Electron beam annealing of metal step coverage

Claim 1

A method for making a metal oxide semiconductor silicon-on-sapphire device, comprising the steps of: (a) defining silicon islands over a sapphire substrate; (b) forming source and drain pairs in each of said silicon islands; (c) forming a dielectric gate oxide layer covering the channel region between each of said source and drain pairs; (d) forming polysilicon gates overlying the channel region between each of said source and drain pairs; (e) forming an overlying dielectric film; (f) opening contact holes to the polysilicon electrodes and other contact holes to the source and drain pairs; (g) evaporating an aluminum layer over the entire device; (h) exposing the aluminum layer to a pulsed electron beam using an electron beam apparatus controlled by an internal discharge capacitor, the electron beam having a pulse duration on the order of 20 nanoseconds, a beam diameter on the order of 1 1/2 inches and wherein the discharge capacitor of the electron beam apparatus is initially charged to approximately 190 kilovolts; and, (i) photolithographically defining conductor lines in the aluminum layer.

Claim 2

A method for making a metal oxide semiconductor silicon-on-sapphire device, comprising the steps of: (a) defining silicon islands over a sapphire substrate; (b) forming source and drain pairs in each of said silicon islands; (c) forming a dielectric gate oxide layer covering the channel region between each of said source and drain pairs; (d) forming polysilicon gates overlying the channel region between each of said source and drain pairs; (e) forming an overlying dielectric film; (f) opening contact holes to the polysilicon electrodes and other contact holes to the source and drain pairs; (g) evaporating an aluminum layer over the entire device; (h) exposing the aluminum layer to a pulsed electron beam using an electron beam apparatus controlled by an internal discharge capacitor, the electron beam having a pulse duration on the order of 20 nanoseconds, a beam diameter on the order of 1 1/2 inches and wherein the discharge capacitor of the electron beam apparatus is initially charged to approximately 190 kilovolts; and, (i) photolithographically defining conductor lines in the aluminum layer.

Claim 3

A method for making a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) forming a semiconductor film over an insulator substrate and defining semiconductor islands in said semiconductor film; (b) forming source and drain pairs in each of said semiconductor islands; (c) forming a dielectric gate oxide layer covering the channel region between each of said source and drain pairs; (d) forming polysilicon gates overlying the channel region between each of said source and drain pairs; (e) forming an overlying dielectric film; (f) opening contact holes to the polysilicon electrodes and other contact holes to the source and drain pairs; (g) evaporating an aluminum layer over the entire device; (h) exposing the aluminum layer to a pulsed electron beam using an electron beam apparatus controlled by an internal discharge capacitor, the electron beam having a pulse duration on the order of 20 nanoseconds, a beam diameter on the order of 1 1/2 inches and wherein the discharge capacitor of the electron beam apparatus is initially charged to approximately 190 kilovolts; and, (i) photolithographically defining conductor lines in the aluminum layer.

Claim 4

A method for making a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: (a) forming a semiconductor film over an insulator substrate and defining semiconductor islands in said semiconductor film; (b) forming source and drain pairs in each of said semiconductor islands; (c) forming a dielectric gate oxide layer covering the channel region between each of said source and drain pairs; (d) forming polysilicon gates overlying the channel region between each of said source and drain pairs; (e) forming an overlying dielectric film; (f) opening contact holes to the polysilicon electrodes and other contact holes to the source and drain pairs; (g) evaporating an aluminum layer over the entire device; (h) exposing the aluminum layer to a pulsed electron beam using an electron beam apparatus controlled by an internal discharge capacitor, the electron beam having a pulse duration on the order of 20 nanoseconds, a beam diameter on the order of 1 1/2 inches and wherein the discharge capacitor of the electron beam apparatus is initially charged to approximately 190 kilovolts; and, (i) photolithographically defining conductor lines in the aluminum layer.