Biased pulse DC reactive sputtering of oxide films

• US 20060057304A1
• Filed: 07/27/2005
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Demaray LLC
• Original Assignee: Symmorphix, Inc. (Demaray LLC)
• Inventors: Zhang, Hongmei, Narasimhan, Mukundan, Mullapudi, Ravi B., Demaray, Richard E
• Granted Patent: US 8,105,466 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/569
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0036 Reactive sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/081 of aluminium, magnesium or beryllium
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/10 Glass or silica
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/3414 Metallurgical or chemical aspects of target preparation, e.g. casting, powder metallurgy
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/345 using substrate bias
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/35 by application of a magnetic field, e.g. magnetron sputtering C23C14/3457 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/354 Introduction of auxiliary energy into the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/5806 Thermal treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/5873 Removal of material
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/132 by deposition of thin films
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32412 Plasma immersion ion implantation
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/34 operating with cathodic sputtering H01J37/36 takes precedence ; methods of cathodic sputtering C23C14/34

Abstract

A biased pulse DC reactor for sputtering of oxide films is presented. The biased pulse DC reactor couples pulsed DC at a particular frequency to the target through a filter which filters out the effects of a bias power applied to the substrate, protecting the pulsed DC power supply. Films deposited utilizing the reactor have controllable material properties such as the index of refraction. Optical components such as waveguide amplifiers and multiplexers can be fabricated using processes performed on a reactor according to the present inention.

Claims

1-39. -39. (canceled)

40. A method of depositing a film on a substrate, comprising:

providing a process gas between a target and a substrate;

providing pulsed DC power to the target;

providing a magnetic field to the target; and

wherein a plasma is generated between the substrate and the target, and

wherein a material related to the target is deposited on the substrate by exposure to the plasma.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the target is a metallic target and the process gas includes oxygen.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the target is a metallic target and the process gas includes one or more of a set consisting of N₂, NH₃, CO, NO, CO₂, halide containing gasses.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein the target is a ceramic target.

44. The method of claim 40, further including providing filtering of pulsed DC power to the target in order to protect a pulsed DC power supply.

45. The method of claim 40, wherein the magnetic field is provided by a moving magnetron.

46. The method of claim 40, further including holding the temperature of the substrate substantially constant.

47. The method of claim 40, wherein the process gas includes a mixture of Oxygen and Argon.

48. The method of claim 40, wherein the Oxygen flow is adjusted to adjust the index of refraction of the film.

49. The method of claim 40, wherein the process gas further includes nitrogen.

50. The method of claim 40, wherein providing pulsed DC power to a target includes providing pulsed DC power to a target which has an area larger than that of the substrate.

51. The method of claim 40, further including uniformly sweeping the target with a magnetic field.

52. The method of claim 51 wherein uniformly sweeping the target with a magnetic field includes sweeping a magnet in one direction across the target where the magnet extends beyond the target in the opposite direction.

53. The method of claim 40, wherein the target is an alloyed target.

54. The method of claim 53 wherein the alloyed target includes one or more rare-earth ions.

55. The method of claim 53 wherein the alloyed target includes Si and Al.

56. The method of claim 53 wherein the alloyed target includes one or more elements taken from a set consisting of Si, Al, Er, Yb, Zn, Ga, Ge, P, As, Sn, Sb, Pb, Ag, Au, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Th, Dy Ho, Tm, and Lu.

57. The method of claim 53 wherein the alloyed target is a tiled target.

58. The method of claim 57 wherein each tile of the tiled target is formed by prealloy atomization and hot isostatic pressing of a powder.

91. The method of claim 44, further including providing a bias power to the substrate.

92. The method of claim 91, wherein the biased power is a 2 MHz power supply.

93. The method of claim 92, wherein the providing filtering of pulsed DC power is via a 2 MHz band rejection filter.

94. The method of claim 93, wherein the providing filtering of pulsed DC power is via a 100 kHz narrowband filter.

59-62. -62. (canceled)

63. A reactor according to the present invention, comprising:

a target area for receiving a target;

a magnetic field generator supplying a magnetic field to the target;

a substrate area opposite the target area for receiving a substrate; and

a pulsed DC power supply coupled to the target;

wherein a material is deposited on the substrate by exposure of the substrate to a plasma generated when pulsed DC power from the pulsed DC power supply is applied to the target in the presence of a process gas.

64. The reactor of claim 63, wherein the target is a metallic target and the process gas includes oxygen.

65. The reactor of claim 63, wherein the target is a metallic target and the process gas includes one or more of a set consisting of N₂, NH₃, CO, NO, CO₂, halide containing gasses.

66. The reactor of claim 63, wherein the target is a ceramic target.

67. The reactor of claim 63, further including providing filtering of pulsed DC power to the target in order to protect the pulsed DC power supply.

68. The reactor of claim 63, wherein the magnetic field is provided by a moving magnetron.

69. The reactor of claim 63, further including a temperature controller for holding the temperature of the substrate substantially constant.

70. The reactor of claim 63, wherein the process gas includes a mixture of Oxygen and Argon.

71. The reactor of claim 70, further including a process gas flow controller wherein the Oxygen flow is adjusted to adjust the index of refraction of the film.

72. The reactor of claim 63, wherein the process gas further includes nitrogen.

73. The reactor of claim 63, wherein the target has an area larger than that of the substrate.

74. The reactor of claim 63, wherein the magnetic field generator uniformly sweeps the target with the magnetic field.

75. The reactor of claim 74 wherein when the magnet field is swept in one direction across the target, the magnet field extends beyond the target in the opposite direction.

76. The reactor of claim 63, wherein the target is an alloyed target.

77. The reactor of claim 76 wherein the alloyed target includes one or more rare-earth ions.

78. The reactor of claim 76 wherein the alloyed target includes Si and Al.

79. The reactor of claim 76 wherein the alloyed target includes one or more elements taken from a set consisting of Si, Al, Er, Yb, Zn, Ga, Ge, P, As, Sn, Sb, Pb, Ag, Au, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy Ho, Tm, and Lu.

80. The reactor of claim 76 wherein the alloyed target is a tiled target.

81. The reactor of claim 80 wherein each tile of the tiled target is formed by prealloy atomization and hot isostatic pressing of a powder.

95. The apparatus of claim 63, further including a RF bias power supply coupled to the substrate.

96. The apparatus of claim 95, wherein the biased power is a 2 MHz power supply.

97. The apparatus of claim 96, wherein the filter is a 2 MHz band rejection filter.

98. The method of claim 97, wherein the filter is a 100 kHz narrowband filter.

82-84. -84. (canceled)

85. A method of depositing a film on a substrate, comprising:

providing a process gas between a target and a substrate;

providing pulsed DC power to the target to form a plasma; and

providing a magnetic field to the target; and

wherein a material is deposited on the substrate by exposure to the target, and

wherein the target is a ceramic target or an alloyed target.

86. A method of depositing a film on a substrate, comprising:

providing a process gas between a target and a substrate;

providing pulsed DC power to the target; and

uniformly sweeping the target with a magnetic field;

wherein a material is deposited on by exposure of the substrate to a plasma generated at the target.

87. The method of claim 86 wherein uniformly sweeping the target with a magnetic field includes sweeping a magnet in one direction across the target where the magnet extends beyond the target in the opposite direction.

88. A reactor according to the present invention, comprising:

a target area for receiving a target;

a magnetic field generator supplying a magnetic field to the target;

a substrate area opposite the target area for receiving a substrate; and

a pulsed DC power supply coupled to the target,

wherein a material is deposited on the substrate by exposure of the substrate to a plasma generated when pulsed DC power from the pulsed DC power supply is applied to the target in the presence of a process gas and the magnetic field generator uniformly sweeps the target with the magnetic field.

89. The reactor of claim 88 wherein when the magnet field is swept in one direction across the target, the magnet field extends beyond the target in the opposite direction.

90. A reactor according to the present invention, comprising:

a target area for receiving a target;

a magnetic field generator supplying a magnetic field to the target;

a substrate area opposite the target area for receiving a substrate; and

a pulsed DC power supply coupled to the target,

wherein a material is deposited on the substrate by exposure of the substrate to a plasma generated when pulsed DC power from the pulsed DC power supply is applied to the target in the presence of a process gas and the target is a ceramic target or an alloyed target.