Sony Corporation

Materials Research Corporation

Praxair S.t. Technology, Inc.

Sony Corporation and Materials Research Corporation

Raymond K Lam

Paul S Gilman

Daniel R Marx

Charles E Melin

Guiseppe Colella

A reusable aluminum sputter target support tube which is bonded to a replaceable sputter target by variable polarity plasma arc welding and a method of manufacturing such reusable sputtering target assemblies.

Bonding and sputtering target by variable polarity plasma arc welding

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing high purity chromium suitable for deposition onto a semiconductor wafer or other substrate by sputtering. The process increases productivity, expands melting capability and provides consistent high purity chromium by reducing contamination by the dissolution of crucible material. The present invention provides for the addition of chromium oxide (Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3) to control oxygen content in chromium thereby producing high purity chromium ingots and protecting the ceramic crucibles from chemical attack by the liquid chromium.

Melting and casting of high purity chromium with controlled oxygen

The present invention relates to high purity chromium metal suitable for deposition onto a semiconductor wafer or other substrate by sputtering. The high purity chromium metal is produced by a process that increases productivity, expands melting capability and provides consistent high purity chromium by reducing contamination by the dissolution of crucible material. The present invention provides high purity chromium by the addition of chromium oxide (Cr.sub.2 O.sub.3) to molten chromium to control oxygen content in the chromium thereby producing high purity chromium ingots and protecting the ceramic crucibles from chemical attach by the liquid chromium.

High purity chromium metal by casting with controlled oxygen content

Bonding of sputtering target by variable polarity plasma arc welding

A method is provided for depositing ultra high purity of greater than 99.998% titanium films which comprises generating gaseous TiI.sub.4 in situ by reacting titanium metal starting material with gaseous iodide in a reaction chamber, purifying the TiI.sub.4 by a double distillation process at reduced pressure to produce ultra high purity of greater than 99.998% TiI.sub.4, transferring the ultra high purity TiI.sub.4 in liquid form to a deposition chamber to vaporize the liquid TiI.sub.4 and contacting a heated titanium substrate with the TiI.sub.4 vapor, thereby depositing the ultra high purity Ti films on the substrate.

Method for producing ultra high purity titanium films

Ultra high purity materials, particularly metallic materials such magnesium and similarly high volatility materials, are produced by a vacuum distillation method and apparatus to increase purity by approximately five hundred times in a single step. For example, magnesium purity, exclusive of zinc content, is increased from 99.95% to greater than 99.9999%. A distillation column is formed of a high purity (less than 10 ppm ash) graphite, and includes a crucible, a vertical condenser in which horizontal high purity graphite baffles are selectively located at a plurality of levels, for example at nine levels. The column is contained in a three-zone resistance furnace that is controlled to heat the crucible to evaporate the material, maintain the condenser immediately above the crucible to above the boiling point of the material, and maintain the portion of the column thereabove at below the boiling point of the material, preferably with the temperature gradually decreasing with the height of the column. The baffles are spaced along the condenser and are staggered to slow the vapors such that the high purity material reaches its condensation temperature and condenses on one or more selected ones of the baffles. The condenser is split so the baffles can be selectively placed and removed to remove the purified material. Caps at the top and bottom of the column hold the split condenser together.

Vacuum distillation apparatus for producing ultra high purity material

Ultra high purity materials, particularly metallic materials such as magnesium and similarly high volatility materials, are produced by a vacuum distillation method and apparatus to increase purity by approximately five hundred times in a single step. For example, magnesium purity, exclusive of zinc content, is increased from 99.95% to greater than 99.9999%. A distillation column is formed of a high purity (less than 10 ppm ash) graphite, and includes a crucible, a vertical condenser in which horizontal high purity graphite baffles are selectively located at a plurality of levels, for example at nine levels. The column is contained in a three-zone resistance furnace that is controlled to heat the crucible to evaporate the material, maintain the condenser immediately above the crucible to above the boiling point of the material, and maintain the portion of the column thereabove at below the boiling point of the material, preferably with the temperature gradually decreasing with the height of the column. The baffles are spaced along the condenser and are staggered to slow the vapors such that the high purity material reaches its condensation temperature and condenses on one or more selected ones of the baffles. The condenser is split so the baffles can be selectively placed and removed to remove the purified material. Caps at the top and bottom of the column hold the split condenser together.

Growing community of inventors

Park Ridge, NJ, United States of America

Raymond K Lam