Abstract: A method of controlling shrinkage in aligned green tape stacks during firing comprises providing a topmost layer of a ceramic material having a sintering temperature higher than that of the ceramic used to make the green tapes and firing above the sintering temperature of the green tape ceramic but below the sintering temperature of the topmost layer ceramic. The method of the invention provides improved shrinkage control for green tape stacks on a support substrate.

Abstract: Biofilm and debris can be removed from the interior and exterior surfaces of small bore tubing by passing an aqueous cleaning solution of water, one or more surfactants and preferably a source of hydrogen peroxide, optionally including small inert solid particles, together with a gas under pressure, to create a turbulent flow within the tubing that loosens the biofilm and debris so that they can be flushed from the tubing. When the exterior surfaces of tubing are to be cleaned, the tubing is inserted in a sleeve fitted with an adaptor that provides a pressure-tight seal between the tubing and the sleeve.

Abstract: A method of improving the temperature control of a clamped substrate mounted on a substrate support that is biased, the substrate support having a passage therethrough to permit a flow of backside gas for heating or cooling the substrate, whereby the pressure of the backside gas is maintained at at least 15 torr. A high gas pressure improves the thickness uniformity of processing across the substrate. For plasma deposition of sputtered seed layers, the morphology of the seed layer is improved near the edge of the substrate and the uniformity of the layer across the substrate is also improved.

Abstract: A package for an electronic component includes a metal support substrate having a pattern of openings therethrough and a body of an insulating material, such as glass or ceramic, on and bonded to the surface of the support substrate. The body is formed from a plurality of layers of an insulating material, and conductive vias extending through the plurality of layers to the support substrate; said insulating body having an opening therein, an electronic component directly mounted in said opening to the patterned base plate. The base plate can be cut into one or more modules and directly soldered to a motherboard having additional devices mounted thereon.

Abstract: A method for forming aluminum lines over aluminum-filled vias in a semiconductor substrate that can compensate for some misalignment between the filled vias and the lines. By alternately depositing liner-barrier layers and aluminum layers on the substrate, different etch chemistries can be used that can anisotropically etch an aluminum layer used to form the lines without etching voids in the aluminum-filled vias.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for reducing the production of white powder in a process chamber used for depositing silicon nitride. Steps of the method include heating at least a portion of a wall of the process chamber; providing a liner covering a substantial portion of a wall of the process chamber; providing a remote chamber connected to the interior of the process chamber; causing a plasma of cleaning gas in the remote chamber; and flowing a portion of the plasma of cleaning gas into the process chamber.

Abstract: Amorphous silicon thin films can be deposited onto large area glass substrates at high deposition rates by chemical vapor deposition using pressure of at least 0.8 Torr and temperatures of about 270-350° C. and fairly high gas flow rates of silane in a hydrogen carrier gas. The spacing between the inlet gas manifold and the substrate in the CVD chamber is maintained so as to maximize the deposition rate. Improved transistor characteristics are observed when the substrate is either exposed to a hydrogen plasma for a few seconds prior to high rate deposition of the amorphous silicon, or when a first layer of amorphous silicon is deposited using a slow deposition rate process prior to deposition of the high deposition rate amorphous silicon.

Abstract: A barrier to prevent reactant gases from reaching the surfaces of a susceptor support for a substrate upon which polysilicon films are to be deposited provides improved uniformity of the depositing film across the substrate, and prevents substrate-to-substrate variations during sequential depositions. A suitable barrier includes a preheat ring extension that mates with an extension of the susceptor support.

Abstract: Multilayer deposition of thin films onto glass substrates to form thin film transistors can be carried out in the same chamber under similar reaction conditions at high deposition rates. We have found that sequential thin layers of silicon nitride and amorphous silicon can be deposited in the same chamber by chemical vapor deposition using pressure of at least 0.5 Torr and substrate temperatures of about 250-370° C. Subsequently deposited different thin films can also be deposited in separate chemical vapor deposition chambers which are part of a single multichamber vacuum system.

Abstract: Biofilm and debris can be removed from the interior and exterior surfaces of small bore tubing by passing an aqueous cleaning solution of water, one or more surfactants and preferably a source of hydrogen peroxide, optionally including small inert solid particles, together with a gas under pressure, to create a turbulent flow within the tubing that loosens the biofilm and debris so that they can be flushed from the tubing. When the exterior surfaces of tubing are to be cleaned, the tubing is inserted in a sleeve fitted with an adaptor that provides a pressure-tight seal between the tubing and the sleeve.

Abstract: A conventional plasma etch chamber is modified to reduce particulate generation in the chamber that contaminates the chamber and substrates mounted on a pedestal support being processed therein. A clamping ring cover in the chamber is made of ceramic. Grooves are machined into the cover and metal antennas can be mounted in the grooves to act as a getter for particles and pre-particle, non-volatile contaminants in the chamber. The clamping ring for the substrate being processed is also made of ceramic. Fewer particles are generated by ion bombardment using ceramic versus prior art clamping rings made of aluminum. Further, the cylinder clamping ring support which surrounds the pedestal support is fitted with a plurality of openings or windows to allow escape of purge gases that carry particles through the windows and into the adjoining exhaust system of the chamber and thus also away from the substrate being processed.

Abstract: The present invention is about a method for filling an opening in an insulating layer in a fast and highly reliable way and can be used to fill openings such as trenches and via holes simultaneously. This method is based on the principle of reaction enhanced wetting and simultaneous seed layer formation. The idea is, in contrast to trying to avoid the TiAl3 formation, to use this reaction to its advantage for the creation of an ultra-thin continuous Al-containing seed layer. The latter allows a bottom to top fill during the subsequent Al-containing metal deposition. As a consequence, the filling process proceeds much faster and is production worthy.

Abstract: Improved titanium nitride barrier layers are formed by depositing a first titanium layer; treating this layer with an oxygen plasma to form an oxygen-containing titanium layer thereover; depositing a titanium nitride layer over the oxygen-containing titanium layer; and treating the titanium nitride layer with an oxygen-containing plasma. Robust titanium nitride barrier layers are formed that can prevent spiking by an overlying aluminum contact layer even after heat treatment up to 550° C.

Abstract: An improved method of producing silicon oxy-nitride films is provided by utilizing a reactant gas mixture of silane, nitrous oxide and nitrogen at a low deposition temperature of less than 250° C. by flowing the reactant gas mixture through a gas inlet manifold which is also an upper electrode in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition chamber. The gas inlet manifold is the upper plate of a parallel plate plasma chamber for communicating the reactant gas into the chamber. The plate has a plurality of apertures, each comprising an outlet at a chamber or processing side of the plate and an inlet spaced from the processing side, with the outlet being larger than the inlet for enhancing the dissociation and reactivity of the gas.

Abstract: A system and method for annealing a film on a substrate in a processing chamber, including a microwave generator disposed to provide microwaves to an area within the interior of the chamber. The microwaves have a frequency such that the film is substantially absorptive at the frequency but the substrate is not substantially absorptive at the frequency. A waveguide distributes the microwaves over the surface of the film to provide a substantially uniform dosage of microwaves over the surface of the film. The method includes depositing a film on a substrate in the processing chamber. During at least a portion of the time of the depositing step, microwaves are generated having a frequency such that the film has an absorption peak at the frequency but the substrate lacks a substantial absorption peak at the frequency. The microwaves are directed towards the film.

Abstract: A conventional plasma etch chamber is modified to reduce particulate generation in the chamber that contaminates the chamber and substrates mounted on a pedestal support being processed therein. A clamping ring cover in the chamber is made of ceramic. Grooves are machined into the cover and metal antennas can be mounted in the grooves to act as a getter for particles and pre-particle, non-volatile contaminants in the chamber. The clamping ring for the substrate being processed is also made of ceramic. Fewer particles are generated by ion bombardment using ceramic versus prior art clamping rings made of aluminum. Further, the cylinder clamping ring support which surrounds the pedestal support is fitted with a plurality of openings or windows to allow escape of purge gases that carry particles through the windows and into the adjoining exhaust system of the chamber and thus also away from the substrate being processed.

Abstract: Titanium is sputtered in an ionized metal plasma sputtering chamber to form titanium silicide in situ in the bottom of openings onto silicon in a series of steps that change the temperature and deposition conditions of sputtering. Ionized titanium is sputtered cold, the temperature is rapidly increased by passing argon through the heated substrate support without sputtering, thereby initiating titanium silicide formation, and then the sputtering of titanium ions is continued at high temperatures to deposit titanium silicide.To deposit titanium silicide in very high aspect ratio openings, a first layer of titanium atoms is sputter deposited in conventional manner to line the sidewalls of the openings, followed by sputtering from a plasma and continuing with the above process.

Abstract: Copper films having improved properties are deposited by chemical vapor deposition from an organocopper precursor of a blend of copper hexafluoroacetylacetonate trimethylvinylsilane and from about 1.0 to 5.0 percent by weight of trimethylvinylsilane that is vaporized in a vaporizer, and passed into a chemical vapor deposition chamber. Separately up to about 2 percent by weight of the precursor blend of water vapor is added directly to the chamber.