Anelva Corporation

Manabu Tagami

Shigeru Mizuno

Nobuyuki Takahashi

Masahito Ishihara

Shinya Hasegawa

Takanori Yoshimura

Hajime Sahase

Makoto Satou

Hideki Satou

Yoichiro Numasawa

Kazuhito Watanabe

Kiyoshi Nashimoto

A thin film is fabricated while causing ions in a plasma P to be incident by effecting biasing relative to the space potential of the plasma P by imparting a set potential to the surface of a substrate. A bias systemcauses the substrate surface potential Vs to vary in pulse form by imposing an electrode imposed voltage Ve in pulse form on a bias electrodewhich is in a dielectric block. The pulse frequency is lower than the oscillation frequency of ions in the plasma P, and the pulse period T, pulse width t and pulse height h are controlled by a control sectionin a manner such that the incidence of ions is optimized. The imposed pulses are controlled in a manner such that the substrate surface potential Vs recovers to a floating potential Vf at the end of a pulse period T, and that the ion incidence energy temporarily crosses a thin film sputtering threshold value in a pulse period T.

Thin film fabrication method and thin film fabrication apparatus

A thin film is fabricated while causing ions in a plasma P to be incident by effecting biasing relative to the space potential of the plasma P by imparting a set potential to the surface of a substrate . A bias system causes the substrate surface potential Vs to vary in pulse form by imposing an electrode imposed voltage Ve in pulse form on a bias electrode which is in a dielectric block . The pulse frequency is lower than the oscillation frequency of ions in the plasma P, and the pulse period T, pulse width t and pulse height h are controlled by a control section in a manner such that the incidence of ions is optimized. The imposed pulses are controlled in a manner such that the substrate surface potential Vs recovers to a floating potential Vf at the end of a pulse period T, and that the ion incidence energy temporarily crosses a thin film sputtering threshold value in a pulse period T.

A method of depositing a thin film on a substrate by plasma-enhanced CVD is provided. The method includes introducing H.sub.2 or H.sub.2 and N.sub.2 into a plasma-enhanced CVD reactor; generating a plasma in the reactor; introducing a reaction gas comprising TiCl.sub.4, silane, and either H.sub.2 or H.sub.2 and N.sub.2 into the reactor; and depositing a Ti film or a TiN film containing Si on a substrate in the reactor.

Method of depositing thin films by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor

An electrode unit of a thermal CVD apparatus is used to generate plasma discharge for an in-situ cleaning process. The electrode unit is configured by a substrate holder and a shield member connected to a high frequency power supply, the gas supply section electrically grounded, and an auxiliary electrode disposed in the gas supply section. In a film deposition process, a reactive gas is supplied from the gas supply section, and the reactive gas is excited in a space in front of a substrate to deposit a thin film onto the substrate. In a periodical in-situ cleaning process, a cleaning gas is supplied from the gas supply section and a cleaning discharge is generated to remove unwanted films deposited on the substrate holder and the shield member. The auxiliary electrode causes the cleaning discharge to be concentrated in a space around unwanted films.

Electrode unit for in-situ cleaning in thermal CVD apparatus

A CVD mechanism includes a reactor, a substrate holder, a heating apparatus for heating the substrate holder, a reaction gas supply plate for supplying reaction gas into the reactor, and at least two cylinders disposed in a concentric form on the substrate-facing surface of the reaction gas supply plate so that reaction gas is supplied from an inward portion of each cylinder in the reaction gas supply plate. A power supply mechanism for supplying power to the reaction gas supply plate and the substrate holder, and ring magnets disposed in the upper and lower portions of the reactor are provided so that magnetic lines of force passing through a plasma space are generated by the facing magnetic pole parts of the respective magnets.

CVD apparatus

A CVD apparatus is equipped with a reactor, a substrate holder, an evacuation section, a reactive gas supply mechanism, a heating mechanism for heating the substrate holder, a differential pressure chuck clamping section for clamping the substrate, and a purge gas supply mechanism for supplying purge gas. The substrate holder is configured to have a circular purge gas blowing channel on the top surface thereof, in which a diameter of an outside wall-surface is less than a diameter of the substrate, and a plurality of purge gas passages in an inside thereof, each of which supplies the purge gas into the purge gas blowing channel. The purge gas passing the purge gas blowing channel is blown off through a clearance between the outer periphery of the substrate and the substrate holder. The purge gas passage includes a radius-directed part directed in a radius direction of the substrate holder and has a purge gas outlet provided on the outside wall-surface of the purge gas blowing channel. The flow of the purge gas in a circumferential direction within the purge gas blowing channel is turbulent and dispersed, and therefore the purge gas blow-off pressure in the whole periphery of the substrate is uniform.

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Tokyo, Japan

Manabu Tagami