ELECTROFORMED SPUTTERING TARGET
A sputtering target comprising an inverted annular trough encircling a central cylindrical well, and additionally comprising a plurality of electroplated layers of sputtering material is described. The sputtering material comprises at least one of aluminum, copper, tantalum, titanium and tungsten.
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This application is filed as a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/431,399 to Subramani et al., “ELECTROFORMED SPUTTERING TARGET”, commonly assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., which was filed on May 6, 2003 and which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUNDThe present invention relates to sputtering targets and their methods of manufacture.
A sputtering chamber is used to sputter deposit material onto a substrate to manufacture electronic circuits, such as for example, integrated circuit chips and displays. Typically, the sputtering chamber comprises an enclosure wall that encloses a process zone into which a process gas is introduced, a gas energizer to energize the process gas, and an exhaust port to exhaust and control the pressure of the process gas in the chamber. The chamber is used to sputter deposit a material from a sputtering target onto the substrate, such as a metal for example, aluminum, copper, tungsten or tantalum; or a metal compound such as tantalum nitride, tungsten nitride or titanium nitride. In the sputtering processes, the sputtering target is bombarded by energetic ions, such as a plasma, causing material to be knocked off the target and deposited as a film on the substrate.
In one version, a sputtering target may be formed by holding a sheet of spin-formed sputtering material against the surface of a target backing plate and diffusion-bonding the sputtering material to the backing plate by hot isostatic pressing. However, this method has several disadvantages. The sputtering material required to form the spin-formed sheet typically has to have a high level of purity, and consequently, is expensive. Target fabrication costs are driven even higher because both surfaces of the sheet of sputtering material are typically machined smooth to facilitate diffusion bonding to the underlying backing plate as well as to provide a smooth exposed sputtering surface. Targets formed by such a method can be undesirable because they can have a grain structure that is sheared by the forces generated in the spin-forming process, resulting in non-uniform grain sizes. Also, the targets can have undesirable pores and voids occurring in the bond between the backing plate and sputtering material. During processing, the non-uniform grain size and voids of the target can generate sputtered deposits that are non-uniform or uneven in thickness. The non-uniform and uneven deposition of the sputtered material can result in processed substrates having inferior quality, and can even damage structures formed on the substrate.
It is also difficult to form sputtering targets having convoluted or complex shapes using conventional processes. Targets having complex shapes are often used to provide enhanced sputtering coverage in magnetic fields, as described for example in U.S. Pat. No 6,274,008 to Gopalraja et al., “Integrated Process for Copper Via Filling,” commonly assigned to Applied Materials, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Such targets may comprise for example ridges, projections, rings, troughs, recesses and grooves. Conventional processes such as the spin forming process are not satisfactory in forming complex target shapes, because a significant amount of machining is required to cut out the desired convoluted shape from the spin formed layer. This machining is costly and wastes the expensive high purity sputtering material. Also, excessive machining can generate shearing forces on the surface of the target which plastically deform the grains on the target surface to produce an undesirable surface grain structure.
Thus, it is desirable to form sputtering targets having more uniform and consistent grain surface structure and with fewer voids. It is further desirable to form sputtering targets having complex or non-planar shapes reproducibly and with reduced costs.
DRAWINGSThese features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings which illustrate examples of the invention. However, it is to be understood that each of the features can be used in the invention in general, not merely in the context of the particular drawings, and the invention includes any combination of these features, where:
An exemplary version of a chamber 106 capable of sputter depositing material on a substrate 104 is schematically illustrated in
A process gas, such as a sputtering gas, is introduced into the chamber 106 through a gas delivery system 150 that includes a process gas supply 152 comprising gas sources 154a-c that each feed a conduit 156a-c having a gas flow control valve 158a-c, such as a mass flow controller, to pass a set flow rate of the gas therethrough. The conduits 156a-c feed the gases to a mixing manifold 160 in which the gases are mixed to from a desired process gas composition. The mixing manifold 160 feeds a gas distributor 162 having one or more gas outlets 164 in the chamber 106. The gas outlets 164 may pass through the chamber sidewalls 120 to terminate about a periphery of the substrate support 130. The process gas may comprise a non-reactive gas, such as argon or xenon, that energetically impinges upon and sputters material from a target 111. The process gas may also comprise a reactive gas, such as one or more of an oxygen-containing gas and a nitrogen-containing gas, that are capable of reacting with the sputtered material to form a layer on the substrate 104. Spent process gas and byproducts are exhausted from the chamber 106 through an exhaust system 168 which includes one or more exhaust ports 170 that receive spent process gas and pass the spent gas to an exhaust conduit 172 in which there is a throttle valve 174 to control the pressure of the gas in the chamber 106. The exhaust conduit 172 feeds one or more exhaust pumps 176. Typically, the pressure of the sputtering gas in the chamber 106 is set to sub-atmospheric levels.
The sputtering chamber 106 further comprises a sputtering target 111 facing a surface 105 of the substrate 104. The target 111 can be a planar target (not shown) or a non-planar target (shown). The sputtering chamber 106 can also comprise a shield 128 to protect a wall 118 of the chamber 106 from sputtered material, and typically, to also serve as an anode with respect to the cathode target 111. The shield 128 may be electrically floating or grounded. The target 111 is electrically isolated from the chamber 106 and is connected to a target power supply 200, such as a pulsed DC power source, but which may also be other types of voltage sources. In one version, the target power supply 200, target 111, and shield 128 operate as a gas energizer 180 that is capable of energizing the sputtering gas to sputter material from the target 111. The target power supply 200 applies a bias voltage to the target 111 relative to the shield 128. The electric field generated in the chamber 106 from the voltage applied to the sputtering target 111 energizes the sputtering gas to form a plasma that energetically impinges upon and bombards the target 111 to sputter material off the target and onto the substrate 104. A suitable pulsing frequency of a pulsed DC voltage for energizing the process gas may be, for example, at least about 50 kHz, and more preferably less than about 300 kHz, and most preferably about 100 kHz. A suitable DC voltage level to energize the process gas may be, for example, from about 200 to about 800 Volts.
The chamber 106 further comprises a magnetron 300 comprising a magnetic field generator 301 that generates a magnetic field near the target 111 of the chamber 106 to increase an ion density in a high-density plasma region 226 adjacent to the target 111 to improve the sputtering of the target material, as shown in
The chamber 106 can be operated by a controller 311 comprising a computer that sends instructions via a hardware interface to operate the chamber components, including the substrate support 130 to raise and lower the substrate support 130, the gas flow control valves 158a-c, the gas energizer 180, and the throttle valve 174. The process conditions and parameters measured by the different detectors in the chamber 106, or sent as feedback signals by control devices such as the gas flow control valves 158a-c, pressure monitor (not shown), throttle valve 174, and other such devices, are transmitted as electrical signals to the controller 311. Although, the controller 311 is illustrated by way of an exemplary single controller device to simplify the description of present invention, it should be understood that the controller 311 may be a plurality of controller devices that may be connected to one another or a plurality of controller devices that may be connected to different components of the chamber 106—thus, the present invention should not be limited to the illustrative and exemplary embodiments described herein.
In one version, a target 111 suitable for use in a sputtering chamber 106 comprises a complex shape, such as a shape comprising a non-planar surface 24, as shown in
The target 111 comprises an inverted annular trough 8 comprising cylindrical outer and inner sidewalls 4,6 and a top wall 5 that at least partially enclose a high density region 226. The annular trough 8 encircles a central portion of the target 111 comprising a cylindrical well 7 that projects downwards towards the surface 105 of the substrate 104. The cylindrical inner sidewall 6 defines the sides of the cylindrical well 7, and the cylindrical well 7 is capped by a bottom wall 9 that faces the substrate 104. The bottom wall 9 and top walls 5 can be substantially parallel to the surface 105 of the substrate 104, and the inner and outer sidewalls 4,6 can be substantially perpendicular to the surface 105 of the substrate 104. At least a portion of the surface 24 of the side, top and bottom walls 4,5,6,9, comprises the sputtering material to be sputtered on the substrate 104. The inverted annular trough 8 and cylindrical well 7 can accommodate magnets 307 positioned between the outer sidewall 4 of the trough and the sidewall 120 or ceiling 124 of the chamber enclosure 118 and even within the space enclosed between the bottom and sidewalls 9, 6 of the cylindrical well 7 and ceiling 124 of the chamber enclosure 118, thereby providing an enhanced magnetic field 309 in the regions 226 adjacent to the target 111. The target 111 may further comprise a flange portion 13 that extends radially outward from the outer sidewall 4 to attach the target 111 to the chamber enclosure walls 118, for example by vacuum sealing the flange portion 13 of the target 111 between the ceiling 124 and sidewalls 120 of the chamber 106.
The target 111 can be formed in an electro forming process in which sputtering material is electroplated to form a complex or non-planar shape. Electro forming provides a sputtering material having a high purity and good grain properties, such as a higher uniformity of grain size. Electro forming can also generate a unitary sputtering material structure having fewer pores or voids. The method is suitable for forming targets 111 having sputtering material comprising, for example, one or more of copper, aluminum, tantalum, titanium and tungsten. The method generally comprises forming a preform 14 having a surface 16 and electroplating a layer 12 of sputtering material onto the surface 16 of the perform to form the sputtering target 111.
The target preform 14 provides a support structure on which the layer 12 of sputtering material can be electroplated, as shown in
The preform 14 can comprise a complex shape, such as a non-planar bottom surface 16, that at least partially defines the shape of the layer 12 of sputtering material electroplated over the surface 16. In the version shown in
Sputtering material is electroplated onto the preform 14 to form the electroplated layer 12 via an electroplating process. In the electroplating process, one or more surfaces of the preform 14, such as one or more of the top and bottom surfaces 25,16 is exposed to an electroplating bath solution 403 in an electroplating apparatus 405, as shown in
The shape of the electroplated layer 12 at least partially conforms to the shape of the underlying surface 16 of the preform 14. For example, for a preform 14 having a non-planar surface 16, such as that shown in
The conditions maintained during the electroplating process, such as the concentration and composition of the electrolytes, the applied bias voltage, the pH of the bath solution and the temperature of the solution may be selected to provide an electroplated layer 12 having the desired composition and structure. Also, in addition or as an alternative to an aqueous (water-based) electroplating solution, the solution can comprise an organic solvent. In one version of a suitable electro forming process, sputtering material comprising elemental copper is formed on the non-planar surface 16 of the perform 14 by immersing the surface 16 in an aqueous solution comprising from about 150 to about 300 g/L CuSO4.5H2O, and even from about 210 to about 214 g/L CuSO4.5H2O. The solution further comprises from about 30 g/L to about 100 g/L H2SO4, and even from about 52 g/L to about 75 g/L H2SO4. The electrode 404 can be formed from wrought phosphorized copper or oxygen free copper (OFC). The temperature of the solution is maintained at from about 15° C. to about 45° C., and even from about 21° C. to about 32° C. A bias voltage is applied at a power level sufficient to provide a current density of from about 0.5 A/dm2 (amps per decimeter squared) to about 20 A/dm2, and even from about 1 A/dm2 to about 10 A/dm2. A batch electro forming process can be performed to simultaneously form the electroplated layer 12 on a number of performs 14, such as from about 10 to 20 preforms 14.
In one version, at least a portion of a surface of the preform 14 may be masked to inhibit the electroplating of the sputtering material onto the surface. Masking of the surface allows for selective plating of the sputtering. For example, as shown in
The electroplated layer 12 of sputtering material provides several advantages. Because the electroplated sputtering material is “grown” from the surface 16 of the preform 14, the layer 12 of sputtering material has a high uniformity of sputtering material grain size. For example, a layer 12 having a uniform sputtering material grain size of from about 10 to about 100 μm can be achieved. This high grain size uniformity increases the uniformity of the layers of material sputtered onto the substrate 104, and reduces the occurrence of undesirably large grains or “clumps” or sputtering material that could damage or contaminate the substrate 104. The electroplated sputtering material grown on the surface 16 of the preform 14 forms a strong bond to the preform 14 and forms a continuous and unitary structure through out the layer 12, thus reducing the incidence of pores and voids in the layer 12 and between the layer 12 and preform 14. A further advantage is that machining of the top surface 25 of the preform 14 and bottom surface 16 of the electroplated layer 12 is not required to bond the electroplated layer 12 to the preform 14. Yet another advantage of the method of fabricating the target 111 is that a target 111 having a complex shape may be manufactured substantially without extensive machining of a costly bulk sputtering material to form a target 111 having the desired shape, by “growing” the sputtering material on a surface 16 of a preform 14 comprising a complex shape that is at least partially transferred to the overlying conformal electroplated layer 12.
In one version, at least a portion of the preform 14 is removed following formation of the electroplated layer 12. The preform 14 is desirably at least partially removed to expose a portion of a top surface 22 of the electroplated layer 12. In one version, the preform 14 is even substantially entirely removed from the electroplated layer 12 to expose substantially the entire top surface 22 of the electroplated layer 12, as shown for example in
A subsequent electroplating process can be performed to electroplate one or more additional layers 20a,b of sputtering material onto the original or first layer 12, as shown for example in
The subsequent layers 20a,b may be electroplated at varying rates along the surface of the first layer 12 having the non-planar surfaces 18,22 and complex shape shown in
The subsequent layers 20a,b may be applied in an electro forming process comprising the same process conditions, such as electrolyte concentration, bias voltage, pH and temperature, as in the first electro forming process to electroplate the first layer 12, or may comprise different process conditions. A suitable duration of the electro forming process to form the electroformed layer may be from about 12.5 to about 25 hours. Following the electroplating process, the target 111 comprising the multiple layers 12, 20a,b of sputtering material may be further machined to provide the desired target dimensions and to provide a smooth target surface 24 and may also be cleaned to remove particulates from the surface 24.
The above described method provides a target 111 comprising one or more electroplated layers 12, 20a,b having improved properties in the processing of substrates. The method is suited for the formation of targets 111 having planar or non-planar surfaces 24 and may even be performed to fabricate targets having complex convoluted shapes, such as the target 111 shown in
Claims
1. A sputtering target comprising (i) an inverted annular trough comprising cylindrical outer and inner sidewalls and a top wall, the inverted annular trough encircling a central cylindrical well having a bottom wall, and (ii) a plurality of electroplated layers of sputtering material comprising a first layer of sputtering material having an underlying surface and a second layer of sputtering material deposited onto the underlying surface of the first layer, the first and second layers being absent a discrete crystalline boundary therebetween, and the sputtering material comprising at least one of aluminum, copper, tantalum, titanium and tungsten.
2. A target according to claim 1 wherein the first and second electroplated layers of sputtering material consists essentially of copper, tantalum, titanium, aluminum or tungsten.
3. A target according to claim 1 wherein the first and second electroplated layers comprise grains having a grain size of from about 10 μm to about 100 μm.
4. A target according to claim 1 comprising additional electroplated layers.
5. A sputtering method comprising:
- (a) placing a substrate in a sputtering chamber;
- (b) providing in the chamber, a sputtering target comprising an inverted annular trough comprising cylindrical outer and inner sidewalls and a top wall, the inverted annular trough encircling a central cylindrical well having a bottom wall, and the sputtering target further comprising first and second electroplated layers of sputtering material, the first layer of sputtering material having an underlying surface and the second layer of sputtering material deposited onto the underlying surface of the first layer, and the first and second layers being absent a discrete crystalline boundary therebetween;
- (c) providing a process gas in the sputtering chamber; and
- (d) electrically biasing the target relative to a wall or support in the chamber to energize the process gas to sputter material from the target onto the substrate.
6. A method according to claim 5 wherein (b) comprises mounting the target in the sputtering chamber so that the second layer of sputtering material faces a surface of the substrate.
7. A sputtering chamber comprising:
- (a) a substrate support;
- (b) a sputtering target facing the substrate support, the sputtering target comprising an inverted annular trough comprising cylindrical outer and inner sidewalls and a top wall, the inverted annular trough encircling a central cylindrical well having a bottom wall, and the sputtering target further comprising first and second electroplated layers of sputtering material, the first layer of sputtering material having an underlying surface and the second layer of sputtering material deposited onto the underlying surface of the first layer such that the first and second layers of sputtering material are absent a discrete crystalline boundary therebetween;
- (c) a gas delivery system to provide a gas in the chamber;
- (d) a gas energizer to energize the gas to sputter the sputtering material from the sputtering target and onto the substrate; and
- (e) an exhaust system to exhaust the gas.
8. A chamber according to claim 7 wherein the first and second electroplated layers comprise least one of copper, aluminum, tantalum, titanium and tungsten.
9. A chamber according to claim 7 wherein the first and second electroplated layers comprise grains having a grain size of from about 10 μm to about 100 μm.
10. A chamber according to claim 7 wherein the first and second electroplated layers comprise additional electroplated layers.
11. A sputtering target comprising an inverted annular trough comprising cylindrical outer and inner sidewalls and a top wall, the inverted annular trough encircling a central cylindrical well having a bottom wall, the target further comprising a plurality of electroplated layers of sputtering material that include a first electroplated layer of sputtering material and a second electroplated layer of sputtering material deposited onto a surface of the first electroplated layer, and the first and second electroplated layers forming a unitary structure that is absent a sharp crystalline boundary therebetween.
12. A target according to claim 11 wherein the plurality of electroplated layers of sputtering material comprise at least one of aluminum, copper, tantalum, titanium and tungsten.
13. A target according to claim 11 wherein the plurality of electroplated layers of sputtering material comprise grains having a grain size of from about 10 μm to about 100 μm.
14. A sputtering target comprising:
- (a) an inverted annular trough comprising cylindrical outer and inner sidewalls and a top wall, the inverted annular trough encircling a central cylindrical well having a bottom wall; and
- (b) first and second electroplated layers of sputtering material, wherein the first layer of sputtering material has a surface and the second layer of sputtering material is deposited onto the surface of the first layer to form a unitary and continuous structure that is absent a discrete and sharp crystalline boundary therebetween, the sputtering material comprising grains of at least one of aluminum, copper, tantalum, titanium, and tungsten, the grains having a grain size of from about 10 μm to about 100 μm.
15. A target according to claim 14 comprising additional electroplated layers.
16. A sputtering method comprising:
- (a) placing a substrate in a sputtering chamber;
- (b) providing in the chamber, a sputtering target comprising an inverted annular trough comprising cylindrical outer and inner sidewalls and a top wall, the inverted annular trough encircling a central cylindrical well having a bottom wall, and the target further comprising first and second electroplated layers of sputtering material that include a first electroplated layer of sputtering material having an underlying surface and a second electroplated layer of sputtering material deposited onto the underlying surface of the first layer such that the first and second electroplated layers form a unitary structure that is absent a sharp crystalline boundary, and the sputtering material comprising at least one of aluminum, copper, tantalum, titanium and tungsten;
- (c) providing a process gas in the sputtering chamber; and
- (d) electrically biasing the target relative to a wall or support in the chamber to energize the process gas to sputter material from the target onto the substrate.
17. A method according to claim 16 wherein (b) comprises the target facing a surface of the substrate.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 15, 2007
Publication Date: Oct 25, 2007
Applicant:
Inventors: Anantha Subramani (San Jose, CA), Anthony Vesci (San Jose, CA), Scott Dickerson (Fremont, CA)
Application Number: 11/764,133
International Classification: C23C 14/34 (20060101); C23C 14/06 (20060101);