Lotus Applied Technology, LLC

Viratec Thin Films, Inc.

Planar Systems, Inc.

Other

Intel Corporation

Optical Coating Laboratory, Inc.

Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.

Eric R Dickey

William A Barrow

Sey-Shing Sun

Erik J Bjornard

Robert S Chau

Brian S Doyle

Charles C Kuo

Elijah V Karpov

Richard Ian Seddon

Michael A Scobey

Bryant P Hichwa

Richard T Tuenge

Michael D Temple

James W Seeser

Paul M LeFebvre

Debra M Steffenhagen

David L Soberanis

Michael Stephen Bowen

Thomas H Allen

Craig C Van Horn

Patrick R Wentworth

Bryan Larson Danforth

Robert F Klinger

Rolf F Illsley

Paul Howard Holloway

Christopher N King

Carl W Laakso

Tin Nguyen

James J Hoffmann

Masato Kon

Russell Austin

Philip D Rack

Christian F Schaus

Randall Wentross

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) methods and barrier films are disclosed. A method of performing ALD includes placing a substrate proximal an electrode coupled to a power supply, exposing the substrate to an oxygen-containing gas or a nitrogen-containing gas at or below 0.8 Torr, and applying, with the power supply, a voltage to the electrode of at least 700 Volts to induce a plasma state in the oxygen-containing gas or the nitrogen-containing gas proximal the substrate. High quality barrier films can be made with the methods.

High voltage, low pressure plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition

Low voltage embedded memory having conductive oxide and electrode stacks is described. For example, a material layer stack for a memory element includes a first conductive electrode. A conductive oxide layer is disposed on the first conductive electrode. The conductive oxide layer has a plurality of oxygen vacancies therein. A second electrode is disposed on the conductive oxide layer.

Low voltage embedded memory having conductive oxide and electrode stacks

Systems and methods for atomic layer deposition (ALD) on a flexible substrate involve guiding the substrate back and forth between spaced-apart first and second precursor zones and through a third precursor zone interposed between the first and second precursor zones, so that the substrate transits through each of the precursor zones multiple times. Systems may include a series of turning guides spaced apart along the first and second precursor zones for supporting the substrate along an undulating transport path. As the substrate traverses back and forth between the first and second precursor zones and through the third precursor zone, it passes through a first series of flow-restricting passageways of a first isolation region interposed between the first and third precursor zones and a second series of flow-restricting passageways of a second isolation region interposed between the second and third precursor zones.

Atomic layer deposition method utilizing multiple precursor zones for coating flexible substrates

A system for depositing a thin film on a flexible substrate comprises a plurality of processing zones spaced apart by an isolation zone, a plasma generator for generating a plasma region proximal to a pathway along which the substrate travels, and a substrate transport mechanism for guiding the substrate back and forth between the processing zones so that the substrate is transported past and exposed to the plasma region when the system is in use.

Plasma generation for thin film deposition on flexible substrates

Systems and methods for depositing a thin film on a flexible substrate involve guiding the flexible substrate along a spiral transport path back and forth between spaced-apart first and second precursor zones so that the substrate transits through the first and second precursor zones multiple times and each time through an intermediate isolation zone without mechanically contacting an outer surface of the substrate with a substrate transport mechanism, thereby inhibiting mechanical damage to the thin film deposited on the outer surface, which may improve barrier layer performance of the thin film.

Substrate transport mechanism contacting a single side of a flexible web  substrate for roll-to-roll thin film deposition

A method of forming a thin barrier film of a mixed metal-silicon-oxide is disclosed. For example, a method of forming an aluminum-silicon-oxide mixture having a refractive index of 1.8 or less comprises exposing a substrate to sequences of a non-hydroxylated silicon-containing precursor, activated oxygen species, and metal-containing precursor until a mixed metal-silicon-oxide film having a thickness of 500 &#x212b;ngstroms or less is formed on the substrate.

Mixed metal-silicon-oxide barriers

Systems and methods for atomic layer deposition (ALD) on a flexible substrate involve guiding the substrate back and forth between spaced-apart first and second precursor zones, so that the substrate transits through each of the precursor zones multiple times. Systems may include a series of turning guides, such as rollers, spaced apart along the precursor zones for supporting the substrate along an undulating transport path. As the substrate traverses back and forth between precursor zones, it passes through a series of flow-restricting passageways of an isolation zone into which an inert gas is injected to inhibit migration of precursor gases out of the precursor zones. Also disclosed are systems and methods for utilizing more than two precursor chemicals and for recycling precursor gases exhausted from the precursor zones.

Atomic layer deposition method for coating flexible substrates

Embodiments include low voltage embedded memory having conductive oxide and electrode stacks. A material layer stack for a memory element includes a first conductive electrode. A conductive oxide layer is disposed on the first conductive electrode. The conductive oxide layer has a plurality of oxygen vacancies therein. A second electrode is disposed on the conductive oxide layer.

A system for forming a thin film on a substrate uses a plasma to activate at least one gaseous precursor in a plasma generator fluidly coupled with a reaction space. The plasma generator is operative to generate a plasma from at least a portion of the precursor gas with at least one pair of plasma electrodes, one plasma electrode having a non-native electrically conductive adlayer exhibiting property characteristics that cause the adlayer to be substantially conserved and chemically active with at least one of the gases present within the plasma generation region.

Electrically- and chemically-active adlayers for plasma electrodes

Systems and methods for ALD thin film deposition include a mechanism for removing excess non-chemisorbed precursors from the surface of a substrate in a translation-based process involving multiple separate precursor zones. Excess precursor removal mechanisms according to the present disclosure may introduce localized high temperature conditions, high energy conditions, or azeotropes of the excess precursor, to liberate the excess precursor before it reaches a separate precursor zone, thereby inhibiting CVD deposition from occurring without causing heat-induced degradation of the substrate.

Inhibiting excess precursor transport between separate precursor zones in an atomic layer deposition system

A method of radical-enhanced atomic layer deposition (REALD) involves alternating exposure of a substrate to a first precursor gas and to radicals, such as monatomic oxygen radicals (O.), generated from an oxygen-containing second precursor gas, while maintaining spatial or temporal separation of the radicals and the first precursor gas. Simplified reactor designs and process control are possible when the first and second precursor gases are nonreactive under normal processing conditions and can therefore be allowed to mix after the radicals recombine or otherwise abate. In some embodiments, the second precursor gas is an oxygen-containing compound, such as carbon dioxide (CO) or nitrous oxide (NO) for example, or a mixture of such oxygen-containing compounds, and does not contain significant amounts of normal oxygen (O).

Oxygen radical generation for radical-enhanced thin film deposition

Atomic layer deposition system utilizing multiple precursor zones for coating flexible substrates

A radical-enhanced atomic layer deposition (REALD) system and method involves moving a substrate along a circulating or reciprocating transport path between zones that provide alternating exposure to a precursor gas and a gaseous radical species. The radical species may be generated in-situ within a reaction chamber by an excitation source such as plasma generator or ultraviolet radiation (UV), for example. The gaseous radical species is maintained in a radicals zone within the reaction chamber while a precursor gas is introduced into a precursor zone. The precursor zone is spaced apart from the radicals zone to define a radical deactivation zone therebetween. Purge gas flowing through the various zones may provide flow and pressure conditions that substantially prevent the precursor gas from flowing into the radicals zone. In some embodiments, the system includes a partition having one or more flow-restricting passageways though which the substrate is transported.

Radical-enhanced atomic layer deposition system and method

Atomic layer deposition system for coating flexible substrates

Methods of constructing composite films including particles embedded in a filler matrix involve preparing a collection of stacked particles, then depositing a matrix material throughout the particle collection using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) method so as to substantially completely fill the spaces between the particles with the matrix material. During matrix deposition, a vapor phase etch cycle may be periodically employed to avoid clogging of small pores in the particle collection. New composite materials formed by such methods are also disclosed.

Fabrication of composite materials using atomic layer deposition

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Eric R Dickey