WO2020126531A1 - Magnetanordnung für eine plasmaquelle zur durchführung von plasmabehandlungen - Google Patents
Magnetanordnung für eine plasmaquelle zur durchführung von plasmabehandlungen Download PDFInfo
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- WO2020126531A1 WO2020126531A1 PCT/EP2019/083898 EP2019083898W WO2020126531A1 WO 2020126531 A1 WO2020126531 A1 WO 2020126531A1 EP 2019083898 W EP2019083898 W EP 2019083898W WO 2020126531 A1 WO2020126531 A1 WO 2020126531A1
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- 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
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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
- C23C14/02—Pretreatment of the material to be coated
- C23C14/021—Cleaning or etching treatments
- C23C14/022—Cleaning or etching treatments by means of bombardment with energetic particles or radiation
-
- 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
- C23C14/24—Vacuum evaporation
- C23C14/32—Vacuum evaporation by explosion; by evaporation and subsequent ionisation of the vapours, e.g. ion-plating
- C23C14/325—Electric arc evaporation
-
- 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
- H01J37/32431—Constructional details of the reactor
- H01J37/32532—Electrodes
- H01J37/32541—Shape
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- 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
- H01J37/32431—Constructional details of the reactor
- H01J37/32532—Electrodes
- H01J37/32614—Consumable cathodes for arc discharge
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- 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
- H01J37/32431—Constructional details of the reactor
- H01J37/32623—Mechanical discharge control means
- H01J37/32651—Shields, e.g. dark space shields, Faraday shields
-
- 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
- H01J37/32431—Constructional details of the reactor
- H01J37/3266—Magnetic control means
-
- 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
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to a plasma source and, more particularly, to a plasma source with a magnet assembly
- Plasma generation that is used to pass a current through a gas by applying a sufficiently high voltage between a cathode and an anode, such as argon or another noble gas, at defined low pressures.
- an anode such as argon or another noble gas
- the plasma generation of a gas or gas mixture in the form of a low-pressure plasma can take place through the interaction of high-energy electrons with gases which are provided by an electron source and are accelerated to defined energies by suitable electrodes.
- an electron source can be, for example, a cathodic vacuum arc evaporator consisting of a suitably shielded arc cathode and an arc anode which receives the arc electrons.
- these arc electrons are drawn off with suitable electrodes and accelerated at high energy.
- the gas plasma generated in this way can be used for different plasma treatments of substrates.
- inert gas ions eg
- argon ions generated thereby serve to ion-clean the substrates.
- Chemical compounds excited in the plasma, if appropriate broken down, and atomized molecules of the gases and gas mixtures can be used for the thermochemical treatment of substrates or even for layer deposition. It is important to set the local plasma generation in terms of the treatment goals with suitable electrodes in terms of shape, arrangement and operating parameters.
- One goal is to design the electrodes so that these do not protrude into the treatment room and can be loaded with high power densities and are as easy to maintain as possible.
- the aim of the invention is to make the plasma on the electrodes generating the gas plasma adjustable in terms of time and location by means of suitable magnetic fields at least on one electrode introduced into the treatment chamber, as a result of which the local and temporal plasma distribution in the treatment room can be adjusted.
- the invention relates to a vacuum chamber for performing a plasma treatment comprising a plasma treatment area which is surrounded by chamber walls of the vacuum chamber, and a plasma source.
- the plasma source comprises at least one cathode arranged in the vacuum chamber for cathodic vacuum arc evaporation with an arc anode which is connected to the vacuum chamber and at least one electrode arranged in the vacuum chamber.
- a shield can be arranged in front of the cathode and the electrode has a working surface for collecting the electrons emitted by the cathode, which is characterized in that the working surface is a two-dimensional surface for collecting the electrons emitted by the cathode.
- the two-dimensional surface has a first orthogonal extension to a surface normal and a second orthogonal extension, the first orthogonal extension being perpendicular to the second orthogonal extension and an aspect ratio of the first orthogonal extension to the second orthogonal extension being between 0.1 and 1.
- a magnet for generating a magnetic field which acts on the working surface of the electrode is arranged in, on or in and on the vacuum chamber.
- the magnet may include a front magnet and / or a rear magnet.
- the front magnet is arranged in the area of the working surface for generating a front magnetic field and the rear magnet is arranged behind the working surface for generating a rear magnetic field.
- the magnet according to the invention can be designed as a magnetic circuit, that is to say as a coil or a plurality of magnets be.
- the magnetic circuit surrounds the work surface or is arranged in front of the work surface.
- an electrode according to the invention comprises an entire magnet system, comprising a front and a rear magnetic circuit.
- any number of electrodes and cathodes can be arranged in the vacuum chamber.
- a magnet can be arranged on each electrode or only on a subset of a plurality of electrodes. Magnets on the rear and / or on the front can be arranged on the electrodes.
- At least one magnet for generating a magnetic field is arranged on the electrode in the vacuum chamber.
- a first electrode and a second electrode can be present.
- the first electrode can be influenced by a first front-side magnetic field and the second electrode by a second front-side magnetic field.
- the first electrode has a first rear magnetic field and the second electrode has a second rear magnetic field. If there are several electrodes, some of the electrodes (or a first electrode) can have a magnetic field on the back, while another part of the electrodes (or a second one)
- Electrode has a magnetic field on the front. If there are several electrodes, they can preferably be connected to a common power supply unit, or can of course also be connected to different power supply units (current sources).
- a magnet on a vacuum chamber according to the invention can be a
- Permanent magnet system and / or include an electromagnet. If the magnet comprises an electromagnet, the electromagnet can be attached to the electrode
- Electrodes in front so any number of electrodes can be an adjustable
- Adjustable magnetic fields according to the invention can be adjustable, inter alia, by means of different current intensities, a specific magnet arrangement and different polarities. If there are several magnets, the polarities of the magnets, in particular of the rear or front magnet, can be reversible.
- the electrode according to the invention can in particular be an evaporator be, which comprises at least one metal. All of the measures described above can be used, among other things, to adjust and influence the homogeneity of the plasma. This is because the discharge can also be changed by one or more electrodes using a magnetic field. The operation of multiple electrodes, each with a power supply
- Homogeneity while maintaining the higher plasma excitation can be controlled by specifying and adjusting current values.
- the etching rate and etching homogeneity can also be set.
- an etching profile can also be achieved by controlling coils and / or arranging the magnets
- Typical industrial cathodic vacuum arc evaporators can be used as electron sources.
- a shield In front of a cathodic vacuum arc evaporator (later also simply an arc evaporator) which is used as an electron source, a shield can be provided which is designed in such a way that it withstands the heat input by the vacuum arc evaporation.
- the dimensioning of an area of such a shield should be larger than the entire area of the cathodic vacuum arc evaporator, which comprises a surface to be evaporated, in order to avoid vapor deposition of the substrates.
- One or more electron collecting electrodes could be used in the form of uncooled electrodes.
- the use of uncooled electrodes can limit the power that can be applied to the electrodes. It is therefore more advantageous to use cooled electrodes, for example water-cooled electrodes.
- one or more typical (arc) power supplies can be used, which can deliver a voltage of up to 100V and a current of up to 400A. With appropriate dimensioning of the work surface and operating mode, current densities between 0.1 to 5 A / cm 2 and power densities between 0.25 to 500 W / cm 2 can be achieved at the electrodes.
- a total gas pressure in the range from 0.01 Pa to 5 Pa should be maintained in the chamber during the plasma treatment, preferably a gas pressure in the range from 0.1 Pa to 2 Pa.
- Typical gases are argon, hydrogen, nitrogen or hydrocarbon gases (eg C 2 H 2 , acetylene), which are used as pure gases or gas mixtures, depending on the treatment goal.
- the vacuum chamber according to the invention can include both the large number of electrodes and the large number of cathodes, in particular cathodic vacuum arc evaporators.
- cathodes can have a single shield or several shields.
- cathodes, in particular cathodic vacuum arc evaporators, with one shield can advantageously be arranged with at least one electrode in the vacuum chamber.
- an equal number of electrodes and cathodes in particular cathodic vacuum arc evaporators
- more electrodes than cathodes in particular cathodic vacuum arc evaporators
- more cathodes in particular cathodic vacuum arc evaporators
- cathodes in particular cathodic vacuum arc evaporators
- the electrodes and cathodes can be arranged at different points in the vacuum chamber (walls, ceiling, floor).
- the plasma distribution in the vacuum chamber can be adjusted both via the arrangement and via the number of electrodes and cathodes (in particular cathodic vacuum arc evaporators).
- an improvement in the etching depth and / or the etching homogeneity on a substrate can be achieved in an ion etching process, for example.
- the use of more than one electrode allows the use of different currents on the electrodes and a time selective application of the currents, so that its improved control of plasma generation is made possible.
- the electron current at the electrode can be adjusted by adjusting the electrode voltage.
- Low electrode voltages result in low electron current and low plasma activity.
- a typical maximum electron current at the one or more electrodes should be chosen at approximately 120% of the cathodic vacuum arc evaporator current. For example: If in a vacuum chamber containing argon at an argon pressure of 0.5 Pa, a cathodic one Vacuum arc evaporator is used as the electron source, the cathodic vacuum arc evaporator being operated at an arc current of 100 A, the total electrode current should be set to approximately 120 A. This means that the current at one electrode or, if more than one electrode is used, the sum of the individual currents at the individual electrodes should be set to a maximum of 120 A. An electrode current that is less than or equal to the arc current is preferred.
- each electrode can be operated on a separate power supply unit or on a specific group of power supply units, so that the electrodes can be switched to operate them at a maximum current or to operate them in parallel at a maximum current by applying different voltages to the different electrodes.
- Typical values of electrode voltages are in the range of 10 V - 50 V and typical electrode currents are in the range of 10 A - 200 A.
- the present invention can also be used to carry out coating processes, for example for applying diamond-like carbon (DLC) layers.
- DLC diamond-like carbon
- a DLC layer of the type aC: H is to be applied, a mixture of an acetylene (C 2 H 2 ) gas flow and an argon gas flow should be fed to the chamber.
- Virtually any coating device designed to perform vacuum coating processes such as PVD arc evaporation processes or PVD sputtering processes, including HiPIMS, or plasma-assisted chemical deposition processes (PA-CVD) can be adapted to perform plasma treatment processes in accordance with the present invention.
- PVD arc evaporation processes or PVD sputtering processes including HiPIMS, or plasma-assisted chemical deposition processes (PA-CVD)
- PA-CVD plasma-assisted chemical deposition processes
- the magnet for generating a magnetic field should be arranged on the electrode in the chamber.
- the magnet can be the front magnet, which can be controlled manually, so that his magnetic field can be changed.
- the front magnet could also be a permanent magnet.
- the electron-accelerating electrode is not spatially linear in the sense of a ratio between the length of the electrode and the cross sections, which are often rectangular or circular or elliptical.
- the two-dimensional surface has the first orthogonal extension to the surface normal and the second orthogonal extension, the first orthogonal extension running perpendicular to the second orthogonal extension.
- the aspect ratio of the first orthogonal dimension to the second orthogonal dimension is between 0.1 and 1.
- the aspect ratio of the first orthogonal dimension to the second orthogonal dimension can also be between 0.2 and 1, in particular between 0.4 and 1, in particular 1 lie.
- the work surface can be in the range between 5 to 2000 cm 2 , in particular 25 to 320 cm 2 .
- the two-dimensional surface can be circular, ellipsoidal but also rectangular or have other suitable shapes. Is the
- the first orthogonal extension corresponds to a first edge length and the second orthogonal extension to a second edge length corresponds to the two-dimensional one
- the first orthogonal extension and the second orthogonal extension correspond in particular to distances from opposite vertices of the two-dimensional one
- Two-dimensional also refers to the fact that the electrons hit an essentially planar surface.
- the surface itself can have a certain structuring due to the manufacture or use. This structuring can be caused by erosion of the electrode
- Electrodes structured and eroded in this way are also regarded as essentially planar in the context of the invention.
- the ratio between a maximum depth of the structuring and the smaller orthogonal extension (in relation to the first orthogonal extension or second orthogonal extension according to the invention) of the two-dimensional surface of the electrode is at most 0.4, in particular at most 0.3, in particular at most 0.2 .
- the maximum depth of the structuring should therefore always be smaller than the smaller orthogonal extension.
- the two-dimensional surface of the electrode preferably has active magnetic fields.
- a circular electrode is operated, which preferably has an electrode diameter of 100 mm.
- the electrode can be attached to a wall of the vacuum chamber and can also be arranged at least partially in the chamber wall. If the electrode is at least partially arranged in the chamber wall, this has the clear advantage that the electrode does not protrude significantly into the coating space.
- the electrodes can be attached to different chamber walls. If, for example, two two-dimensional electrodes are installed, the two two-dimensional electrodes are preferably arranged on opposite chamber walls. Of course, there is also the possibility that several two-dimensional electrodes are arranged on adjacent and / or several two-dimensional electrodes on the same chamber wall.
- a first and a second electrode are preferably at a distance of 20 to 400 mm, in particular from 100 to 300 mm, in particular 200 mm, if these are operated one above the other or next to one another on a chamber wall.
- the arrangement of the two-dimensional electrode on a chamber wall has in particular the following advantages over the prior art with a linear electrode within the vacuum chamber.
- the plasma treatment area inside the vacuum chamber, especially in the center of the vacuum chamber offers more free space. Through this free space, a better use of the chamber can be achieved.
- the substrates to be treated can be better distributed within the vacuum chamber, since the free space created in the chamber means that there is more space for distributing the substrates to be treated. This also enables a homogeneous plasma treatment of the substrate surfaces, in particular if the substrates to be treated can be arranged more uniformly in the chamber.
- Another advantage of the arrangement according to the invention is that simple cooling of these electrodes according to the invention is made possible.
- a two-dimensional surface such as is present in the electrodes according to the invention is of course much easier and more effectively coolable than would be possible with a linear electrode.
- the cooling of the electron-receiving surface can be direct (water flow) or indirect. Clamping a suitable electrode material onto a heat sink is indirect.
- a metal can in particular be titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr) or aluminum (Al).
- the material of the cathode can also consist of another suitable element, another suitable alloy (titanium alloys and / or zirconium alloys and / or aluminum and aluminum alloys) or another suitable metal which promotes adsorption of hydrogen and / or oxygen.
- Such properties of the cathode of the vacuum arc evaporator can also be used, inter alia, to achieve a better vacuum quality for carrying out the plasma processes.
- Electrodes All possible target materials known from the prior art of cathodic vacuum arc evaporators are suitable as electrode materials.
- carbon targets made of pure carbon or alloys such as copper-carbon alloys can also be used as electrode material.
- Steel, copper, copper alloys, aluminum, aluminum alloys or conductive evaporator materials such as aluminum titanium, chromium or vanadium are also suitable as electrode material.
- a plurality of electrodes can be arranged in the vacuum chamber.
- Each electrode preferably comprises one Working surface according to the invention.
- a first and a second electrode are present in the vacuum chamber, a second front magnet can be arranged in front of a second working surface of the second electrode.
- the second front magnet can also be arranged at least partially next to or around the second work surface.
- the first front magnet can be arranged in front of the first work surface and / or the first front magnet can be arranged at least partially next to or around the first work surface.
- a polarity of the magnet according to the invention or the magnetic circuit can be adjusted as desired.
- the front and the rear magnet (or magnetic circuit) can have the same or reverse polarity.
- the first front magnet can have the same polarity as the second front magnet.
- the magnets can have a changeable polarity.
- the first electrode and the second electrode can be connected to a common power supply or the first electrode can be connected to a first power supply and the second electrode can be connected to a second power supply.
- the plurality of electrodes can comprise a first group of electrodes which is connected to a first power supply and a second group of electrodes which is connected to a second power supply.
- the changeable polarity of the first front magnet and / or second front magnet can be adjusted by reversing a current which is applied to the first magnet and / or to the second magnet or is regulated.
- Fig. 1 shows an example of a known vacuum chamber for performing a plasma treatment.
- Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for performing a plasma treatment with an electrode according to a first embodiment.
- FIG. 2 a shows a schematic illustration of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment with a rectangular electrode according to a further exemplary embodiment.
- FIG. 2 b shows a schematic illustration of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment with an electrode with a switch between the electrode and the power supply according to a further exemplary embodiment.
- FIG. 2 c shows a schematic representation of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment with an electrode with a switch for reversing the polarity of a power supply in accordance with a further exemplary embodiment.
- FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment with two electrodes according to the invention with a power supply unit according to another exemplary embodiment.
- Fig. 4 shows a schematic representation of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment with two electrodes according to the invention with two power supplies according to a further embodiment.
- FIG. 5 shows a schematic representation of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment with an electrode according to the invention and two cathodes according to a further exemplary embodiment.
- 6 shows a schematic illustration of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment with two electrodes according to the invention and two cathodes according to a further exemplary embodiment.
- FIG. 7 shows a schematic representation of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment with two electrodes according to the invention and two cathodes according to a further exemplary embodiment.
- FIG. 8 shows a schematic representation of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment with three electrodes according to the invention and three cathodes according to a further exemplary embodiment.
- FIG. 8 a shows a schematic representation of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment with three electrodes according to the invention and three cathodes according to a further exemplary embodiment.
- FIG. 9 shows a schematic illustration of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment with three electrodes according to the invention, on different chamber walls according to another exemplary embodiment.
- FIG. 9 a shows a schematic illustration of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment with three electrodes according to the invention, on different chamber parts according to another exemplary embodiment.
- FIG. 10 shows a schematic illustration of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention with a magnet on the front.
- FIG. 11 shows a schematic representation of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment according to a further exemplary embodiment with a magnet on the front and rear.
- 12 shows a schematic illustration of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment according to another exemplary embodiment with a magnet on the front and rear.
- FIG. 13 shows a schematic illustration of a magnetic field configuration for two electrodes according to one exemplary embodiment.
- FIG. 14 shows a schematic representation of a vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out a plasma treatment with two magnets on the back with separate power supplies according to one exemplary embodiment.
- Electrode arrangement with a front and rear magnet according to another embodiment.
- FIG. 16 shows a diagram of magnetic field measurements according to an exemplary embodiment.
- FIG. 17 shows a schematic representation of a magnetic field configuration for two electrodes with front and rear magnets according to a further exemplary embodiment.
- FIG. 18 shows a diagram of an etching depth that is influenced by magnetic fields according to an exemplary embodiment.
- FIG. 19 shows a diagram of an etching depth according to an example system according to the invention.
- Fig. 20 shows a table of experimental results in comparison of various glow discharge systems with the known prior art.
- a coating process such as a coating by means of physical gas deposition (PVD) or a diamond-like carbon coating
- PVD physical gas deposition
- a diamond-like carbon coating an arc-assisted glow discharge process (also ion-etching process) can be carried out on one or more substrates.
- the ion etching process is used to prepare or condition the surfaces, which means that the substrate surfaces are heated and etched using ion bombardment. This conditioning improves the bond between the substrate and the coating. 1 shows a conventional ion etching process system.
- the system comprises a vacuum chamber 1 with evaporators 7 (evaporators in the following, short for arc cathode of a cathodic vacuum arc evaporator), which are arranged on opposite sides of the chamber 1.
- the evaporators 7 are connected to direct current sources 8 and can be operated at voltages of 40 V and currents up to 300 A.
- Shutters or shields 12 are connected to the walls of the chamber 1 and are rotatably arranged such that the shutters 12 can be rotated such that the corresponding electrode 7 is either shielded or unshielded.
- a linear electrode 13 is connected to the chamber and is immediately spaced from the evaporators 7.
- the linear electrode 13 can be connected to the current sources 11, 14 via switches 15, 16, 17 and, in the operating state, has the same voltage along the electrode 3.
- the current sources 11, 14 are also connected to the wall of the chamber 1 and can optionally connected to a rotatable substrate holder 10 via the switches 15, 16.
- gas such as argon
- gas source 6 can be admitted into the chamber 1 from a gas source 6 via the inlet 4.
- electrons are generated by the evaporator 7 and accelerated in the direction of the linear electrode 13.
- the electrons excite the argon gas atoms and thus generate partially ionized argon atoms, which are deposited on a surface of a substrate 9 in order to prepare them for the coating.
- This system can only be set by means of the direct current sources 8, 11, 14 and the rotating substrate holder 10.
- the system is thus characterized by limited ionization, limited adjustability of the plasma activation by the linear electrode 13, and limited adjustability of the homogeneity in the chamber 1.
- 2 shows a schematically shown vacuum-tight chamber 100, an evaporator 110, which is provided in the chamber 100 and can be arranged directly on the wall of the chamber 100.
- a power supply 1 1 1 is provided, which has a negative pole. This negative pole of the power supply 1 1 1 or the current source 1 1 1 is connected to the evaporator 1 10.
- the evaporator 1 10 is thus a cathode 1 10.
- the evaporator 1 10 emits, as shown, arc electrons which are initially partially extracted and accelerated with the electrode according to the invention and thus the working gas argon (Ar) (often also neon (Ne) or any other suitable gas or mixture of gases) and consequently generate a plasma.
- argon Ar
- Ne neon
- a positive acceleration voltage is applied to the electrode 120, which enables an electrode current to the electrode.
- the electrode can generally be controlled via the voltage or the current, or else by the energy consisting of the product of the voltage and the current.
- the ions of the plasma then strike a surface of the substrate S, which is preferably provided centered in the chamber 100, in order to prepare and activate its surfaces for a subsequent coating process, for example by cleaning or etching.
- a shield 115 is also movably arranged in the chamber 100 in FIG. 2, so that the shield 115 can optionally be positioned between the evaporator 110 and the substrate S.
- the shield 115 can either be rotated or otherwise moved in front of the evaporator 110 in order to protect the substrate S from contamination by the evaporator 110 during this process. If cathodic vacuum arc evaporation is not present, the shield can be moved to another suitable position.
- a single electrode 120 is provided.
- the electrode 120 is connected to a positive pole of a power supply unit 121 and the electrode 120 is consequently an anode 120.
- the plasma that can be generated in the system can be influenced.
- the electrons emitted by the evaporator 110 are guided to the position of the electrodes / anodes 120 along a first and a second electron path 150.
- a plasma that can be generated in the chamber 100 can in turn be accelerated in the same direction.
- the first electrode 120 By suitably positioning the first electrode 120 at a desired position, a better / easier control of the plasma flow in the chamber 100 is possible and consequently an improved control of the ion bombardment and etching of the substrate.
- the embodiment according to FIG. 2a shows a schematically illustrated vacuum-tight chamber 100 with a structure similar to the chamber 100 according to the embodiment according to FIG. 2.
- the two-dimensional surface for collecting the electrons emitted by the cathode of the first electrode 120a according to FIG. 2a is, however, rectangular, whereas the two-dimensional surface of the first electrode 120 according to FIG. 2 is circular.
- the two-dimensional surface for collecting the electrons emitted by the evaporator has a first orthogonal extension to a surface normal and a second orthogonal extension, the first orthogonal extension being perpendicular to the second orthogonal extension and an aspect ratio of the first orthogonal extension to the second orthogonal one Expansion is between 0, 1 and 1.
- the first orthogonal extension and the second orthogonal extension correspond in particular to the diameter of the two-dimensional surface.
- the first orthogonal extension corresponds to a first edge length and the second orthogonal extension corresponds to a second edge length of the two-dimensional surface.
- the embodiment according to FIG. 2b shows a schematically illustrated vacuum-tight chamber 100 with a structure similar to that of chamber 100 according to the embodiment according to FIG. 2.
- the embodiment according to FIG. 2b includes one between the first electrode 120 and the power supplies 121, 122 switched switch device 123.
- the power supply 121 is arranged with the positive pole on the switch S1 of the switch device 123 and the power supply 122 is arranged with the negative pole on the switch S2 of the switch device 123.
- the electrode 120 can be used according to the invention Plasma electrode (also anode) can be used. If switch S1 is open and switch S2 is closed, electrode 120 can be used for (sheet) coating processes or sputtering processes (ie target).
- the embodiment according to FIG. 2c shows a schematically illustrated vacuum-tight chamber 100 with an analogous structure to the chamber 100 according to the embodiment according to FIG. 2.
- the embodiment according to FIG. 2c comprises a circuit connected between the first electrode 120 and the power supply 121 Switch device 123.
- the power supply unit 121 is arranged with the positive pole on the switch S1 of the switch device 123 and with the negative pole on the switch S2 of the switch device 123.
- the positive pole of the power supply 121 is connected to ground via the one switch S3 and the negative pole of the power supply 121 is connected to ground via the one switch S4.
- the electrode 120 can be used as the plasma electrode according to the invention. If switch S1 is open and switch S2 is closed, switch S3 is closed and switch S4 is open, electrode 120 can be used for (sheet) coating processes or sputtering processes.
- FIG. 3 shows the schematically shown vacuum-tight chamber 100.
- the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 130 are connected to a positive pole of the same power supply 121 or the same current source 121. Consequently, the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 130 are a first anode 120 and a second anode 130.
- the use of different currents and / or different time intervals at the current source 121 of the anodes 120 and 130 can influence the plasma that can be generated in the system.
- the embodiment according to FIG. 4 shows the schematically illustrated vacuum-tight chamber 100.
- a first power supply unit 121 is arranged on the first electrode 120 and a second power supply unit 131 is arranged on the second electrode 130.
- the plasma that can be generated in the system can be influenced by using different currents and / or different time intervals on the first power supply 121 and the second power supply 131, in particular since the first power supply can supply the first electrode 120 with a first current and the second power supply can supply the second electrode 130 with a second current.
- the first and second streams can be adjustable independently of one another, so that the distribution of the plasma can be shaped by the first and the second streams.
- the first power supply 121 can supply the first electrode 120 with the first current during a first time interval and the second power supply 131 can supply the second electrode 130 with the second current during a second time interval.
- the first and second time intervals can be separated or overlapping as desired.
- exemplary embodiments of plasma sources are shown schematically.
- a vacuum chamber according to the invention hereinafter referred to as chamber
- a large number of electrodes 120, 130 according to the invention , 140 with a two-dimensional surface for collecting the electrons emitted by a cathode which can be arranged in the chamber.
- a very important advantage of this arrangement is the possibility of positioning the electrodes on one or more walls of the chamber, which enables an improvement in the distribution of the substrates to be treated with plasma in the chamber. As a result, the area for plasma treatment in the chamber can be better utilized, which results in higher efficiency.
- a vacuum-tight chamber 100 is shown schematically in FIG. 3 or 4.
- An evaporator 110 is in the Chamber 100 is provided and can be arranged directly in the wall or on the wall of chamber 1 10.
- the evaporator 110 can comprise one or more metals, such as titanium and / or any other metal intended for evaporation.
- a negative pole of the power supply or the power source is connected to the evaporator 1 10 and thus connects the evaporator 1 10 in the form of a cathode.
- the vaporizer 110 is ignited, for example, by means of a trigger unit, arc electrons are emitted, which are accelerated by means of the electrode according to the invention and collide with one or more gases such as, for example, argon (Ar), neon (Ne) or any other suitable gas or gases together, which were let into the chamber 1 10, and so produce a plasma.
- gases such as, for example, argon (Ar), neon (Ne) or any other suitable gas or gases together, which were let into the chamber 1 10, and so produce a plasma.
- the ions of the plasma then bombard the surfaces of the one or more substrates (not shown here) that are provided in the chamber 100 to prepare their surfaces for, for example, cleaning or etching for a subsequent coating process.
- One or more shields 15 are movably provided in the chamber 100, so that the shield 115 can optionally be positioned between the evaporator 110 and the substrate.
- the shield 115 can either be rotated or otherwise moved in front of the evaporator to protect the substrates from contamination by the evaporator 110 during this process. If cathodic vacuum arc evaporation is not present, the shield can be moved to another suitable position.
- two electrodes, a first electrode 120 and a second electrode 130 are provided in the chamber 100.
- the first and second electrodes 120, 130 are connected to a positive pole of the at least one power supply or current source and thus connect the first and second electrodes 120, 130 as first and second anodes.
- a common power supply unit 121 can be connected to the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 130.
- an equal voltage can be applied to the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 130. This voltage can be applied to both electrodes 120, 130 at the same time and for the same time period.
- a first power supply 121 can power the first electrode 120 during a first Supply a time interval with a current and a second power supply unit 131 supply the second electrode 130 with a current during a second time interval.
- the first and second time intervals can be separated or overlapping as desired.
- the first electrode 120 may be connected to a first power supply 121 and the second electrode 130 may be connected to a second power supply 131.
- the first power supply 121 can supply the first electrode 120 with a first current
- the second power supply 131 can supply the second electrode 130 with a second current.
- FIGS. 3 and 4 the electrons emitted by the evaporator 110 flow to the positions of the first and second electrodes 120, 130.
- the individual first electrode 120 and second electrode 130 By suitably positioning the individual first electrode 120 and second electrode 130 at the desired locations, one is better control of the plasma flow in the chamber 100 is possible and consequently an improved control of the ion bombardment and etching of the substrate S.
- FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary embodiment in which three individual electrodes, a first electrode 120, a second electrode 130 and a third electrode 140 are provided are. This results in a corresponding first, second and third electron path 160, which is directed in the direction of the first, second and third electrodes 120, 130, 140, respectively. 3 and 4, the electrodes 120, 130 are arranged opposite the evaporator 110.
- the electrodes 120, 130, 140 are arranged on different parts of the chamber.
- any suitable positioning of the first, second or optionally also third electrode is possible in order to influence the electron flow in such a way that improved plasma activation and homogeneity in the chamber can be achieved.
- any number of electrodes in the chamber are possible in order to direct the electron flow onto a desired path. 3, 4 and 9 can be used with an applied current of 100 A; however, any other suitable current intensity can of course also be used.
- FIG. 5 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a chamber 200, in which several evaporators are provided.
- the chamber 200 comprises a first evaporator 210 and a second evaporator 220, which are connected as cathodes, that is to say connected to a negative pole of a first power supply unit 21 1 and a second power supply unit 221.
- the first and second evaporators 210, 220 are provided on the wall of the chamber 200.
- the first or second evaporator 210, 220 can also be arranged on a suitable structure of the wall of the chamber 200 or in the chamber 200.
- a rotatable or otherwise movable shield 230 is provided in the vicinity of the first and second evaporators 210, 220.
- the shield 230 can be of a size sufficient to shield both evaporators 210, 220.
- chamber 200 may include first and second shields associated with the first and second evaporators 210, 220 (not shown here).
- a first electrode 240 is provided in the chamber 200, which is connected as an anode, that is to say connected to the positive pole of a first current source 241.
- the electrons emitted by the first evaporator 210 and the electrons emitted by the second evaporator 220 flow towards the first electrode 240. It is understood that any desired number of evaporators can be used with any desired number of individual electrodes so that the system can include an appropriate number of evaporators and an appropriate number of electrodes.
- the embodiment according to FIG. 6 shows a schematically illustrated vacuum-tight chamber 200 with a structure similar to that of the chamber 200 according to the embodiment according to FIG. 5.
- the embodiment according to FIG. 6 differs from FIG. 5 in that a first electrode 240 and a second electrode 250 are present.
- the first electrode 240 and the second electrode 250 are connected to a positive pole of the same power supply unit 241 or the same current source 241. Consequently, the first electrode 240 and the second electrode 250 are connected as a first anode 240 and a second anode 250.
- the common power supply unit is connected to the first electrode 240 and the second electrode 250, in this arrangement an equal current can be supplied to the first electrode 240 and the second electrode 250 are applied. This current can be applied to both electrodes 240, 250 at the same time and for the same period of time.
- FIG. 6 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a plasma source, in which several evaporators are provided.
- a chamber 200 comprises a first evaporator 210 and a second evaporator 220, which are connected as cathodes.
- the first and second evaporators 210, 220 may be provided in the wall of the chamber 200 or otherwise on the chamber 200.
- the first or second evaporator 210, 220 can also be arranged on a suitable structure of the chamber 200 or in the chamber 200.
- a rotatable or otherwise movable shield 230 is provided in the vicinity of the first and second evaporators 210, 220.
- the shield 230 may be of a size sufficient to shield both evaporators 210, 220.
- chamber 200 may include first and second shields associated with first evaporator 110 and second evaporator 220, respectively.
- a first electrode 240 and a second electrode 250 are provided in the chamber 200, both of which are connected as an anode.
- the electrons emitted by the first evaporator 210 flow towards the first electrode 240 and the electrons emitted from the second evaporator 220 towards the second electrode 250.
- the system of FIG. 6 may include two evaporators and four individual electrodes so that electrons flow from the first evaporator 210 to two individual electrodes and the electrons flow from the second evaporator to two other individual electrodes.
- the embodiment according to FIG. 7 shows a schematically illustrated vacuum-tight chamber 200 with an analogous structure to the chamber 200 according to the embodiment according to FIG. 6.
- the embodiment according to FIG. 7 differs from FIG. 6, however, in that the first Electrode 240 has a first power supply unit 241 and a second power supply unit 251 is arranged on the second electrode 250.
- the plasma that can be generated in the system can be influenced, in particular since the first one Power supply unit can supply the first electrode 240 with a first current and the second power supply unit can supply the second electrode 250 with a second current.
- the first and second streams can be adjustable independently of one another, so that the distribution of the plasma can be shaped by the first and the second streams.
- the first power supply 241 can supply the first electrode 240 with the first current during a first time interval and the second power supply 251 can supply the second electrode 250 with the second current during a second time interval.
- the first and second time intervals can be separated or overlapping as desired.
- evaporators 210, 220 with at least one anode 240, 250.
- ⁇ 8 can be used in particular in large systems.
- Several plasma sources can be provided in the chamber by arranging evaporators 31 1, 321, 331 and electrodes 340, 350, 360 along the height of the chamber, that is, along the height of the plasma treatment area, the plasma source in each case at least one evaporator and comprises one, two or more individual electrodes.
- Each electrode can be supplied by its own power supply unit or a switchable power supply unit can be used by several electrodes at the same time.
- the chamber 300 of FIG. 8 comprises a first evaporator 310, a second evaporator 320 and a third evaporator 330, which are connected as cathodes, that is to say with a negative pole of a first power supply unit 31 1, a second power supply unit 321 and one third power supply 331 are connected.
- the first, second and third evaporators 310, 320 and 330 are provided on the same wall of the chamber 300.
- the first, second and third evaporators 310, 320 and 330 can also be arranged on a suitable structure of the wall of the chamber 300 or in the chamber 300.
- first, second and third evaporators 310, 320 and 330 on different walls, or first and third evaporators 310 and 330 on one wall and the second evaporator 320 on another wall.
- Three rotatable or otherwise movable shields 334, 332 and 333 are provided in the vicinity of the first, second and third evaporators 310, 320 and 330, respectively.
- chamber 300 may include a shield that is sized which is sufficient to shield all evaporators 310, 320, 330.
- a first electrode 340, a second electrode 350 and a third electrode 360 are provided in the chamber 300, which are connected as anodes 340, 350, 360, that is to say with the positive pole in each case with a first power supply unit 341, a second power supply unit 351 and a third power supply 361 is connected.
- the electrons emitted by the first evaporator 310, the electrons emitted by the second evaporator 320 and the electrons emitted by the third evaporator 330 flow in the direction of the three anodes 340, 350, 360.
- the electrodes 340, 350, 360 are arranged opposite the evaporators 310, 320, 330.
- any suitable positioning of the first, second and third electrodes is possible in order to influence the electron flow in such a way that improved plasma activation and homogeneity in the chamber can be achieved.
- any number of electrodes in the chamber are possible in order to direct the electron flow onto a desired path.
- the current applied to the evaporators 310, 320, 330 can be 100 A, but of course any other suitable current strength can also be used.
- FIG. 8 a shows a further exemplary embodiment of a chamber 300, with an analogous structure to the chamber in FIG. 8, but the power supply units of the first electrode 340, the second electrode 350 and the third electrode 360 are operated with different energies.
- the homogeneity of a plasma can be improved via the different energies, and the distribution of a plasma can be better controlled by adjusting the energies on the respective power supply units accordingly.
- the substrate S can be biased both negatively and positively, the positive bias having to be less than that of the electrode, since otherwise all of the electrons flow to the substrate.
- a suitably pre-stressed substrate is also suitable for additional plasma control.
- the chamber 100, 200 in Operating state fed a working gas and a process gas.
- the working gas is preferably argon (Ar) and hydrogen (H2) and the process gas is preferably nitrogen (N2).
- the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 9 shows a schematically illustrated vacuum-tight chamber 100 with an analogous structure to the chamber 100 according to the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2.
- the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 9 differs from FIG. 2 in that a first electrode 120, a second electrode 130 and a third electrode 140 are present and a first power supply unit 121 is arranged on the first electrode 120, a second power supply unit 131 is arranged on the second electrode 130 and a third power supply unit 141 is arranged on the third electrode 140.
- the plasma that can be generated in the system can be influenced by using different energies and / or different time intervals on the first power supply 121, the second power supply 131 and the third power supply 141, in particular since the first power supply 121 supplies the first electrode 120 with a first energy and the second power supply 131 can supply the second electrode 130 with a second energy and the third power supply 141 can supply the third electrode 140 with a third energy.
- the first, second and third energy can be set independently of one another, so that the distribution of the plasma can be shaped by the first, second and third energy.
- FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary embodiment in which three individual electrodes, a first electrode 120, a second electrode 130 and a third electrode 140 are provided. This results in a corresponding first, second and third electron path 160, which is directed in the direction of the first, second and third electrodes 120, 130, 140, respectively.
- the electrodes 120, 130, 140 are arranged opposite the evaporator 110.
- any suitable positioning of the first, second or optionally also third electrode is possible in order to influence the electron flow in such a way that improved plasma activation and homogeneity in the chamber can be achieved. Accordingly, any number of electrodes in the chamber are possible in order to direct the electron flow onto a desired path.
- FIG. 9a shows a schematically illustrated vacuum-tight chamber 100 with an analogous structure to the chamber 100 according to the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 9.
- the electrodes 120, 130, 140 are not only on chamber walls the chamber 100 arranged.
- the first electrode 120 is arranged on a chamber wall
- the second electrode 130 is arranged on a chamber ceiling
- the third electrode 140 on the chamber floor.
- the arrangement of the electrodes in the chamber can be adapted as desired, among other things to control a plasma distribution.
- a vacuum chamber according to the invention can be used for ion etching processes and can be equipped with a plurality of individual electrodes, wherein different electrodes can be supplied with different currents. The same or different currents, even at different times, can be applied to the different electrodes in order to manipulate the plasma activation and the etching in the desired manner.
- the electron paths 150, 160, 260 contained in the figures are only shown schematically, since the electron paths 150, 160, 260 naturally lead past the shields 115, 230, 332, 333, 334 and not through them.
- a magnet for generating a magnetic field is arranged in the vacuum chamber, in particular in the vicinity of the electrodes, or in the case of a plurality of electrodes in the vicinity of at least one electrode of this plurality (not shown here).
- This magnet is particularly preferably arranged on the working surface of the electrode.
- the magnet may include a front magnet and / or a rear magnet.
- the front magnet is arranged in the area of the working surface for generating a front magnetic field and the rear magnet is arranged behind the working surface for generating a rear magnetic field. If there are a large number of electrodes, it can also be on one electrode or on one Subset of the plurality of electrodes a front and / or a rear magnet can be arranged.
- the substrate S can be biased both negatively and positively, the positive bias should be smaller than that of the electrode, since otherwise all of the electrons flow to the substrate.
- argon (Ar) and hydrogen (H2) can preferably be supplied as the working gas and nitrogen (N2) can preferably be supplied as the process gas.
- FIG. 10-12 in which exemplary embodiment are shown in which magnetic fields can be applied to the individual electrodes of the vacuum chamber.
- An electron path can be controlled in a magnetic field, which influences the charged particles in the plasma accordingly. More specifically, the diffusion of the charged particles by the magnetic field is hindered. This reduces the loss of electrons and ions and increases the electron density.
- solenoids in the form of coils are positioned around the chamber from one end to an opposite end to create a magnetic field within the chamber.
- Other conventional systems use permanent magnets, which are arranged below the substrate and are moved to generate the magnetic field.
- none of these configurations allows the flow of electrons to be controlled in such a way that the homogeneity can be adjusted and improved.
- FIG. 10 shows an example in which an electrode 300 is arranged in the vicinity of or within an electromagnet 302.
- the electromagnet 302 can be a coil which is wound around the electrode 30, that is to say is arranged in the region of a working surface of the electrode.
- the magnetic field on the electrode 30 is on the front. No back magnetic field was generated.
- the electrode 30 comprises the electromagnetic coil 302, which is provided in the vicinity of or around the electrode 30 (that is to say in FIG Area of the work surface and / or at least partially arranged next to the work surface).
- An electromagnetic coil 301 is positioned near the electrode 30 behind the work surface to be as the back Magnet to generate a back magnetic field.
- the electromagnetic coil can comprise a ferritic core or also no ferritic core, depending on the desired magnetic field strength.
- the two coils 301, 302 are arranged to have the same polarity. In Fig. 12, the magnetic fields between the electromagnetic coils 301 and 302 have an opposite polarity.
- This change in the polarity of the (back and front) magnetic fields can be achieved by changing the direction of the current through the coil 301.
- the magnetic field can thus be set on a single coil.
- the diagram in FIG. 16 shows an example of the magnetic field strength (in mT, Y-axis) that is perpendicular to the surface (round electrode, 5 cm radius, zero point corresponds to the center of the electrode, X-axis radius starting from the electrode center in cm) with a coil current of 3A was measured.
- the middle curve shows the strength of the magnetic field of FIG. 10, with no rear magnetic field being generated.
- the upper curve shows the strength of the magnetic field according to FIG.
- Fig. 13 shows another embodiment of the present invention.
- the system shown in Fig. 13 is a vacuum chamber for performing a plasma treatment with a magnetic field configuration for two electrodes.
- An evaporator 450 is provided within the chamber and can be directly (at least partially) embedded or connected to the chamber wall.
- a negative pole of a 100A power source can be connected to the evaporator and connects the evaporator as a cathode.
- electrons are emitted when the evaporator is ignited, and the electrons collide with an argon (Ar) gas that has been introduced into the chamber, thereby generating the plasma.
- the ions in the plasma then bombard the surfaces of one or more substrates, not shown, arranged in the chamber to be cleaned and / or etched.
- One or more shields are movably positioned in the chamber such that the shield can be selectively positioned between the evaporator and the substrate.
- the shield can be rotated or otherwise moved in front of the evaporator 450 prior to the ignition of the cathodic vacuum arc evaporators to protect the substrate from contaminants. If the arc generated by the cathodic vacuum evaporator is not present, the shields can be moved to a non-shielding position.
- at least one single electrode should be provided in the chamber. In FIG.
- a first electrode 460 and a second electrode 470 are provided, which are connected to a positive pole of a (for example 80A) power supply unit (also a power source) and thus connect the electrodes 460, 470 as anodes. Accordingly, the electrons flow from the evaporator 450 in the direction of the position of the electrodes 460, 470. The accelerates the generated plasma in the same direction.
- a first rear magnet 480 and a second rear magnet 490 for generating a rear magnetic field are arranged behind the working surfaces of the electrodes 460, 470.
- the back magnetic fields can be applied to the electrodes by means of an electromagnet by placing an electromagnetic coil behind the working surfaces of the electrodes 460, 470.
- the substrate current can be increased, in particular doubled, with essentially the same ion etching performance, which consequently leads to an increased etching of the substrate (s).
- any number of evaporators and also electrodes can be used in the system (as already shown in the explanations for FIGS. 5-8a). Larger systems and / or larger chambers, for example, may need two or more evaporators to generate a larger number of electrons.
- FIG. 14 shows an example of a chamber 400 with a structure similar to the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 17.
- the first electrode and the second electrode of FIG. 14 are connected to different power supplies (power supply U1 and Power supply U2).
- power supply U1 and Power supply U2 are connected to different power supplies.
- the polarities of the two coils can be controlled and changed independently of one another, which of course can improve the etching homogeneity.
- a front-side magnet (also a magnetic circuit) is arranged on the first electrode 460 and the second electrode 470 in the vacuum chamber 400 in FIG. 14.
- a first rear magnet 480 is arranged on the first electrode 460 and a second rear magnet 490 is arranged on the second electrode 470.
- the rear magnets 480, 490 are connected to different power supplies (power supply 1 and power supply 2).
- the front magnets are arranged in the vacuum chamber 400 (ie under vacuum), while the rear magnets 480, 490 are arranged outside the vacuum chamber 400 (ie under atmospheric pressure). It goes without saying that magnets can also comprise permanent magnets.
- the vacuum chamber according to the invention should comprise a magnet which is arranged on, next to or around the (two-dimensional) working surface of the electrode in or outside the (vacuum) chamber in order to generate a magnetic field.
- the magnet can comprise a front magnet and / or a rear magnet.
- the front-side magnet 302 is arranged in the region of the working surface 461 for generating a front-side magnetic field
- the rear-side magnet 301 is arranged behind the working surface 461 for generating a rear-side magnetic field.
- the front magnet can also be arranged at least partially next to the work surface.
- Both the front magnet and the rear magnet can be designed as electromagnets, in particular as coils.
- the magnetic field can be both pulsed, its strength can be adjusted with essentially the same field direction, and the field direction can also be reversed.
- the polarity of the magnetic field can be adjusted by changing the current direction in the coil.
- Particularly preferred when using the inventive Vacuum chamber programs are specified in which the current in the coils changes.
- a current of 3 A can be used for a first time interval and a current of 3 A with a reversed current direction can be used for a second time interval.
- the first and second time intervals can of course be the same but of course different.
- the currents can also be of different strengths.
- the magnetic field generated by the coil can be controlled via the time, the direction and the current intensity.
- the system according to the invention can also comprise a multiplicity of magnets on the front and / or on the back, that is to say a magnet on the front and / or on the back, which are arranged in a ring.
- the front magnet 302 may be annular or a plurality of front magnets 302 may be arranged in a ring as a magnetic circuit.
- the plurality may include 20 magnets arranged in a particular pattern, each magnet spaced from the other.
- a second plurality of permanent magnets can be arranged radially within the first plurality of magnets.
- the plurality may have an opposite polarity to the second plurality.
- the rear magnet 301 can also be designed as a plurality of magnets which are arranged behind the working surface 461 of the electrode in a predefinable structure.
- the diameter of the front magnet can be a factor of 1.1 to 2 larger than the diameter of the Electrode.
- magnetization of the magnets should run largely parallel to the surface normal of the working surface 461.
- the front magnets 302 can be arranged in front of as well as next to and around the work surface 461. It is also possible for a magnetic circuit to consist of two magnets, one pole being arranged in front of the work surface and one pole being arranged next to (above or below) the work surface. In particular, the front magnets also be arranged so that they can move relative to the work surface.
- the magnet or magnets in such a way that any magnetic field structure (shape and strength) can be generated on the working surface of the two-dimensional electrode. It is possible, for example, that the magnetic field strength is greater in the outer area of the work surface than in an inner area of the work surface, but also vice versa.
- a magnet according to the invention can at least partially be designed as a permanent magnet, it being possible for all typical magnet materials such as hard ferrites, AlNiCo, NdFeB, SmCo to be used as bulk materials or as plastic-bonded magnets.
- the magnet can be made from a molded body or can be segmented.
- Typical magnetic field strengths which are preferably used in a vacuum chamber according to the invention have a magnetic field strength of a vertical component of the magnetic field on the electrode according to the invention between 0.1 and 100 mT, preferably 1 to 50 mT, in particular 2 to 20 mT.
- a substrate holder can be arranged in the chamber.
- the substrate holder preferably comprises a plurality of high-speed steel substrates arranged at different heights in the vertical direction.
- the substrate holder is rotatably arranged in the chamber, so that a substrate holder plate can be rotated about a central axis of the substrate holder.
- each vertical arrangement of the substrate can be rotated about its individual axis.
- the first electrode and, if present, the second electrode have a diameter of 100 mm, for example, and are arranged in the chamber at predeterminable vertical positions.
- measurements can be made on the electrodes at three different heights: at 210 mm corresponding to a lower end of the second electrode B; At 340 mm, corresponding to 30 mm above a lower end of the first electrode; and 470 mm corresponding to 60 mm above the upper end of the first electrode A.
- the etched substrates were steel bodies (100Cr6) which were rotated twice in the vacuum chamber.
- FIG. 17 shows a chamber similar to that described above, with additional front-side magnetic fields being applied to the electrodes.
- the front magnetic fields of the first electrode 460 (A) and second electrode 470 (B) have opposite polarities.
- the magnetic fields can be used to adjust the plasma generation in the vicinity of the first and second electrodes 460, 470, which can be achieved by changing the direction of the currents applied to the corresponding coils.
- a current of 80 A is applied to the electrodes
- a current of 40 A is applied to the first electrodes 460 (A) and a current of 40 A to the second electrode 470 (B).
- the currents at the first electrode 460 (A) and the second electrode 470 (B) remain close to 40 A when the polarities of the magnetic fields applied to the electrodes 460, 470 are oppositely oriented. However, if the applied magnetic fields have the same polarity, the current at the first electrode will approach approximately 80 A while the current at the second electrode will be close to 0 A. This is because the electron current at the second electrode is almost completely shielded in this case.
- the diagram and the table in FIGS. 18 and 20 show the measurements as made at the specified heights in a device according to FIG. 17.
- a graph of the results is shown in Fig. 18.
- the X axis represents the vertical position above the lower edge of the lower circular electrode B (210 mm), or in other words, the predeterminable height measured in mm and the Y axis represents the etching depth in nm. that the substrates which are provided at higher vertical positions on the substrate holder show a weaker etching of the substrates than with those substrates which are positioned at lower positions on the substrate holder.
- the upper line in the diagram shows the embodiment of FIG. 17; while the one under line shows a known system with a linear electrode.
- the X axis represents the vertical position above the lower edge of the lower circular electrode B (210 mm), or in other words, the predeterminable height measured in mm and the Y axis represents the etching depth in nm.
- the etching depth of the bottom measurement (bot, 210mm) is 250 nm.
- the depth of the middle measurement (mid, 340mm) is 210 nm, which corresponds to 84% of the bottom etching depth, and the depth at the upper measuring point (top, 470mm) is 1 10 nm , which corresponds to 48% of the bottom etching depth.
- the substrate current is high at 4.5 A and the etching depth at the upper measurement (470 mm) is 760 nm.
- the mean measurement (340 mm) is 620 nm (86%) and the bottom measurement (340 mm) is 300 nm (39%). If the polarities are changed by reversing the direction of the current applied to the coil, a reverse effect can be observed at the etching depth.
- the current applied to the first electrode is 49 A and the current applied to the second electrode is 31 A.
- the substrate current was measured to be 4 A. The greatest measured depth in this configuration is found at the bottom measurement (210 mm) at 640nm.
- the middle measurement (340 mm) gives 490 nm (76%) and the upper measurement (470mm) is 240 nm (38%).
- etching rate is essentially constant over the entire height of the substrate holder. Since the etching profiles show opposite tendencies from top to bottom with the same polarity of the magnetic field and with the opposite polarity, homogeneity can be achieved by superimposing the etching profiles on certain time intervals. The selected time can be short, such as 1 to 10 revolutions of the substrate holder, or longer if desired. In the example of the configuration according to FIG. 17, it was found that good homogeneity can be achieved if 2/3 of the process time (for example 40 min) is used when applying front magnetic fields of the same polarity (as in the third row of the results according to FIG. 20) and upper curve Fig. 19) and 1/3 of the process time (20 min) front magnetic fields with opposite polarity are used (as shown in the 4th row of results in Fig. 20).
- an ion etching system according to the invention can be equipped with a large number of individual electrodes, it being possible for different electrodes to be supplied with different currents. The same or different currents, also at different times, can be applied to the different electrodes in order to manipulate the plasma activation and the etching in the desired manner.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (5)
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EP19817245.4A EP3900011A1 (de) | 2018-12-21 | 2019-12-05 | Magnetanordnung für eine plasmaquelle zur durchführung von plasmabehandlungen |
KR1020217022542A KR20210105398A (ko) | 2018-12-21 | 2019-12-05 | 플라즈마 처리들을 실행하기 위한 플라즈마 소스를 위한 자석 배열체 |
US17/416,001 US11942311B2 (en) | 2018-12-21 | 2019-12-05 | Magnet arrangement for a plasma source for performing plasma treatments |
CN201980091446.0A CN113366601A (zh) | 2018-12-21 | 2019-12-05 | 等离子体源的用于执行等离子体处理的磁体装置 |
JP2021535668A JP2022515745A (ja) | 2018-12-21 | 2019-12-05 | プラズマ処理を実行するためのプラズマ源のための磁石構成 |
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US201862783387P | 2018-12-21 | 2018-12-21 | |
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CH00236/19A CH715878A1 (de) | 2019-02-26 | 2019-02-26 | Magnetanordnung für eine Plasmaquelle zur Durchführung von Plasmabehandlungen. |
CH00236/19 | 2019-02-26 |
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---|---|---|---|---|
WO2022271526A1 (en) * | 2021-06-21 | 2022-12-29 | Lam Research Corporation | Profile twisting control in dielectric etch |
TWI836411B (zh) | 2021-05-08 | 2024-03-21 | 大陸商北京北方華創微電子裝備有限公司 | 半導體腔室及半導體設備 |
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DE4125365C1 (de) * | 1991-07-31 | 1992-05-21 | Multi-Arc Oberflaechentechnik Gmbh, 5060 Bergisch Gladbach, De | |
US20040055538A1 (en) * | 1999-04-12 | 2004-03-25 | Gorokhovsky Vladimir I. | Rectangular cathodic arc source and method of steering an arc spot |
WO2006099758A2 (de) * | 2005-03-24 | 2006-09-28 | Oerlikon Trading Ag, Trübbach | Verfahren zum betreiben einer gepulsten arcquelle |
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DE4125365C1 (de) * | 1991-07-31 | 1992-05-21 | Multi-Arc Oberflaechentechnik Gmbh, 5060 Bergisch Gladbach, De | |
US20040055538A1 (en) * | 1999-04-12 | 2004-03-25 | Gorokhovsky Vladimir I. | Rectangular cathodic arc source and method of steering an arc spot |
WO2006099758A2 (de) * | 2005-03-24 | 2006-09-28 | Oerlikon Trading Ag, Trübbach | Verfahren zum betreiben einer gepulsten arcquelle |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
TWI836411B (zh) | 2021-05-08 | 2024-03-21 | 大陸商北京北方華創微電子裝備有限公司 | 半導體腔室及半導體設備 |
WO2022271526A1 (en) * | 2021-06-21 | 2022-12-29 | Lam Research Corporation | Profile twisting control in dielectric etch |
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