Functionally graded material by in-situ gradient alloy sputter deposition management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10597772-B2
Application number	US-201815907838-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2018
Priority date	May 7, 2015
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

Embodiments relate to a sputter chamber with a configurable surface in communication with a target material. A control system is in communication with the chamber and functions to prepare an alloy film by changing a composition of the configurable surface. As ingress gas is introduced to the chamber to interact with the changed composition, the interaction causes a reaction that produces an alloy film.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer implemented method for preparing an alloy film, the method comprising a computer readable storage device having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a processing unit to:
communicate with a sputter chamber having a configurable surface in communication with a target material, the configurable surface having a moveable segment;
flexibly change a composition of the configurable surface, including selectively introduce the segment; and
introduce ingress gas to interact with the changed composition, the interaction to produce an alloy film.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the program code associated with the composition change deposits a material layer with a gradient alloy composition.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2 , further comprising program code to control the segment as a percentage of surface coverage of the target surface.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the segment has an addressable control mechanism, and further comprising program code to communicate with a segment address.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the film has a flexible vertical gradient, and further comprising program code to change the gradient based on a composition of the configurable surface.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the program code to flexibly change the composition further comprises program code to estimate a gradient composition from a sputter rate of the segment.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein selective introduction of the segment includes program code to change a proportion of the segment with respect to the chamber.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the program code to flexibly change the composition further comprises program code to selectively introduce a second segment.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the first segment comprises a first material and the second segment comprises a second material different from the first material.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the target material comprises Copper and the segment comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: Gallium and Indium.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the selective introduction of the segment includes program code to change in-situ coverage of the target.

12. A computer system comprising:
a processing unit operatively coupled to memory;
a sputter chamber in communication with the processing unit, the chamber having a configurable surface in communication with a target material, the configurable surface having a moveable segment;
a control system in communication with the sputter chamber, the control system to prepare an alloy film;
the control system to change a composition of the configurable surface, including selective introduction of the segment; and
ingress gas introduced to interact with the changed composition, the interaction to produce the alloy film.

13. The system of claim 12 , further comprising the composition change of the configurable surface deposits a material layer with a gradient alloy composition.

14. The system of claim 13 , further the control system to control the selective introduction of the segment as a percentage of surface coverage of the target surface.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the segment has an addressable control mechanism, and further comprising the control system to communication with a segment address.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the film has a flexible vertical gradient, and further comprising the control system to change the gradient based on a composition of the configurable surface.

17. The system of claim 12 , further comprising the control system to estimate a gradient composition from a sputter rate of the segment.

18. The system of claim 12 , wherein selective introduction of the segment includes program code to change a proportion of the segment with respect to the chamber.

19. The system of claim 12 , further comprising the control system to selectively introduce a second segment.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the second segment comprises a second material different from the first segment.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Eickelmann Hans-Juergen
• Muehge Thorsten
• Rueger Erik
• Schmidt Markus

Classifications

• H01J37/32935

  Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge · CPC title

• C23C14/548

  Controlling the composition · CPC title

• C23C14/3464 Primary

  using more than one target (C23C14/56 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01J37/3429

  Plural materials · CPC title

• C23C14/3407

  Cathode assembly for sputtering apparatus, e.g. Target · CPC title