
    • H01J37/34—Gas-filled discharge tubes operating with cathodic sputtering
    • H01J37/3411—Constructional aspects of the reactor
    • H01J37/3438—Electrodes other than cathode
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
    • H01J37/34—Gas-filled discharge tubes operating with cathodic sputtering
    • H01J37/3411—Constructional aspects of the reactor
    • H01J37/3447—Collimators, shutters, apertures
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
    • H01J37/34—Gas-filled discharge tubes operating with cathodic sputtering
    • H01J37/3488—Constructional details of particle beam apparatus not otherwise provided for, e.g. arrangement, mounting, housing, environment; special provisions for cleaning or maintenance of the apparatus

Definitions

  • the present invention is a Continuation-In-Part of PCT
  • the present invention is concerned with the deposition of thin films of diverse materials upon various kinds and types of substrates in vacuum by physical vapor deposition (PVD).
  • PVD physical vapor deposition
  • the relevant technical field today conventionally includes both ion beam sputtering deposition processes and magnetron diode sputtering deposition procedures as well-established and often used PVD methods.
  • the present invention is directed to and is primarily concerned with one particular sub-field :
  • the deposition of solid thin film layers whose measurable thickness dimension ranges from a less than 1 nm to several microns in size; and which can be deposited as a discrete layer of material in a uniform and consistent manner repeatedly; and which are condensed upon the exposed surface(s) of a solid substrate or workpiece by physical vapor
  • the shapes, compositions, and nature of the substrates and workpieces suitable for coating by PVD methods, and the intended capabilities and functions of the chosen films and coatings deposited upon the exposed surfaces of the substrates or workpieces, can vary widely.
  • Such film coatings typically range from decorative coatings on ceramic or pottery materials, to electrically conductive circuit interconnection wiring paths on the surfaces of semi-conductor chips, to wear-resistant protective coatings on cutting tools and load bearing surfaces.
  • the nature, characteristics, and properties of the coating materials used as films and overlays can vary widely in their chemical composition (such as formula and stereochemical structure); and in their physical traits (such as crystallinity and stress); and in their intrinsic properties and functional capabilities (such as electrical conductivity, magnetic properties, and toxicity).
  • the chosen thin film coating material can range from electrically conductive materials, to semi-conductive compositions, to magnetic films, to electrical insulators.
  • Paints and inks are conventionally used for applying thin films of certain compounds as spray solutions and suspensions; and vacuum roll-to-roll coatings for large sized substrates are frequently used in spray applying metal and oxide films for various products.
  • atmospheric pressure inert gas inert gas
  • Plasma spray coatings are applied by injecting a fine powder of the material to be coated into an intense plasma jet, whereby a spray of molten droplets is formed and directed, usually at atmospheric pressure - but in an inert gas atmosphere, and with a cold substrate condition, the spray of molten droplets solidifies on contact and upon impact with the cold exposed surface(s) of the substrate or workpiece.
  • depositions processes are well known and long established in the technical field. However, each of these different kinds of deposition processes relies upon the formation of a film coating on the exposed surface of a substrate or workpiece via the repetitive placement of one atom or a single molecule of matter at a time; and therefore all these different deposition processes commonly share certain operational characteristics and modes of action within overlapping areas of use and application.
  • CVD Chemical Vapor Deposition
  • CVD process instance is a thermal decomposition of a gaseous chemical precursor composition to deposit a film of the desired coating material upon a heated substrate. This can be achieved, for example, to deposit solid film carbon coatings using a preselected hydrocarbon gas as the precursor composition.
  • CVD Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition
  • ALD Atomic Layer Deposition
  • Ion or electron-beam induced deposition processes An ion or electron-beam induced thin film deposition procedure is in fact a form of CVD process which is mediated by a charged-particle beam. Ion or electron-beam induced deposition is specifically considered here because this type of process can be exploited using a finely focused ion beam (FIB).
  • FIB finely focused ion beam
  • the focused ion beam is scanned to induce film deposition using a gaseous precursor as the source of the coating material; and this ion or electron-beam induced deposition technique can be done over a very fine scale of film thicknesses as the result of the direct contact of the scanning focused ion beam upon the gaseous precursor.
  • this technique and mode of operation neither the ion nor the electron-beam induced deposition techniques is suitable for use as a large-scale process.
  • PVD Physical Vapor Deposition
  • the condensed solid film coating is built up to a desired thickness using one atom or molecule at a time - an event similar in some respects to the CVD processes and wet
  • Condensation is defined as the change of the physical state of matter from a gas phase into a liquid or solid phase; clearly here we are concerned with the solid phase as the endpoint of the process.
  • PVD processing can be performed by heating a suitable material to be vaporized in a crucible made of a more refractory material : for example, zinc may be vaporized in an electrically heated crucible in vacuum, and condense on a glass substrate placed above it to form a conductive film. If the vacuum pressure is moderately low, the zinc atoms which evaporate will collide with several molecules of residual gas, and are likely to react and form oxide, which may not be desired. But if the pressure is sufficiently low, pure zinc can be deposited as a thin film coating.
  • IAD Ion Assisted Deposition
  • IBAD Ion Beam Assisted Deposition
  • shallow-angle, low- energy ion bombardment during deposition can cause the resulting film coating to form oriented crystallites, and in various other ways also markedly affect the growth and stress of the deposited film layer.
  • the key distinguishing feature of the method and system is that the gaseous vapor of coating material particles is formed by thermal sublimation or evaporation from a heated quantity of the desired material, often in liquid form in a crucible. Different means for providing adequate quantities of heat and quantitatively containing the gaseous vapor cloud of desired coating material exist and are frequently employed.
  • one common method for vaporizing the desired coating material is simply to place the solid material in a suitable resistively heated crucible, where it may safely melt if direct sublimation does not occur.
  • a simple example of a suitable crucible is a concave 'boat' made of a sheet of tantalum through which an electric current is passed in order to heat it.
  • Tantalum has low vapor pressure and relatively low thermal conductivity, so the process is simple and the contamination risk is low.
  • ⁇ Molecular Beam Epitaxy is still another form of PVD processing which can only be properly performed under 'ultra high vacuum' conditions.
  • the term 'ultra high vacuum' (UHV) is generally understood to mean an environmental negative pressure below about 10 "7 Pa.
  • the MBE procedures thus can be regarded as a form of reactive PVD, relying on a UHV environment and heat - rather than using other means for obtaining cleanliness and bonding, and optimizing the conditions for crystallinity of the deposited solid film coating.
  • I ON I Z E D CL USTE R B EAM DE POS ITION SYSTE M S A 'cluster' is defined in this context to be a grouping of 100 to
  • the energy per atom can be quite low, but the momentum of the cluster is markedly high.
  • the total energy delivered to the surface by one cluster of atoms is sufficient to move the exterior surface atoms of the substrate; which in turn, can result in the formation of exceptionally smooth films of deposited material with this method [see for example, Takagi, Pure & Appl. Chem., Vol. 60, No. 5, pp. 781-794, 1988].
  • the cathodic arc method can be used.
  • a high current electric arc from an anode held at a suitable voltage is created is used to vaporize a coating material target.
  • the atoms so formed have high thermal energy, but may include clusters of many atoms and macroscopic particles which are undesirable for some applications; and a method of ducting the ionized atoms in the plasma through 90 degrees by means of a solenoid coil has often been used to separate them from the larger particles.
  • a method of ducting the ionized atoms in the plasma through 90 degrees by means of a solenoid coil has often been used to separate them from the larger particles.
  • U Sputter deposition processes constitute a separate and distinct class of PVD procedures in which the following sequence of events occurs: the ions emitted from an ion source or a plasma discharge apparatus bombard a solid material to be used for coating (the
  • target to cause sputtering - I.e., the stream of charged ions
  • the sputter process is the emission of atoms, molecules and ions of material from a target, caused by the impact of energetic ions, usually of another species.
  • Prior Art Fig. 2 illustrates the mechanism.
  • the mechanism of sputtering is not thermal heating and consequent vaporization; but instead is due to a collision cascade, as illustrated in Prior Art Fig. 2.
  • the incoming ion projectile displaces atoms within the solid target material; and by successive collisions, the momentum imparted to this cascade quickly becomes randomly directed, and a portion becomes directed toward the surface, where a near-surface atom or group of atoms of the coating material may be ejected by such a collision and released as a sputtered particle contained within a gaseous vapor or plume.
  • the atoms/molecules contained within a sputtered vapor plume typically have a distribution of energies which has a maximum value at several times the surface binding energy - i.e., several eV; and these atoms also have a high-energy tail, such that the mean energy value may be as much as 20eV for some atom or molecule species.
  • the plume of atoms and/or molecules has significantly greater kinetic energy than thermal values, and notably is not in thermal equilibrium.
  • H In a high vacuum environment (pressure below about 10 "2 Pa), the sputtered atoms in the plume of vapor can reach a substrate surface where most will strike with insufficient energy to penetrate; but still have more than sufficient energy to displace neighboring atoms - which in turn will cause dissociation of adsorbed gas
  • the yield of sputtered particles is generally greater when there is an approximate match between the projectile and target atomic masses. It depends on the atomic species of the projectile and of the target. The sputter yield further depends on the angle of incidence of the incoming ion. The dependence of yield on projectile energy also depends on the projectile mass: the peak yield is at a higher energy for projectiles of higher atomic mass, and is higher at higher angles of incidence. The use of argon gas is common, while krypton and xenon are less frequently used because their high cost may not be offset by their greater sputter yield.
  • Prior Art Fig. 3 shows the sputter yield of almost all different ions at a particular energy on targets of three specific materials.
  • argon commercially exploited projectile ion, argon
  • the highest sputter yield will depend on the target, the angle of incidence, and the energy.
  • H The ion species which is accelerated to the target and used to sputter atom and molecules to be used for coating, will usually be a noble gas.
  • the best momentum transfer depends on several factors - but is best when the projectile ion and target material atom/molecule have a fairly similar mass.
  • argon ions are deemed to be both effective and inexpensive; but for certain heavy target metals, it may be preferable to use xenon or krypton ions. Neon and helium are not often used, since they are far lighter than most target material coatings of interest.
  • a quantity of greater relevance is the number of
  • This quantity factor is generally at a maximum value for incoming ions whose energies are below 1 keV, and by which the depth of ion penetration into the target material is ⁇ 20 A or less. Thus, this quantitative value is a reliable measure of how much ion energy must be delivered in order to generate and release one atom as a freely mobile particle from the target surface.
  • the efficiency of mobile particle release is best when the ions do not penetrate too deeply into the target material and waste their energy, which is then simply converted into heat. It is well known by ordinary practitioners working in this field that sputtering as a method is energetically very inefficient, at best about 5%; but the films deposited by sputtering have in most instances far better properties than those coatings delivered by thermal methods.
  • the sputtering deposition process can be modeled as desired, as for example by the Monte Carlo computer model: The Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter. SRIM 2000. Version 2000.38. International
  • the heat delivered to a surface by the arrival and condensation of each atom in these thin film deposition processes always includes the surface binding energy (the sum of the enthalpies of fusion and vaporization), and for sputtered atoms also includes the kinetic energy 'IT given by Equation 1 above, which may be about ten times as much.
  • the energy carried to the substrate surface by the sputtered atoms is sufficient to raise the temperature of the host substrate significantly during the film deposition; and in the case of plasma sputtering (and particularly rf plasma sputtering), other energetic particles may carry significant power to the substrate - such that final deposition temperatures are often in the range of from 150°C to 500°C. This is particularly important for films deposited on plastic sheets.
  • these workpieces may be cooled in-situ, for example by tensioning the substrate matter over cooling drums during the deposition.
  • H The success of thin film deposition using sputtering methods is primarily due to the fact that the atoms in the sputtered plume themselves carry and bring sufficient energy and momentum to the exposed surface(s) of the substrate or workpiece - where upon impact, such sputter particle energy and momentum can and will dissociate loosely adsorbed impurities and displace host surface atoms at the substrate structure, particularly where the topographical features of the surface structure of the substrate are defective, or are irregular, or are incomplete. This sputter particle energy and
  • Ion beam sputtering deposition systems as shown in Prior Art Fig. 7 and which include:
  • the sputter deposition chamber must be generally evacuated to a base pressure below 10 "3 Pa, in order to ensure that most volatile surface impurities are removed.
  • the working gas usually argon gas
  • the vacuum chamber thereby raising the pressure to a value where an electrical discharge is most easily established - i.e, approximately 3-10 Pa. This relatively high pressure is essential to the operative system.
  • the sputter target (made of material which it is desired to coat on the substrate) is biased to a negative potential V of several hundred volts with respect to the substrate on which it is desired to coat a film of target atoms.
  • V negative potential
  • electrons strike the gas atoms and ionize them; and the electrons and ions are then accelerated in opposite directions, creating a plasma whose potential will become sufficiently positive to retain a high density of electrons. Ions are accelerated from this plasma to strike the target with an energy of qV, where q is their charge; and sputter material flowing from the target (mainly neutral atoms) also generate secondary electrons, which serve to sustain the ionization in the plasma.
  • the DC magnetron sputtering method and system is a class of
  • DC diode which adds a static (or sometimes moving) magnetic field.
  • the generated magnetic field serves to confine electrons in a plasma and to increase greatly the density achieved at a minimal pressure (i.e, markedly less than 10 Pa).
  • a typical operating pressure is only 0.1 Pa for most magnetron sputtering systems - compared to >3.0 Pa pressure for DC diode sputtering systems.
  • the specific magnetic field configuration of a magnetron sputtering system creates a closed loop region in front of the target material surface where the direction of the magnetic field is parallel to the surface. This event is accomplished by placing a pole of one polarity at a central location behind the target material surface, and enclosing the centrally located pole with a loop- shaped magnetic pole of the opposite polarity.
  • the magnetic and electric fields are largely orthogonal; and this circumstance creates a spatial zone in which a particularly efficient trapping and circulation of free electrons occurs.
  • the trapping of the secondary electrons allows the magnetron sputtering system to surpass
  • a major drawback of most magnetron sputtering systems is a characteristic high erosion rate of the target at the zone where the magnetic field is parallel to the surface of the target material - while being characteristically at a low erosion rate elsewhere. This leads to an inefficient use of the target material. Consequently, in order to increase target material utilization for magnetron sputtering systems, either the target material or the magnetic field generating apparatus is often kept in constant motion - in order to change physically and spatially the sputtering site location of the target and to distribute the erosion effect upon the target material more evenly over time and usage.
  • magnetron sputtering deposition system comprises at a minimum: a water-cooled target mounting; a target of material for coating which is biased to a negative potential by a high-power power supply, a set of permanent magnets located behind the working surface of this target; the assembly being electrically insulated from a mounting flange by which it is attached to a vacuum chamber, into which a gas such as argon is introduced. Given the correct pressure and appropriate voltage, the magnetron system produces a stable plasma discharge, and flux of particles moving energetically away from the target surface.
  • one of the magnets producing the magnetic field above the target is given a decreased field strength compared to the field generated by the other magnets.
  • the weaker magnetic field cannot compensate for all of the field lines resulting in the redirection of some of the field lines towards the substrate.
  • the stray field allows a greater percent of electrons and charged ions to escape towards the substrate - where collisions with the growing film promote densification through re-sputtering and re- absorption of the film coating, but also increase heating of the substrate.
  • magnetron sputtering techniques be it in a DC, a RF, or an AC format.
  • a magnetron will usually expose the substrate to an intense and hot stray plasma, particularly when the produced magnetic field is unbalanced, causing unintended and undesirable heating, and undesired interactions between the sputtered flux and the residual gas and the plasma can be significant.
  • the DC discharge mechanism cannot operate; but, by applying medium or high frequency AC current to the target mount, the displacement current during
  • Capacitive coupling allows a useful current to flow and effectively sustains a plasma, thereby allowing sputtering to occur during parts of the AC cycle.
  • the basis for the use of radiofrequency with a plasma deposition system is the large mass difference between the ionized gas atoms and the electrons in the plasma. If the frequency of the alternating frequency is high enough, a plasma can be sustained by continually accelerating and reversing the direction of the electrons through long enough distances such that they gain the quantum of kinetic energy required to ionize the sputter gas through collisions.
  • the radiofrequency required to sustain the plasma is generally above one MHz; but RF sputtering systems are generally operated at 13.56 MHz (which is the maximum allowed frequency in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission). It is noted also that the net average current from the target can and must be zero if the target is an insulator.
  • the main drawbacks with RF sputtering protocols are the decrease in deposition rate due to lack of secondary electrons for gas ionization; the tuning systems required to couple the alternating potential to the plasma; and the monetary expense associated with radiofrequency power supplies.
  • Prior Art Fig. 6 when a conductive target is used, and reactive sputtering is used wherein a gas such as oxygen modifies the film to create an insulating film, the areas of the target less deposited and the anode surfaces of the magnetron and the vacuum chamber can become insulating. This effect can lead to decreased deposition rates, and to the 'lost anode 1 effect, in which the anode becomes oxidized and therefore insulating, suppressing the discharge.
  • the use of pulsed or medium-frequency switched power supplies can be used to mitigate this problem, and some systems use a pair of targets connected to opposite terminals of an AC power supply. [See U.S. patent refs 6,451,180, 5,789,071, 6,620,299]
  • Ion Beam Sputter Deposition Systems 0 Ion beam sputtering (IBS) deposition systems as a family of protocols all utilize a discrete ion source to generate an ion beam; which is then extracted from the source and directed at the sputter target, made of the desired material for coating; from which energetic atoms are sputtered into a plume; which in turn impinges upon the exposed surface(s) of a substrate or workpiece, upon which it condenses as a solid film coating. Attention is directed to Prior Art Fig. 7 which shows a representative ion beam sputter deposition system.
  • the ion source is typically a gridded Kaufman source (see U.S. Patent No. 3,156,090).
  • the ion beam emanates from an internally generated plasma; and is accelerated between multi-aperture grids in a triode arrangement to an energy value typically ranging from 1 to 10 keV.
  • the emergent ion beam is then directed towards a positioned target formed of the desired material for coating. Material from the target is sputtered by these ions and released isotropically into a controlled vacuum
  • the target is generally aligned to face towards a specific deposition zone in which is located the exposed surface(s) of a substrate or workpiece (upon which it is desired to deposit a film layer), and this results in the condensation of the sputtered atoms, and the deposition of a solid film of material onto the exposed surface(s) of the substrate or workpiece.
  • IBAD ion beam sputtering systems
  • IBS methods and systems are well known : They can operate in high vacuum; they can deposit insulating target materials as thin films; and they are not vulnerable to many of the difficulties of magnetron systems when depositing magnetic or insulating materials as coating layers.
  • the precision of the control of the thickness of the film is very good.
  • means are provided to rapidly switch between targets, so that the deposition of multi-layer films can be accomplished with relative ease.
  • IBS systems One major drawback of IBS systems generally, however, is that their overall areal throughput rate is much lower than many other kinds of sputter deposition methods; and thus IBS systems, while highly desirable for multilayer optical coatings, remain today unused in many commercial and industrial applications requiring high throughputs.
  • a primary advantage of all sputter deposition systems is this: since the target is converted into a vapor or gaseous phase by a mechanical act rather than by any chemical or thermal event,, virtually any formula or combination of elements can be sputtered and then deposited onto the substrate or workpiece.
  • ion beam sputter deposition systems provide many unique advantages and desired benefits, including the following :
  • Ion beam sputtering systems allow for a reduced heating of the substrate, relative to plasma sputtering systems including simple diodes and magnetrons, since the only significant source of heat can be the energy of the sputtered atoms/molecules themselves. There is no intense plasma or other heat source near the substrate site.
  • Ion beam sputtering is a highly controllable technique - owing in part to the fact that the ion current and energy are easily measured with precision; whereas in DC magnetron sputter systems the deconvolution of ion and electron currents is difficult and
  • ion beam sputtering can be more precisely controlled, and if the throughput were higher, this level of control would make ion beam sputtered films ideal for use with a variety of applications used commercially today in the making of precision instruments for optics, analysis, and electronic circuitry.
  • IBS film deposition systems and methods are restricted to high- precision niche applications. For example, this capability is a noted advantage in certain scientific applications which require the coating of test or empirical samples with ultra-thin films for high resolution SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and various TEM (transmission electron microscopy) applications. For these reasons, ion beam sputtering is the preferred method for depositing thin film coatings onto samples for EM (electron microscopy), especially where high resolution quality and reduced artifacts are of primary concern.
  • a basic method and operational apparatus is disclosed by King for forming a highly tenacious deposit of material on a substrate by directing a high energy ion beam against the target - composed of the coating material to be deposited - in a vacuum environment of less than 10 "3 Pa.
  • the King technique causes atoms of material for coating to be removed by sputtering; and allows them to impinge upon the substrate surface.
  • the substrate by directing a beam of ions against a target, comprised of the material to be deposited, so as to sputter neutral particles and ionized particles from the target towards the substrate.
  • a target comprised of the material to be deposited
  • the ionized sputtered particles are accelerated to energies which are sufficient to penetrate the substrate and be implanted therein and provide a strong bond.
  • sputter cleaning and sputter deposition of the substrate surface by particles of sufficient energy also takes place.
  • the Wei et al. invention is a method for fabricating multiple layer interference optical films by ion beam sputtering, wherein the interfering optical films are used as mirrors in a ring laser apparatus.
  • an ion beam strikes a target material obliquely, dislodging molecules of the target so that they can be deposited on a chosen surface serving as a deposit base for a multiple layer interference coating.
  • the thickness of the coating material is monitored so that the proper thickness of a given interfering optical film layer can be optimized to obtain the type of reflectance desired for a given light wave length.
  • the surface to be film coated is rotated during the deposition of the multiple layering of target material.
  • a stack of multiple film layers having alternating indices of refraction comprises the optical interference film.
  • the coating process occurs in a vacuum chamber - where the partial pressures of the gases are carefully controlled to insure the proper ion beam intensity and optimum stoichiometry of the deposited optical films.
  • the ceramic substrate comprising the mirror base Prior to beginning the deposition of the multiple optical films, the ceramic substrate comprising the mirror base is bombarded by the ion beam at an oblique angle to remove surface anomalies and clean it.
  • U.S. Patent No. 4,250,009 Of Cuomo et aC Issued February 10, 1981:
  • the coating material target is located at an angle to the travel pathway of the energetic ion beam (although it need not be); and the material which is dislodged by the ion beam can be directed towards a substrate.
  • the Cuomo et al. target is composed of atoms forming both positive and negative ions.
  • the voltage difference between the target and the substrate can be adjusted to be positive or negative so that either positive ions or negative ions can be accelerated to the substrate by means of adjusting the target-substrate voltage
  • Cuomo et al. provides means for collecting electrons included with the ions moving towards and away from the target.
  • Such means can comprise a grid located adjacent to the coating material target. It is disclosed that electrons can be collected by means of an electric field confining structure which permits the ions to pass through while the electrons are deflected.
  • the major advantage of the disclosed Cuomo et al. system is that the sputter deposition makes it possible to deposit positive and negative ions alternately or in a desired graded mixture at an interface under gradually changing voltage control.
  • the Cole linear ion gun comprises bombarding a target obliquely in a vacuum chamber using a linear ion gun.
  • the Cole linear ion gun generates an ion beam which impacts the target over an area having a width dimension which is substantially greater than its height dimension.
  • the coating material in the impacted area of the target is sputtered; and the sputtered material is then deposited onto a surface of a substrate by moving (or 'translating') the substrate surface at a controlled rate of speed through the sputtered material.
  • the Krauss et al. system of ion beam sputter deposition is performed using a single ion beam and a multi-component target; and is capable of reproducibly producing thin films of arbitrary
  • the Krauss et al. system uses a quartz crystal deposition monitor and a computer controlled, well-focused ion beam; and this sputter
  • deposition method is capable of producing metal oxide
  • superconductors and semiconductors of the superlattice type such as GaAs-AIGaAs
  • semiconductors of the superlattice type such as GaAs-AIGaAs
  • layered metal/oxide/ semiconductor/ superconductor structures By programming the dwell time for each target according to the known sputtering yield and desired layer thickness for each material, it is possible to deposit composite films from a well-controlled sub-monolayer up to thicknesses determined only by the available deposition time.
  • an ion beam is sequentially directed via a set of X-Y electrostatic deflection plates onto three or more different element or compound targets which are constituents of the desired film.
  • the ion beam is directed through an aperture in the deposition plate and is displaced under computer control to provide a high degree of control over the deposited layer.
  • a single fixed ion beam is directed onto a plurality of sputter targets in a sequential manner where the targets are each moved in alignment with the beam under computer control in forming a multilayer thin film.
  • the King et al. invention describes the surface treatment of substrates wherein coating material is sputtered from a target by bombardment with ions which have preferably been accelerated to high energies - e.g., one to fifty kilovolts or more. King et al.
  • the disclosure of the King et al. '455 patent further states that the sputtered coating material travels along trajectories having a substantial component normal to the surface of the target, thereby allowing for a more precise control of sputter deposition conditions.
  • this King et al. viewpoint appears to be a mild exaggeration because any such effect has been found to be marginal at best.
  • a method and apparatus for forming a multiple-element thin film based on ion beam sputtering is disclosed by Kanda et al.
  • ion beams drawn out of a plurality of ion beam sources or neutralized beams derived therefrom are projected to a plurality of coating material targets; and the sputtered particles discharged from the multiple targets are directed in their travel to a substrate.
  • the composition of sputtered particles is measured in the vicinity to the substrate.
  • Sputtered particles having a controlled composition distribution are deposited on the substrate to form a multiple-element thin film.
  • ion beam sputter deposition system and method for the fabrication of multilayered thin film structures is described.
  • this Pinarbasi system selected combinations of ion beam gases and energies matched to the selected target materials optimize the physical, magnetic and electrical properties of the deposited thin film layers.
  • By matching the ion beam gas atomic mass to the target material atomic mass thin metal films are provided which have densities and resistivities which are very close to their bulk property values.
  • the Pinarbasi system also utilizes low ion beam energies in combination with high-mass ion beam gases to obtain thin film deposits having low internal stress.
  • the ratio of the ion beam gas mass to the target material mass is shown to be the determining factor for achieving the desired thin film properties in the Pinarbasi ion beam sputtering system.
  • Both the mass of the ion beam sputtering gas and the energy of the ion beam is controlled as a function of the target material to provide single-layered and multilayered structures.
  • a method and apparatus to improve the properties of ion beam deposited films in an ion beam sputtering system is disclosed by Pinarbasi.
  • This ion beam sputtering system has a chamber; an ion beam source; multiple targets; a shutter; and a substrate stage for securely holding a wafer substrate.
  • the substrate stage is made to tilt about its vertical axis such that the flux from the targets hit the wafer substrate at a non-normal angle; and this results in improved physical, electrical and magnetic properties as well as in improved thickness uniformity of the thin films sputter deposited on the substrate surface.
  • the Meyer ion beam sputtering system has six sputter targets arranged in pairs on three paddles, which are disposed upon the circumference of a circular holder.
  • the circular holder can be rotated about its axis in such a way as to bring any one of the target pairs into exposure for impact with an ion beam; and each paddle is rotated to bring the desired target in the pair into position for sputtering.
  • An alternative Meyer embodiment provides an enlarged spatial region - which allows one of the target paddles to be rotated about its axis while that target paddle is in an inactive, non-sputtering rotary position.
  • a system and method for simultaneously performing sputter deposition on a plurality of planar substrates is disclosed by Baldwin et al.
  • an ion source generates an ion beam in which ions are directed toward a target which is formed from a first section of a sphere.
  • Each of the plurality of planar substrates has a deposition surface that is tangent to a surface of other sections of the same sphere.
  • the plurality of planar substrates is arranged as a mosaic of tiles arranged generally about the surface of another section(s) of the sphere.
  • substrates that are small in size compared to the radius of the sphere will receive a substantially uniform deposition thickness that is substantially the same for each of the plurality of planar substrates.
  • a plurality of targets is used, each of which is formed from a section of the sphere; and each of the multiple targets is negatively biased.
  • a dual-scan thin film deposition system is described by Sferlazzo et al. which includes a deposition source that generates deposition flux comprising neutral atoms and molecules.
  • a shield defining an aperture is positioned in the path of the deposition flux; and this shield passes the deposition flux through the aperture and substantially blocks the deposition flux from propagating past the shield everywhere else.
  • a substrate support is positioned adjacent to the shield.
  • a dual-scanning system scans the substrate support relative to the aperture with a first and a second motion.
  • the Slaughter et al. '637 patent discloses a high throughput dual ion beam deposition system for sputtering material layers.
  • This Slaughter et al. system comprises a vacuum chamber; a substrate positioned in the vacuum chamber; a first target holder capable of holding at least one target of a first material, wherein the first target holder is positioned in the vacuum chamber; a second target holder capable of holding at least one target of a second material, wherein the second target holder is positioned in the vacuum chamber; a first ion beam source for directing ions at the at least one target of the first material for depositing said first material onto the substrate; and a second ion beam source for directing ions at the at least one target of the second material for depositing said second material onto the substrate.
  • the Slaughter et al. deposition system also includes a control system that allows materials to be deposited from the first and second target holder with negligible delay between the depositions.
  • the Cole & Zins publication discloses a method for depositing an oxide material in an ion beam sputter deposition process, the method comprising : sputtering a target with ions in a chamber containing oxygen; and controlling a partial pressure of the oxygen in the chamber during the sputtering of the target, wherein a material having a non-stoichiometric composition is deposited.
  • the material is for use as microbolometer.
  • the sputter deposited film material is a VOx composition where x is such that the thermal coefficient of resistance is between 0.005 and 0.05; and the sputter deposited film material may be formed on a wafer.
  • the Cole & Zins method is a low temperature process
  • argon gas is used for sputtering a target of vanadium in an environment wherein the oxygen level is controlled to determine the x of VOx.
  • the thickness of the deposited film is controlled by the performance time of the sputter deposition; and the VOx material properties can be changed or modified by controlling certain parameters in an ion beam sputter deposition environment. Also, there is sufficient control of the oxidation process to permit non-stoichometric formation of VOx films. Other layers may be deposited as needed to form pixels for a
  • This Tang et al. publication discloses a magnetron sputter reactor including an ion beam source producing a linear beam that strikes the wafer center at an angle of less than 35 degrees.
  • the linear beam extends across the wafer perpendicular to the beam but has a much short dimension along the beam propagation axis while the wafer is being rotated.
  • the ion source may be an anode layer source having a plasma loop between an inner magnetic pole and a surrounding outer magnetic pole with anode overlying the loop with a closed-loop aperture.
  • the beams from the opposed sides of the loop are steered together by making the outer pole stronger than the inner pole.
  • the aperture width may be varied to control the emission intensity.
  • the Gutkin et al. innovation is described as a sputtering apparatus containing an ion source and a magnetic assembly called an Iontron - wherein the magnetic assembly is configured to be
  • the target comprises a chdsen material which is to be sputter deposited within a magnetic field by means of one or two racetrack ALPA ion sources generating an ion beam with an energy of less than 1 keV onto the surface of the substrate.
  • the Gutkin et al. apparatus is a self-contained ion beam deposition source which can be attached to or positioned inside of a closed vacuum chamber where substrates are located.
  • the pressure is 8 x 10 "2 Pa.
  • the ion beam source itself is formed of one or more ion beam sources; and is combined with one or more sputtering targets and a magnetic assembly able to provide a unified magnetic field for the controlled delivery of the charged particles to a workpiece (the substrate of choice).
  • the Iontron includes a magnetic field assembly positioned between the target and a work piece (substrate), whose explicit purpose is to generate a magnetic field able to control the flux of charged particles.
  • the target can be electrically biased, which modulates the energy of the ion beam and allows for
  • the position of the target can be adjusted
  • Higdon et a/ The target is formed of at least two target tiles, wherein at least two of the target tiles are made of different chemical compositions; and are mounted on a main tile; and are geometrically arranged on the main tile to yield a desired chemical composition on a sputtered substrate.
  • the tiles are of varied thickness, according to the desired chemical properties of the sputter deposited film.
  • the target is comprised of plugs pressed in a green state, which are disposed in cavities formed in a main tile (also formed in a green state); and the target assembly is then compacted and sintered.
  • Typical ion beam energies for IBS are in the range 500-800 eV, sometimes a few keV, and multi-aperture gridded sources as described above are usually used.
  • the uniformity of the resulting film layer is intrinsically poor if the substrate is large and flat, and the entire volume of the vaporized coating material comes from a small sized impact site where the (usually circular) ion beam actually strikes the target material.
  • the film thickness is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from any point on the substrate to the target; so for large substrates it is necessary to use means such as
  • IBS Ion Beam Sputtering
  • the technique requires apparatus which is overly complex in its component parts; and is frequently convoluted in its assembly organization and orientations; and its protocols are cumbersome to use and often awkward to perform; and the throughput of the available apparatus is low relative to that of magnetron sputtering systems.
  • acceleration and sputter target upon a single structure mounted on a flange within a closed vacuum chamber in high vacuum.
  • the present invention has multiple aspects and presents alternative formats.
  • One aspect is a system for coating a substrate with a thin film of material from a sputter target provided for that purpose, said system comprising:
  • an ion source generating a high-current ribbon-shaped ion beam accelerated to an energy in the range of 10 to 50 keV;
  • an electrostatic deflector comprising two electrodes at different potentials, one on either side of the ribbon-shaped ion beam, effective to deflect the ribbon beam through an angle between about 60 and 160 degrees;
  • a slot-shaped electrode through which the deflected ribbon- shaped ion beam passes, at a potential which decelerates the ion beam to a final energy in the range of 2 to 10 keV;
  • a sputter target made of a material of which it is desired to deposit a film and placed in the path of the ribbon ion beam such that the angle of incidence of the ribbon-shaped ion beam is in the range of 50 to 85 degrees, whereby atoms will be sputtered from said target by said ion beam at its final energy and be emitted as a plume of mobile atoms traveling away from the target surface;
  • At least one substrate placed in the travel pathway of the emitted plume of mobile atoms, whereby said substrate receives a thin film deposition of sputtered coating material.
  • the ion source can optionally generate a ribbon-shaped beam whose linear current density is non-uniform, being significantly higher at the two extremes / thereby raising the quantity of material
  • a second aspect is a method for performing ion beam sputter deposition whereby a solid film coating is deposited by physical vapor deposition upon at least one exposed surface of a tangible substrate or workpiece, said method comprising the steps of:
  • a variant of the above method uses a ribbon ion beam whose linear current density varies across the breadth, and is higher at the two extremes, up to 2.5 mA/mm at the extremes.
  • This variation of linear current density is the means to reduce the variation of the thickness of the deposited thin film on the substrate, which, if the beam was entirely uniform, would for purely geometric reasons be thinner at the edges of the deposited zone than near the center.
  • Prior Art Fig. la shows an electron beam evaporation apparatus for PVD
  • FIG. lb shows a PVD system with a vapor source and a separate ion source for Ion Beam Assisted Deposition (IBAD);
  • IBAD Ion Beam Assisted Deposition
  • FIG. 3 is a graph which shows the sputter yields of the elements for 45 keV sputtering on three different targets;
  • FIG. 4 is a graph which illustrates the sputter yield (at low dose) of argon on aluminum at different angles;
  • FIG 5a illustrates a simple sputter diode system for PVD coating
  • Prior Art Fig. 5b illustrates a magnetron sputter diode system
  • Prior Art Fig 6 illustrates AC or pulsed DC magnetron sputtering of dielectrics
  • FIG. 7 illustrates an Ion Beam Sputtering apparatus for
  • Fig. 8 illustrates the concept of the present invention at the most basic level
  • Fig. 9 illustrates the present invention as a whole with its major components individually delineated
  • Fig. 10 illustrates a preferred compact and integrated
  • Fig. 11 illustrates the concept of using a multi-faced sputter target in the present invention
  • Fig. 12 is a graph which shows the projected angular distribution of sputtered atoms for a 70 degree angle of incidence and compares it with the cos 2 function;
  • Fig. 13a illustrates the geometry and defines the terms used for calculating the relative deposited film thickness at any point
  • Fig. 13b is a graph which shows a modeled example of tailoring the ion beam to optimize uniformity of deposition
  • Fig. 14 is a graph which shows a measurement taken with the present invention of the mean energy for argon-sputtered iron atoms, by plotting the temperature rise of a deposited iron film;
  • Fig. 15 is a graph which demonstrates the achieved rate of direct sputtering from an AI2O3 target, an insulator.
  • the method and system of the present invention is performed in a high vacuum environment; but individual protocols often allow for or explicitly demand operation at different pressures and
  • the term 'vacuum' as used herein shall be understood to mean that the measurable pressure of the particular chamber environment is less than about 50 Pa.
  • the term 'partial vacuum' will indicate and denote the existence of a measurable pressure which is higher than about 50 Pa.
  • the term 'high vacuum' shall generally mean that the absolute pressure is below about 10 "2 Pa.
  • the term 'ultra high vacuum' (UHV) will generally be understood to mean an absolute pressure below about 10 "7 Pa.
  • the mobile vapor atoms and molecules of coating material can and will travel directly from the location of the target to the site of the substrate without any interaction as such; and because their energy even at room temperature conditions is sufficient for the purpose, the vaporized atoms and molecules travel in
  • the present invention is an ion beam sputtering assembly, system, and methodology using a high current ribbon ion beam which has a carefully controlled set of operating parameters; and is unique in its capabilities for coating the exposed surface(s) of a workpiece or substrate with a film by physical vapor deposition.
  • the assembly and system of the invention is installed onto a port on a vacuum chamber pumped by high vacuum pumps. There, the assembly and system generate a traveling ribbon-shaped ion beam whose measurable breadth dimension may vary from about 150 mm to about 3 meters in size; initially extract, then accelerate, then deflect, and then decelerate the ribbon beam into a resulting modified ion beam; direct the resulting modified ion beam to strike and penetrate the surface of a sputter target at a pre-chosen oblique incidence angle; and cause the sputtering of mobile atoms and/or molecules of the target as an emitted plume of vaporized atoms having energies of several electron-volts, which then travels
  • the sputter target formed as a solid rectangular block of material for coating is mounted onto the sputter target formed as a solid rectangular block of material for coating.
  • This dedicated spatial zone is situated nearer to the center of the vacuum chamber; and the assembly of the invention is mounted so that an isotropic plume of atoms emitted from the target would be travelling generally into the dedicated spatial zone where the
  • an ion source capable of producing a ribbon-shaped ion beam of arbitrary breadth is now available; which is uniquely able to deliver ion beams having an electric current of about 1 ampere per meter of positive ions at energies of several keV, with good uniformity along the length of the ion source, and with a beam divergence of +/- 2 to 3 degrees.
  • the present invention preferably employs such a broad-beam ion source, and provides a single integrated assembly and system which can be installed through a port on a separate vacuum chamber.
  • the system has very high throughput compared with diode sputtering systems or with conventional ion beam sputtering systems, and comparable to magnetron systems.
  • the present invention can be mounted within the limited confines of a vacuum chamber on a single port - whereas
  • ion beam sputtering systems require multiple individual components mounted in a complex geometry on several ports.
  • the invention typically operates in a high vacuum environment (a vacuum of about 2-5 x 10 "3 Pa).
  • the present invention combines a broad beam ion source and ribbon ion beam extraction with discrete deflection, deceleration and charge-neutralization components; and structurally presents a fixed mounting flange for a cooled target of the material for coating desired for ion beam sputtering as an integrated assembly; and produces a broad, linear plume of sputtered atoms/molecules which are mobile and travel isotropically away from the target mounting flange into the available interior volume of the high vacuum environment in the closed vacuum chamber.
  • a plasma is generated within a broad ion source, from which an initial ribbon-shaped ion beam is extracted.
  • the initial extracted ion beam is sequentially accelerated, deflected and decelerated using a shaped set of acceleration/deceleration electrodes; and then enters a magnetic- and electric-field free zone where the traveling ions in the beam become space-charge-neutralized.
  • the ion beam is purposely deflected in its travel pathway sharply through at least 60 degrees, and preferably more than 100 degrees, before being fully decelerated to its final ion energy value.
  • the resulting modified ion beam has a retrograde component of motion; and is directed at a pre-selected oblique incident angle onto a target of pre- chosen coating material, which is oriented to face into the available interior volume of the high vacuum chamber.
  • the ions in this resulting modified beam penetrate the face surface of the sputter target to a depth approximately equal to the range of the ions in the target multiplied by the cosine of the angle of incidence; and via a cascade of collisions within this near-surface region, impart kinetic energy and momentum to atoms near the surface of the target.
  • This event causes sputtering - the emission of low energy target atoms from the target surface - which form a gaseous plume.
  • the directions of travel of individual atoms are random, but on average are approximately normal to the surface of the sputter target.
  • the emitted plume of vaporized atoms and/or molecules then isotropically travel to and at least in part enter that dedicated spatial zone within which the tangible substrate or workpiece is sited.
  • a preselected workpiece or substrate lies situated within, or is
  • the dedicated deposition zone of the invention is dimensioned to allow the plume of sputtered atoms/molecules to extend in
  • the plume of vaporized coating material will typically be from about 0.15 meters to 3 meters or more in breadth.
  • Such a broad deposition zone is very desirable and suitable for depositing a thin film coating upon the surface of large substrates or workpieces in a uniform and consistent manner, for example such as large sheets of glass; and uniform thin film coating deposits are made by passing the chosen substrate (or workpiece) at a controlled velocity through the deposition zone in a passage direction orthogonal to the breadth dimension of the gaseous plume.
  • the thickness of the film will be proportional to the flux of atoms, and inversely proportional to the velocity of the substrate.
  • the particle flux is proportional to the sputtering current.
  • the non-uniformity of the deposited film thickness will be determined in the direction of travel by any variations in the sputtered flux, and this may be compensated by changes in the travel velocity.
  • the uniformity in the breadth dimension is determined by the intrinsic uniformity of the sputtered plume, which is discussed below, but which will tend to fall off toward the edges of the plume.
  • the present invention presents an assembly and system which institute a series of major operational changes and substantive practice modifications to the traditional practice of ion beam
  • the present invention addresses, confronts, and overcomes many long-standing limitations of the IBS systems known to date. This is achieved in part by using an improved ion source having a narrow slit ion beam extraction geometry. This improved ion source overcomes the limit (Child's Law) without resorting to the complexity of multi-apertures. The realistic availability of a single narrow slit opening of extended size to extract and produce very broad ion beams is itself a unique feature and major advance in the technical field.
  • ion sources are a variant of an end Hall (e.g. U.S. Patent No. 4,862,032) or an Anode Layer Plasma Acceleration source (e.g. U.S. Patent No. 5,973,447) - which, as the name explicitly notes, accelerates the ions within a plasma; and such systems generate very broad energy spreads extending from near zero value to the maximum energy value, and thus at present have difficulty delivering a tightly controlled ribbon beam with the desired precision even if accelerating/focusing structures are added.
  • end Hall e.g. U.S. Patent No. 4,862,032
  • Anode Layer Plasma Acceleration source e.g. U.S. Patent No. 5,973,447
  • the present invention allows much higher areal throughput with good uniformity than existing ion-beam sputtering systems.
  • the present invention operates in a high vacuum environment - i.e., at markedly lower pressures than those vacuum conditions used by magnetron sputter deposition systems.
  • the present invention provides a consistently smoother
  • the present invention provides an efficient means of controlling the deposition uniformity across a very broad linear deposition zone.
  • the present invention offers precise monitoring and stabilization of the thin film deposition rate.
  • the present invention allows the application of ion-beam
  • the present invention enables the sputtering of either dielectric films or of ferromagnetic films at high throughput with all the advantages of ion beam sputtering.
  • Further advantages of the present invention involve optional combination with a second linear ion source mounted on an adjacent flange, either of the same new type, or in an existing style such as ALPA.
  • the optional use of multiple ion sources offers the capability of directing one beam of ions at the substrate while the other beam is independently directed at the sputter target.
  • Such an optional combination of two or more ion beams can be used to:
  • ⁇ Perform reactive sputtering by simultaneously (or alternately) delivering one ion species by sputtering and delivering another reactive ion species as either a low-energy ion beam to the surface of the substrate, or as a plasma, or even as a jet of neutral gas - all in a high vacuum closed environment, while avoiding the 'lost anode' problem (which afflicts magnetron systems).
  • the assembly and system of the present invention will produce an unique ribbon shaped ion beam which presents specific traits and particular attributes which are deemed advantageous and superior for use in a sputter deposition system performed within a closed vacuum environment -whereby a pre-chosen sputter material is deposited as a solid film coating by physical vapor deposition onto at least one exposed face surface of a tangible substrate or workpiece.
  • a simple embodiment of the arranged assembly and of the operative system is illustrated by Fig. 9, and demonstrably includes all of the following.
  • a discrete ion source 2 is a requisite component of the assembly and operative system.
  • the ion source 2 will comprise a closed, solid wall, arc discharge chamber of extended dimensional size; and present a measurable length dimension which greatly exceeds the measurable width and height dimensions of the arc chamber; and have a discrete exit aperture or open slot in its front wall for the extraction and emergence of an ion beam 11.
  • a plasma is generated; from which an ion beam of known breadth and thickness dimensions is subsequently extracted, wherein the thickness dimension is typically 5mm or less and the breadth dimension is unusually large and ranges from several hundred millimeters to 3,000 mm or more.
  • the total charged particle current which may be extracted or transported in a space-charge-limited beam is proportional to the aspect ratio (breadth/thickness) of the beam (Forrester), and this is one reason for the given choice of dimensions.
  • the arc chamber of the ion source 2 is also biased at a positive voltage V 0 with respect to ground; and with respect to a sputter material target mounted and grounded to the interior of a metal vacuum chamber, thus the term qV 0 defines the energy which the streaming ions of charge q shall have upon reaching the sputter target.
  • any ion beam generating source of any known type can be employed so long as it is capable of producing all of the following traits and features: A bright, low divergence, ribbon-shaped beam which possesses a linear ion current density of about 0.1 to 1.5 ampere per meter of positive ions; a well-controlled ion energy of several (5-40) keV; good uniformity of linear ion current density over its breadth dimension; and an ion beam divergence limited to +/- 2 to 3 degrees.
  • the ion source cannot produce a large external magnetic field; and it cannot have any component of magnetic field extending in its major beam breadth dimension, since such fields would interfere with the operations and functions of the assembly and interfere with its use in depositing magnetic films.
  • the ion beam generating source 2 will emit a flowing stream of positive ions as a ribbon-shaped beam 11 from the arc chamber's open slot or exit aperture.
  • the stream of ions will typically be about 2mm to 10 mm in its narrow dimension; and will allow an ion beam to be extracted from its full breadth, which can vary in measurable size from about 150 mm to more than 3,000 mm.
  • the ion beam generating source 2 will typically be biased at a known positive potential V 0 with respect to ground; and this positive voltage value will control and quantitatively determine the kinetic energy that the traveling ions will possess when they reach the exposed surface of the sputter target (which is also held at ground potential).
  • V 0 positive potential
  • U A most suitable ion source is described more fully in a copending patent application based upon U.S. Provisional Patent
  • the ion beam is initially extracted from the ion source 2 by an adjacently located extraction/acceleration electrode 4 comprising two straight half-electrode structures 4a and 4b.
  • the identifiable extraction/acceleration electrode 4 is a discrete structure aligned with and positioned at a predetermined distance from the exit aperture of the ion source 2. Also, the
  • extraction/acceleration electrode is biased at a negative potential V ex with respect to the potential of the sputter target material; acts to extract the ion beam from the plasma generated within the interior of the arc chamber and immediately accelerate the traveling ions to an energy of q(V 0 - V ex ).
  • a OkV to -20kV power supply can provide this negative potential value.
  • the extraction/acceleration electrode 4 typically comprises two straight half section structures 4a and 4b, wherein each of the two straight half sections 4a and 4b have an individual section thickness dimension of about 2 to 15 mm; and wherein the two half sections 4a and 4b are tangibly separated by a measurable distance h also ranging from about 2mm to 12mm, but preferably is a fixed separation of about 4mm. Extraction electrode sections 4a and 4b are tangibly separated from the exit aperture of the ion source by a preselected gap g, which is typically about 10 to 20mm.
  • the extraction/acceleration electrode 4 accelerates the ion beam 11 initially extracted from the ion source 2 to a high kinetic energy value which in an exemplary system is ⁇ 25 keV, but may be from about 10 to about 60 keV.
  • b is the total breadth (dimension into the page) of the ion beam
  • g is the extraction gap
  • M is the mass of the ions
  • Equation 2 There is in general a numerical correction factor to Equation 2, which is based on detailed geometry, and is close to unity provided g> >w and g»h in value; but for high current applications, one usually needs g to be fairly small in value, so the mathematical approximation recited by Equation 2 is subject to geometrical corrections, but correctly describes the scaling laws.
  • the Electrostatic Deflector ⁇ As shown in Fig. 9, the electrostatic deflector comprises two substantially parallel aligned electrodes- an inner electrode 51 and an outer electrode 52 - which are separated by a distance d. Together, two electrodes 51 and 52 provide a substantially uniform directed open passageway for ion beam travel there-through, in which they generate an electric field transverse to the beam direction, with the form of cylindrical sector. These electrodes could have a cylindrical shape, but in practice outer electrode 52 preferably incorporates some apertures such as 62 and 63 in Fig. 10, and a stepped profile rather than a smooth curve, while still functioning to define the outer limit of a generally cylindrical electric field zone. The reasons are discussed below.
  • the preferred electrostatic deflector comprising electrodes 51 and 52 is closely-coupled in distance, timing, and action to the ion source 2 and extraction/acceleration electrode 4a and 4b; imposes a transverse electric field upon the accelerated ions in the traveling ion beam; and will deflect the accelerated ions of the beam through a controlled deflection angle ranging between about 60 and 160 degrees from their initial travel direction.
  • the inner electrode 51 of the deflector must be biased at a negative potential value with respect to the potential of the outer electrode 52, in order to create the required electric field.
  • the inner electrode 51 is set at a potential value of V ex while the outer electrode 52 is set to ground; and the electrode separation distance 'd' is selected so that the generated electric field has the desired value.
  • the outer electrode 52 intentionally deviates from a purely cylindrical shape for the reasons discussed below.
  • the ion beam 11 passing through the extraction electrode 4 is directionally moving away from the mounting flange of the assembly and heading towards the interior center of the closed vacuum chamber. Given the physical constraints and limited confines of the closed high vacuum chamber, it is therefore necessary to deflect the traveling ion beam through an angle of preferably about 110 degrees; but at any rate more than about 60 degrees of
  • the deflector can be designed for convenience to use two already available potentials, as shown in Fig. 10 - a preferred compact and integrated embodiment of the present invention is shown which is capable of deflecting and utilizing an ion beam up to 3 meters in breadth - wherein the inner (negative) electrode 51 is simply
  • the desired final energy of the ion beam is about 5 keV - but by deflecting the ion beam at an energy of ⁇ 20 keV, the effect of space charge is reduced by a factor of about 8 and the current can be much higher, for a higher throughput rate.
  • the inner trajectories have a higher energy than the outer trajectories because of the transverse electric field.
  • the innermost energy is about 25 keV, but the mean energy is close to 20 keV under preferred conditions.
  • the outer electrode 52 preferably has a cylindrical- shaped geometry, it is sufficient for its deflection purpose if the outer electrode alternatively is configured to present an array of lines, rods or similar shapes, much like a grid in an electron tube; and thereby defines a potential at multiple discrete positions on an approximately cylindrical shaped surface, while leaving empty gaps between the elements of the grid. It is also desirable that passages exist between the grid elements which allow residual gases to escape with high conductance toward vacuum pumps, for the purpose of maintaining good vacuum between the electrodes.
  • the desired shape of the electric field should approximate the shape of the field between two cylinders, at least within the volume occupied by the ion beam - the outer electrode should avoid providing surfaces directly parallel to the inner electrode so far as possible, because electric discharges between the two electrodes can become more intense by electron/ion multiplication if the electrodes are parallel.
  • the outer electrode will comprise a series of stepped shapes machined into the metal from which it is constructed. Such features are also valuable for capturing charged and neutral particles, which are for whatever reason, not taking the intended path; and preventing them from bouncing in the forward direction, thereby improving the purity of the process.
  • the gap distance of the deflector structure must be uniform along the breadth dimension of the traveling ion beam.
  • An Integrated Ion Deceleration Electrode ⁇ Within the arranged assembly and operative system shown by either Fig. 9 or 10, a discrete or integrated ion deceleration electrode comprising half-electrodes 40a and 40b is present, and is set at the same electric potential as the sputter target (and also of the vacuum chamber and the substrate) - i.e, the local ground potential. The accelerated and deflected ion beam is directed to pass through this closely-coupled and aligned deceleration electrode 40.
  • the discrete ion deceleration electrode 40 has a slot-shaped opening 45 in its structure, which is sufficiently large to accommodate the breadth dimension of the ion beam and through which the broad beam of deflected ions will pass. Because the deceleration electrode 40 is at ground potential, the ions are decelerated from their high value to an energy of qV 0 - i.e., the final energy is solely defined by the ion charge and the ion source potential. In general therefore, the measurable size of the slot-shaped opening 45 will be not less than 150mm and will often be greater than 3,000mm; and the final kinetic energy of the ions will be in the range of from about 2 keV to 10 keV.
  • this deceleration electrode 40 can be, and preferably is, set at the same electrical potential value as the potential of the outer deflector electrode 52, these two individual structures can be
  • Fig. 10 Such an integrated housing format is illustrated by Fig. 10 and provides an organized and properly aligned structural framework for the whole assembly. This housing format can also integrate essential channels and circulating passageways for cooling water to keep the structure temperature cool despite very high power levels being used by the assembly.
  • the deceleration electrode 40 is at ground potential - i.e., the same potential value as the closed vacuum chamber, the assembly mounting flange, the outer electrode 52 of the electrostatic deflector, and the sputter target 200 - it is convenient and good practice to integrate the assembly's mounting flange and structure, the deceleration electrode, the outer electrode of the deflector, and the necessary grounded electrostatic screening. All of these components can be machined from or cast as a single piece of material, such as aluminum alloy.
  • deceleration electrode halves 40a and 40b are machined from one piece of metal, along with outer deflection electrode 52 and the base flange 21; and that this monolithic housing structure also incorporates a number of circulating water passages 61 through which water flows to remove heat.
  • the ion beam After passage through the deceleration electrode, the ion beam enters a 'drift space' or virtually field-free zone which is substantially devoid of either electric or magnetic fields (reference numeral 65 in Fig.10). Almost every surface exposed to the
  • the decelerated beam at this point is a grounded conductor; the sputter target and the substrate may be insulators, in which case their surface potential cannot be predefined.
  • the beam must be space-charge neutralized (i.e. possess no significant electrical charge);
  • the beam must be current-neutralized (i.e., transport no net charge to the sputter target).
  • a convenient source of electrons is a small auxiliary version of the same ion source design, perhaps 100mm long, with no
  • acceleration electrodes from which neutral plasma can issue, located close to the decelerated ion beam.
  • the position is not critical.
  • this final ion beam has the following traits and characteristics:
  • the final ion beam will have a breadth ranging from about
  • the final ion beam will comprise at least one ion species which has an electric current density of approximately 0.1A to 1.5A per meter of beam breadth, in a beam thickness ranging between about 5 mm and 15 mm.
  • the linear current density profile of the final ion beam may be deliberately altered, to make the current density slightly greater near the ends, in order to improve the uniformity of sputter deposition - which for purely geometrical reasons tends to be lower near the two ends of the deposition zone.
  • This control may be accomplished by means appropriate to the ion source used; an example is to modify the internal gas density within the ion source using an internal array of gas feed ports, causing the pressure to be slightly higher near the ends of the arc chamber.
  • the final ion beam is directed to strike the exposed face surface of a sputter target at a controlled incidence angle ranging from not less than about 50 degrees to not more than about 85 degrees; and preferably strikes the sputter target obliquely at 70 degrees to the normal.
  • This optimal circumstance at a 70 degree incidence angle means results in a strike surface area on the sputter target which has a measurable width ranging from about 17 mm to 51 mm in size.
  • the final ion beam will have a kinetic energy selected to optimize the yield of sputtered atoms per unit energy delivered.
  • this ion kinetic energy is preferably about 5 keV; but this kinetic energy value may change depending on the ion species to be
  • the final ion beam is directed onto and penetrates the exposed surface of a fixed sputter target 200, which is composed of the pre-selected material from which it is desired to sputter atoms in order to coat the
  • the sputter target 200 is a tangible solid block of a pre-chosen substance or chemical
  • the sputter target will typically be bonded to a fixed support base - a mounting flange which is often water-cooled to remove the substantial thermal energy imparted by the strike and impact force of the resulting modified ion beam.
  • the fixed sputter target will typically be bonded to a fixed support base - a mounting flange which is often water-cooled to remove the substantial thermal energy imparted by the strike and impact force of the resulting modified ion beam.
  • the sputter target will appear and be mounted in the field-free region where the final ion beam - after being deflected and directed by the electrostatic deflector electrodes 51 and 52, decelerated by electrode 40, and then space-charge neutralized - can drift at its final kinetic energy value and strike the sputter target surface.
  • the incident angle for the strike of the final ion beam upon the sputter target face surface in this arrangement is deemed to be a critical and controlling factor. It will be appreciated that a normal incidence angle (0°) is impractical because the ion beam would be coming from where the substrate should be positioned. An oblique angle of incidence which is less than 90 degrees is convenient; and the preferred 70 degree incident angle is deemed to be optimal.
  • the sputter target is mounted parallel with the front of the ion source (i.e., the open exit aperture of the arc chamber), and if the accelerated ion beam is deflected through an angle of 110 degrees, then the resulting ion beam has a measurable angle of incidence a (measured to the normal plane) - which in this instance is 70 degrees.
  • This 70° angle of incidence is illustrated by the angle cnn Fig. 9.
  • the yield of sputtered atoms is maximized at an angle of incidence of about 70 +/- 5 degrees.
  • a 70 degree angle of incidence +/- 5 degrees is deemed to be a near optimal choice.
  • the optimum kinetic energy for incoming ions is higher than for normal incidence; and although the ion energy is higher, each ion is more productive of sputtered material; and there is a net gain.
  • an incident angle of 70 degrees and an ion energy of 5 keV using argon ions is presently considered to be near optimum for projecting and distributing the released vaporized cloud of mobile sputtered atoms into a desired flow pattern away from the sputter target.
  • the sputter target will present or demonstrably provide all of the following traits:
  • the sputter target is to be substantively composed of at least one material substance which it is desired to sputter and use to coat a workpiece or substrate by physical vapor deposition (or possibly as one component of a film produced by reactive PVD);
  • the sputter target is to be electrically grounded. If the sputter target material is an insulator, it is to be held within a few volts of ground potential by neutralizing electrons. Note that
  • sputter targets as 'cathodes' because in all diode sputtering systems, they serve as the system's cathode terminal, being struck by 'cations' or positive ions. Nevertheless, the present system in its simplest form is in fact a triode arrangement (or has yet even more than three electrodes), and the sputter target is set at a potential between the positive and negative extremes.
  • the sputter target shall have an exposed face surface, which is obliquely exposed to the resulting modified ion beam; and also shall directly face toward a dedicated deposition zone, via a short unobstructed travel pathway, wherein a substrate or workpiece can be placed for thin film coating.
  • the sputter target is fixed in distance and spatial location from the site and position of the deceleration electrode within the vacuum environment such that the ions of the final ion beam will strike the exposed surface of the target material at a controlled angle of incidence between about 50 and 85 degrees, and preferably 70 degrees, to the normal plane of the surface face.
  • the manner of travel for the gaseous plume of vaporized atoms/molecules is substantially isotropic - i.e., having physical properties that are the same regardless of the direction of measurement.
  • the direction of travel of these atoms cannot be altered or changed other than by choosing the face surface orientation for the sputter target.
  • the particular chemical composition and formulation of the fixed sputter material target 200 will be pre-chosen in advance of use.
  • the range of possible choices of material for coating is very large and quite varied; and can be any solid substance, element, metal, metallic alloy, oxide or other kind or type of compound or matter which is needed or desired as a film coating (or component thereof) for a substrate or workpiece.
  • the target material may be a metal or metallic alloy.
  • an additional flow of slow oxygen or nitrogen ions and/or atoms may be directed at the substrate - where, as the film is deposited, a stoichiometric (or in some instances non-stoichiometric) compound is reactively formed and deposited at the surface as a solid film.
  • the sputter material target typically has a substantially flat or planar exterior surface face which is co-extensive with at least the full breadth dimension of the traveling ion beam; and this face is struck and penetrated by the ions in the beam at a controlled angle of incidence - which ranges from not less than about 50 degrees to not more than about 85 degrees with respect to the normal to the surface of the target, and is preferably set at about 70 degrees.
  • a further option is to provide a multi-faced sputter target, where each individual face surface is composed of a different material for coating.
  • the multi-faced sputter target can be rotated as needed or desired to present alternative kinds of materials for coating to the striking ion beam at different times as a single assembly, for the purpose of depositing multi-layer structures.
  • Such a polygonal shaped format is exemplified by a square target 201 illustrated by Fig. 11.
  • the polygonal shaped sputter target is positioned and actuated so that the beam impacts any one of the multiple face surfaces when selected at a similar angle of incidence.
  • Equation 1 (as given above) with data readily available for most elements; and for verification a
  • This graph may be used with care to describe the flux from different directions in which atoms approach the target, except near the endpoints of the sputtered zone - because no sputtered atoms can originate beyond the endpoints of the sputtered zone; and near the endpoints of the linear zone, this has a material effect on the angular distribution of the atoms reaching the substrate; and unless compensated, leads to a lower flux and a thinner film on the substrate near the edges.
  • this arranged system and oriented assembly generates a flux of flowing vaporized sputtered atoms which
  • the traveling ion beam dimensionally extends somewhat more than the actual breadth of the traveling ion beam; and is substantially as uniform over its breadth distance as the sputtering current density applies in this breadth dimension - except in a zone near each extreme of the breadth of the plume, where the density falls significantly and reaches ⁇ 50% at points aligned with the ends of the sputtered zone on the target.
  • the extent of decrease in sputter particle density will be less if the substrate or workpiece to be coated is positioned relatively close to the sputter target.
  • the last minimal requirement of the arranged assembly and operative system is a dedicated deposition zone 250 of predetermined dimensions and volume and is shown as such by the embodiments of Figs. 9 and 10 respectively.
  • the dedicated deposition zone 250 is situated in high vacuum within the vacuum chamber; and is a limited spatial volume through which a chosen substrate or workpiece 300 can be moved in a direction orthogonal to the breadth of the
  • the dedicated deposition zone 250 shown in Figs. 9 and 10 is closely located and aligned to the known location of the sputter target; and it is most desirable that the separation distance between these two components be as short as possible in order that the substrate receive a major fraction of the total mobile sputtered atoms then available as the gaseous plume of vaporized atoms and/ molecules.
  • the substrate or workpiece to be film coated is moved into and subsequently moved out of the dimensional confines of the deposition zone, preferably in a direction normal to the extended breadth dimension of the gaseous plume, and preferably at constant velocity.
  • the thickness of the film layer deposited upon the surface of the substrate 300 will be proportional to the flux of sputtered
  • atoms/molecules which in turn, is proportional to the ion beam current and to other factors; and will also be proportional to the integrated time of exposure to the flux of sputtered atoms/molecules. Therefore, it is inversely proportional to the velocity with which the substrate(s) is/are traversed through the plume of vaporized coating material; and accordingly for uniform coating, the substrate 300 should be moved at a slow single velocity consistently through the gaseous plume 210.
  • the controlling parameters and critical variables of the ion beam source offers the system user an unique set of format variables for creating an initially extracted ion beam which then can be
  • Intrinsic current density From 2 to 50 mA/cm 2
  • Ion beam breadtb range Jrrom about 150 mm to more tban 3,000
  • Ion extraction system Ribbon beam tbrougk one slot
  • Ion extraction energy range From about 5 keV to about 40 keV
  • Ion divergence range Akout +/- 3°
  • Output ion current range From akout 0.1 to akout 1.5 amperes per meter of positive ions The output ion current is uniform to in central zone; and at both extremes, the current density can be adjusted higher than the center by at least 25% if desired. (B). After the initially extracted beam is accelerated to an increased kinetic energy, it is necessary to deflect the ribbon beam promptly to an optimal bent angle; and for this purpose a bend of about 110 degrees is highly preferred. A low-current ribbon shaped ion beam in a cylindrical electrostatic deflector would be strongly focused, but at the optimal high current the ribbon beam's space- charge within the deflector will offset this focusing, and the beam will emerge quasi-parallel, with some amount of increased angular variation.
  • the mean energy of the ions in the beam through the deflector electrode should be substantially higher than the desired final energy, in order to obtain a much higher current transmission - a factor of 8 being obtainable by deflecting the ion beam at ⁇ 20 keV before decelerating to 5 keV. (C).
  • the subsequent deceleration of the traveling ion beam occurs promptly after the act of deflection and must be carefully controlled - as it will focus, possibly steer, and probably generate aberration.
  • neutralized ion beam plasma is known as a plasma sheath, and calculating the precise trajectories requires computer models such as Cobham/Vector Fields 'SCALA'.
  • a preferred ion beam sputter deposition system will present an argon ion current of about 1 Ampere per meter of dimensional beam breadth, in conjunction with a beam bending radius of about 35 mm; and thus uses a beam energy of about 20 keV within the bend radius.
  • the final kinetic energy for the decelerated ion beam is desirably around 5 keV.
  • the extraction gap distance g is approximately 14 mm; and the cylindrical electrode gap d is about 23mm in distance.
  • the negative electrode 51 in the assembly might be greater in negative potential than the extraction electrode 4; and the positive outer electrode 52 would be biased slightly negative with respect to ground and be positioned closer in distance to the negative inner electrode 51.
  • the cylindrical sector passageway between the concave electrode portion and the convex electrode portion of the deflecting electrode is preferably shaped such that the traveling ion beam is bent over a wide cylindrical segment; and is deflected from its initial travel direction through an angle which is not less than 60 degrees, is preferably a deflection angle of about 110 degrees, but is never more than about 160 degrees.
  • suffix c refers to the values of E and V which are encountered at the center of the ion beam
  • suffix r denotes that the electric field is radially directed.
  • the quantitative amount of repulsion among the charged ions within the extracted beam will increase until the repulsion value cancels (at least to first-order calculations) the focusing action of the deflector component, at which point the beam current is about optimum, since the divergence of the final beam will be minimized, and the transport of beam current to the target will be maximized.
  • A is an unknown geometrical factor less than 1 which is affected by the choice of the radius of the inner electrode, and r 0 is the radius of the path of the central trajectory, and other terms were already defined.
  • the traveling accelerated/deflected/decelerated ion beam also becomes space- charge neutralized; and the resulting final ion beam will then travel over a short and predetermined distance to the location of the fixed sputter target without experiencing significant space-charge blowup.
  • This operational system of the invention uses an acceleration- deceleration sequence of actions, otherwise known as a 'triode' system, for creating and maintaining a space-charge neutralized ion beam.
  • a 'triode' system for creating and maintaining a space-charge neutralized ion beam.
  • the incorporation within such a triode system of a powerful electrostatic deflector - without the addition of any new potentials or the use of magnetic fields - to create a high current and space-charge neutralized ion beam is, in and of itself, a notable and entirely new innovation.
  • the output beam energy is determined solely by the voltage Vo applied to the ion source with respect to the sputter target (and to the grounded vacuum chamber as a whole).
  • the beam energy is selected for the chosen ion species (which will usually be argon) and the chosen angle of incidence (usually 70 degrees) to give efficient sputtering and high sputtering flux; and will typically be close to 5 keV, for the reasons given above.
  • the deflection angle of the traveling ion beam (presuming its output ion energy value to be held constant) can be adjusted by changing the voltage V ex applied to the extraction electrode and to the inner deflection electrode.
  • Equation 2 and Equation 4 The divergence of the output beam, and hence the width of its zone of impact on the sputter target, can be adjusted according to Equation 2 and Equation 4 as stated above. It is affected by a number of parameters. However, if the desired output beam energy is fixed, and if the geometry of the deflector cannot be adjusted (other than by changing its physical dimensions during manufacture), and if the gap between the extraction electrode is fixed (by the length, for example, of standoff insulators used to hold it in precise alignment to the ion source), the only remaining variable parameter which can be adjusted to vary the beam divergence is the ion current per unit length emitted from the ion source.
  • Equation 2 and Equation 4 describe conditions where the beam divergence is minimized, and the designer needs to make adjustments to the design to ensure that both equations are satisfied at the same beam current value.
  • the angle of incidence - the angle at which the final ion beam strikes the exposed surface of a target - is controlled to be in the range of from about 50 degrees to about 85 degrees; and is optimal at about a 70 degree angle of incidence.
  • the present invention is optimally suited to coating substrates and other workpieces which are moved uniformly in a single direction through the dedicated spatial deposition zone, which would be arranged to extend transversely to the direction of motion.
  • the proximity of the substrate to the location of the fixed sputter target will depend on many factors such as vacuum; other process needs (IBAD, cleaning, etc); but will typically be 50 mm to 100 mm in distance.
  • the unobstructed clearance for out-gassing products to reach the high vacuum pumps will affect the true process pressure. In this way, uniform coating of large surface areas can be accomplished - the uniformity of the coating being limited only by the geometric falloff in the vapor flux near the edges of the deposition zone as described below.
  • This Equation 5 function is plotted graphically in Fig. 13b for the specific instance of a 400mm wide sputter zone on the target, 60mm from the substrate, and labeled 'Raw deposition profile'. It must be understood that the real distribution does not perfectly match this assumption; but the errors caused by the discrepancy are small; and as graphically shown by Fig. 13b, is an excellent guide to controlling the non-uniformity of the film deposited onto the substrate.
  • This data shows that the thickness of the deposited film layer will decrease at the margins of the substrate. It follows that the spatial deposition zone and the breadth of the ribbon beam and of the target must exceed the breadth of the substrates in order to maintain reasonably uniform deposition right to the margins and edge of the substrate. The amount of extra breadth required exceeds twice the target-substrate spacing at each end of the deposition zone.
  • the deposition rate may be raised slightly at the edges to compensate this tendency. This means the excess deposition zone requirement can be reduced to a total of about one times the target- substrate spacing, instead of more than two times, and within this zone the uniformity can have a standard deviation of less than 1%.
  • the film uniformity can be made uniform over an even wider fraction of the total target width, and within the uniform zone, the variation can be reduced to a fraction of a percent, so long as the source profile can be controlled with sufficient accuracy, and the film thickness sensed quickly enough to provide the necessary feedback.
  • the quality of the deposited thin film coating is affected by the following factors:
  • the atoms/molecules deposited on the surface of the substrate using this apparatus and methodology will include some dimers (a molecule containing two atoms), but relatively few larger sized clusters.
  • Fig. 14a shows a
  • Residual stress in the deposited film is a parameter which must be optimized for each specific situation. It is affected little by the primary beam energy, but in films formed by reactive sputtering, it is affected by the energy and flux of the reactive species. Thus changes to the auxiliary ion source or sources, if used, may be an important control parameter.
  • the substrate may be passed under a sequential array of similar apparatuses in a single large vacuum chamber to coat a succession of different films.
  • the methodology of the present invention points out the criticality and value of the final decelerated and neutralized ion beam, whose chosen characteristics are critical.
  • the predominant part of the arranged assembly is dedicated to the production and output of a singular and unique ion beam, which is then used to perform ion beam sputtering in a geometry and compact arrangement never before reduced to practice or considered possible by practitioners working in this technical field.
  • the first protocol is a method for producing a broad plume of energetic vapor for use in physical vapor deposition, said method comprising the steps of: operating an arranged assembly which includes
  • an ion source producing a ribbon beam of ions of a chosen species, commonly argon or a mixture containing argon, which can exit a slot-shaped aperture with a breadth of from about 150mm to 3000mm or more and a thickness of 2 to 5 mm, the broad ribbon beam having a current of about 0.1 to 1.5 mA per mm of beam breadth and an energy distribution of +/- 1 eV or less, the ion source being maintained at a first (positive) voltage
  • an extraction/acceleration electrode aligned with and positioned at a predetermined distance from said arc chamber exit aperture, said extraction/acceleration electrode being biased at a second (negative) voltage with respect to the housing such that ions extracted from the plasma in said arc chamber are drawn through said open exit aperture as a broad ribbon-shaped ion beam having an ion energy determined by the difference of the first and second volta
  • an electrostatic deflector comprising two substantially parallel inner and outer electrodes extending in the beam breadth direction on either side of the ribbon beam wherein each discrete electrode in the pairing has an approximately reciprocal cylindrical geometry and is separated from the other by a preset gap distance, said electrostatic deflector acting to deflect the travel trajectory of a ribbon-shaped ion beam then passing through said gap distance between said parallel electrodes at a deflection angle ranging from about 60 to 160 degrees,
  • a deceleration electrode of preset dimensions which is connected to local ground potential, said deceleration electrode presenting a slot-shaped opening of sufficient size to allow a deflected ribbon-shaped ion beam to pass there-through, whereby the energy of the ions is reduced to a final energy determined by said first positive voltage
  • a sputter target of a selected solid material with an exposed surface mounted close to the deceleration electrode and shielded from the potentials of the ion source and extraction electrode, the exposed target surface facing into a central region of the vacuum housing;
  • the second version protocol is a method for performing ion beam sputter deposition whereby a solid film coating is deposited by physical vapor deposition upon at least one exposed surface of a tangible substrate or workpiece, said method comprising: operating an arranged assembly which includes
  • a preformed sputter target formed of a desired material to be used for coating, said sputter target being held at a fixed location in the vacuum environment at the same potential as the vacuum chamber, and having an exposed surface facing toward a central region of the vacuum chamber, and
  • said arc chamber comprising
  • an extraction/acceleration electrode aligned with and positioned at a predetermined distance from said arc chamber exit aperture, said extraction/acceleration electrode being biased at a negative potential with respect to said vacuum chamber such that ions extracted from the plasma in said arc chamber are drawn through said open exit aperture as a broad ribbon-shaped ion beam and
  • an electrostatic deflector comprising two substantially parallel inner and outer electrodes wherein each discrete electrode in the pairing approximates a reciprocal cylindrical geometry and is separated from the other by a preset gap distance, said electrostatic deflector acting to deflect the travel trajectories of a ribbon-shaped ion beam then passing through said gap between said parallel electrodes through an angle ranging from about 60 to 160 degrees,
  • (a) presents a beam breadth dimension ranging from about 150 mm to about 3,000 mm
  • ( ⁇ ) carries a determinable electric ion current value ranging from about 0.1 to about 1.5 milliamperes per mm of breadth;
  • (y) has a determinable final ion energy value deemed desirable for ion beam sputter deposition purposes, said final energy value ranging from about 2 to about 10 keV,
  • ( ⁇ ) contains an equal density of free electrons to the ions, which electrons neutralize space-charge in the decelerated beam
  • ( ⁇ ) is substantially focused to a single direction of travel within about +/- 6°;
  • the linear current density of the final ribbon beam to be higher at the two extremes than in its center, the amount of non-uniformity being adjusted and/or selected to improve the uniformity of the deposited thin film.
  • Fig. 9 shows the arranged assembly and operative system used for initial testing.
  • the breadth dimension of the ion beam was 200mm; the energy was 5 keV; and the total beam current varied in the range from 80 to 150 mA.
  • Fig. 15 graphically shows data measured for a number of samples of films deposited with a prototype version of this
  • the sputter target used was formed of aluminum oxide; the incidence angle was 70 degrees; and the beam current was about 0.7 mA per mm of beam breadth.
  • the beam energy was 5 keV, and the beam breadth was 200mm.
  • the distance from sputter target to substrate location was 115 mm.
  • Thicknesses were measured by profilometer, by ellipsometry, and by transverse SEM. The
  • Fig. 14a graphically shows the results of the temperature rise measurement for an iron film, and by measurement of the glass slide thermal mass it was possible to estimate the average kinetic energy carried per sputtered ion atom; this can be seen to be 20+/-2 eV, which is in good agreement with the predictions of sputtering theory.
  • Fig 14b shows the predicted energy distribution for sputtered iron using CRC handbook values of the enthalpies of fusion and
  • Fig . 10 shows a preferred embodiment for a unitary drop-in sputtering system which has been built with a beam breadth and sputtering zone breadth of 350mm. This dimension is chosen to fit an existing vacuum chamber as a drop-in replacement for a commercially available linear magnetron. But the same cross-section can be used with very minor changes for systems with larger breadth dimensions, for example a breadth of 2 meters.
  • a housing 21 is machined from solid aluminum ; it could also be cast and post-machined .
  • This housing also constitutes a rectangular flange which is mounted to a port on an existing vacuum chamber (shown only schematically) and sealed with o-rings.
  • the closed vacuum chamber is pumped with two 1500 l/s high vacuum pumps.
  • this flange/housing 21 Amongst the features machined into this flange/housing 21 are an internal cavity which houses the ion source 2 and the deflector subassembly which is mounted to it as described below; and two linear arrays of rectangular ports 62 and 63. These arrays
  • the housing 21 also contains a parallel-side slot 45 bounded by sides 40a and 40b which serve as the deceleration electrode, the slot 45 extending the full 350mm of breadth size and a little more.
  • the inside of the cavity contains a stepped profile 52, which serves as the outer electrode of the electrostatic deflector.
  • the housing 21 also contains a number of passages for cooling water 61. These communicate with the atmosphere side of the flange, where cooling water can be connected. Different passages provide for cooling the outer deflector electrode 52, and the mounting location for the sputter target (separate item 200) . All the above features are contained in one monolithic item .
  • each of 4a and 4b is mounted on its own row of ceramic insulators, so that even in a very long ion source producing a very broad ribbon beam, the alignment of the two halves of the extraction electrode is tightly controlled .
  • item 4a and electrode 51 are in fact the same part, which is machined from solid graphite.
  • Item 51 is the inner electrode for the beam deflector. The two halves of the extraction electrode are separated from each other by a distance h, through which the ion beam is accelerated from the ion source, and both are sepa rated by a gap g from the front exit slot of the ion source, from which the ion beam 1 1 is schematically shown emerging .
  • Ion beam 11 is accelerated, deflected, then decelerated, and emerges through the slot bounded by 40a and 40b into a field-free drift zone 65, to strike sputter target 200 at an angle of incidence a of 70 degrees.
  • the ion source is connected to a +5kV power supply (as in Fig . 9, but not shown in Fig . 10), and electrodes 4a and 4b are connected (by an electrical feed-through which is not shown) to a potential with a maximum of -20kV but in practice about -18 kV.
  • the beam of argon ions at 5 keV passing through field-free zone 65 becomes space-charge neutralized. This occurs because the housing 21 completely shields the emerging beam from those components of the ion source at a positive voltage, and the negative potential on electrode 51 is interposed in between. As a result, the emerging ion beam will attract electrons (generated by collisions with both the target and traces of beam striking unwanted locations, also from residual gas ionizing collisions) for as long as its potential is a few volts positive with respect to ground, but the buildup of electrons will continue and create a beam plasma, with a potential of only 2 to 5V positive with respect to the vacuum chamber.
  • the gaseous plume of sputtered atoms 210 will travel through the vacuum environment as shown, with a mean energy of between 15 and 20 eV, enter deposition zone 250, and then strike substrate 300.
  • the substrate can be introduced onto a transport system through an airlock, and can be moved at a slow constant velocity through the vapor plume 210; at a distance of 75mm from the target, which extends in and out of the page by a total breadth of 350mm at the target, expanding somewhat as it moves outward.
  • the uniform region of the deposition spatial zone can have a breadth of about 275mm within which the thickness non-uniformity can be about +/- 1% or less.
  • An additional ion beam source or sources can be disposed within the limited confines of the closed vacuum environment, and the additional ion source can be used for a number of different purposes relating to the PVD process, which include :
  • An additional ion source can provide a source of cool plasma electrons to allow the beam to stably sputter a target made from an insulating material ; such a plasma source clamps the potential on the target within a few volts of the potential on the chamber walls.
  • An additional ion source can provide an ionized reactant (such as oxygen) at a preselected energy, and directed onto the same workpiece that is being coated ; in this way various new or known forms of reactive sputtering may be performed .
  • an ionized reactant such as oxygen
  • the additional ion source may be biased a few tens of volts positive for a limited period for the purpose of cleaning the surface of the workpiece by ion collisions, prior to commencing the coating process.
  • the ion beam source of the operative system may be integrated into a unified removable structure together with the electrostatic deflector and the sputter material target; and this structure, when mounted on a single flange in the vacuum chamber, is relatively easy to remove for service.
  • This mounting flange would also allow for the mounting and integration of such items requiring 5kV isolation from ground as :
  • mounting flange would allow for:
  • the measured beam is a precise measure of the amount of material actually delivered to the substrate.
  • the useful life span of the sputter material target can be adversely affected by non-uniform erosion of the face surface (owing to the creation and release of vaporized sputter atoms). While this event may be less serious than in a magnetron system, any of the following life-enhancing procedures can be employed in the operative system to increase the useful life- span of the target.
  • the electron beam serves as a source of heat, not as a means of sputtering . Electrons do not cause sputtering.
  • the deflection in the electron source is caused by a magnetic field, and the field orthogonal to the travel of the electrons and to the direction of deflection.
  • the deflection in the present invention is solely generated by electric fields lying in the plane of the trajectory, and this enables the creation of line PVD sources of arbitrary length.
  • the tightly focused broad ion beam has a precisely controlled energy.
  • the ion energies in magnetron discharges span a wide ra nge from near zero to about 800eV, depending on the applied voltage, and this range is many times greater - and thus are far less controlled or precise.
  • the resulting modified ion beam prod uced by the assembly and system of the present invention presents ion which are space- charge neutralized. Also, if desired or when deemed necessary, a separate cooling plasma source held at ground potential can and will reduce the residual space-charge potentials further;
  • the sputter target is mounted on a fixed location and is held at local ground potential - which is the same potential as the substrate to be coated . It is noteworthy also that both the sputter target and the substrate to be coated are situated in a region which is substantia lly free of electric fields. This fact and circumstance renders immateria l the issue of whether the material of the target is a conductor or an insulator. ⁇ For the assemblies and systems of the present invention, the immediate vacuum environment of the sputter target is also
  • magnetron sputtering systems it now makes no difference whether the chosen coating material is magnetic or non-magnetic. If it is desired to apply a magnetic field at the substrate, this should cause no problem.
  • the final ion beam is directed to strike the sputter target at a predetermined incidence angle, which is optimally about 70 degrees. This requisite incidence angle raises the sputter particle yield; allows a higher ion energy for the resulting modified ion beam; and improves energy efficiency.
  • insulating materials can be sputtered continuously using DC power without experiencing the difficult problems of overcoming electrostatic charging and a 'disappearing anode'.
  • a steady high rate of deposition of thin-film coatings is produced and can be electrically monitored.
  • the present invention can tailor the uniformity of the sputtered plume along its major dimension, and hence improve both the uniformity of the deposited films and the relative breadth of the 'sweet spot'.
  • the present invention provides effective means for increasing the uniformity of erosion of the sputter target - by adjusting the potentials in the electrostatic deflection to scan the beam back and forth, thereby maximizing the utilization of target material,

Abstract

L'invention concerne un système de pulvérisation cathodique à faisceau ionique amélioré, un ensemble et une méthodologie, présentant des capacités uniques de revêtement par film de la ou des surfaces exposées d'une pièce à travailler ou d'un substrat par dépôt physique en phase vapeur. Le système peut présenter un débit largement supérieur à des systèmes de pulvérisation cathodiques à faisceau ionique existants, tout en étant construit comme un module de chute, lui conférant une flexibilité que l'on trouve plus généralement dans des systèmes de magnétron. Le système d'exploitation génère et extrait d'abord un faisceau ionique en forme de ruban, généralement en argon, dont la largeur peut être étendue d'environ 150 mm à environ 3 mètres ; puis accélère, dévie et ensuite décélère le faisceau pour former un faisceau ionique de ruban très large à courant élevé neutralisé de charge d'espace ; dirige ce faisceau ionique résultant pour frapper la surface de face exposée d'une cible de pulvérisation cathodique à un angle d'incidence oblique pré-choisi proche de 70 degrés ; et, par conséquent : permet la formation et la libération d'un panache d'atomes pulvérisés cathodiquement à partir de la cible.
PCT/US2015/000023 2014-03-04 2015-02-09 Ensemble de dépot par pulvérisation cathodique à faisceau ionique, système de pulvérisation cathodique et procédé de pulvérisation cathodique de dépot physique en phase vapeur WO2015134108A1 (fr)

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CN112680700A (zh) * 2020-12-04 2021-04-20 安徽工业大学 一种电子束辅助碳基超润滑固体薄膜制备装置及方法
CN113466921A (zh) * 2021-07-01 2021-10-01 兰州空间技术物理研究所 一种适用于电推力器羽流诊断的静电场离子能量分析仪
WO2022117130A1 (fr) 2020-12-03 2022-06-09 Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci Dispositif pour le dépôt de films minces optiques diélectriques à l'aide de sources de plasma de pulvérisation cathodique et de sources d'ions à énergie
CN114910196A (zh) * 2022-04-22 2022-08-16 西安交通大学 微米尺度的平面电容式压力传感器制备方法
CN115612991A (zh) * 2022-12-02 2023-01-17 杭州众能光电科技有限公司 一种等离子和电场协同的薄膜制备设备及制备工艺
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KR20180101571A (ko) * 2016-02-01 2018-09-12 베리안 세미콘덕터 이큅먼트 어소시에이츠, 인크. 이온 빔 장치 내의 오염 제어를 위한 장치 및 방법
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US11694877B2 (en) 2019-06-26 2023-07-04 Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. Negative ion irradiation device
WO2022117130A1 (fr) 2020-12-03 2022-06-09 Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci Dispositif pour le dépôt de films minces optiques diélectriques à l'aide de sources de plasma de pulvérisation cathodique et de sources d'ions à énergie
EP4081671A4 (fr) * 2020-12-03 2023-09-27 Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci Dispositif pour le dépôt de films minces optiques diélectriques à l'aide de sources de plasma de pulvérisation cathodique et de sources d'ions à énergie
CN112680700A (zh) * 2020-12-04 2021-04-20 安徽工业大学 一种电子束辅助碳基超润滑固体薄膜制备装置及方法
CN113466921A (zh) * 2021-07-01 2021-10-01 兰州空间技术物理研究所 一种适用于电推力器羽流诊断的静电场离子能量分析仪
CN113466921B (zh) * 2021-07-01 2023-07-28 兰州空间技术物理研究所 一种适用于电推力器羽流诊断的静电场离子能量分析仪
CN114910196A (zh) * 2022-04-22 2022-08-16 西安交通大学 微米尺度的平面电容式压力传感器制备方法
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