Method and apparatus for smoothing surfaces on an atomic scale
First Claim
1. An apparatus for smoothing a surface of a material on an atomic scale, the apparatus comprising:
- a chamber in which the material is disposed; and
a source which is disposed in the chamber and which provides a beam of particles which impact the surface with a relatively low energy, effective to cause smoothing of the surface with substantially no etching of the surface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and an apparatus for smoothing surfaces on an atomic scale. The invention performs smoothing of surfaces by use of a low energy ion or neutral noble gas beam, which may be formed in an ion source or a remote plasma source. The smoothing process may comprise a post-deposition atomic smoothing step (e.g., an assist smoothing step) in a multilayer fabrication procedure. The invention utilizes combinations of relatively low particle energy (e.g., below the sputter threshold of the material) and near normal incidence angles, which achieve improved smoothing of a surface on an atomic scale with substantially no etching of the surface.
39 Citations
29 Claims
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1. An apparatus for smoothing a surface of a material on an atomic scale, the apparatus comprising:
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a chamber in which the material is disposed; and
a source which is disposed in the chamber and which provides a beam of particles which impact the surface with a relatively low energy, effective to cause smoothing of the surface with substantially no etching of the surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for smoothing a surface of a material on an atomic scale comprising the step of:
exposing the surface to a beam of particles having a relatively low energy, effective to smooth the surface without etching the surface. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method for forming a metallic multilayer material, comprising the steps of:
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forming a first layer of material having a surface;
generating a beam of particles having an energy below a sputter threshold of the material;
causing the beam of particles to impact the surface at an angle relatively close to a normal angle of incidence, effective to smooth the surface without etching the surface; and
depositing a second layer of material on the smoothed surface. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification