Abstract: In a magnetron sputtering chamber, a substrate is placed in the chamber and a deposition shield is maintained about the substrate to shield internal surfaces in the chamber. The deposition shield has a textured surface that may be formed by a hot pressing process or by a coating process, and that allows the accumulated sputtered residues to stick thereto without flaking off. An electrical power is applied to a high density sputtering target facing the substrate to form a plasma in the chamber while a rotating magnetic field of at least about 300 Gauss is applied about the target to sputter the target. Advantageously, the sputtering process cycle can be repeated for at least about 8,000 substrates without cleaning the internal surfaces in the chamber, and even while still generating an average particle count on each processed substrate of less than 1 particle per 10 cm2 of substrate surface area.

Abstract: A method of depositing a dielectric film, such as tantalum oxide, on a substrate is described. In one example, a substrate is placed in a process zone to face a metal target and a pulsed DC voltage is applied to the target. A sputtering gas comprising a non-reactive component and an oxygen-containing component is introduced to the process zone in a volumetric flow ratio selected to achieve the desired x and y values in the deposited dielectric film, for example, in the deposition of a non-stoichiometric TaxOy film or in the deposition of a tantalum oxide film in which the oxidation state of tantalum is less than +5. The sputtering gas is removed from the process zone by condensing at least some of the non-reactive component on a cooled surface external to the process zone, and exhausting at least some of the oxygen-containing component from the process zone with moving rotors. A multiple layer dielectric film having different stoichiometric ratios in the layers can also be deposited by the instant method.

Abstract: In a magnetron sputtering chamber, a substrate is placed in the chamber and a deposition shield is maintained about the substrate to shield internal surfaces in the chamber. The deposition shield has a textured surface that may be formed by a hot pressing process or by a coating process, and that allows the accumulated sputtered residues to stick thereto without flaking off. An electrical power is applied to a high density sputtering target facing the substrate to form a plasma in the chamber while a rotating magnetic field of at least about 300 Gauss is applied about the target to sputter the target. Advantageously, the sputtering process cycle can be repeated for at least about 8,000 substrates without cleaning the internal surfaces in the chamber, and even while still generating an average particle count on each processed substrate of less than 1 particle per 10 cm2 of substrate surface area.