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:
Jan. 11, 2005
Filed:
Nov. 04, 2002
David Ruzic, Sadorus, IL (US);
David Ruzic, Sadorus, IL (US);
Novellus Systems, Inc., San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
A process merges chemical vapor deposition and physical vapor deposition technologies. It allows physical and chemical vapor deposition to occur in the same process chamber, contemporaneously. The 'physical' component involves creation of ionized metal atoms. Ionization is typically accomplished via a plasma within the chamber. If the metal vapor is generated by sputtering, a separate plasma generation mechanism may be employed, which is different from the mechanism employed to generate a 'source plasma' for generating sputtering species (e.g., argon ions). Alternatively, a single plasma source may be employed to generate the sputtering species and provide additional ionization of the metal vapor, as is the case with hollow cathode magnetron chambers. In some cases, the CVD precursor is introduced through a first line into the process chamber, while a sputtering gas is introduced via a second line.