Applied Materials, Inc.

Mark A Perrin

Tza-Jing Gung

Andrew S Gillard

John C Forster

Praburam Gopalraja

Arvind Sundarrajan

Xinyu Fu

Edward P Hammond

A multi-step process performed in a plasma sputter chamber including sputter deposition from the target and argon sputter etching of the substrate. The chamber includes a quadruple electromagnetic coil array coaxially arranged in a rectangular array about a chamber axis outside the sidewalls of a plasma sputter reactor in back of an RF coil within the chamber. The coil currents can be separately controlled to produce different magnetic field distributions, for example, between a sputter deposition mode in which the sputter target is powered to sputter target material onto a wafer and a sputter etch mode in which the RF coil supports the argon sputtering plasma. A TaN/Ta barrier is first sputter deposited with high target power and wafer bias. Argon etching is performed with even higher wafer bias. A flash step is applied with reduced target power and wafer bias.

Electromagnet array in a sputter reactor

Multi-step process for forming a metal barrier in a sputter reactor

A quadruple electromagnetic coil array coaxially arranged in a rectangular array about a chamber axis outside the sidewalls of a plasma sputter reactor, preferably in back of an RF coil within the chamber. The coil currents can be separately controlled to produce different magnetic field distributions, for example, between a sputter deposition mode in which the sputter target is powered to sputter target material onto a wafer and a sputter etch mode in which the RF coil supports the gas sputtering the wafer. The coil array may include a tubular magnetic core, particularly useful for suppressing stray fields. A water cooling coil may be wrapped around the coil array to cool all the coils. The electromagnets can be powered in different relative polarities in a multi-step process.

Variable quadruple electromagnet array in plasma processing

A magnet assembly for producing a varying magnetic field is provided wherein a plurality of permanent magnets are interposed between two members which are constructed of a ferromagnetic material. Each of the magnets is rotatable and has a north and south magnetic pole. Each of the magnets is disposed so that the north magnetic poles of the plurality of permanent magnets have a common magnetic orientation with respect to the first member. An orienter, such as, for example, a ring gear and pinion arrangement, is coupled to the magnets to change their common magnetic orientation with respect to the first member. The magnetic field projected by the assembly varies as a function of the orientation of the magnets.

Variable field magnet apparatus

Methods and apparatuses for shielding magnetic flux which is associated with a semiconductor fabrication system are provided. A magnetic shield assembly substantially surrounds a side wall of a plasma reactor. The shield assembly comprises a passive shield member in combination with an active shield member. As a result, effective shielding of magnetic flux can occur without excessive distortion of the magnetic field line pattern in the plasma region of the plasma reactor. In one aspect, the shield assembly comprises a first shield member adapted to attenuate a magnetic flux density. The first shield member is disposed in a parallel, spaced apart relationship from the side wall. A second member is attached to the first shield member and is constructed of a ferromagnetic material which is permanently magnetized.

Active magnetic shielding

A source of sputtered deposition material has, in one embodiment, a torus-shaped plasma generation area in which a plasma operates to sputter the interior surface of a toroidal cathode. In one embodiment, the sputtered deposition material passes to the exterior of the source through apertures provided in the cathode itself. A torus-shaped magnetic field generated in the torus-shaped plasma facilitates plasma generation, sputtering of the cathode and ionization of the sputtered material by the plasma.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Mark A Perrin