CA2213771A1 - Sputter etching apparatus with plasma source having a dielectric pocket and contoured plasma source - Google Patents
Sputter etching apparatus with plasma source having a dielectric pocket and contoured plasma sourceInfo
- Publication number
- CA2213771A1 CA2213771A1 CA002213771A CA2213771A CA2213771A1 CA 2213771 A1 CA2213771 A1 CA 2213771A1 CA 002213771 A CA002213771 A CA 002213771A CA 2213771 A CA2213771 A CA 2213771A CA 2213771 A1 CA2213771 A1 CA 2213771A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- plasma
- substrate
- chamber
- coil
- pocket portion
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
- H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
- H01J37/32431—Constructional details of the reactor
- H01J37/32458—Vessel
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
- H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
- H01J37/32009—Arrangements for generation of plasma specially adapted for examination or treatment of objects, e.g. plasma sources
- H01J37/32082—Radio frequency generated discharge
- H01J37/321—Radio frequency generated discharge the radio frequency energy being inductively coupled to the plasma
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
- H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
- H01J37/34—Gas-filled discharge tubes operating with cathodic sputtering
- H01J37/3464—Operating strategies
- H01J37/347—Thickness uniformity of coated layers or desired profile of target erosion
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J2237/00—Discharge tubes exposing object to beam, e.g. for analysis treatment, etching, imaging
- H01J2237/32—Processing objects by plasma generation
- H01J2237/33—Processing objects by plasma generation characterised by the type of processing
- H01J2237/334—Etching
Abstract
Apparatus (10) for sputter etching a substrate (14) includes a processing chamber (16) with a plasma source (24) coupled to the top of the processing chamber (16) to seal the chamber and create a plasma therein. The plasma source (24) comprises a dielectric plate (30) having a generally centered pocket (40) with a concave outer surface (43) and a convex inner surface (41) which physically extends into the processing chamber (16) toward a substrate (14). An inductive coil (42) is positioned outside the chamber (16) generally inside the pocket (40) and adjacent the concave surface (43) and is preferably contoured to conform to the concave outer surface (42) to form an inductive source relative to the substrate (14). The contoured inductive coil (42) couples energy through the pocket (40) to create a high density uniform plasma of ionized particles proximate a substrate (14) in the chamber (16).
Description
WO 96/309Z9 PCTnUS95114433 ';PUTl-ER ETCHING APPARATUS WITH PLASMA SOURCE HAVING
A DIELECTRIC POCKET AND CONTOURED PLASMA SOURCE
-- F:ield of the Invention This patent relates generally to sputter etching of a s;ubstrate using an ionized gas plasma, and specifically to a sputter etchinl3 apparatus with a unique plasma source configuration for producing a dense uniform plasma and a high uniform etch rate over large substrates with small device dimensions.
E3ackqround of the Invention In the processing of semiconductor substrates or wafers into integrated circuits, sputter etching is often used to remove a layer of material from the uppermost substrate surface.
The process of sputter etching is generally known and utilizes ionized particles of a charged gas plasma to bombard the surface of CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
wo 96/30929 PCT/US95~14433 a substrate and dislodge or "sputter" away substrate particles from the surface.
More specifically, the substrate to be etched is supported on an electrically charged support base or electrode within a vacuum-sealed processing chamber whereon the substrate develops an electrical charge or bias. A plasma gas is introduced into a discharge chamber opposite the surface of the biased substrate, and RF energy is generally inductively coupled to the gas such as through a coil so that an induced electric field is created 0 inside the discharge chamber. That is, large current flow in the coil produces changing RF magnetic flux which penetrates into the discharge chamber. These changing RF magnetic fields result in changing electric fields in the discharge chamber. The energy from the induced electric field inside the chamber ionizes the gas particles. The ionized particles of the gas and free electrons collectively form what is referred to as a gas plasma or plasma cloud. The substrate is biased negatively to collect the positively charged particles from the plasma cloud. The positive ionized plasma particles are attracted to the negative substrate surface, bombarding the surface and dislodging material particles from the substrate to sputter "etch" a material layer from the substrate surface.
A DIELECTRIC POCKET AND CONTOURED PLASMA SOURCE
-- F:ield of the Invention This patent relates generally to sputter etching of a s;ubstrate using an ionized gas plasma, and specifically to a sputter etchinl3 apparatus with a unique plasma source configuration for producing a dense uniform plasma and a high uniform etch rate over large substrates with small device dimensions.
E3ackqround of the Invention In the processing of semiconductor substrates or wafers into integrated circuits, sputter etching is often used to remove a layer of material from the uppermost substrate surface.
The process of sputter etching is generally known and utilizes ionized particles of a charged gas plasma to bombard the surface of CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
wo 96/30929 PCT/US95~14433 a substrate and dislodge or "sputter" away substrate particles from the surface.
More specifically, the substrate to be etched is supported on an electrically charged support base or electrode within a vacuum-sealed processing chamber whereon the substrate develops an electrical charge or bias. A plasma gas is introduced into a discharge chamber opposite the surface of the biased substrate, and RF energy is generally inductively coupled to the gas such as through a coil so that an induced electric field is created 0 inside the discharge chamber. That is, large current flow in the coil produces changing RF magnetic flux which penetrates into the discharge chamber. These changing RF magnetic fields result in changing electric fields in the discharge chamber. The energy from the induced electric field inside the chamber ionizes the gas particles. The ionized particles of the gas and free electrons collectively form what is referred to as a gas plasma or plasma cloud. The substrate is biased negatively to collect the positively charged particles from the plasma cloud. The positive ionized plasma particles are attracted to the negative substrate surface, bombarding the surface and dislodging material particles from the substrate to sputter "etch" a material layer from the substrate surface.
CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
W 096/30929 PCTnUS95J14433 Conventionally, inductive energy sources utilized to create and maintain a plasma inside the chamber have been placed either ;nside the processing chamber and in the processing space surrounding the biased substrate, or have been placed around the a,utside of the chamber to surround the processing space.
However, inductive energy sources positioned inside of the chamber proximate the substrate are subjected to undesired bombardment by plasma particles during the etch, and are subjected to the deposition of sputter-etched material particles 0 thereon. Both conditions detrimentally affect the reliability of the source! operation which detrimentally affects the reliability and uniformity of the plasma. Therefore, many inductive energy s'ource's today are positioned externally around the processing c:hamber.
External inductive energy sources have usually included a solenoidal-shaped coil which is wound around the outside of the processing chamber to inductively couple energy to the plasma through the side chamber walls. The processing c:hambers and their side walls, therefore, are generally fabricated from a dielectric substance through which the inductive energy rnay pass, typically quartz. However, quartz processing chambers CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
have a drawback in that particles of the substrate material, which are usually metal, do not readily adhere to quartz, and therefore, the etched material has a tendency to collect on, but eventually f!ake off the inside walls of the quartz cham~er. Flaking detrimentally affects the plasma and contaminates the wafer.
Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to reduce flaking and substrate contamination during etching.
It is another objective of the present invention to prodùce a uniform, high-density plasma over a larse area such that large substrate sizes might be processed. Plasma-aided manufacturing of ultra large scale integrated (ULSI) circuits requires a dense uniform plasma over large substrates having diameters of approximately 200 mm. Existing processing chambers and plasma energy sources do not adeguately address such requirements and lS are not able to produce dense uniform plasmas over large areas.
Some sputter etching p-ocesses commonly occur at substrate voltages in the range of approximately l,OC0 volts ~1 kV). However, this relatively high voltage range is inappropriate for today's state-of-the-art microelectronic devices which have circuit and device features with dimensions of approximately 2.5x107m 10.25 microns) and are more susceptible to surface damage at high wafer charging :, ,j AMENDED S~'IEET
_,~F, ~F~ je,~SA~ ,~7_ ~ 7 ; _~;;, , ru i / ~
O~ 4 va!tages. As a result, lower w~fer valsages, beia~v aG0 Vcl~s, are mor~ dr~ir~ble, cand pref~rably, voltcases lawer ;h~n 100 Vol~ zre ~esirable. I !cweve~, fr~t~ an effec~ive ~tch a~ such lo~,v voltages, a reliabli~, efficient 3nd hi~h unifarm densi~y plzs~a is ~e~vired.
Th~refcre, it is ~r,~her cb, c~ive. cf ~he present inven~icn ~c SpU~ter e~ch s:Jbstr~tes with s~all devic~ fea~u~es at low val~ages without r~clucing the q~Ja~it~ of ;h~ e~ch.
A stiil fur~her ob~zcti~e of the pr~sen~ inven.ian ,s ~o or~vide a sputter e~c,'~ chamb~er and ,~iasn~a sc~rce ~ ,ic,h are efficien~, rr~lia~l~ ar,d ~s~1~ tO reP3ir and maint~in. Is '5 also an ~abi~crive ot ~he inverltian to pr;:duce d~n~e uniform pl.~smas f~r a uniforr~ ~c.'l rate at la~,~ pr~ssurss in the ranse af approximat21y .133 ~asc31s (1 ml,arr).
Uni.ed States Patent US~ 5,~03,065 di~closes a p,asma ~tehing appzratu~ having a flat b~ omed windo~; extending into ;1~ pr~acessin~ eh~r~be-with a cail disposed ~herein hal~ing a ~lat p~artion on the bottarn of .he window ~nd ~ tuiaul~r phrtiOn exten~ing up ttle side walls o~ the wlndow.
Internatlon~l Published ~aeent Applic~tion '~O~A~i24f~2 d~sclo.ses a plasma r~tchirg apparat~as with plugs exTendins into ~he pia~a et~hins char~.ber to sh~pe ;he plasma forr~d.
Unitad States ~aat~nt US-A~5,23*,5~ disc!oses a plasrn~ ~Qn~ting apparzsus heving a ea~acit;~e shiel~ dispased betwean Ihe rojl and ~he plasrna.
h,~.~EN5ED SH~E~
GM~ N; c~
Surnmarv a' ~he Inven~ion (~ The abc~s-tiscussed ablectives are addressed hy the spu~eretch app~a~ of ~e preSentLnv~nuon ~ c~ d~ w~ch ut~izes tRd~c~.ve pl~ma scurc~ with a shaped pac~et and cantaured c~il.
The ind~cti~e plasma s~urc~ comprises a die~ec~ic plate which ~rlalsthe ~cp ofa prace5~inc~ ch~mberan~ has a c~ntralty ~ligned nc~n-c~nduc;jve pack~ pGrticn or pocket with a generall~
c~ncave oulersu~ace aILd a g~ner~ c~n~e,Y inner sur~ce, wi~
r~sp~cttothei~side ~f ~ ch ~ ber, whic~
5~-hi~Jtl\lO-~
cMr. 'i Ol''l; _r ~ u ~ .rf ; ~ 7 ~ 1 J , I ; r v i I v v ~ v ~ ' ' - . ~vvv~v~v.. ~v~ ~
extends into ~ne processing space inside of the processlng chamber. An inductive coil is pcsitione~ ~u~sid~ c~ th~ chamber and i~, ~hapqz with;n the csnca~e aut~r surface of .he poc~at t~
have a gener31l~ cen~ex ~hape in the dircction cf the proces5in~
S .;pace and the subs~rate. Tlle po~k~t and the c2ntou~ed coil extend partially inside of ~he chamber ~nd arc effec~ e to produc~ a ~ense uniform plasm~ in th~ proccssing spaCe. rhe coil Construc~ion dasi~n also ef~ects the plasma uniformity. For example, a ~piral c:oil. ~i$-~g cnii ~r sinsle-~urn coii mi~nt be utili.Dd to form the :a convex sh3pe. Also coils ha~ ing thin or fla~ wires ~lth erass-sections ~hat are not circular may ze ~tilize~
The inductive cail is coupled tc an ~ pawer SUpply operacing p~eferahly ~t app~oximately 450 K~tz, and is con~ red or shaped within the Pock~t of the dielectric plate such that it extends par~ially inra ~he processins sp~ce to present a ~3nerally conYex-shap6d coil ~s~Fo~it~ a biased suf~strate. The coi~ is ct~nt~ured to closely follsw thc contour of the oue~r conc3ve surface zf ~he pock~. The substrate is bizsed by a substrate suppcrt ~hich is c~nnected to an RF power ~iupply sper~nng p~e~erably a~ a~prox~imatefy 1 3.5f3 MHz. The. pocket and the ~ 6 ~
A~fEhloFD S~tEET
contoured inductive coil are operable to produce a dense uniform plasma over a wide area, thus yielding a uniform etch across wafers which are 200mm (eight inches) or greater in diameter. A dense uniform plasma is produced at low pressures around 0.133 Pascals (1 mTorr), and the S invention is effective to produce reliable, efficient etches at low substrate bias voltage levels of approximately 50 Voits.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, RF
tuners are utilized with the substrate RF power supply and the coil RF power supply in order to minimize reflected power from the inductive coil and the substrate support to achieve high electrical efficiency. An electrostatic shield, preferably made of a thin metal mesh, is positioned in the poci<et between the pocket and the inductive coil and is generally contoured with the pocket in order to reduce the capacitive energy coupling of the coil to the plasma and to thereby raise the efficiency of the inductive energy coupling.
To selectively vary the uniformity and density of the plasma, the dimensions of the pocket and specifically the shape and degree of curvature of the convex inner surface are varied along with the corresponding configuration of the contoured inductive coil within the pocket. In accordance with the principles CA 02213771 1997-08-2~ .r~ S~E~T
W 096130929 PCT~US95/14433 of the plresent invention, the pocket shape and coil configuration may be tailored to a specific processing chamber or substrate element in order to produce a dense uniform plasma proximate the substra1:e. It has been experimentally determined that increasing the depth of the pocket into the processing space and the degree of curvature of the convex inner surface and increasing the corresponding depth of the contoured coil tends to improve the uniformity of the plasma within the processing space.
The dielectric plate, pocket and the inductive coil are positioned at the top of the metal processing chamber and are generally centrally disposed with respect to the chamber to extend into the chamber and thereby inductively couple energy to the plasma. Since the inductive coil is not wound around the chamber to surround the processing space, the body of the chamber may be made of metal or some other conductive material and is preferably stainless steel. The sputter etched material adheres more readily to metal than to quartz, thus reducing flaking and contamination of the substrate. Alternatively, shields might be positioned within the processing space to surround the wafer and receive the sputter etched n-laterial without concern that the shield material, such as me1:al, would short circuit the inductive coupling between the coil CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
and the plasma. The rretal charnbsr walls may be peric~ie~tlly cleaned of ;he deposition materlal. while the metel shiel~s ~ni~ht be ~moved ar~d ~eplaced ~ith clean shields for turther etching.
In an al~errtatlve ernbcdirn~nt r~f the inven~ian, a rnagne~ic rinr~ s~rrounds ~he rnet;-tllic chamber and the wafr~r and wafer sUpp~trt. The ma~rlP~ic ring has aiternat;n~ ncrth/sou~h magnetic re~i~ns are~nd its circumference and induc~s ~ rrt~gr~etic fie~ around ;~te cham~er tct c~nfine the plasma and inc,~3se ths pl~sma density pro~irrtate the ~uhs;r3t~. I he m2gnetiC rin~ also -d iQC~eases the unifr~rmi~y of the pl3sma b~; prevef~ g pl~srn~
diffusion and le~kagc intl~ the cham~r walls.
~e present ;nYennoll as el~cd ope~at~s ~o pro-~ide de uniform plasmas a~ Icw voltage znd law pr~ssure, and is p~rtjcufarly ~:ultabie for etching semi-co~tductor device~ ~ith 2~5:~1 O ~rrl . 5 10,25 micron) dim~n~ions ~ithout damasle tO ~he de~ ic~s. ~urthermo.~, the sp~mer ~tching a~p3ratus of Ihe present inven~ion u~ilizes a design wrtich ts easy ~o ser~ice and rnaintain. The plasma producec by the plasrr,a source i~ s;abie and repeatable znd produces a hi~hly uniforrn etch ra~e across large s~:bstrates. Tnese -t~i an~ othef fe~t~tres are more rea~ilty apparent from eke ~rizf CA 02213771 1997-08-25 A~ENDcD SHEET
. ~IP. 'iCh; cP~ 3 F~, L 3A~ 7 : ~ 1 7 n 7 7 ~ ~ 2 6 2 ~ 7 de~cription of the draw ngs ~nd the detaileci description af the ir~vention set forth herelnbelovv.
Qr;ef Qescri~tion af the Ora~ing The accomp2nying drawings which are incorporated in and constltute a par~ 3,' this specification illustrate embodirnents of the invention and. togeeher with ~ general description a~ the inverlu~n given abov~ an~ the detailed descrip~it?n af th~ ernbadiments sjven ~elow serve to e~plain the principle~ of ~he invention.
Fig. 1 is 3 ;~hematic vie~.y In parl~al ~r~s-s~c~ n ot' a sputter ~tching ~pp~raNs ~t b~n~ ~ embcdime~t OL~ bu~ bcin~ useful i~ undersr~n~ling ~e pr~sen~
~nrentio~ shvwin_ ~e inducti~e plasma sou~ce;
Fi~ is a .schematic iew in p~ttial crçss-section of 3n ~fternative em~cdimenl: of the inductive ,,1~sma sQurce of the preserlt invention iho~vn with a plasma-c~nfining maanetic ring;
Fi~. 2A is a schematic top view of the magnetic ~ing and Fis. 2~ is a top vi~w o ;he coil bt~rh ii~ustr~ted in Fig. 2.
Fi~. 3A is ~ schematic diagra~r. or ;he gas flaw components for deli-~erin5 spu~tc ring gas and backsid~ heating sas to the spu~er etching apFaratu~ o' Fi~ures I and 2;
itND~D SH~ET
~F '~6,~;~,~r3T L~A~ n ~ Z1~
_.
Fir~ ~3 is ~- ;Iming chart iilustrating apera~iar~ cf the ~F
pawer su~plies ~nd gas sùpplY components for pre~sure burst ;gniticn of a plasrn3 in operatiart of the preser,t inventian.
Detail Description o~ an Exa~ple and a Speci~lc E~bc~iment Referrins tc Fig. 1, a sput;r~r etching apparatus ,C
is i!lu5~r~te~ urilizin~ a uniqud induc ive plasrna scurce l 2 of the invontion far sput.er~tching a~u~s~.ato ~aferl4. The sputteretching appt~-iratus tO cerr~pri~e~aa.3irl~ss sreel ,,roce~s,n~ chamb~r 1~ which inclu~es a i~ase t~ and a sLi~stra~e 3upFort or platen 2~ to hold sub5~rate 14 insice cf ,hs cha~i~er 16 while it is bein~ sputtef etched.
rhc ~iub~;ratc ~upp~irt ~Gis c~pled tai ~n ~r po~r/~r suppiy incllfding an R,C tuner 22 and prererc,bly a 13.56 MH.
~curCe 2~i. Thr~ ~o~rcr rr3y aper3te in ~ r~snge c' ~ipproxiimat~ly - . g I M~tz to t i M~!z fsr suffic~en~ biaein~ cf ~he sur.,s.rate. ~urce 2¢ biases aubs~r3te 14 tci p,roduce skutter etching as describec~
fur1he~r hcreinbelc,~,v. Subs;ra~e supporr 2Q i~ aisa cauPlec to a - backplane hoating gas supply 28 f~r providing bac!~plOne gas ;c heat r~r c~ol .~ubstr~to 1 A. Sub~;trale sl.lppcrt 20 preferably inciu~e~ channe!s formeri therein ~not showni ~r dis;ribu.inr.~ ;he hea~;ing gas unifcrmly cver~he back~ide cf the sU~str~te 1 L
~ ~i'f~l'iO-,~ S;t~---WO 96/30929 P~TnUS9~J~4433 Processing chamber 16 is closed and sealed at the top end by a dielectric plate or window 30 which couples to the stainless steel chamber 16 for a vacuum-tight seal. A vacuum ,oump 32 is coupled to the processing chamber 16 through base 18 to vacuum the internal processing space 34, which is created adjacent substrate 14 by processing chamber 16 and dielectric plate '30. A gas dispersing ring 36 is positioned around the top of processing chamber 16 adjacent dielectric plate 30 and is coupled to a plasma gas supply 38. The gas dispersing ring 36 disperses 0 the plasma gas uniformly around the processing space 34, and specifically around substrate 14.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the dielectric plate 30 includes a generally non-conductive pocket portion or pocket 40, which is centrally disposed in the plate 30 and extends downwardly from the top of chamber 16. Pocket 40 has a generally convex inner surface 41 which project:s into processing space 34 toward substrate 14. Preferably, the enltire dielectric plate 30 is non-conductive, but it is particularly critical that poclcet 40 be non-conductive despite the construction of the remaining portions of the plate 30. The non-conductive pocket 40 extends from dielectric plate 30 into processing space CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
. vC~3l ~A~ F ' ''' ' '' v ~ . L U ~
34 toward the substrate support 20 and subs~rat~ 14. Ta provite energy to l~nite a~ld su~tain ~ plasma within the ~races~in~ sp~c~
~4, an inds~c~ive cail 42 is pcs~ti~ned outside the chamber 16 within the nan-conduc~ive pocXe~ ~10 a~ dielectric pl~te 30. As S illustra~ed in Fi~u,e 1, inductive coil 42 is ~oun~ ar~und l - inslde pac.~et 4C and is contoured to fo!law the generally auter ~:onc~v~ surfaca 43 of po~ket 4a.
Pocket ~0 prefera~iy hz3 a ~cnerally circul~r tr~n6v~rs~ cr~s s~cticn ard the coil 42 follcws concave sur~ac 43 aro~,~nd pocket a,o for c,eating a uni'crm pl~sma ~round the subs~r~c. ~9 the ccil ~2 Foll~w~ the outer concave sur;ace 43 of poc~et 40, it forrns a contcure~ cail which is generally cr~nvex-snaped in th~ direction of s~lb~rat 14 which extends inta the processing sp3ce gen~rally ~o~Yially with poc~et 40 as sh~wn in 1~; Fig. 1. In o~c example, ~he packet ha~ a wall thicknecs T cf apprcxim3teiy I g mm, a circumferenc~ C af ~pprcxintately 1 Q7 mm and ~ 1~3ngth L of ~pproxima~ly 1 SC~ mm.
The inductive c~il 42 is c~upled to an ~F power supply, inc)uding an R~ tuner 4t, and ~retera~!y, a 430 i<Hz sourc~
~;o ~i. A tuner h~ing an operating r~ngs frorn 400 !CHz to 15 MHz s~uld be gonerally us~ w~th ~he presem inveIlti~n as cl~imed to ~r~a~e a CA 02213771 1997-08-2~ ilttNOEi~ SHE~T
L,U~ ,V ~r.i~ 3E~T ~5~ J7 : ~ o ~2 ~ .v ~
plasma. The RF curren~ from source 46 which fl~ws through inductive ceil ~2 induces a tirn~ var~ing RF electric ~ield inside of the prccessing spaca 34. ~ec~use p~cket 40 i~ non-co~uctive, ~he induc~ive elect,ic fi61d from ccn~oured coil 42 is coupl~d .hro-~gh pac~cet 40 and t~en tO plasma gas from supply 3~, which - ,3 a~spersed around pocket 49 and coil ~2 ~y ring 36. The .nduc~ electric f~eld produced wllh~ the processin3 spac~ 3~
ionizes the gas and creates a dis~harge cf ionized 525 par~iclcs ar plasme inct ~hown~ w~th~n the procPssing space 3~ ~nd pfoxim3te 13 subgtrat~ t1 Substrate 14 which is ~iased by F~F ~Gu~ce 74 artracts th~ ionized ~ p~rticles ~rcm the plasm~. an~ the par~lcles, design~ted by arrows ~nd reference nume~l 4~, bcmbard ~he upper surface 15 of ~he su~str3te 14 ta thereby sputter etch sub3trate material away from the surf~ce l ~.
l'; It has been experimen~aily det~rrnined that the sh~pes or poc.Y~t 4~ and con.aured inductive coil 42 creatr~ ~ uniforrr, sputtering pi~sm~ heving a hi~h ~e~lsi~y of ic~nized gas partic~es 4~
proximata ~he upper.~ur~ace 15 of substrate ~. Su~strate surface 15 is bombard~d and the p~ese~t ~nvention ~s claimed produc~s a high urifor~n 2a 5put:er ~tching rate acrcss surf~ce 15, It has also been found that ~he non-c~ncluct;ve pocket 40 3s~d the contoured cGil 42, ~Ihich iS
14 ~
AA~ENDED SHEET
vvound around the outer concave surface 43 of pocket 40, provide a high density uniform plasma over a large substrate surface.
~herefore, the present invention is particularly suitable for sputter etching circular substrates having a diameter greater than or equal to 0.203 m (eight inches) such as 300 mm substrates. Furthermore, it has been experimentally determined that the plasma produced by the pocket and contoured coil is stable and is repeatable for more consistent sputter etching.
The construction design of the coil also would affect 1~ the plasma uniformity. For example, the coil 42 might be a spiral coii as illustrated in the Figures or a zig-zag coil, or may even be a single-turn coil. The wire used to form the coil 42 also would affect the plasma. A wire having a circular cross-section is shown in the Figures. However, a thin or flat wire might also be utilized in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
Sputter etching apparatus 10 is electrically efficient and utilizes RF tuners 22, 44 to reduce the reflected RF power from the substrate support 20 and inductive coil 42, respectively. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a Faraday electrostatic 2û shield 50 is utilized around the coil 42 adjacent the outer concave surface 43 of the dielectric plate poci<et 40 and between the coil .
~A 02213771 1997-08-2~ AMENDE~ r-.'T
4Z and pocket 40. The electrostatic shield, which is preferably a thin mesh, reduces the capacitive coupling of the inductive coil 42 to the plasma, and thus raises the efficiency of the coupling of inductive energy to the plasma.
The uniform distribution of the plasma gas by ring 36 and the dense uniform plasma of the present invention produce high uniform etch rates across large substrates. Furthermore, the dense uniform plasma produced by pocket 40 and contoured coii 42 yields good etch results even at low vacuum pressures in the range of 0.133 Pascais (1 mTorr). Still further, sputter etching apparatus 10 may be operated at very low wafer biasing voltages in the range of approximately 50 volts, thus reducing sputter damage to the wafer.
The present invention is particularly suitable for substrates with very fine devices and integrated circuit features having dimensions ol approximately 2.5x10~7m (0.25 microns).
With pocket 40 and the contoured coil 42 of the present invention, inductive energy is coupled to the plasma through the top of chamber 16 and through dielectric plate 30.
Therefore, processin~ chamber 16 may be made of stainless steel, instead of a dielectric material, such as quartz, because inductive energy does not have to be coupled through the side walls of the CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
T
lP, ~ ~ r C . ~
d ; rU-'1 '7-C'3 -~
pr~cess ir~s chamber 1~. The sputtrr 2tched material ~riginating from substrate 14 adllerss rrto-e readily to st~inless steel than to a dielectric ma~erial such as quartz; As 3 result, the inn~r wall of the processing chamber ,l 6 mors readily holds the sputter etched rnateri~l to prPvent flaking sf the marerial into the prccessing ch~mber 34, thus reducing oontaminstion of rhe sputt~r ~tched wa~er. rhe w311 ~l~y th~n ke c!eanr~d ~hen necessary to remo~e the etched m~terial. Allernz~tiv~ly, a rn~t;~l ~hield, such as shield 52, rn~y be ut~ ed between the irtner wail ~nd substrate ;C 14 to calch sput.er etched rnaterial. The ehield may be metal, such as stainle~s steel, ar rrtay be made of a dielectric :T~tefial. Upon reaching ~he end of its useful li~e, the shield _ may sir~ply be rernoved and c!e~ne~ or discarded. The shield shculd not interfere h the coupling Qf energy to ~he plasma, becausa energy ~5 coupled throug.~l the top ~fr th~ cham~er.
The inductiv~ con;oured coil 42 is ~rotected frcm the etch envirQnment by pr.7eket 40, and thus. is nr~t exposed to the sputter e~chinq process. This incrca~es t~te useful ll~e and reliabllity of the coil 42 ~nd yields a more reliable sputter etching process.
Ta furthcr increast~ the uniformity and ~enslty of th~
sputtaring plasma, a magne~tc ring ~6 may bg u~ilized ~round the CA 02213771 1997-08-25 ,~ c~ND~D SHirci IF, VG~ e ~ I5AR ;,~ ' 7 '' ~
, ~ , , u ~ ~, 7 , ~U I i U ~ .~ 2 .1 ~
2 j992~ ;.;1 3 processing chamber 16 as illustrated in Figure 2. A rnagrletic ring 5O, ~hich preferably utilizes v~rticslly aligned elonsated regians 5 7, 5~ of altern3ting pclarity around th~ circumferenoe of the ring ~s iliustrated in Figure 2A, creates a magne~ic field within th~
prccerising sp~ce 34 ~djacent the inner wall af chamber 'l ~
The magnet 56 and masnetic field created th~reby have besn found to pre~ ~nt pl~sma l~akagz by preventing diffusicn of ionize~ plasma particies into w~ll of ch~mber 16, th~ls ~ielding a m~e un~farrn pl,~sma~ Fur~hermor6. the ma5netiC field created by ring 56 ha~
lC b~en f~und ~o confina the plasma around s~l~p~r~ Z0 ~nd subst~ate ~, and IhUS increaseS thc d~nsit~ af the sPutter etching plas~a.
The shape of the non-conductive packe~ ~0 and th~
shape o~ the contoured COlj 12 may be vzri~d tQ imprcve plasma charact~ristics within the prccessin~ space 3~. ~y varyin~ the L5 depth sf pocicet 40 and the de~ree of curvature of the inner surfac~
41, ~nd by var~inq the resulting shape of tine ccntoured coil 4Z, th~i plasma unifarmity and density ~re ;~ffe~t~d. It has been found exp~riment~lly that the greater the pockel d~p~h and th~ c~nvexi~y af the inner surfacs 41 and the greater the ~epth of coli 42, the ~en:er the uni~ormity of the res~Jltant pl~sma. I ioWeYer, as wil1 be a~preciated by a pers~n ski'led in the ar~, the shape and dimensions .
~VD~o~
~,~IP, ~ v,Y ~ c~ ; 1 v ~ i, u d O i -of packet ~Q and ccil 42 may be tailcred F~ccarding ~o the processing ch3rnbcr ~6, th~ in~ernal c~nfigurat,ans within ~hc p-ocessing space 3~. as w~ll as the ~Ci7A ~n~ location of substrate 14. Fi~ur~ 1 shows an example, ~ot ~eing an ~?mbcdiment of the ~nvention, ~n whic~
pcckel ~0 is ge~erally cylindric~l ~d the coil. 4~ is c~ntoured and dimensicr3edt:c exterld ~Imos~ th.e en~ir~ IBngth of the proc~ssirlg charnber 16 to terminctte ~ery ~'o~e ta substrat~ suppcrt 2Q an~ substri~r~ 11 f:igurr~ 2 sha~s a more shallow pocket ~0 and relaxed curvatur~ or convexity af the Ir1ner surfacr~ 4~ and coil 4~. ~s illustra~ed in f:igure~ 1 ana ~, th~ rasul~in~ sha,~e ct the con-t~uret coil 4~ is ~a,oen~nt upon the depth and shape of p~cke~ ~'0 and the ~hape of ~he generally c~nca~e GUter, surfacc ~3.' The shape of the cail :,~ ~y ran~ ~ywhere wirhin the sCope of the claims, for e,~mpl~
to a flatter convex-shaped coi~ ~s illu5trat~d in Figure 2. ~s wiil be ~S apprecia~d, ~ry sha~low pcckets utilize an induct~ve coii, which i5 almost flat or "pancake" in shape. ~ig. 2B sha:~rs a top ~iew of the shape of the cc1!1 utili2ed in FiS;. 2.
To expl~in the ~n~raticn of ~he plasma source 12 af the in~entioll as cl~med, all ex~?l~tion of the pl~sm~. igIt~ition scheme ~nd ~tching iS itelpflJI. Fi~.~re 3,4 is a sctlematic di~ram ~f the gas flcw components f~r deli\~erin~ pl~sma gaS ta the prcc~ssin~
D
WO 96/30929 PCT~US9~;~14433 rhamber 16 and backside heating gas to the substrate support 20.
The gas flow components are synchronized to produce a gas pressure burst for easy ignition of the plasma and to subsequently create a sufficient gas flow to sustain the ignited plasma.
Figure 3B is a timing chart illustrating the operating sequence and synchronization of the various gas supply t,omponents illustrated in Figure 3A to produce pressure burst ignition and a subsequent plasma. The gas flow system includes a rnass flow controller 60 (MFC) for controlling the gas flow rate ~rom the gas supplies, such as plasma gas supply 38 or backplane heating gas supply 26. Preferably, the gas used for both purposes is Argon, and a single gas source may be coupled to mass flow controller 60. An isolation valve 62 is coupled at the output of the rnass Flow controller and may be incorporated with the structure of the mass flow controller 60. After the isolation valve 62, the gas supply line 64 is split between the backpiane branch 65 and a procecising chamber branch 66. A needle valve 68 provides course - adjustLrnent of the gas pressure in the processing chamber 16. The c:hamber valve 70, in line with needle valve 68, provides a more precise pressure control of the plasma gas pressure within the procesising chamber 16. A backplane valve 71 controls the flow of CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
WO 96130929 PCT~US95114433 ~3as to substrate support 20 for backplane heating of substrate 14 duringi sputter etching. All of the gas flow components of Figure 3A and RF sources 24 and 46 are preferably coupled to a controller 59 for timed operation, except for needle valve 68 which is rnanually opened and closed.
Referring to Figure 3B, the full process interval for sputter etching a substrate may be divided into a pressure burst interval denoted by reference numeral 72, a substrate power -- interval denoted by reference numeral 73, a soft etch processinterval denoted by reference numeral 74, and a power down interval denoted by reference numeral 75. As illustrated in line A
of Fig. 3B, a throttle 76, which is coupled to vacuum pump 32 (see F-igs. 1 and 2) is kept closed, and the mass flow controller 60 is opened for full gas flow at approximately 288 sccm, as illustrated in line B. As illustrated in line C, the gas pressure in processing c:hamber 16 begins to steadily rise due to the high flow of gas and the absence of vacuum pumping. During the pressure build-up within chamber 16, the isolation valve 62, needle valve 68, and the c:hamber valve 70 are all open, as illustrated in lines 1, H, and G of F-igure 3B in order to allow gas flow into the processing chamber 116. During the initial pressure build-up within pressure burst CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
E'dF. ~ q ~5- ~5,~ ;J 7 ~ 7, i~ 7 ,.. i7u~ dZ ~ 1~/"
interval 72, nc backp!~ne sas i~ delivared to subs~ra~r~ suppart 2(~, and ~her~fol~e, ~alve 71 is clc~ed ~line r). Furthermare, ~ho nF
power eo ;he induc-ive coil 42 is Qff ~llne ~) ~35;s the F.F etch p~wer to ;.u~strat~ line E).. Refe~rin~ agOin to line C, when the pfocossing chambef press~J~8 rises ~o a s~t p~int, e.g. 3.~ Pascals 130 mTarr), de~ignated by roference nunleral ~6, controller 5g t~lrns on the hF
s~u~ce 46 to provide pawer to induc~r coil 42 (1in3 ol. ~n 80~
wat~ pcw~r set in~ for RF ~aurcs 4f~ has proven suff;ei~-nt to ignite a pl~sm~ e appar~tus i0 of che mveIltion as cla~ned. ~Jpon the icn~tion of ;~ ~ plasm~, ~vhi~n is indlc3ted at the end of pressur~ ~urst interval 72. the throttle 75 ~o the vacuum pump 32 is open~od, and the ~as flo~,v rate af the ~FC 60 i3 reduced l;irte 3), thus, caus~ng a drcp in the processing chamber pressure ~line C~. rhe ~as ficw ;hrcugh thrl MFC o0 is nlaintalned dt a level to sustain the iSnited plas,~.
. - iS The pawer to coil 4? ,line i}~ iS ~tjusted from the 8C0 ~a~t Isnition levei belwean upper ana Ic~,ver level~ as shcwn to produco a 3uitahle ,clasma. Wi;hin the power-up intervaJ 73, controller 5~
turns an source 24 fcr etch~n~; subs~rate 1~. As illust. ated in line ~. the ~F sourca ~ has an assocl~3ted delay time t~ build up l0 tke 1~ d~sired autput le~ei, which may be ar5und 50 vc~lts. At the ~ime or plasm3 iynition, the b~ckpiane vOlve 7~ i~ Qpenet ~o provide A~EN~ED SHE~
W O 96/30929 PCTrUS95J14433 backside heating gas to substrate support 20 to heat substrate 14 i'line F). The processing chamber valve 70 is alternately opened and closed during the sputter etching process to maintain a desired (~as flow within the processing chamber. The plasma is sustained and the substrate 14 is biased during the soft etch process interval 74. ~pon reaching a predetermined etch time, the power to the substrate (line E) is shut off during the power down interval 75.
lrhe etch power to the substrate is shut off before the coil power (line D) in order to determine the exact duration of the etch and to ,orevent damage to the substrate which may occur if the substrate remains biased when the plasma power is turned off. As illustrated in lines D and E of Figure 3B, both the RF coil source and the RF
s;ubstr,ate source have predetermined delays at their outputs when s,witched off. At the end of the power-down interval 75, the mass flow controller is closed (line B), the chamber valve is closed (line Ci), and the isolation valve is closed (line H), thereby reducing the glas pr~sssure (line C) in the processing chamber 16.
As illustrated in line A, the opening of the vacuum tlhrottle 76 may be delayed if the gas flow and pressure within chamber 16 is not sufficient to ignite a plasma. The delay is illustrated by a dashed line in line A. Accordingly, the etch power CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
.~lr, '~CA';~P~ S_SI .i,~ n~ 1?n3 ~ O
d ~ a -to substr~;P l 4 would also be delayed as Illustr~ted by the dashed line in line E of Fisu~e 38.
The process~ng apparaius o~ the presen~ ~vent~a~ as ~l~med provi~es a d~nse unifo~rn piasma ~o etch substrate 14. The ~pparatus is s~litable for su~trates utilizing srnail circ~uit te~ices and features, and has a design which provi~es ~se of Se~'ViCe and rn~ir~t~n~nce. r~ inventioll as claimed is capable ~f prcYiding su~ficie~tly uniform and dense ptasmas acrr~ss large substr3tes ~t lower pressufes and low su~rate ~iasinS vol~3ses.
iC In additi~n tc the aperation of pocket ~0 ~nd contoufe~ coil ~, tt~e shape ~f the pccket and its depth of extension intu the proce~s,rl~ spacc 34 may physi~ally ~ff~ct the plasm~ to yield ~ mcr~ unitcrm etch. f~r example, a deep pocket 4~ as is illus;rated in Fi5. I mz~y physically aisplace the plasma from ~bave the c~enter of sub5tr~te 1~ ta reduce ~he e~ch ratP at the cen~r cf the sui~stf~te ~vhich is often higher ~han the etchrate a1: ~he subs~r~e periphery. I herefore, ~he physic~l displ~c~ment m~y ~ield ~ mor~ ~uniform etch. Further detailed disc~sian of sucn a pla~m~ displacins ~ius is pro~ided in Hieronymi et ai., U. S.
2c Paten~ ,3~1,281 ~ss~J*d February 21, 1~5.
~ 24-- ~sE~vDED SH~ET
The pockets 40 illustrated in the Figures are all generally hollow and hold the co.ntoured coii 42. Alternatively, the pocket 40 may be filled with a dielectric material or other suitable material (not shown) which will surround the contoured coil 42 in pocket 40 and thereby embed the coil therein.
While the present invention has been illustrated by a description of various embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the o appended c!aims ~o such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilied in the art. The in~ention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method, and illustrative examples shown and described.
~5 CA 02213771 1997-08-2~ 3
W 096/30929 PCTnUS95J14433 Conventionally, inductive energy sources utilized to create and maintain a plasma inside the chamber have been placed either ;nside the processing chamber and in the processing space surrounding the biased substrate, or have been placed around the a,utside of the chamber to surround the processing space.
However, inductive energy sources positioned inside of the chamber proximate the substrate are subjected to undesired bombardment by plasma particles during the etch, and are subjected to the deposition of sputter-etched material particles 0 thereon. Both conditions detrimentally affect the reliability of the source! operation which detrimentally affects the reliability and uniformity of the plasma. Therefore, many inductive energy s'ource's today are positioned externally around the processing c:hamber.
External inductive energy sources have usually included a solenoidal-shaped coil which is wound around the outside of the processing chamber to inductively couple energy to the plasma through the side chamber walls. The processing c:hambers and their side walls, therefore, are generally fabricated from a dielectric substance through which the inductive energy rnay pass, typically quartz. However, quartz processing chambers CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
have a drawback in that particles of the substrate material, which are usually metal, do not readily adhere to quartz, and therefore, the etched material has a tendency to collect on, but eventually f!ake off the inside walls of the quartz cham~er. Flaking detrimentally affects the plasma and contaminates the wafer.
Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to reduce flaking and substrate contamination during etching.
It is another objective of the present invention to prodùce a uniform, high-density plasma over a larse area such that large substrate sizes might be processed. Plasma-aided manufacturing of ultra large scale integrated (ULSI) circuits requires a dense uniform plasma over large substrates having diameters of approximately 200 mm. Existing processing chambers and plasma energy sources do not adeguately address such requirements and lS are not able to produce dense uniform plasmas over large areas.
Some sputter etching p-ocesses commonly occur at substrate voltages in the range of approximately l,OC0 volts ~1 kV). However, this relatively high voltage range is inappropriate for today's state-of-the-art microelectronic devices which have circuit and device features with dimensions of approximately 2.5x107m 10.25 microns) and are more susceptible to surface damage at high wafer charging :, ,j AMENDED S~'IEET
_,~F, ~F~ je,~SA~ ,~7_ ~ 7 ; _~;;, , ru i / ~
O~ 4 va!tages. As a result, lower w~fer valsages, beia~v aG0 Vcl~s, are mor~ dr~ir~ble, cand pref~rably, voltcases lawer ;h~n 100 Vol~ zre ~esirable. I !cweve~, fr~t~ an effec~ive ~tch a~ such lo~,v voltages, a reliabli~, efficient 3nd hi~h unifarm densi~y plzs~a is ~e~vired.
Th~refcre, it is ~r,~her cb, c~ive. cf ~he present inven~icn ~c SpU~ter e~ch s:Jbstr~tes with s~all devic~ fea~u~es at low val~ages without r~clucing the q~Ja~it~ of ;h~ e~ch.
A stiil fur~her ob~zcti~e of the pr~sen~ inven.ian ,s ~o or~vide a sputter e~c,'~ chamb~er and ,~iasn~a sc~rce ~ ,ic,h are efficien~, rr~lia~l~ ar,d ~s~1~ tO reP3ir and maint~in. Is '5 also an ~abi~crive ot ~he inverltian to pr;:duce d~n~e uniform pl.~smas f~r a uniforr~ ~c.'l rate at la~,~ pr~ssurss in the ranse af approximat21y .133 ~asc31s (1 ml,arr).
Uni.ed States Patent US~ 5,~03,065 di~closes a p,asma ~tehing appzratu~ having a flat b~ omed windo~; extending into ;1~ pr~acessin~ eh~r~be-with a cail disposed ~herein hal~ing a ~lat p~artion on the bottarn of .he window ~nd ~ tuiaul~r phrtiOn exten~ing up ttle side walls o~ the wlndow.
Internatlon~l Published ~aeent Applic~tion '~O~A~i24f~2 d~sclo.ses a plasma r~tchirg apparat~as with plugs exTendins into ~he pia~a et~hins char~.ber to sh~pe ;he plasma forr~d.
Unitad States ~aat~nt US-A~5,23*,5~ disc!oses a plasrn~ ~Qn~ting apparzsus heving a ea~acit;~e shiel~ dispased betwean Ihe rojl and ~he plasrna.
h,~.~EN5ED SH~E~
GM~ N; c~
Surnmarv a' ~he Inven~ion (~ The abc~s-tiscussed ablectives are addressed hy the spu~eretch app~a~ of ~e preSentLnv~nuon ~ c~ d~ w~ch ut~izes tRd~c~.ve pl~ma scurc~ with a shaped pac~et and cantaured c~il.
The ind~cti~e plasma s~urc~ comprises a die~ec~ic plate which ~rlalsthe ~cp ofa prace5~inc~ ch~mberan~ has a c~ntralty ~ligned nc~n-c~nduc;jve pack~ pGrticn or pocket with a generall~
c~ncave oulersu~ace aILd a g~ner~ c~n~e,Y inner sur~ce, wi~
r~sp~cttothei~side ~f ~ ch ~ ber, whic~
5~-hi~Jtl\lO-~
cMr. 'i Ol''l; _r ~ u ~ .rf ; ~ 7 ~ 1 J , I ; r v i I v v ~ v ~ ' ' - . ~vvv~v~v.. ~v~ ~
extends into ~ne processing space inside of the processlng chamber. An inductive coil is pcsitione~ ~u~sid~ c~ th~ chamber and i~, ~hapqz with;n the csnca~e aut~r surface of .he poc~at t~
have a gener31l~ cen~ex ~hape in the dircction cf the proces5in~
S .;pace and the subs~rate. Tlle po~k~t and the c2ntou~ed coil extend partially inside of ~he chamber ~nd arc effec~ e to produc~ a ~ense uniform plasm~ in th~ proccssing spaCe. rhe coil Construc~ion dasi~n also ef~ects the plasma uniformity. For example, a ~piral c:oil. ~i$-~g cnii ~r sinsle-~urn coii mi~nt be utili.Dd to form the :a convex sh3pe. Also coils ha~ ing thin or fla~ wires ~lth erass-sections ~hat are not circular may ze ~tilize~
The inductive cail is coupled tc an ~ pawer SUpply operacing p~eferahly ~t app~oximately 450 K~tz, and is con~ red or shaped within the Pock~t of the dielectric plate such that it extends par~ially inra ~he processins sp~ce to present a ~3nerally conYex-shap6d coil ~s~Fo~it~ a biased suf~strate. The coi~ is ct~nt~ured to closely follsw thc contour of the oue~r conc3ve surface zf ~he pock~. The substrate is bizsed by a substrate suppcrt ~hich is c~nnected to an RF power ~iupply sper~nng p~e~erably a~ a~prox~imatefy 1 3.5f3 MHz. The. pocket and the ~ 6 ~
A~fEhloFD S~tEET
contoured inductive coil are operable to produce a dense uniform plasma over a wide area, thus yielding a uniform etch across wafers which are 200mm (eight inches) or greater in diameter. A dense uniform plasma is produced at low pressures around 0.133 Pascals (1 mTorr), and the S invention is effective to produce reliable, efficient etches at low substrate bias voltage levels of approximately 50 Voits.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, RF
tuners are utilized with the substrate RF power supply and the coil RF power supply in order to minimize reflected power from the inductive coil and the substrate support to achieve high electrical efficiency. An electrostatic shield, preferably made of a thin metal mesh, is positioned in the poci<et between the pocket and the inductive coil and is generally contoured with the pocket in order to reduce the capacitive energy coupling of the coil to the plasma and to thereby raise the efficiency of the inductive energy coupling.
To selectively vary the uniformity and density of the plasma, the dimensions of the pocket and specifically the shape and degree of curvature of the convex inner surface are varied along with the corresponding configuration of the contoured inductive coil within the pocket. In accordance with the principles CA 02213771 1997-08-2~ .r~ S~E~T
W 096130929 PCT~US95/14433 of the plresent invention, the pocket shape and coil configuration may be tailored to a specific processing chamber or substrate element in order to produce a dense uniform plasma proximate the substra1:e. It has been experimentally determined that increasing the depth of the pocket into the processing space and the degree of curvature of the convex inner surface and increasing the corresponding depth of the contoured coil tends to improve the uniformity of the plasma within the processing space.
The dielectric plate, pocket and the inductive coil are positioned at the top of the metal processing chamber and are generally centrally disposed with respect to the chamber to extend into the chamber and thereby inductively couple energy to the plasma. Since the inductive coil is not wound around the chamber to surround the processing space, the body of the chamber may be made of metal or some other conductive material and is preferably stainless steel. The sputter etched material adheres more readily to metal than to quartz, thus reducing flaking and contamination of the substrate. Alternatively, shields might be positioned within the processing space to surround the wafer and receive the sputter etched n-laterial without concern that the shield material, such as me1:al, would short circuit the inductive coupling between the coil CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
and the plasma. The rretal charnbsr walls may be peric~ie~tlly cleaned of ;he deposition materlal. while the metel shiel~s ~ni~ht be ~moved ar~d ~eplaced ~ith clean shields for turther etching.
In an al~errtatlve ernbcdirn~nt r~f the inven~ian, a rnagne~ic rinr~ s~rrounds ~he rnet;-tllic chamber and the wafr~r and wafer sUpp~trt. The ma~rlP~ic ring has aiternat;n~ ncrth/sou~h magnetic re~i~ns are~nd its circumference and induc~s ~ rrt~gr~etic fie~ around ;~te cham~er tct c~nfine the plasma and inc,~3se ths pl~sma density pro~irrtate the ~uhs;r3t~. I he m2gnetiC rin~ also -d iQC~eases the unifr~rmi~y of the pl3sma b~; prevef~ g pl~srn~
diffusion and le~kagc intl~ the cham~r walls.
~e present ;nYennoll as el~cd ope~at~s ~o pro-~ide de uniform plasmas a~ Icw voltage znd law pr~ssure, and is p~rtjcufarly ~:ultabie for etching semi-co~tductor device~ ~ith 2~5:~1 O ~rrl . 5 10,25 micron) dim~n~ions ~ithout damasle tO ~he de~ ic~s. ~urthermo.~, the sp~mer ~tching a~p3ratus of Ihe present inven~ion u~ilizes a design wrtich ts easy ~o ser~ice and rnaintain. The plasma producec by the plasrr,a source i~ s;abie and repeatable znd produces a hi~hly uniforrn etch ra~e across large s~:bstrates. Tnese -t~i an~ othef fe~t~tres are more rea~ilty apparent from eke ~rizf CA 02213771 1997-08-25 A~ENDcD SHEET
. ~IP. 'iCh; cP~ 3 F~, L 3A~ 7 : ~ 1 7 n 7 7 ~ ~ 2 6 2 ~ 7 de~cription of the draw ngs ~nd the detaileci description af the ir~vention set forth herelnbelovv.
Qr;ef Qescri~tion af the Ora~ing The accomp2nying drawings which are incorporated in and constltute a par~ 3,' this specification illustrate embodirnents of the invention and. togeeher with ~ general description a~ the inverlu~n given abov~ an~ the detailed descrip~it?n af th~ ernbadiments sjven ~elow serve to e~plain the principle~ of ~he invention.
Fig. 1 is 3 ;~hematic vie~.y In parl~al ~r~s-s~c~ n ot' a sputter ~tching ~pp~raNs ~t b~n~ ~ embcdime~t OL~ bu~ bcin~ useful i~ undersr~n~ling ~e pr~sen~
~nrentio~ shvwin_ ~e inducti~e plasma sou~ce;
Fi~ is a .schematic iew in p~ttial crçss-section of 3n ~fternative em~cdimenl: of the inductive ,,1~sma sQurce of the preserlt invention iho~vn with a plasma-c~nfining maanetic ring;
Fi~. 2A is a schematic top view of the magnetic ~ing and Fis. 2~ is a top vi~w o ;he coil bt~rh ii~ustr~ted in Fig. 2.
Fi~. 3A is ~ schematic diagra~r. or ;he gas flaw components for deli-~erin5 spu~tc ring gas and backsid~ heating sas to the spu~er etching apFaratu~ o' Fi~ures I and 2;
itND~D SH~ET
~F '~6,~;~,~r3T L~A~ n ~ Z1~
_.
Fir~ ~3 is ~- ;Iming chart iilustrating apera~iar~ cf the ~F
pawer su~plies ~nd gas sùpplY components for pre~sure burst ;gniticn of a plasrn3 in operatiart of the preser,t inventian.
Detail Description o~ an Exa~ple and a Speci~lc E~bc~iment Referrins tc Fig. 1, a sput;r~r etching apparatus ,C
is i!lu5~r~te~ urilizin~ a uniqud induc ive plasrna scurce l 2 of the invontion far sput.er~tching a~u~s~.ato ~aferl4. The sputteretching appt~-iratus tO cerr~pri~e~aa.3irl~ss sreel ,,roce~s,n~ chamb~r 1~ which inclu~es a i~ase t~ and a sLi~stra~e 3upFort or platen 2~ to hold sub5~rate 14 insice cf ,hs cha~i~er 16 while it is bein~ sputtef etched.
rhc ~iub~;ratc ~upp~irt ~Gis c~pled tai ~n ~r po~r/~r suppiy incllfding an R,C tuner 22 and prererc,bly a 13.56 MH.
~curCe 2~i. Thr~ ~o~rcr rr3y aper3te in ~ r~snge c' ~ipproxiimat~ly - . g I M~tz to t i M~!z fsr suffic~en~ biaein~ cf ~he sur.,s.rate. ~urce 2¢ biases aubs~r3te 14 tci p,roduce skutter etching as describec~
fur1he~r hcreinbelc,~,v. Subs;ra~e supporr 2Q i~ aisa cauPlec to a - backplane hoating gas supply 28 f~r providing bac!~plOne gas ;c heat r~r c~ol .~ubstr~to 1 A. Sub~;trale sl.lppcrt 20 preferably inciu~e~ channe!s formeri therein ~not showni ~r dis;ribu.inr.~ ;he hea~;ing gas unifcrmly cver~he back~ide cf the sU~str~te 1 L
~ ~i'f~l'iO-,~ S;t~---WO 96/30929 P~TnUS9~J~4433 Processing chamber 16 is closed and sealed at the top end by a dielectric plate or window 30 which couples to the stainless steel chamber 16 for a vacuum-tight seal. A vacuum ,oump 32 is coupled to the processing chamber 16 through base 18 to vacuum the internal processing space 34, which is created adjacent substrate 14 by processing chamber 16 and dielectric plate '30. A gas dispersing ring 36 is positioned around the top of processing chamber 16 adjacent dielectric plate 30 and is coupled to a plasma gas supply 38. The gas dispersing ring 36 disperses 0 the plasma gas uniformly around the processing space 34, and specifically around substrate 14.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the dielectric plate 30 includes a generally non-conductive pocket portion or pocket 40, which is centrally disposed in the plate 30 and extends downwardly from the top of chamber 16. Pocket 40 has a generally convex inner surface 41 which project:s into processing space 34 toward substrate 14. Preferably, the enltire dielectric plate 30 is non-conductive, but it is particularly critical that poclcet 40 be non-conductive despite the construction of the remaining portions of the plate 30. The non-conductive pocket 40 extends from dielectric plate 30 into processing space CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
. vC~3l ~A~ F ' ''' ' '' v ~ . L U ~
34 toward the substrate support 20 and subs~rat~ 14. Ta provite energy to l~nite a~ld su~tain ~ plasma within the ~races~in~ sp~c~
~4, an inds~c~ive cail 42 is pcs~ti~ned outside the chamber 16 within the nan-conduc~ive pocXe~ ~10 a~ dielectric pl~te 30. As S illustra~ed in Fi~u,e 1, inductive coil 42 is ~oun~ ar~und l - inslde pac.~et 4C and is contoured to fo!law the generally auter ~:onc~v~ surfaca 43 of po~ket 4a.
Pocket ~0 prefera~iy hz3 a ~cnerally circul~r tr~n6v~rs~ cr~s s~cticn ard the coil 42 follcws concave sur~ac 43 aro~,~nd pocket a,o for c,eating a uni'crm pl~sma ~round the subs~r~c. ~9 the ccil ~2 Foll~w~ the outer concave sur;ace 43 of poc~et 40, it forrns a contcure~ cail which is generally cr~nvex-snaped in th~ direction of s~lb~rat 14 which extends inta the processing sp3ce gen~rally ~o~Yially with poc~et 40 as sh~wn in 1~; Fig. 1. In o~c example, ~he packet ha~ a wall thicknecs T cf apprcxim3teiy I g mm, a circumferenc~ C af ~pprcxintately 1 Q7 mm and ~ 1~3ngth L of ~pproxima~ly 1 SC~ mm.
The inductive c~il 42 is c~upled to an ~F power supply, inc)uding an R~ tuner 4t, and ~retera~!y, a 430 i<Hz sourc~
~;o ~i. A tuner h~ing an operating r~ngs frorn 400 !CHz to 15 MHz s~uld be gonerally us~ w~th ~he presem inveIlti~n as cl~imed to ~r~a~e a CA 02213771 1997-08-2~ ilttNOEi~ SHE~T
L,U~ ,V ~r.i~ 3E~T ~5~ J7 : ~ o ~2 ~ .v ~
plasma. The RF curren~ from source 46 which fl~ws through inductive ceil ~2 induces a tirn~ var~ing RF electric ~ield inside of the prccessing spaca 34. ~ec~use p~cket 40 i~ non-co~uctive, ~he induc~ive elect,ic fi61d from ccn~oured coil 42 is coupl~d .hro-~gh pac~cet 40 and t~en tO plasma gas from supply 3~, which - ,3 a~spersed around pocket 49 and coil ~2 ~y ring 36. The .nduc~ electric f~eld produced wllh~ the processin3 spac~ 3~
ionizes the gas and creates a dis~harge cf ionized 525 par~iclcs ar plasme inct ~hown~ w~th~n the procPssing space 3~ ~nd pfoxim3te 13 subgtrat~ t1 Substrate 14 which is ~iased by F~F ~Gu~ce 74 artracts th~ ionized ~ p~rticles ~rcm the plasm~. an~ the par~lcles, design~ted by arrows ~nd reference nume~l 4~, bcmbard ~he upper surface 15 of ~he su~str3te 14 ta thereby sputter etch sub3trate material away from the surf~ce l ~.
l'; It has been experimen~aily det~rrnined that the sh~pes or poc.Y~t 4~ and con.aured inductive coil 42 creatr~ ~ uniforrr, sputtering pi~sm~ heving a hi~h ~e~lsi~y of ic~nized gas partic~es 4~
proximata ~he upper.~ur~ace 15 of substrate ~. Su~strate surface 15 is bombard~d and the p~ese~t ~nvention ~s claimed produc~s a high urifor~n 2a 5put:er ~tching rate acrcss surf~ce 15, It has also been found that ~he non-c~ncluct;ve pocket 40 3s~d the contoured cGil 42, ~Ihich iS
14 ~
AA~ENDED SHEET
vvound around the outer concave surface 43 of pocket 40, provide a high density uniform plasma over a large substrate surface.
~herefore, the present invention is particularly suitable for sputter etching circular substrates having a diameter greater than or equal to 0.203 m (eight inches) such as 300 mm substrates. Furthermore, it has been experimentally determined that the plasma produced by the pocket and contoured coil is stable and is repeatable for more consistent sputter etching.
The construction design of the coil also would affect 1~ the plasma uniformity. For example, the coil 42 might be a spiral coii as illustrated in the Figures or a zig-zag coil, or may even be a single-turn coil. The wire used to form the coil 42 also would affect the plasma. A wire having a circular cross-section is shown in the Figures. However, a thin or flat wire might also be utilized in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
Sputter etching apparatus 10 is electrically efficient and utilizes RF tuners 22, 44 to reduce the reflected RF power from the substrate support 20 and inductive coil 42, respectively. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a Faraday electrostatic 2û shield 50 is utilized around the coil 42 adjacent the outer concave surface 43 of the dielectric plate poci<et 40 and between the coil .
~A 02213771 1997-08-2~ AMENDE~ r-.'T
4Z and pocket 40. The electrostatic shield, which is preferably a thin mesh, reduces the capacitive coupling of the inductive coil 42 to the plasma, and thus raises the efficiency of the coupling of inductive energy to the plasma.
The uniform distribution of the plasma gas by ring 36 and the dense uniform plasma of the present invention produce high uniform etch rates across large substrates. Furthermore, the dense uniform plasma produced by pocket 40 and contoured coii 42 yields good etch results even at low vacuum pressures in the range of 0.133 Pascais (1 mTorr). Still further, sputter etching apparatus 10 may be operated at very low wafer biasing voltages in the range of approximately 50 volts, thus reducing sputter damage to the wafer.
The present invention is particularly suitable for substrates with very fine devices and integrated circuit features having dimensions ol approximately 2.5x10~7m (0.25 microns).
With pocket 40 and the contoured coil 42 of the present invention, inductive energy is coupled to the plasma through the top of chamber 16 and through dielectric plate 30.
Therefore, processin~ chamber 16 may be made of stainless steel, instead of a dielectric material, such as quartz, because inductive energy does not have to be coupled through the side walls of the CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
T
lP, ~ ~ r C . ~
d ; rU-'1 '7-C'3 -~
pr~cess ir~s chamber 1~. The sputtrr 2tched material ~riginating from substrate 14 adllerss rrto-e readily to st~inless steel than to a dielectric ma~erial such as quartz; As 3 result, the inn~r wall of the processing chamber ,l 6 mors readily holds the sputter etched rnateri~l to prPvent flaking sf the marerial into the prccessing ch~mber 34, thus reducing oontaminstion of rhe sputt~r ~tched wa~er. rhe w311 ~l~y th~n ke c!eanr~d ~hen necessary to remo~e the etched m~terial. Allernz~tiv~ly, a rn~t;~l ~hield, such as shield 52, rn~y be ut~ ed between the irtner wail ~nd substrate ;C 14 to calch sput.er etched rnaterial. The ehield may be metal, such as stainle~s steel, ar rrtay be made of a dielectric :T~tefial. Upon reaching ~he end of its useful li~e, the shield _ may sir~ply be rernoved and c!e~ne~ or discarded. The shield shculd not interfere h the coupling Qf energy to ~he plasma, becausa energy ~5 coupled throug.~l the top ~fr th~ cham~er.
The inductiv~ con;oured coil 42 is ~rotected frcm the etch envirQnment by pr.7eket 40, and thus. is nr~t exposed to the sputter e~chinq process. This incrca~es t~te useful ll~e and reliabllity of the coil 42 ~nd yields a more reliable sputter etching process.
Ta furthcr increast~ the uniformity and ~enslty of th~
sputtaring plasma, a magne~tc ring ~6 may bg u~ilized ~round the CA 02213771 1997-08-25 ,~ c~ND~D SHirci IF, VG~ e ~ I5AR ;,~ ' 7 '' ~
, ~ , , u ~ ~, 7 , ~U I i U ~ .~ 2 .1 ~
2 j992~ ;.;1 3 processing chamber 16 as illustrated in Figure 2. A rnagrletic ring 5O, ~hich preferably utilizes v~rticslly aligned elonsated regians 5 7, 5~ of altern3ting pclarity around th~ circumferenoe of the ring ~s iliustrated in Figure 2A, creates a magne~ic field within th~
prccerising sp~ce 34 ~djacent the inner wall af chamber 'l ~
The magnet 56 and masnetic field created th~reby have besn found to pre~ ~nt pl~sma l~akagz by preventing diffusicn of ionize~ plasma particies into w~ll of ch~mber 16, th~ls ~ielding a m~e un~farrn pl,~sma~ Fur~hermor6. the ma5netiC field created by ring 56 ha~
lC b~en f~und ~o confina the plasma around s~l~p~r~ Z0 ~nd subst~ate ~, and IhUS increaseS thc d~nsit~ af the sPutter etching plas~a.
The shape of the non-conductive packe~ ~0 and th~
shape o~ the contoured COlj 12 may be vzri~d tQ imprcve plasma charact~ristics within the prccessin~ space 3~. ~y varyin~ the L5 depth sf pocicet 40 and the de~ree of curvature of the inner surfac~
41, ~nd by var~inq the resulting shape of tine ccntoured coil 4Z, th~i plasma unifarmity and density ~re ;~ffe~t~d. It has been found exp~riment~lly that the greater the pockel d~p~h and th~ c~nvexi~y af the inner surfacs 41 and the greater the ~epth of coli 42, the ~en:er the uni~ormity of the res~Jltant pl~sma. I ioWeYer, as wil1 be a~preciated by a pers~n ski'led in the ar~, the shape and dimensions .
~VD~o~
~,~IP, ~ v,Y ~ c~ ; 1 v ~ i, u d O i -of packet ~Q and ccil 42 may be tailcred F~ccarding ~o the processing ch3rnbcr ~6, th~ in~ernal c~nfigurat,ans within ~hc p-ocessing space 3~. as w~ll as the ~Ci7A ~n~ location of substrate 14. Fi~ur~ 1 shows an example, ~ot ~eing an ~?mbcdiment of the ~nvention, ~n whic~
pcckel ~0 is ge~erally cylindric~l ~d the coil. 4~ is c~ntoured and dimensicr3edt:c exterld ~Imos~ th.e en~ir~ IBngth of the proc~ssirlg charnber 16 to terminctte ~ery ~'o~e ta substrat~ suppcrt 2Q an~ substri~r~ 11 f:igurr~ 2 sha~s a more shallow pocket ~0 and relaxed curvatur~ or convexity af the Ir1ner surfacr~ 4~ and coil 4~. ~s illustra~ed in f:igure~ 1 ana ~, th~ rasul~in~ sha,~e ct the con-t~uret coil 4~ is ~a,oen~nt upon the depth and shape of p~cke~ ~'0 and the ~hape of ~he generally c~nca~e GUter, surfacc ~3.' The shape of the cail :,~ ~y ran~ ~ywhere wirhin the sCope of the claims, for e,~mpl~
to a flatter convex-shaped coi~ ~s illu5trat~d in Figure 2. ~s wiil be ~S apprecia~d, ~ry sha~low pcckets utilize an induct~ve coii, which i5 almost flat or "pancake" in shape. ~ig. 2B sha:~rs a top ~iew of the shape of the cc1!1 utili2ed in FiS;. 2.
To expl~in the ~n~raticn of ~he plasma source 12 af the in~entioll as cl~med, all ex~?l~tion of the pl~sm~. igIt~ition scheme ~nd ~tching iS itelpflJI. Fi~.~re 3,4 is a sctlematic di~ram ~f the gas flcw components f~r deli\~erin~ pl~sma gaS ta the prcc~ssin~
D
WO 96/30929 PCT~US9~;~14433 rhamber 16 and backside heating gas to the substrate support 20.
The gas flow components are synchronized to produce a gas pressure burst for easy ignition of the plasma and to subsequently create a sufficient gas flow to sustain the ignited plasma.
Figure 3B is a timing chart illustrating the operating sequence and synchronization of the various gas supply t,omponents illustrated in Figure 3A to produce pressure burst ignition and a subsequent plasma. The gas flow system includes a rnass flow controller 60 (MFC) for controlling the gas flow rate ~rom the gas supplies, such as plasma gas supply 38 or backplane heating gas supply 26. Preferably, the gas used for both purposes is Argon, and a single gas source may be coupled to mass flow controller 60. An isolation valve 62 is coupled at the output of the rnass Flow controller and may be incorporated with the structure of the mass flow controller 60. After the isolation valve 62, the gas supply line 64 is split between the backpiane branch 65 and a procecising chamber branch 66. A needle valve 68 provides course - adjustLrnent of the gas pressure in the processing chamber 16. The c:hamber valve 70, in line with needle valve 68, provides a more precise pressure control of the plasma gas pressure within the procesising chamber 16. A backplane valve 71 controls the flow of CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
WO 96130929 PCT~US95114433 ~3as to substrate support 20 for backplane heating of substrate 14 duringi sputter etching. All of the gas flow components of Figure 3A and RF sources 24 and 46 are preferably coupled to a controller 59 for timed operation, except for needle valve 68 which is rnanually opened and closed.
Referring to Figure 3B, the full process interval for sputter etching a substrate may be divided into a pressure burst interval denoted by reference numeral 72, a substrate power -- interval denoted by reference numeral 73, a soft etch processinterval denoted by reference numeral 74, and a power down interval denoted by reference numeral 75. As illustrated in line A
of Fig. 3B, a throttle 76, which is coupled to vacuum pump 32 (see F-igs. 1 and 2) is kept closed, and the mass flow controller 60 is opened for full gas flow at approximately 288 sccm, as illustrated in line B. As illustrated in line C, the gas pressure in processing c:hamber 16 begins to steadily rise due to the high flow of gas and the absence of vacuum pumping. During the pressure build-up within chamber 16, the isolation valve 62, needle valve 68, and the c:hamber valve 70 are all open, as illustrated in lines 1, H, and G of F-igure 3B in order to allow gas flow into the processing chamber 116. During the initial pressure build-up within pressure burst CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
E'dF. ~ q ~5- ~5,~ ;J 7 ~ 7, i~ 7 ,.. i7u~ dZ ~ 1~/"
interval 72, nc backp!~ne sas i~ delivared to subs~ra~r~ suppart 2(~, and ~her~fol~e, ~alve 71 is clc~ed ~line r). Furthermare, ~ho nF
power eo ;he induc-ive coil 42 is Qff ~llne ~) ~35;s the F.F etch p~wer to ;.u~strat~ line E).. Refe~rin~ agOin to line C, when the pfocossing chambef press~J~8 rises ~o a s~t p~int, e.g. 3.~ Pascals 130 mTarr), de~ignated by roference nunleral ~6, controller 5g t~lrns on the hF
s~u~ce 46 to provide pawer to induc~r coil 42 (1in3 ol. ~n 80~
wat~ pcw~r set in~ for RF ~aurcs 4f~ has proven suff;ei~-nt to ignite a pl~sm~ e appar~tus i0 of che mveIltion as cla~ned. ~Jpon the icn~tion of ;~ ~ plasm~, ~vhi~n is indlc3ted at the end of pressur~ ~urst interval 72. the throttle 75 ~o the vacuum pump 32 is open~od, and the ~as flo~,v rate af the ~FC 60 i3 reduced l;irte 3), thus, caus~ng a drcp in the processing chamber pressure ~line C~. rhe ~as ficw ;hrcugh thrl MFC o0 is nlaintalned dt a level to sustain the iSnited plas,~.
. - iS The pawer to coil 4? ,line i}~ iS ~tjusted from the 8C0 ~a~t Isnition levei belwean upper ana Ic~,ver level~ as shcwn to produco a 3uitahle ,clasma. Wi;hin the power-up intervaJ 73, controller 5~
turns an source 24 fcr etch~n~; subs~rate 1~. As illust. ated in line ~. the ~F sourca ~ has an assocl~3ted delay time t~ build up l0 tke 1~ d~sired autput le~ei, which may be ar5und 50 vc~lts. At the ~ime or plasm3 iynition, the b~ckpiane vOlve 7~ i~ Qpenet ~o provide A~EN~ED SHE~
W O 96/30929 PCTrUS95J14433 backside heating gas to substrate support 20 to heat substrate 14 i'line F). The processing chamber valve 70 is alternately opened and closed during the sputter etching process to maintain a desired (~as flow within the processing chamber. The plasma is sustained and the substrate 14 is biased during the soft etch process interval 74. ~pon reaching a predetermined etch time, the power to the substrate (line E) is shut off during the power down interval 75.
lrhe etch power to the substrate is shut off before the coil power (line D) in order to determine the exact duration of the etch and to ,orevent damage to the substrate which may occur if the substrate remains biased when the plasma power is turned off. As illustrated in lines D and E of Figure 3B, both the RF coil source and the RF
s;ubstr,ate source have predetermined delays at their outputs when s,witched off. At the end of the power-down interval 75, the mass flow controller is closed (line B), the chamber valve is closed (line Ci), and the isolation valve is closed (line H), thereby reducing the glas pr~sssure (line C) in the processing chamber 16.
As illustrated in line A, the opening of the vacuum tlhrottle 76 may be delayed if the gas flow and pressure within chamber 16 is not sufficient to ignite a plasma. The delay is illustrated by a dashed line in line A. Accordingly, the etch power CA 02213771 1997-08-2~
.~lr, '~CA';~P~ S_SI .i,~ n~ 1?n3 ~ O
d ~ a -to substr~;P l 4 would also be delayed as Illustr~ted by the dashed line in line E of Fisu~e 38.
The process~ng apparaius o~ the presen~ ~vent~a~ as ~l~med provi~es a d~nse unifo~rn piasma ~o etch substrate 14. The ~pparatus is s~litable for su~trates utilizing srnail circ~uit te~ices and features, and has a design which provi~es ~se of Se~'ViCe and rn~ir~t~n~nce. r~ inventioll as claimed is capable ~f prcYiding su~ficie~tly uniform and dense ptasmas acrr~ss large substr3tes ~t lower pressufes and low su~rate ~iasinS vol~3ses.
iC In additi~n tc the aperation of pocket ~0 ~nd contoufe~ coil ~, tt~e shape ~f the pccket and its depth of extension intu the proce~s,rl~ spacc 34 may physi~ally ~ff~ct the plasm~ to yield ~ mcr~ unitcrm etch. f~r example, a deep pocket 4~ as is illus;rated in Fi5. I mz~y physically aisplace the plasma from ~bave the c~enter of sub5tr~te 1~ ta reduce ~he e~ch ratP at the cen~r cf the sui~stf~te ~vhich is often higher ~han the etchrate a1: ~he subs~r~e periphery. I herefore, ~he physic~l displ~c~ment m~y ~ield ~ mor~ ~uniform etch. Further detailed disc~sian of sucn a pla~m~ displacins ~ius is pro~ided in Hieronymi et ai., U. S.
2c Paten~ ,3~1,281 ~ss~J*d February 21, 1~5.
~ 24-- ~sE~vDED SH~ET
The pockets 40 illustrated in the Figures are all generally hollow and hold the co.ntoured coii 42. Alternatively, the pocket 40 may be filled with a dielectric material or other suitable material (not shown) which will surround the contoured coil 42 in pocket 40 and thereby embed the coil therein.
While the present invention has been illustrated by a description of various embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the o appended c!aims ~o such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilied in the art. The in~ention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method, and illustrative examples shown and described.
~5 CA 02213771 1997-08-2~ 3
Claims (26)
1. A processing apparatus (10) for sputter etching the surface of a substrate (14) with an ionized plasma, the apparatus comprising:
a processing chamber (16) defining a processing space (34) and including a substrate support (20) therein for supporting and electrically biasing a substrate in said processing space;
a gas inlet (36) for introducing sputtering gas into said processing space proximate the substrate support; and a plasma source (12) coupled to an end of the processing chamber to seal the chamber and create a plasma within the chamber, plasma source comprising:
a dielectric plate (30) having a non-conductive pocket portion (40) with an inner surface (41) and an outer surface (43) with respect to the inside of the chamber, the pocket portion physically extending into said processing space in the chamber toward said substrate support so that the inner surface extends in the direction of said substrate support; and an inductive coil (42) positioned outside of the chamber and inside the pocket portion of said dielectric plate:
characterised in that the inner surface is convexly-curved, the outer surface is concavely-curved and the inductive coil is contoured inside of said pocket portion to have a generally convex shape in the direction of the substrate support coinciding with the concavely-curved outer surface, the convexly shaped coil being operable to efficiently inductively couple energy through the pocket portion to said sputtering gas for generating and sustaining a plasma of ionized gas particles; and the convexly shaped coil and the curved pocket portion not having a flat bottom portion whereby the convexly shaped coil and coinciding concavely-curved outer surface are operable to create a high density uniform plasma of ionized particles proximate a surface of the biased substrate to bombard the surface thereof and produce a high sputter etching rare uniformly across the substrate surface.
a processing chamber (16) defining a processing space (34) and including a substrate support (20) therein for supporting and electrically biasing a substrate in said processing space;
a gas inlet (36) for introducing sputtering gas into said processing space proximate the substrate support; and a plasma source (12) coupled to an end of the processing chamber to seal the chamber and create a plasma within the chamber, plasma source comprising:
a dielectric plate (30) having a non-conductive pocket portion (40) with an inner surface (41) and an outer surface (43) with respect to the inside of the chamber, the pocket portion physically extending into said processing space in the chamber toward said substrate support so that the inner surface extends in the direction of said substrate support; and an inductive coil (42) positioned outside of the chamber and inside the pocket portion of said dielectric plate:
characterised in that the inner surface is convexly-curved, the outer surface is concavely-curved and the inductive coil is contoured inside of said pocket portion to have a generally convex shape in the direction of the substrate support coinciding with the concavely-curved outer surface, the convexly shaped coil being operable to efficiently inductively couple energy through the pocket portion to said sputtering gas for generating and sustaining a plasma of ionized gas particles; and the convexly shaped coil and the curved pocket portion not having a flat bottom portion whereby the convexly shaped coil and coinciding concavely-curved outer surface are operable to create a high density uniform plasma of ionized particles proximate a surface of the biased substrate to bombard the surface thereof and produce a high sputter etching rare uniformly across the substrate surface.
2. The processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the convexly shaped inductive coil is formed of wire.
3. The processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein an electrical energy source (44, 46) supplies electrical energy to the inductive coil, the electrical energy source including an RF energy source (46).
4. The processing apparatus of claim 3 wherein the RF energy source operates at a frequency approximately in the range of 450 KHz to 15 MHz.
5. The processing apparatus of claim 4 wherein said electrical energy source includes an RF tuner (44) coupled to the RF energy source to reduce energy reflections back to the RF energy source when energy is coupled to the plasma.
6. The processing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an RF energy source(22.24) coupled to the substrate support to bias a substrate on the support with RF
energy.
energy.
7. The processing apparatus of claim 6 wherein the RF energy source operates at a frequency approximately in the range of 1 MHz to 15 MHz.
8. The processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plasma source further comprises a metal electrostatic shield (50) positioned in the pocket portion surrounding at least a portion of the coil, the electrostatic shield being operable to absorb capacitive energy between the coil and the plasma to effectively reduce the capacitive coupling of energy from the coil to the plasma.
9. The processing apparatus of claim 8 wherein the shield is formed of a metal mesh.
10. The processing apparatus of claim 1 wherein the gas inlet is located proximate the top of the chamber adjacent said pocket portion and is angled to direct sputtering gas downwardly into the processing space proximate the substrate support.
11. The processing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a gas ring (36) abovethe substrate support and surrounding the pocket portion for directing gas into the processing space from around the pocket portion to produce a uniform plasma.
12. The processing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a shield (52) positioned around the inside of the chamber for capturing the sputter etched material and preventing the material from contaminating the substrate surface.
13. The processing apparatus of claim 12 wherein the shield is metal.
14. The processing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a magnetic ring (56) surrounding the chamber for inducing a magnetic field in the processing space proximate the substrate support to magnetically confine the sputtering plasma and increase the uniformity and density of the plasma to increase the sputter etch rate at the substrate surface.
15. A plasma source (12) adopted for creating a plasma inside of a specific processing chamber (16) to sputter etch a biased substrate (14) inside the chamber.
the plasma source comprising:
a dielectric plate (30) for coupling to can end of the chamber, the dielectric plate including a non-conductive pocket portion with an inner surface (41) and an outer surface (43) with respect to the inside of the chamber, in use, the pocket portion physically extending into said processing chamber toward a biased substrate in the chamber so that the inner surface extends in the direction of the substrate; andan inductive coil (42) positioned outside the chamber and inside the pocket portion of said dielectric plate;
characterised in that the inner surface is convexly-curved, the outer surface is concavely-curved and the inductive coil is contoured along the convexly-curved inner surface to have a generally convex shape in the direction of the substrate coinciding with the concavely-curved outer surface of the pocket, the convexly shaped coil being operable to efficiently inductively couple energy to sputtering gas inside the chamber for generating and sustaining a plasma of ionized gas particles; and the convexly shaped coil and the curved pocket portion not having a flat bottom portion; whereby the convexly shaped coil and coinciding concavely-curved outer pocket surface are operable to create a high density uniform plasma of ionized particles proximate a surface of the biased substrate to bombard the surface thereof and produce a high sputter etching rate uniformly across the substrate surface.
the plasma source comprising:
a dielectric plate (30) for coupling to can end of the chamber, the dielectric plate including a non-conductive pocket portion with an inner surface (41) and an outer surface (43) with respect to the inside of the chamber, in use, the pocket portion physically extending into said processing chamber toward a biased substrate in the chamber so that the inner surface extends in the direction of the substrate; andan inductive coil (42) positioned outside the chamber and inside the pocket portion of said dielectric plate;
characterised in that the inner surface is convexly-curved, the outer surface is concavely-curved and the inductive coil is contoured along the convexly-curved inner surface to have a generally convex shape in the direction of the substrate coinciding with the concavely-curved outer surface of the pocket, the convexly shaped coil being operable to efficiently inductively couple energy to sputtering gas inside the chamber for generating and sustaining a plasma of ionized gas particles; and the convexly shaped coil and the curved pocket portion not having a flat bottom portion; whereby the convexly shaped coil and coinciding concavely-curved outer pocket surface are operable to create a high density uniform plasma of ionized particles proximate a surface of the biased substrate to bombard the surface thereof and produce a high sputter etching rate uniformly across the substrate surface.
16. The plasma source of claim 15 wherein the concavely shaped inductive coil is formed of wire.
17. The plasma source of claim 15 further comprising a metal electrostatic shield (50) positioned in the pocket portion surrounding at least a portion of the inductive coil, the electrostatic shield being operable to absorb capacitive energy between the coil and the plasma to effectively reduce the capacitive coupling of energy from the coil to the plasma.
18. The plasma source of claim 17 wherein the shield is formed of metal mesh.
19. The plasma source of claim 15 further comprising a gas ring surrounding the pocket portion to direct gas into the processing chamber from around the pocket portion to produce a uniform plasma.
20. The plasma source of claim 15 further comprising a magnetic ring for surrounding the chamber to induce a magnetic field proximate a substrate to magnetically confine the sputtering plasma and increase the uniformity and density of the plasma to increase the sputter etch rate at the substrate surface.
21. A method of sputter etching the surface of a substrate (14) with an ionized plasma. the method comprising:
electrically biasing a substrate inside of a processing chamber (16);
introducing sputtering gas into said processing chamber proximate the substrate;
coupling, to an end of the processing chamber, a dielectric plate (30) having a non-conductive pocket portion with an inner surface (41) and an outer surface (43) with respect to the inside of the chamber, the pocket portion physically extending into said processing chamber proximate said substrate;
positioning the substrate in the chamber such that the pocket portion outer surface extends outwardly in the direction of said substrate; and positioning an inductive coil (42) inside the pocket portion of said dielectric plate and inductively coupling energy to said sputtering gas through the pocket portion to generate and sustain a plasma of ionized gas particles;
characterised in that the inner surface is convexly-curved, the outer surface is concavely-curved and the inductive coil inside of the pocket portion has a coil contoured with a generally convex shape curving outwardly in the direction of the substrate to coincide with the concavely-curved outer surface for creating a high density uniform plasma of ionized particles proximate a surface of the biased substrate to bombard the surface thereof and produce a high sputter etching rate uniformly across the substrate surface; and the convexly shaped coil and the curved pocket portion not having a flat bottom portion.
electrically biasing a substrate inside of a processing chamber (16);
introducing sputtering gas into said processing chamber proximate the substrate;
coupling, to an end of the processing chamber, a dielectric plate (30) having a non-conductive pocket portion with an inner surface (41) and an outer surface (43) with respect to the inside of the chamber, the pocket portion physically extending into said processing chamber proximate said substrate;
positioning the substrate in the chamber such that the pocket portion outer surface extends outwardly in the direction of said substrate; and positioning an inductive coil (42) inside the pocket portion of said dielectric plate and inductively coupling energy to said sputtering gas through the pocket portion to generate and sustain a plasma of ionized gas particles;
characterised in that the inner surface is convexly-curved, the outer surface is concavely-curved and the inductive coil inside of the pocket portion has a coil contoured with a generally convex shape curving outwardly in the direction of the substrate to coincide with the concavely-curved outer surface for creating a high density uniform plasma of ionized particles proximate a surface of the biased substrate to bombard the surface thereof and produce a high sputter etching rate uniformly across the substrate surface; and the convexly shaped coil and the curved pocket portion not having a flat bottom portion.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein an electrical energy source (44, 46) supplies electrical energy to the inductive coil. the electrical energy source including an RF
energy source (46).
energy source (46).
23. The processing apparatus of claim 21 further comprising placing a metal electrostatic shield in the pocket portion to surround a portion of the coil, the electrostatic shield operable to absorb capacitive energy between the coil and the plasma to effectively reduce the capacitive coupling of energy from the coil to the plasma.
24. The method of claim 21 further comprising introducing sputtering gas into the processing chamber from a gas ring above the substrate and surrounding the pocket portion to produce a uniform plasma.
25. The method of claim 21 further comprising placing a metal shield around the inside of the chamber and capturing the sputter etched material with the shield to prevent the material from contaminating the substrate surface.
26. The method of claim 21 further comprising surrounding the outside of the chamber with a magnetic ring and inducing a magnetic field in the processing space proximate the substrate support to magnetically confine the sputtering plasma and increase the uniformity and density of the plasma to increase the sputter etch rate at the substrate surface.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US08/410,362 US5556521A (en) | 1995-03-24 | 1995-03-24 | Sputter etching apparatus with plasma source having a dielectric pocket and contoured plasma source |
| US08/410,362 | 1995-03-24 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2213771A1 true CA2213771A1 (en) | 1996-10-03 |
Family
ID=23624392
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002213771A Abandoned CA2213771A1 (en) | 1995-03-24 | 1995-11-09 | Sputter etching apparatus with plasma source having a dielectric pocket and contoured plasma source |
Country Status (6)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US5556521A (en) |
| AU (1) | AU4363796A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2213771A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2316530B (en) |
| TW (1) | TW277141B (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1996030929A1 (en) |
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- 1995-03-24 US US08/410,362 patent/US5556521A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1995-11-09 WO PCT/US1995/014433 patent/WO1996030929A1/en active Application Filing
- 1995-11-09 TW TW084111882A patent/TW277141B/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1995-11-09 AU AU43637/96A patent/AU4363796A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1995-11-09 GB GB9717174A patent/GB2316530B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1995-11-09 CA CA002213771A patent/CA2213771A1/en not_active Abandoned
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| US5556521A (en) | 1996-09-17 |
| GB9717174D0 (en) | 1997-10-22 |
| TW277141B (en) | 1996-06-01 |
| GB2316530B (en) | 1998-12-09 |
| WO1996030929A1 (en) | 1996-10-03 |
| GB2316530A (en) | 1998-02-25 |
| AU4363796A (en) | 1996-10-16 |
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