Sputtering film forming method, sputtering film forming equipment, and semiconductor device manufacturing method

• US 6,287,986 B1
• Filed: 02/05/1999
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Microelectronics Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Mihara, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Niebling, John F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lindsay, Jr., Walter L.
• Application Number:
  US09/244,761
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 438/649, 438/763, 438/758, 438/475, 438/454
• US Class Current: 438/763
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/088 of the type ABO3 with A representing alkali, alkaline earth metal or Pb and B representing a refractory or rare earth metal
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/34 Sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/3471 Introduction of auxiliary energy into the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3438 Electrodes other than cathode
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02197 the material having a perovskite structure, e.g. BaTiO3
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02266 deposition by physical ablation of a target, e.g. sputtering, reactive sputtering, physical vapour deposition or pulsed laser deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31691 with perovskite structure

Abstract

There is provided an RF sputtering film forming method of forming a compound film having a stable composition by use of stable plasma with a broad process window to thus facilitate composition control of the compound film. In the RF sputtering film forming method, an alternating voltage or alternating current is applied to a part or all of walls positioned on the outside of a space formed between a wafer and a target, or an electron temperature in the plasma is reduced by oscillating the RF power in a pulse fashion, or a sputtering gas is composed of at least one kind of gases of helium, neon, xenon, and krypton, or a minus voltage is applied to a part or all of the walls positioned on the outside of the space formed between the wafer and the target.

Claims

1. A sputtering film forming method comprising the steps of:

opposing a target consisting of an insulating oxide compound material to a wafer put on a susceptor at a distance from the wafer in a chamber;

reducing a pressure in the chamber;

applying an RF power to the target;

introducing a sputtering gas into the chamber; and

depositing the insulating oxide compound material from the target to the wafer, whereby a film is formed on the wafer;

wherein an alternating voltage is applied to a part or all of a conductive wall positioned on an outside of a space formed between the wafer and the target.

2. A sputtering film forming method according to claim 1, wherein the alternating voltage is an alternating voltage which is subjected to pulse modulation.

3. A sputtering film forming method according to claim 1, wherein a waveform of the alternating voltage is a rectangular pulse waveform.

4. A sputtering film forming method according to claim 1, wherein the sputtering gas is composed of either at least one kind of gases of helium, neon, xenon, and krypton, or a gas in which at least one kind of gases of helium, neon, xenon, and krypton is mixed selectively into an argon gas.

5. A sputtering film forming method according to claim 1, wherein the RF power is pulse-modulated.

6. A sputtering film forming method according to claim 1, wherein the film is formed of PZT, PLZT, BST, or SBT, or lead containing oxide compound.

7. A sputtering film forming method comprising the steps of:

opposing a target to a wafer put on a susceptor at a distance from the wafer in a chamber;

reducing a pressure in the chamber;

generating a plasma between the wafer and the target by applying an RF power to the target;

introducing a sputtering gas into the chamber; and

depositing material of the target on the wafer, whereby a film is formed on the wafer;

wherein an electron temperature in the plasma is reduced by pulse-modulating the RF power.

8. A sputtering film forming method according to claim 7, wherein the sputtering gas is composed of either at least one kind of gases of helium, neon, xenon, and krypton, or a gas in which at least one kind of gases of helium, neon, xenon, and krypton is mixed selectively into an argon gas.

9. A sputtering film forming method according to claim 9, wherein the film is formed of PZT, PLZT, BST, or SBT, or lead containing oxide compound.

10. A sputtering film forming method comprising the steps of:

opposing a target to a wafer put on a susceptor at a distance from the wafer in a chamber;

reducing a pressure in the chamber;

generating a plasma between the wafer and the target by applying an RF power to the target;

introducing a sputtering gas into the chamber; and

depositing material of the target on the wafer, whereby a film is formed on the wafer;

wherein the sputtering gas is composed of either at least one kind of gases of helium, neon, xenon, and krypton, or a gas in which at least one kind of gases of helium, neon, xenon, and krypton is mixed selectively into an argon gas.

11. A sputtering film forming method according to claim 10, wherein the RF power is pulse-modulated.

12. A sputtering film forming method according to claim 10, wherein the film is formed of PZT, PLZT, BST, or SBT, or lead containing oxide compound.

13. A sputtering film forming method comprising the steps of:

opposing a target to a wafer put on a susceptor at a distance from the wafer in a chamber;

reducing a pressure in the chamber;

generating a plasma between the wafer and the target by applying an RF power to the target;

introducing a sputtering gas into the chamber; and

depositing material of the target on the wafer, whereby a film is formed on the wafer;

wherein a minus voltage is applied to a part or all of a conductive wall positioned around a space formed between the wafer and the target.

14. A sputtering film forming method according to claim 13, wherein the minus voltage is smaller than −

50 V.

15. A sputtering film forming method according to claim 13, wherein the wafer is loaded on an electrostatic chuck which is fitted onto the susceptor and has a volume resistance of 1×

10⁹ Ω

cm to 9×

10¹² Ω

cm.

16. A sputtering film forming method according to claim 13, wherein the film is formed of PZT, PLZT, BST, or SBT, or lead containing oxide compound.

17. A sputtering film forming method comprising the steps of:

opposing a target consisting of an insulating oxide compound material applied to a wafer put on a susceptor at a distance from the wafer in a chamber;

reducing a pressure in the chamber;

applying an RF power the target;

introducing a sputtering gas into the chamber; and

depositing the insulating oxide compound material from the target to the wafer, whereby a film is formed on the wafer;

applying an alternating voltage having a frequency in a range of 50 Hz to 1 MHz to a part or all of a conducting wall positioned on an outside of a space formed between the wafer and the target.

18. A sputtering film forming method comprising the steps of:

opposing a target to a wafer put on a susceptor at a distance from the wafer in a chamber;

reducing a pressure in the chamber;

applying an RF power to the target;

introducing a sputtering gas into the chamber;

depositing material of the target to the wafer, whereby a film is formed on the wafer;

applying an alternating voltage to apart or all of the conductive wall positioned on an outside of a space formed between the wafer and the target; and

detecting a cleaning time or defect of the chamber by measuring an electric current flowing through the conductive wall.

19. A sputtering film forming method comprising the steps of:

opposing a target to a wafer put on a susceptor at a distance from the wafer in a chamber;

reducing a pressure in the chamber;

generating a plasma between the wafer and the target by applying an RF power to the target;

introducing a sputtering gas into the chamber; and

depositing material of the target on the wafer, whereby a film is formed on the wafer;

detecting a cleaning time or defect of the chamber by measuring an electric current flowing through the conductive wall,

wherein a minus voltage is applied to a part or all of walls positioned around a space formed between the wafer and the target.