Ulvac, Inc.

Nihon Shinku Gijutsu Kabushiki Kaisha

Qlvac, Inc.

Tomoyasu Kondo

Kyuzo Nakamura

Harunori Ushikawa

Narishi Gonohe

Satoru Toyoda

Naoki Morimoto

Hideto Nagashima

Yasushi Higuchi

Daisuke Mori

Kuniaki Nakajima

Tsuyoshi Sahoda

Takashi Komatsu

Akifumi Sano

Youji Taguchi

Toshimitsu Uehigashi

A tantalum nitride film rich in tantalum atoms is formed by simultaneously introducing a raw gas consisting of a coordination compound of elemental tantalum (Ta) having a coordinated ligand of formula: N&#x2550;(R, R') (wherein, R and R&#x2032; each represents an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms) and NHgas into a film-forming chamber; reacting the raw gas with the NHgas; forming a reduced compound having Ta&#x2014;NHon a substrate; and introducing a hydrogen atom-containing gas into the chamber to form a tantalum nitride film rich in tantalum atoms. The resulting tantalum nitride film has a low resistance, low contents of C and N atoms, and a high compositional ratio: Ta/N, show sufficiently high adherence to Cu film and can thus be useful as a barrier film. Moreover, tantalum particles are implanted in the resulting film according to the sputtering technique to further enrich the film with tantalum.

Method for forming tantalum nitride film

There is provided an inexpensive cathode unit which is simple in construction and is capable of forming a film at good coating characteristics relative to each of micropores of high aspect ratio throughout an entire surface of a substrate. There is also provided a sputtering apparatus provided with the cathode unit. The cathode unit of this invention has a holder formed with one or more recessed portions on one surface thereof. Inside the recessed portions there are mounted bottomed cylindrical target members from the bottom side thereof. Into a space inside each of the target members there are built magnetic field generating means for generating magnetic fields.

Cathode unit and sputtering apparatus provided with the same

There is provided an inexpensive sputtering apparatus in which self-sputtering can be stably performed by accelerating the ionization of the atoms scattered from a target. The sputtering apparatus has: a target which is disposed inside a vacuum chamber so as to lie opposite to the substrate W to be processed; a magnet assembly which forms a magnetic field in front of the sputtering surface of the target; and a DC power supply which charges the target with a negative DC potential. A first coil is disposed in a central portion of a rear surface of the sputtering surface of the target. The first coil is electrically connected between the first power supply and the output to the target. When a negative potential is charged to the target by the sputtering power supply, the electric power is charged to the first coil, whereby a magnetic field is generated in front of the sputtering surface.

Sputtering apparatus

A tantalum nitride film-forming method comprises the steps, according to the CVD technique, of introducing a raw gas consisting of a coordination compound constituted by an elemental tantalum (Ta) having a coordinated ligand represented by the general formula: N&#x2550;(R, R') (in the formula, R and R&#x2032; may be the same or different and each represents an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms) and a halogen gas into a film-forming chamber to thus form a film of a halogenated compound represented by the following general formula: TaN(Hal)(R, R&#x2032;)(in the formula, Hal represents a halogen atom), reacting the halogenated compound film with a hydrogen atom-containing gas by the introduction thereof into the chamber to thus form a tantalum nitride film rich in tantalum atoms. The resulting tantalum nitride film has a low resistance, low contents of C and N, and a high compositional ratio: Ta/N, can ensure high adherence to the electrical connection-forming film and can thus be useful as a barrier film. Moreover, tantalum particles are implanted in the resulting film according to the sputtering technique to thus further enrich the film with tantalum.

A tantalum nitride film-forming method comprises the steps of introducing a raw gas consisting of a coordination compound constituted by an elemental tantalum (Ta) having a coordinated ligand represented by the general formula: N&#x2550;(R,R') (in the formula, R and R&#x2032; may be the same or different and each represents an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms), and a halogen gas into a vacuum chamber; and reacting these components with one another on a substrate to thus form a surface adsorption film comprising a mono-atomic or multi (several)-atomic layer and composed of a compound represented by the following general formula: TaN(Hal)(R, R&#x2032;)(in the formula, Hal represents a halogen atom), then introducing radicals generated from an H atom-containing compound to thus remove Ta&#x2014;N bonds present in the resulting compound through breakage thereof and remove, at the same time, the remaining R(R&#x2032;) groups bonded to the N atoms present in the compound through the cleavage thereof and to thus form a tantalum nitride film rich in tantalum atoms. The resulting tantalum nitride film has a low resistance, low contents of C and N atoms, and a high compositional ratio: Ta/N, can ensure sufficiently high adherence to the distributing wire-forming film and can thus be useful as a barrier film. Moreover, tantalum particles are implanted in the resulting film according to the sputtering technique to thus further enrich the film with tantalum.

A tantalum nitride film-forming method comprises the steps of introducing, into a vacuum chamber, a raw gas consisting of a coordination compound constituted by elemental Ta having a coordinated ligand represented by the general formula: N&#x2550;(R,R') (in the formula, R and R&#x2032; may be the same or different and each represents an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms) to thus adsorb the gas on a substrate; then introducing an NHgas and then activated H radicals derived from a reactant gas into a vacuum chamber to thus remove the R(R&#x2032;) groups bonded to the nitrogen atom present in the reaction product through cleavage, and to thus form a tantalum nitride film rich in tantalum atoms. The resulting tantalum nitride film has a low resistance, low contents of C and N atoms, and a high compositional ratio: Ta/N, can ensure sufficiently high adherence to the distributing wire-forming film and can thus be useful as a barrier film. Moreover, tantalum particles are implanted in the resulting film according to the sputtering technique to thus further enrich the film with tantalum.

In order to form a thin film having a high aspect ratio, a space between a target within a vacuum chamber and a substrate table is enclosed by an anode electrode and earth electrodes. The anode electrode is positioned on the side of the target, and a positive voltage is applied. The earth electrodes are positioned on the side of the substrate table and are connected to earth potential. A trajectory of sputtering particles curved in the direction of flying off by the anode electrode is corrected and is made incident in a perpendicular manner to a surface of the substrate on the substrate table. The amount of sputtering particles incident to the surface of the substrate can therefore be increased and made perpendicularly incident; and a thin film of a high aspect ratio can be formed.

Sputtering apparatus and film manufacturing method

The present invention provides an inductively coupled RF plasma source that can improve the nonuniformity in substrate treatment by canceling out the radial electric fields generated between a plasma and an antenna coil. The inductively coupled RF plasma source comprises a plurality of one-turn antenna coils, each having one end connected to a RF supply along a circumferential side wall of a plasma generating chamber and the other end connected to a grounding potential, arranged at intervals in the longitudinal axial direction of the plasma generating chamber. One end of each one-turn antenna coil displaced at equal angles from each other in a circumferential direction.

Inductively coupled RF plasma source

A sputtering device that efficiently guides sputtering particles ejected from a target to a film deposition subject and prolongs the interval at which a stick preventive member requires replacement. The sputtering device has a vacuum chamber in which a specified sputtering target is placed so as to face a substrate that is also placed in the vacuum chamber , and deposits a film on a surface of the substrate using sputtering particles ejected from the sputtering target ; and particle ejection sections constructed so as to slope at a specified angle of 30&deg; to 60&deg; with respect to the surface of the substrate , and respectively facing each other in the shape of a funnel are provided on the sputtering target . Lines of magnetic force run from an N pole of a magnet arranged at a rear surface of the target to an S pole of a magnet arranged around the target

Sputtering device

A sputtering device enabling a small incident angle. A plurality of shield plates provided with holes at the same positions as targets are arranged in a vacuum chamber. Sputtering particles ejected diagonally from the targets,become attached to the shield plates,and only particles ejected vertically reach the surface of a substrate,As a result, it is possible to uniformly form a thin film inside microscopic holes of high aspect ratio. If sputtering gas is introduced close to the targets,, reactant gas is introduced close to the substrate,and evacuation carried out close to the substrate,reactant gas does not reach the targets,side. Consequently, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the surfaces of the targets,.

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Shizuoka-ken, Japan

Tomoyasu Kondo