Method of producing amorphous carbon coatings on substrates by plasma deposition

• US 4,569,738 A
• Filed: 05/04/1984
• Issued: 02/11/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Leybold Aktiengesellschaft
• Original Assignee: Leybold-Heraeus GmbH
• Inventors: Kieser, Jorg, Neusch, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Niebling, John F.
• Application Number:
  US06/606,920
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 204/173, 427/38, 427/39, 427/40, 427/41, 427/45.1
• US Class Current: 204/173
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/22 with other inorganic material C03C17/34, C03C17/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/282 Carbides, silicides
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/153 by plasma-enhanced cvd
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/0272 Deposition of sub-layers, e.g. to promote the adhesion of the main coating
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/26 Deposition of carbon only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/511 using microwave discharges
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/29 characterised by the material , e.g. carbon interlayer dielectrics H01L23/5329
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/30 Self-sustaining carbon mass or layer with impregnant or other layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31645 Next to addition polymer from unsaturated monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31663 As siloxane, silicone or silane
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31696 Including polyene monomers [e.g., butadiene, etc.]

Abstract

A method for producing amorphous carbon coatings on substrates by degrading a gaseous hydrocarbon compound in an ionized gas atomsphere within a reaction chamber. An electromagnetic alternating field is used for the excitation of the plasma. To achieve the object of increasing the deposition rate and permitting substrates even of great surface area to be uniformly coated, the frequency of the electromagnetic alternating field is selected in the microwave region (915 to 2,540 MHz). Furthermore, the microwave energy is put into the gaseous atmosphere by means of at least one ladder-type waveguide situated outside of the reaction chamber. The invention also relates to a substrate provided with an amorphous carbon coating, in which an adhesion-mediating coating consisting of a polymer from the group of the siloxanes or silazanes is provided between the substrate and the amorphous carbon coating.

Claims

1. A method of producing an amorphous carbon coating on a substrate within a reaction chamber comprising:

introducing an ionizable, gaseous hydrocarbon compound within the reaction chamber;

transporting a substrate in the reaction chamber in a sustained atmosphere including said ionizable, gaseous hydrocarbon compound; and

applying, by at least one ladder-like wave guide disposed transversely of the direction of transport of the substrate and which is aligned at an acute angle with the substrate surface and is connected at one end to a microwave transmitter, an electromagnetic alternating field having a frequency in the microwave region and having a sufficiently high power to ionize the gaseous hydrocarbon compound and to bring the energy of the carbon-containing ions impinging on the substrate above a threshold value sufficient to produce an amorphous carbon coating on the substrate.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 which comprises:

first introducing into the reaction chamber a gas selected from the group of the siloxanes and silazanes;

forming on the substrate an adhesion-mediating coating of a polymer of the selected siloxane or silazane; and

then introducing the gaseous hydrocarbon compound into the reaction chamber to form the amorphous carbon coating on the adhesion-mediating coating.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2 comprising:

gradually throttling the gas feed of the selected siloxane or silazane; and

approximately simultaneously increasing the gas feed of the hydrocarbon to the rate required for stationary operation.

4. A method in accordance with claim 2 comprising feeding the gas selected from the group of siloxanes and silazanes to the reaction chamber in mixture with an oxygen-containing gas or pure oxygen, the content of the oxygen-containing gas or oxygen, with respect of the total amount of gas, amounting to between 10 and 50 volume-percent.