Target comprising thickness profiling for an RF magnetron

• US 6,916,407 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2001
• Issued: 07/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unaxis Trading AG
• Original Assignee: Unaxis Trading AG
• Inventors: Voser, Stephan, Lorenz, Eduard Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): VERSTEEG, STEVEN H
• Application Number:
  US10/432,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20040050689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 204/192.12, 204/298.12, 204/298.19, 204/298.13, 204/298.2
• US Class Current: 204/192.12
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/3407 Cathode assembly for sputtering apparatus, e.g. Target
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3408 Planar magnetron sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3423 Shape

Abstract

Method for sputtering from a dielectric target (9) in a vacuum chamber (2) with a high frequency gas discharge, the target (9) being mounted on a cooled metallic back plate (10) and this back plate forming an electrode (10) supplied with high frequency, includes a target thickness (Td) profiled (15) differently over the surface such that in the regions of a desired decrease of the sputtering rate the target thickness (Td) is selected to be greater than in the remaining regions.

Claims

1. Method for sputtering from a dielectric target (9) in a vacuum chamber (2) with a high frequency gas discharge, with the target (9) being mounted on a cooled metallic back plate (10) and this back plate forming an electrode (10) supplied with high frequency, the method comprising:

the target thickness (Td) being profiled (15) differently thick over the surface such that in the regions of a desired decrease of the sputtering rate the target thickness (Td) is selected to be greater than in the remaining regions.

2. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the high frequency gas discharge is magnetic field-enhanced (11).

3. Method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the magnetic field is moved relative to the target.

4. Method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the target profiling (15) compensates the erosion profiling (14) of the magnetic field, such that over the target working life the layer thickness distribution follows, which changes over the course of the target erosion and through the increasingly strong magnetic field effect.

5. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the target profiling (15) is provided such that a desired layer thickness distribution on the substrate occurs.

6. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the target material is profiled on the front and/or on the back side and, in the case of back side profiling of the target (9), the back plate (10) follows the target profiling.

7. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein between the target (9) and the back plate (10) a profiled compensation dielectric (17) in thermal contact is disposed and the back plate (10) essentially follows this profiling.

8. Method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the high frequency gas discharge is magnetic field-enhanced (11) with a magnetron magnetic field generated by a magnet system (11) being at least partially disposed in the region of the target back side.

9. Method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the magnetic field is rotated relative to the target about a central axis (12).

10. Sputtering target of a dielectric material (9) bonded on a support (10) of metal, wherein the target (10) on a front side and/or on a back side has a profiled structure (15, 16) and between the dielectric target (9) and the profiled support, a compensation dielectric (17) is disposed.

11. Sputtering target as claimed in claim 10, wherein in the case of a target (9) profiled on the back side, the support (10) follows the profiling (16), with, in particular, the target (9) as well as also the support (10) being essentially developed in the form of plates.

12. Sputtering target as claimed in claim 10, wherein the profiling (15, 16) in the regions of the strongest target erosion is developed thicker than in the remaining regions.

13. Sputtering target as claimed in claim 10, wherein the compensation dielectric has an of 2 to 50 and preferably is comprised of ceramics with good thermal conductivity.

14. Sputtering target as claimed in claim 13, wherein the ceramics is Al₂O₃.

15. Sputtering target as claimed in claim 10, wherein the target (9) is a magnetron sputtering target.

16. High-frequency magnetron sputtering source (1), containing a target (9) according to claim 10.

17. Magnetron sputtering source as claimed in claim 16, wherein a high frequency generator (20) is connected with the target support (10) and the high frequency generator (20) generates a frequency ≧

1 MHz.

18. Sputtering target of dielectric material (9) bonded on a support (10) comprised of metal, comprising the target (9) on a front and/or back side, has a profile structure (15, 16), with the target comprising ZnS and SiO₂ and that at 13.5 MHz the value of the loss angle δ

satisfies the condition tan(δ

)<

0.05.

19. High-frequency magnetron sputtering source (1), containing the target of claim 18.

20. Magnetron sputtering source as claimed in claim 19, wherein a high frequency generator (20) is connected with the target support (10) and the high frequency generator (20) generates a frequency ≧

1 MHz.