Abstract: When a collimator is employed between the target and a substrate support in a physical vapor deposition chamber, since the collimator is grounded to the chamber walls, the chamber becomes divided electrically, because the collimator acts as a barrier to the passage of the plasma. Thus a two step plasma cleaning process must be performed to remove native oxide and sputtered deposits on parts of the chamber, particularly when parts of the chamber are replaced or removed. The first plasma clean step is conventional and cleans the upper portion of the chamber including the upper surface of the collimator. A positive bias source is then connected to the substrate support and a second cleaning plasma generated between the collimator and the support which cleans the parts of the chamber below the collimator, including the bottom surface of the collimator.

Abstract: A process chamber is disclosed which provides a 360.degree. circular gas/vacuum distribution over a substrate being processed. The substrate being processed is supported on a heated and optionally cooled pedestal assembly. The substrate faces a one-piece gas distribution faceplate being connected to an RF power supply outside the vacuum environment of the processing chamber. A pumping channel view port is provided to verify and confirm instrumentation readings concerning the degree of surface deposition on process chamber internal surfaces. All process chamber wall surfaces facing the region where plasma will be present during processing (except the gas distribution faceplate) are ceramic and therefore highly resistant to corrosion. The pedestal an un-anodized metal is also covered with a loosely fitting ceramic surface having alignment features to maintain concentricity between the wafer support surface of the pedestal and the wafer being processed.

Abstract: When a collimator is employed between the target and a substrate support in a physical vapor deposition chamber, since the collimator is grounded to the chamber walls, the chamber becomes divided electrically, because the collimator acts as a barrier to the passage of the plasma. Thus a two step plasma cleaning process must be performed to remove native oxide and sputtered deposits on parts of the chamber, particularly when parts of the chamber are replaced or removed. The first plasma clean step is conventional and cleans the upper portion of the chamber including the upper surface of the collimator. A positive bias source is then connected to the substrate support and a second cleaning plasma generated between the collimator and the support which cleans the parts of the chamber below the collimator, including the bottom surface of the collimator.

Abstract: An improvement in a sputter deposition apparatus and process for sputtering is described wherein the surface of the sputtering target, adjacent its outer edge, is provided with a taper which reduces the redeposition rate thereon of back scattered atoms previously sputtered from the target surface. When the sputtering apparatus includes a magnetron, the modified target acts to decrease the distance of the ions in the plasma from the magnetron to thereby increase the deposition rate adjacent the tapered portion of the target. The angle of the tapered portion of the target, with respect to the central portion of the target surface, must be at least about 30.degree., and preferably varies from about 35.degree. to about 70.degree., and most preferably from about 40.degree. to about 60.degree..