Seed layer laser-induced deposition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10023955-B2
Application number	US-201213600735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2012
Priority date	Aug 31, 2012
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

A method of creating a layer of a target deposit-material, in a first target pattern, on a substrate surface. The substrate surface is placed in a vacuum and exposed to a first chemical vapor, having precursor molecules for a seed deposit-material, thereby forming a first substrate surface area that has adsorbed the precursor molecules. Then, a charged particle beam is applied to the first substrate surface area in a second target pattern, largely identical to the first target pattern thereby forming a seed layer in a third target pattern. The seed layer is exposed to a second chemical vapor, having target deposit-material precursor molecules, which are adsorbed onto the seed layer. Finally, a laser beam is applied to the seed layer and neighboring area, thereby forming a target deposit-material layer over and about the seed layer, where exposed to the laser beam.

First claim

We claim as follows:

1. A method of creating a layer of a target deposit material, comprising:
(a) placing a substrate surface in a vacuum and exposing said substrate surface to a first chemical vapor, comprised of precursor molecules for a seed deposit material, thereby forming a first substrate surface area having adsorbed said precursor molecules for said seed deposit material;
(b) applying a charged particle beam to said first substrate surface area, thereby forming a catalytic seed layer, at and about the intersection of said charged particle beam and said first substrate surface;
(c) exposing said catalytic seed layer to a second chemical vapor, having target deposit material precursor molecules, thereby causing target deposit material precursor molecules to become adsorbed onto and about said catalytic seed layer;
(d) applying a laser beam to said seed layer, the laser causing the adsorbed target deposit material precursor molecules to dissociate thereby forming a target deposit material layer by means of laser-induced deposition over and about said catalytic seed layer, where said laser beam has been applied;
in which the target deposit material layer has greater purity than the catalytic seed layer; and
in which the substrate surface, the catalytic seed layer, and the target deposit material layer are not heated throughout the execution of the method.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said seed deposit material is a catalytic metal.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said catalytic metal is platinum and said precursor molecules are trimethyl (methylcyclopentadienyl) platinum.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said target deposit material is the same as said seed deposit material.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said first and second chemical vapors are the same.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said laser beam is an ultrashort pulsed laser beam.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said target deposit material layer forms a pattern having pattern features and includes at least one pattern feature having a width of less than 100 nm.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said pattern is a filled closed geometrical shape.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
(a) exposing said substrate surface to a second seed layer chemical vapor, comprised of precursor molecules for a second seed deposit material, thereby forming a second substrate surface area having adsorbed said precursor molecules for said second seed deposit material;
(b) applying a charged particle beam to said second substrate surface area, thereby forming a second catalytic seed layer, at and about the intersection of said charged particle beam and said second substrate surface;
(c) exposing said second catalytic seed layer to a second target deposit material chemical vapor, having second target deposit material precursor molecules, thereby causing target deposit material precursor molecules to become adsorbed onto and about said second catalytic seed layer;
(d) applying a laser beam to said second seed layer, the laser causing the adsorbed target deposit material precursor molecules to dissociate thereby forming a second target deposit material layer by means of laser-induced deposition over and about said second catalytic seed layer, where said laser beam has been applied;
in which the second target deposit material layer has greater purity than the second catalytic seed layer; and
in which the second catalytic seed layer and second the target deposit material layer are not heated throughout the execution of the method.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein steps (a)-(d) are performed iteratively using different second chemical vapors in different iterations, until a layered deposit is formed having predetermined characteristics.

11. The method of claim 1 in which an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process is not used to form the catalytic seed layer.

12. The method of claim 1 in which applying a charged particle beam to said first substrate surface area, thereby forming a catalytic seed layer, comprises depositing an impure layer, and in which depositing an impure layer comprises depositing a metal layer incorporating carbon.

13. The method of claim 1 in which applying a charged particle beam to said first substrate surface area, thereby forming a catalytic seed layer comprises applying a charged particle beam having a power density that is insufficient to effect the complete dissociation of the precursor molecules.

14. The method of claim 1 in which applying a charged particle beam to said first substrate surface area, thereby forming a catalytic seed layer comprises applying a seed layer that is thicker than a monolayer.

15. The method of claim 1 in which the substrate surface, the catalytic seed layer, and the target deposit material layer are maintained substantially at room temperature throughout the execution of the method.

16. The method of claim 1 in which the purity of the target deposit material layer is greater than 40%.

17. A method of depositing a material onto a substrate, comprising:
providing a precursor at the substrate surface;
directing a charged particle beam toward the substrate surface to decompose the precursor to produce a patterned seed layer by charged particle beam-induced deposition;
providing a second precursor at the substrate surface;
depositing a second layer onto the seed layer using laser beam-induced decomposition of the precursor, the laser causing selective deposition onto the seed layer;
in which the target deposit material layer has greater purity than the patterned seed layer; and
in which the substrate surface, the patterned seed layer, and the second layer are not heated throughout the execution of the method.

18. The method of claim 17 in which the laser is an ultrashort pulsed laser.

19. The method of claim 17 in which the first precursor and the second precursor comprise the same gas.

20. The method of claim 17 in which the substrate surface, the catalytic seed layer, and the target deposit material layer are maintained substantially at room temperature throughout the execution of the method.

21. The method of claim 17 in which the purity of the target deposit material layer is greater than 40%.

Assignees

• Randolph Steven
• Straw Marcus
• Fei Co

Inventors

• Randolph Steven
• Straw Marcus

Classifications

• C23C16/047

  using irradiation by energy or particles · CPC title

• C23C16/0281 Primary

  of metallic sub-layers (C23C16/029 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C23C16/18

  from metallo-organic compounds · CPC title