Techniques, system and apparatus for selective deposition of a layer using angled ions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10879055-B2
Application number	US-201816037894-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2018
Priority date	Jul 17, 2018
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

A method is provided. The method may include providing a substrate, the substrate comprising a substrate surface, the substrate surface having a three-dimensional shape. The method may further include directing a depositing species from a deposition source to the substrate surface, wherein a layer is deposited on a deposition region of the substrate surface. The method may include performing a substrate scan during the directing or after the directing to transport the substrate from a first position to a second position. The method may also include directing angled ions to the substrate surface, in a presence of the layer, wherein the layer is sputter-etched from a first portion of the deposition region, and wherein the layer remains in a second portion of the deposition region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
providing a substrate, the substrate comprising a substrate surface, the substrate surface having a three-dimensional shape, and including a plurality of structures, the plurality of structures comprising a top, a trench and a plurality of sidewalls;
directing a depositing species from a deposition source to the substrate surface, wherein a layer is deposited on a deposition region of the substrate surface, the deposition region comprising the top and at least one sidewall of the plurality of sidewalls;
performing a substrate scan during the directing or after the directing to transport the substrate from a first position to a second position; and
directing angled ions to the substrate surface, in a presence of the layer, wherein the layer is sputter-etched to remove the layer from a first portion of the deposition region, and wherein the layer remains in a second portion of the deposition region, wherein the first portion comprises the top, and wherein the second portion comprises at least one sidewall of the plurality of sidewalls.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deposition source comprises a first ion source, the first ion source directing the depositing species at a first non-zero angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to a plane of the substrate, wherein the deposition region comprises less than an entirety of the substrate surface.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the substrate surface comprises a shadowed region, wherein the layer does not form on the shadowed region.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the angled ions are directed from a second ion source at a second non-zero angle of incidence with respect to the plane of the substrate.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deposition source comprises a plasma source, wherein the layer is deposited in an isotropic manner on the substrate surface.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate surface comprises a first material, wherein the layer comprises a second material, the method further comprising:
setting a target angle for the angled ions, the target angle comprising a non-zero angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to a targeted surface of the substrate, the targeted surface disposed within the deposition region,
wherein at the target angle, the angled ions generate a first sputter yield on the first material and a second sputter yield on the second material, greater than the first sputter yield.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein a ratio of the second sputter yield to the first sputter yield is greater than 2/1.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising: adjusting an ion energy of the angled ions to a target ion energy, based upon sputter yield behavior as a function of energy for the first material and the second material, wherein the ratio is increased.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deposition source comprises a first ion source, the first ion source directing the depositing species at a zero angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to a plane of the substrate, wherein the deposition region comprises less than an entirety of the substrate surface.

10. A system, comprising:
a process chamber to house a substrate, the substrate comprising a substrate surface, the substrate surface including at least one structure, having a three-dimensional shape;
a deposition source, disposed adjacent the process chamber and arranged to generate depositing species at a first angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to a substrate plane to form a layer on the substrate;
an angled ion source to direct angled ions to the process chamber at a second angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to a substrate plane, opposite the first angle of incidence;
a substrate stage, disposed in the process chamber, to scan the substrate from a first position to a second position; and
a controller coupled to the angled ion source, the controller arranged to send at least one control signal to adjust the angle of incidence based upon structure information regarding the at least one structure, the structure information comprising at least one of a height of the at least one structure and a pitch between adjacent structures of the at least one structure.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the deposition source is arranged to generate an angled deposition beam.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the deposition source comprises a first ion source.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the angled ion source comprises a second ion source, the second ion source being adjacent the process chamber and arranged to direct sputtering ions at the substrate surface.

14. The system of claim 10 , the structure information further comprising a targeted region of the substrate surface to be sputter etched, a material composition of the layer, or a material composition of the substrate.

15. An apparatus, comprising:
a deposition source, disposed adjacent a process chamber and arranged to generate a depositing species at a first angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to a substrate plane to form a layer on a substrate, disposed in the process chamber;
an angled ion source to direct angled ions to the process chamber at a second angle of incidence, opposite the first angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to a substrate plane; and
a controller, coupled to the angled ion source, the controller comprising:
a processor; and
a memory unit coupled to the processor, including a selective deposition control routine, the selective deposition control routine operative on the processor to control the angled ion source, the selective deposition control routine comprising a sputter control processor to:
receive structure information for a substrate to be processed during an ion exposure; and
calculate the angle of incidence for the angled ions, based upon the structure information, the structure information comprising at least one of a height of the at least one structure and a pitch between adjacent structures of the at least one structure.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , the sputter control processor to send a control signal to adjust the angled ion source to change the second angle of incidence of the angled ions.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , the structure information further comprising a targeted region of the substrate to be sputter etched, a material composition of the layer, or a material composition of the substrate.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , the selective deposition control routine further comprising a deposition control processor, arranged to:
receive deposition process information; and
send a deposition control signal to adjust the first angle of incidence of the depositing species based upon the deposition process information, the deposition process information comprising the structure information, a preferred ion species for the angled ions, or a preferred angular range for the angle of incidence of the angled ions.

Assignees

• Varian Semiconductor Equipment Ass Inc

Inventors

• Hatem Christopher
• Anglin Kevin

Classifications

• H10P14/6329 Primary

  using physical ablation of a target, e.g. physical vapour deposition or pulsed laser deposition · CPC title

• H10P14/44

  Physical vapour deposition [PVD] · CPC title

• H10P14/22

  using physical deposition, e.g. vacuum deposition or sputtering · CPC title

• H10P50/20

  Dry etching; Plasma etching; Reactive-ion etching · CPC title

• H10P50/283

  by chemical means · CPC title