Sputtering system using cylindrical rotating magnetron electrically powered using alternating current

• US 5,814,195 A
• Filed: 10/25/1996
• Issued: 09/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Von Ardenne Anlagentechnik GmbH
• Original Assignee: BOC Group Pty Limited (Linde Plc)
• Inventors: Lehan, John, Rough, J. Kirkwood, Byorum, Henry, Hill, Russell J.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, NAM X
• Application Number:
  US08/736,978
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 204/192.12, 204/298.08, 204/298.21, 204/298.22, 204/192.13
• US Class Current: 204/192.12
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/352 using more than one target C23C14/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3405 Magnetron sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3444 Associated circuits

Abstract

A sputtering system using an AC power supply in the range of 10 kHz to 100 kHz uses two rotatable cylindrical magnetrons. The rotatable cylindrical magnetrons, when used for depositing a dielectric layer onto a substrate, clean off dielectric material that is deposited onto the target. This prevents a dielectric layer on the target from acting like a capacitor and may help avoid arcing. Additionally, an impedance-limiting capacitor can be placed in series in the electrical path between the targets through the transformer so as to reduce arcing. This impedance-limiting capacitor has a value much larger than the capacitors used to couple the power supply to a target in radio frequency sputtering systems.

Claims

1. A sputtering system for forming a dielectric layer on a substrate comprising:

an alternating current power supply having a first and a second pole that alternate in polarity;

a chamber;

a rotatable magnetron in said chamber, said rotatable magnetron including a cylindrical tubular target of electrically conductive material responsive to the power signal at the first pole of the alternating current power supply and a magnet assembly adapted to direct the plasma to form an erosion zone on the cylindrical tubular target, the erosion zone being the area sputtered when the negative portion of the power supply is supplied to the cylindrical tubular target, wherein the cylindrical tubular target is adapted to rotate such that the erosion zone is located at different parts of the cylindrical target as the cylindrical target rotates and so that the sputtering of the target removes some dielectric material deposited onto the target to form a cleaned portion of the target and wherein the removal of the dielectric from the cleaned portion of the target in portions away from the erosion zone reduces the impedance of the target as seen by the electrodes in the plasma when the positive portion of the power supply is supplied to the cylindrical tubular target and thus may prevent arcing, and

an electrically conductive member in the chamber responsive to the power signal at the second pole of the alternating current supply.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive member has a similar surface area as the cylindrical tubular target.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive member comprises a second cylindrical magnetron connected to the second pole, said second cylindrical magnetron acting as an anode while the cylindrical magnetron connected to the first pole acts as a cathode and the second cylindrical magnetron acting as a cathode while the cylindrical magnetron connected to the first pole acts as an anode.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the arrangement of cylindrical magnetron and the electrically conductive member makes plasma relatively unaffected by the arrangement of the chamber walls.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the alternating current power supply produces a power signal with a high enough frequency such that the plasma does not extinguish between the positive and negative portions of the signal and the power signal has a low enough frequency so that the ions and electrons can both follow the instantaneous power signal.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the power supply signal supplied by the alternating current power supply is between 10 kHz and 100 kHz.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the alternating current power supply is connected to the cylindrical tubular target and the electrically conductive member through a transformer and an impedance-limiting capacitor connected in series in the electrical path between the target and the electrically conductive member through the transformer, the capacitance of the impedance-limiting capacitor being greater than about 0.2 μ

F.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein no direct current power supply is connected to an electrode of the system.

9. A sputtering system for forming a dielectric layer on a substrate comprising:

an alternating current power supply having a first and a second pole and adapted to produce a power signal with a frequency of less than a megahertz;

a chamber;

a transformer having two output terminals and two input terminals, the two input terminals connected between the first and second pole;

a cylindrical tubular target of an electrically conductive material with associated magnet assembly located in said chamber electrically connected by a first electrical path to the first output terminal of the transformer;

an electrically conductive member in the chamber electrically connected by a second electrical path to the second output terminal of the transformer; and

an impedance-limiting capacitor connected in series in the electrical path between the target and the electrically conductive member through the transformer, the capacitance of the impedance-limiting capacitor being sufficiently large that the impedance-limiting capacitor prevents arcing in the system.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the electrically conductive member comprises a second rotatable cylindrical tubular target with a second magnet assembly.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising a shunt capacitor electrically connected between first and second output terminals of the transformer.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the electrically conductive member has a similar surface area as the target.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the arrangement of the target and the electrically conductive member makes the plasma relatively unaffected by the arrangement of the chamber walls.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the alternating current power supply produces a power signal that has a frequency sufficiently high that the plasma does not extinguish between the positive and negative portions of the signal and sufficiently low the ions and electrons can both follow instantaneous electric fields produced by the power signal.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the alternating current power supply produces a power signal with a frequency of between 10 kHz and 100 kHz.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the impedance-limiting capacitor is a variable capacitor.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the impedance-limiting capacitor has a capacitance value in the range of 0.2 to 10 μ

F.

18. The system of claim 9, wherein the impedance limiting capacitor is positioned in a secondary conductive path of the transformer.

19. The system of claim 9, wherein the transformer has additional windings and output terminals to impedance match the system.

22. The system of claim 10 wherein the alternating current power supply produces a power signal with a frequency of between 10 kHz and 100 kHz, and wherein the impedance-limiting capacitor has a capacitance value in the range of 0.2 to 10 μ

F.

20. A method for depositing a dielectric layer on a substrate by reactive sputtering comprising the steps of:

providing a cylindrical target of a conductive material in a chamber;

applying an alternating current signal to the cylindrical target to produce a plasma, said signal having positive and negative portions;

producing a magnetic field to produce an erosion zone about the cylindrical target such that ions strike the erosion zone when a negative portion of the signal is applied to the cylindrical target;

providing in the chamber a gas which reacts with the target material to form a dielectric;

depositing a dielectric layer on the substrate;

cleaning portions of the target by rotating the cylindrical target so that portions of the cylindrical target away from the erosion zone defined by the magnetic field have deposited material removed by the bombarding ions of the erosion zone; and

attracting electrons in the plasma to the cleaned portions away from the erosion zone when the positive portion of the signal is applied to the target.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising providing an additional cylindrical target connected to receive an alternating current signal such that each target is negative when the other target is positive.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the alternating current signal has a frequency in the range of between 10 kHz and 100 kHz.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the frequency is about 50 kHz.