Modulation of rolling K vectors of angled gratings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11456152-B2
Application number	US-201916705158-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2019
Priority date	Dec 17, 2018
Publication date	Sep 27, 2022
Grant date	Sep 27, 2022

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate to methods and apparatus for forming gratings having a plurality of fins with different slant angles on a substrate and forming fins with different slant angles on successive substrates using angled etch systems and/or an optical device. The methods include positioning portions of substrates retained on a platen in a path of an ion beam. The substrates have a grating material disposed thereon. The ion beam is configured to contact the grating material at an ion beam angle ϑ relative to a surface normal of the substrates and form gratings in the grating material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A grating forming method, comprising:
projecting an ion beam toward a substrate at ion beam angle ϑ relative to a surface normal of the substrate, wherein:
a first portion of a grating to be formed on the substrate is positioned at a first rotation angle ϕ 1 between the ion beam and a first grating vector of one or more first fins to be formed by the ion beam contacting the first portion;
the first rotation ϕ 1 angle is selected to form the one or more first fins with a first slant angle ϑ′ 1 ;
a second portion of the grating to be formed on the substrate is positioned at a second rotation angle ϕ 2 between the ion beam and a second grating vector of one or more second fins to be formed by the ion beam contacting the second portion; and
the second rotation angle ϕ 2 is selected to form the one or more second fins of the grating with a second slant angle ϑ′ 2 different than the first slant angle ϑ′ 1 .

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ion beam angle ϑ for the forming the one or more first fins and the one or more second fins is the same.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein forming the one or more first fins and the one or more second fins comprises moving the platen along an x-axis thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the one or more first fins and the one or more second fins comprises moving the platen in an x-direction and/or a z-direction.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the one or more first fins and the one or more second fins comprises tilting the platen relative to a z-direction.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising bending the ion beam relative to the platen.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein bending the ion beam comprises moving one or more pairs of electrodes relative to the ion beam.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the one or more electrodes comprises:
a plurality of entrance electrodes;
a plurality of suppression electrodes positioned downstream of the entrance electrodes; and
a plurality of exit electrodes positioned downstream of the suppression electrodes.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ion beam is produced by an ion beam source having a plurality of electrodes positioned along a beam path of the ion beam, and wherein a first beam angle α and a second beam angle α are provided by varying voltages to electrodes.

10. A grating forming method, comprising:
projecting an ion beam toward a substrate at ion beam angle ϑ relative to a surface normal of the substrate, a first portion of a grating to be formed on the substrate is positioned at a first rotation angle ϕ 1 between the ion beam and a first grating vector of one or more first fins to be formed by the ion beam contacting the first portion, the first rotation ϕ 1 angle is selected to form the one or more first fins with a first slant angle ϑ′ 1 ;
rotating the substrate such that a second portion of the grating to be formed on the substrate is positioned at a second rotation angle ϕ 2 between the ion beam and a second grating vector of one or more second fins to be formed by the ion beam contacting the second portion, the second rotation angle ϕ 2 is selected to form the one or more second fins of the grating with a second slant angle ϑ′ 2 different than the first slant angle ϑ′ 1 .

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the ion beam angle ϑ remains static.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein forming the one or more first fins and the one or more second fins comprises moving the platen in an x-direction and/or a z-direction.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein forming the one or more first fins and the one or more second fins comprises tilting the platen relative to a z-direction.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first tilt angle β and the second tilt angle β are provided by moving the platen relative to the ion beam.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the ion beam angle ϑ remains static.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein forming the one or more first fins and the one or more second fins comprises moving the platen in an x-direction and/or a z-direction.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein forming the one or more first fins and the one or more second fins comprises tilting the platen relative to a z-direction.

18. A grating forming method, comprising:
positioning a first portion of a substrate retained on a platen in a path of an ion beam, the substrate having a grating material disposed thereon, the ion beam configured to contact the grating material at an ion beam angle ϑ relative to a surface normal of the substrate and form one or more first fins in the grating material;
rotating the substrate retained on the platen about an axis of the platen resulting in a first rotation angle ϕ between the ion beam and a grating vector of the one or more first fins, the one or more first fins having a first slant angle ϑ′ relative to the surface normal of the substrate;
positioning a second portion of the substrate in the path of the ion beam configured to form one or more second fins in the grating material; and
rotating the substrate about the axis of the platen resulting in a second rotation angle ϕ between the ion beam and the grating vector of the one or more second fins, the one or more second fins having a second slant angle ϑ′ relative to the surface normal of the substrate.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein a first beam angle α and a second beam angle α are at least partially provided by bending the ion beam relative to the platen.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the ion beam is produced by an ion beam source having a plurality of electrodes positioned along a beam path of the ion beam, and wherein the first beam angle α and the second beam angle α are provided by one or both of varying voltages to the electrodes and moving one or more pairs of electrodes positioned about the ion beam relative to the ion beam.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Olson Joseph C
• Evans Morgan
• Meyer Timmerman Thijssen Rutger

Classifications

• H01J2237/3151

  Etching · CPC title

• G02B5/1861 Primary

  Reflection gratings characterised by their structure, e.g. step profile, contours of substrate or grooves, pitch variations, materials (G02B5/1809, G02B5/1828, G02B5/1833, G02B5/1838 and G02B5/1847 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02B5/1847

  Manufacturing methods · CPC title

• H01J37/3056

  for microworking, e. g. etching of gratings or trimming of electrical components · CPC title

• H01J37/1472

  Deflecting along given lines · CPC title