US5380414A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Shield and collimator pasting deposition chamber with a wafer support periodically used as an acceptor
Assignee: Applied Materials Inc
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Filing: 1993-06-11
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Granted: 1995-01-10
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Expires: 2013-06-11
Abstract
Abstract A deposition chamber includes a target and an acceptor for supporting a wafer during a deposition cycle. The acceptor is made out of a pasting material in order that a pasting cycle can be run periodically in the deposition chamber to form a barrier between the layers of the target material to prevent the layer of target material from becoming too thick and thereby cracking and flaking. A shield protects the interior of the chamber during a deposition cycle. A collimator may be present between the target and the acceptor. A plasma is formed in the chamber and selectively attracted toward the target for deposition of target material onto a wafer or toward the acceptor for pasting acceptor material onto the shield and the bottom of the collimator, if present. A plurality of wafers are cycled through the deposition chamber for depositing the deposition material on their surface. After the plurality of wafers, a pasting cycle is run, depositing the pasting material around the interior of the shield, on the collimator and on the target. The target is then cleaned of pasting material while using a dummy wafer in the deposition chamber.
Inventors
- 👤 Avi Tepman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 09:08
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/32; H01J37/32431; H01J37/32798; H01J37/32853; H01J37/32862; C; C23; C23C; C23C14/00; C23C14/22; C23C14/34; C23C14/56; C23C14/564
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
86 words
An apparatus comprising a deposition chamber having a target of deposition material for use in physical vapor deposition onto a wafer that is adapted to be supported within the chamber on a wafer acceptor positioned below the target, the chamber comprising: a. means for bombarding the target with ions for sputtering the deposition material; and b. means for bombarding the wafer acceptor with ions for sputtering the material of the wafer acceptor, wherein the wafer acceptor is formed of a different material than the deposition material.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
86 words
An apparatus comprising a deposition chamber having a target of deposition material for use in physical vapor deposition onto a wafer that is adapted to be supported within the chamber on a wafer acceptor positioned below the target, the chamber comprising: a. means for bombarding the target with ions for sputtering the deposition material; and b. means for bombarding the wafer acceptor with ions for sputtering the material of the wafer acceptor, wherein the wafer acceptor is formed of a different material than the deposition material.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
63 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means for bombarding the target with ions comprises: a. means for evacuating air from the chamber; b. means for introducing a partial pressure of a gas into the chamber; c. means for forming a plasma of the gas; and d. means for attracting ions from the plasma to the target to sputter the deposition material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising a magnetron positioned above the target for shaping the plasma and a flow of ions to the target.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
64 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means for bombarding the wafer acceptor with ions comprises: a. means for evacuating air from the chamber; b. means for introducing a partial pressure of a gas into the chamber; c. means for forming a plasma of the gas; and d. means for attracting ions from the plasma to the wafer acceptor to sputter the acceptor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus according to claim 4 further comprising a magnetron positioned below the wafer acceptor for shaping the plasma and a flow of ions to the wafer acceptor.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
67 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 5 further comprising means for removing deposited acceptor material from the target, including: a. means for evacuating air from the chamber; b. means for introducing a partial pressure of a gas into the chamber; c. means for forming a plasma of the gas; and d. means for attracting ions from the plasma to the target to sputter the wafer acceptor material.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the deposition material is a reactive compound formed from a first element obtained from the target and a second element obtained from a second gas introduced into the deposition chamber.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a collimator positioned between the target and the acceptor.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
126 words
A method to be used in the physical vapor deposition onto a plurality of wafers inside of a deposition chamber having a target positioned near the top of the chamber and a wafer acceptor positioned near the bottom of the chamber for supporting a wafer during a deposition cycle, the method comprising the steps of: a. bombarding the target with ions for depositing material from the target onto a predetermined number of wafers sequentially; and b. periodically bombarding the wafer acceptor with ions for depositing material from the wafer acceptor onto the interior surfaces of the deposition chamber, wherein this step is performed with no wafer in the deposition chamber, and further wherein the target and the wafer acceptor are formed of different types of material.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
126 words
A method to be used in the physical vapor deposition onto a plurality of wafers inside of a deposition chamber having a target positioned near the top of the chamber and a wafer acceptor positioned near the bottom of the chamber for supporting a wafer during a deposition cycle, the method comprising the steps of: a. bombarding the target with ions for depositing material from the target onto a predetermined number of wafers sequentially; and b. periodically bombarding the wafer acceptor with ions for depositing material from the wafer acceptor onto the interior surfaces of the deposition chamber, wherein this step is performed with no wafer in the deposition chamber, and further wherein the target and the wafer acceptor are formed of different types of material.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method according to claim 9 further comprising cleaning the target after the step of periodically bombarding the wafer acceptor comprising the step of placing a dummy wafer on the wafer acceptor and bombarding the target for depositing the contaminate onto the wafer and cleaning the target thereby.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
11 words
The method according to claim 9 further comprising repeating steps a-b.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method according to claim 9 wherein the material from the target combines with a gas to form a reactive compound.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
126 words
A physical vapor deposition device for use in depositing material onto a surface of a wafer, comprising: a. a deposition chamber having an interior space; b. a shield mounted within the chamber for protecting the interior surfaces of the chamber; c. a wafer acceptor comprising a pasting material positioned at a bottom portion of the chamber for supporting a wafer; d. a target comprising a deposition material that is different from the pasting material positioned above the wafer acceptor and coupled to the shield of the deposition chamber; e. means for forming a plasma within the chamber; and f. means for selectively attracting ions from the plasma to either the target for forming sputtered target material or to the wafer acceptor for forming sputtered acceptor material.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
126 words
A physical vapor deposition device for use in depositing material onto a surface of a wafer, comprising: a. a deposition chamber having an interior space; b. a shield mounted within the chamber for protecting the interior surfaces of the chamber; c. a wafer acceptor comprising a pasting material positioned at a bottom portion of the chamber for supporting a wafer; d. a target comprising a deposition material that is different from the pasting material positioned above the wafer acceptor and coupled to the shield of the deposition chamber; e. means for forming a plasma within the chamber; and f. means for selectively attracting ions from the plasma to either the target for forming sputtered target material or to the wafer acceptor for forming sputtered acceptor material.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
36 words
The device according to claim 13 further comprising a collimator positioned between the target and the wafer acceptor, the collimator for collimating the sputtered target material before it is deposited onto the surface of the wafer.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
26 words
The device according to claim 14 further comprising means for reactively combining the sputtered target material with a gas that has been introduced into the chamber.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-01-09 | 1998-07-11 | 1999-01-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-01-09 | 2002-07-11 | 2003-01-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-01-09 | 2006-07-11 | 2007-01-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |