The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 03, 2001
Filed:
Apr. 28, 1998
Edward C. Cooney, III, Jericho, VT (US);
Josef W. Korejwa, Charlotte, VT (US);
David C. Strippe, Westford, VT (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A process and apparatus for depositing thin films onto a substrate. The process comprises mounting a wafer onto a wafer chuck and pumping a cryogenic fluid through the chuck which cools the wafer chuck and the wafer to a temperature below about +20° C. A thin film is then deposited over the cooled wafer using a sputter deposition process while maintaining the temperature of the wafer chuck and the wafer below about +20° C. The preferred embodiment of the present invention includes the use of liquid nitrogen as the cryogenic fluid, and copper as the material to be deposited through the sputtering process. In addition, the preferred embodiment cools the wafer chuck and the wafer to a temperature of about −100° C. The apparatus includes the physical vapor deposition vessel, the wafer chuck, the source of material to be deposited, the wafer, and the cooling line which passes through the wafer chuck to carry the cooling fluid to the chuck.