Method for forming carbon nanotubes and carbon nanotube film forming apparatus
First Claim
1. A method for forming carbon nanotubes, the method comprising:
- preparing a target object to be processed having a surface on which one or more openings are formed, each of the openings having a catalyst metal layer on a bottom thereof;
agglomerating metal atoms in the catalyst metal layer by performing an oxygen plasma process on a surface of the catalyst metal layer such that migration of the metal atoms occurs on said surface of the catalyst metal layer;
activating the catalyst metal layer by performing a hydrogen plasma process on the catalyst metal layer subjected to the oxygen plasma process, to thereby reduce the catalyst metal layer oxidized by the oxygen plasma process;
substituting, after said activating, an atmosphere in which the target object is placed by a non-reactive gas; and
thenfilling carbon nanotubes in the openings on the target object subjected to the oxygen plasma process and the hydrogen plasma process, wherein said filling is carried out by providing an electrode member having a plurality of through-holes above the target object in a processing chamber of a film forming apparatus and then growing the carbon nanotubes by plasma CVD on the activated catalyst metal layer by generating a plasma of a source gas in a space above the electrode member and diffusing active species in the plasma of the source gas toward the target object through the through-holes while applying a DC voltage to the electrode member, said non-reactive gas being employed as a carrier gas in said filling carbon nanotubes in the openings on the target object,wherein said substituting the atmosphere in which the target object is placed and said filling carbon nanotubes in the openings on the target object are performed under processing pressures ranging from about 66.7 Pa to 400 Pa.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for forming carbon nanotubes includes preparing a target object having a surface on which one or more openings are formed, each of the openings having a catalyst metal layer on a bottom thereof; performing an oxygen plasma process on the catalyst metal layers; and activating the surfaces of the catalyst metal layers by performing a hydrogen plasma process on the metal catalyst layers subjected to the oxygen plasma process. The method further includes filling carbon nanotubes in the openings on the target object by providing an electrode member having a plurality of through holes above the target object in a processing chamber, and then growing the carbon nanotubes by plasma CVD on the activated catalyst metal layer by diffusing active species in a plasma generated above the electrode member toward the target object through the through holes while applying a DC voltage to the electrode member.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method for forming carbon nanotubes, the method comprising:
-
preparing a target object to be processed having a surface on which one or more openings are formed, each of the openings having a catalyst metal layer on a bottom thereof; agglomerating metal atoms in the catalyst metal layer by performing an oxygen plasma process on a surface of the catalyst metal layer such that migration of the metal atoms occurs on said surface of the catalyst metal layer; activating the catalyst metal layer by performing a hydrogen plasma process on the catalyst metal layer subjected to the oxygen plasma process, to thereby reduce the catalyst metal layer oxidized by the oxygen plasma process; substituting, after said activating, an atmosphere in which the target object is placed by a non-reactive gas; and
thenfilling carbon nanotubes in the openings on the target object subjected to the oxygen plasma process and the hydrogen plasma process, wherein said filling is carried out by providing an electrode member having a plurality of through-holes above the target object in a processing chamber of a film forming apparatus and then growing the carbon nanotubes by plasma CVD on the activated catalyst metal layer by generating a plasma of a source gas in a space above the electrode member and diffusing active species in the plasma of the source gas toward the target object through the through-holes while applying a DC voltage to the electrode member, said non-reactive gas being employed as a carrier gas in said filling carbon nanotubes in the openings on the target object, wherein said substituting the atmosphere in which the target object is placed and said filling carbon nanotubes in the openings on the target object are performed under processing pressures ranging from about 66.7 Pa to 400 Pa. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification