Cluster tool method using plasma immersion ion implantation

• US 6,153,524 A
• Filed: 07/28/1998
• Issued: 11/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Silicon Genesis
• Original Assignee: Silicon Genesis
• Inventors: Henley, Francois J., Cheung, Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hitesha, Felisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ RAMOS, VANESSA
• Application Number:
  US09/123,853
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 438/692, 438/691, 438/712, 438/690, 438/710, 438/689
• US Class Current: 438/691
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/48 Ion implantation
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/54 Controlling or regulating the coating process
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/56 Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating; Arrangements for maintaining the vacuum, e.g. vacuum locks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/54 Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32412 Plasma immersion ion implantation
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32743 for introducing the material into processing chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67069 for drying etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67092 Apparatus for mechanical treatment or grinding or cutting, see the relevant groups in subclasses B24B or B28D
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67167 surrounding a central transfer chamber
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67173 in-line arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67213 comprising at least one ion or electron beam chamber coating by ion implantation C23C; ion or electron beam tubes H01J37/00

Abstract

A cluster tool method using plasma immersion ion implantation chamber. In some embodiments, the cluster tool method also includes a controlled cleaving process chamber, as well as others.

Claims

1. A cluster tool process for forming a silicon-on-insulator substrate, said process comprising steps of:

providing a donor substrate;

placing said donor substrate in a first chamber and introducing particles through a surface of said donor substrate to a predetermined selected depth underneath said surface, said particles being at a concentration at said selected depth to define a portion of donor substrate material to be removed above said selected depth;

placing said donor substrate in a second chamber and joining said donor substrate to a target substrate, said surface of said donor substrate facing a face of said target substrate to form a multi-layered substrate; and

placing said multi-layered substrate in a third chamber, and providing energy to a selected region of said substrate to initiate a controlled cleaving action at said selected depth in said substrate, wherein said cleaving action propagates a cleave front to free said portion of donor substrate material from said substrate.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said particles are introduced by beam line ion implantation.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein said particles are introduced by plasma immersion ion implantation.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein said particles are derived from hydrogen gas, helium gas, water vapor, methane, and hydrogen compounds, and other light atomic mass particles.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein said particles are selected from the group consisting of neutral or charged molecules or atoms, or electrons.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein said particles are energetic.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein said energetic particles have sufficient kinetic energy to penetrate through said surface to said selected depth underneath said surface.

8. The process of claim 1 wherein said energy sustains said controlled cleaving action to remove said portion of substrate material from said donor substrate to provide a film of material.

9. The process of claim 1 wherein said energy increases a controlled stress in said substrate material and sustains said controlled cleaving action to remove said portion of substrate material from said donor substrate to provide a film of material.

10. The process of claim 1 further comprising a step of providing additional energy to said donor substrate to sustain said controlled cleaving action to remove said portion of substrate material from said donor substrate to provide a film of material.

11. The process of claim 1 further comprising a step of providing additional energy to said donor substrate to increase a controlled stress in said substrate material and sustains said controlled cleaving action to remove said portion of substrate material from said donor substrate to provide a film of material.

12. The process of claim 1 wherein said particles form damage selected from the group consisting of atomic bond damage, bond substitution, weakening, or breaking bonds of said donor substrate at said selected depth.

13. The process of claim 12 wherein said damage causes stress to said substrate material.

14. The process of claim 12 wherein said damage reduces an ability of said substrate material to withstand stress without a possibility of a cleaving of said substrate material.

15. The process of claim 1 wherein said propagating cleave front is selected from a single cleave front or multiple cleave fronts.

16. The process of claim 1 wherein said particles cause stress of said substrate material at said selected depth.

17. The process of claim 1 further comprising a step of increasing an energy level of said donor substrate while substantially preventing a possibility of cleaving said substrate material at said selected depth.

18. The process of claim 17 wherein, during said step of increasing said energy level, said donor substrate is at a temperature that is below a temperature of said donor substrate during said introducing step.

19. The process of claim 1 further comprising a step of increasing a stress of said substrate while substantially preventing a possibility of cleaving said donor substrate at said selected depth.

20. The process of claim 19 wherein, during said step of increasing said stress, said donor substrate is maintained at a temperature that is below a temperature of said donor substrate during said introducing step.

21. The process of claim 17 wherein said step of increasing said energy level is performed while substantially preventing a possibility of inducing a cleaving action between said film of material and said donor substrate.

22. The process of claim 17 wherein said step of increasing said energy increases stress between said portion of said film material and said donor substrate at said selected depth while substantially preventing a possibility of inducing a cleaving action between said film of material and said donor substrate.

23. The process of claim 17 wherein said energy level is provided by a thermal source or sink, a mechanical source, a chemical source, or an electrical source.

24. The process of claim 23 wherein said chemical source is selected from particles, fluids, gases, or liquids.

25. The process of claim 23 wherein said chemical source includes a chemical reaction.

26. The process of claim 24 wherein said chemical source is selected from flood, time-varying, spatially varying, or continuous.

27. The process of claim 23 wherein said mechanical source is derived from rotational, translational, compressional, expansional, or ultrasonic.

28. The process of claim 27 wherein said mechanical source is selected from flood, time-varying, spatially varying, or continuous.

29. The process of claim 23 wherein electrical source is selected from a group consisting of an applied voltage or an applied electromagnetic field.

30. The process of claim 29 wherein said electrical source is selected from flood, time-varying, spatially varying, or continuous.

31. The process of claim 23 wherein said thermal source or sink is selected from radiation, convection, or conduction.

32. The process of claim 31 wherein said thermal source is selected from a photon beam, a fluid jet, a liquid jet, a gas jet, an electro/magnetic field, a gas jet, an electron beam, a thermo-electric heating, and a furnace.

33. The process of claim 31 wherein said thermal sink is selected from a fluid jet, a liquid jet, a gas jet, a cryogenic fluid, a super-cooled liquid, a thermoelectric cooling means, and an electro/magnetic field.

34. The process of claim 31 wherein said thermal source is selected from flood, time-varying, spatially varying, or continuous.

35. The process of claim 1 wherein said energy is a thermal source or sink, a mechanical source, a chemical source, and an electrical source.

36. The process of claim 35 wherein said chemical source is provided by particles.

37. The process of claim 35 wherein said chemical source includes a chemical reaction.

38. The process of claim 36 wherein said chemical source is flood, time-varying, spatially varying, or continuous.

39. The process of claim 35 wherein said mechanical source is derived from a group selected from rotational, translational, compressional, expansional, or ultrasonic.

40. The process of claim 39 wherein said mechanical source is selected from flood, time-varying, spatially varying, or continuous.

41. The process of claim 35 wherein electrical source is selected from an applied voltage or an applied electromagnetic means.

42. The process of claim 41 wherein said electrical source is selected from flood, time-varying, spatially varying, or continuous.

43. The process of claim 35 wherein said thermal source or sink is selected from radiation, convection, or conduction.

44. The process of claim 43 wherein said thermal source is selected from a photon beam, a liquid jet, a gas jet, an electron beam, a thermo-electric heating, and a furnace.

45. The process of claim 43 wherein said thermal sink is selected from a liquid jet, a gas jet, a cryogenic fluid, a super-cooled liquid, a thermo-electric cooling means, and a super-cooled gas.

46. The process of claim 43 wherein said thermal source is selected from flood, time-varying, spatially varying, or continuous.

47. The process of claim 1 wherein said donor substrate is maintained at a temperature ranging between -200°

C. and 450°

C. during said introducing step.

48. The process of claim 1 wherein said step of providing said energy is maintained at a temperature below 400°

C.

49. The process of claim 1 wherein said step of providing said energy is maintained at a temperature below 350°

C.

50. The process of claim 1 further comprising a step of removing said portion of substrate material.

51. The process of claim 1 further comprising a step of treating said target substrate comprising said joined substrate material to bond said substrate material to said target substrate.

52. The process of claim 51 wherein said step of treating is selected from furnace annealing, thermal annealing, and rapid thermal annealing.

53. The process of claim 51 further comprising a step of removing said substrate material to be removed from said donor substrate after said treating step.

54. The process of claim 1 wherein said joining step comprises activating said surface of said donor substrate;

and

joining said surface of said donor substrate to said face of said target substrate.

55. The process of claim 1 wherein said joining step comprises activating said surface of said donor substrate using a plasma process.

56. The process of claim 55 wherein said plasma process is derived from gases selected from argon, ammonia, neon, water vapor, and oxygen.

57. The process of claim 1 wherein said joining step comprises activating said surface of said donor substrate using a wet process.

58. The process of claim 57 wherein said wet process is derived from a solution of hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid.

59. The process of claim 1 wherein said joining step comprising activating said face of said target substrate using a plasma process.

60. The process of claim 59 wherein said plasma process is derived from gases selected from argon, ammonia, neon, water vapor, and oxygen.

61. The process of claim 1 wherein said joining step comprising activating said face of said target substrate using a wet process.

62. The process of claim 61 wherein said wet process is derived from a solution of hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid.

63. The process of claim 1 wherein said joining step is provided by applying an electrostatic pressure between said target substrate and said donor substrate.

64. The process of claim 1 wherein said joining step is provided by using an adhesive substance between said target substrate and said donor substrate.

65. The process of claim 1 wherein said joining step is provided by an interatomic bond between said target substrate and said donor substrate.

66. The process of claim 1 wherein said joining step is provided by a spin-on-glass between said target substrate and said donor substrate.

67. The process of claim 1 wherein said joining step is provided by a polyimide film between said target substrate and said donor substrate.

68. The process of claim 1 further comprising a step of finishing a surface of said portion of donor substrate material.

69. The process of claim 68 wherein said finishing step is a polishing step.

70. The process of claim 68 wherein said finishing step is a chemical mechanical polishing step.

71. The process of claim 1 wherein said first chamber and said second chamber are part of the same cluster tool.

72. The process of claim 1 wherein said second chamber and said third chamber are part of the same cluster tool.

73. The process of claim 1 wherein said first chamber, said second chamber and said third chambers are part of the same cluster tool.