Method and chamber for backside physical vapor deposition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11469096-B2
Application number	US-202016847455-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 13, 2020
Priority date	May 3, 2019
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods and apparatus for backside stress engineering of substrates to combat film stresses and bowing issues. In one embodiment, a method of depositing a film layer on a backside of a substrate is provided. The method includes flipping a substrate at a factory interface so that the backside of the substrate is facing up, and transferring the flipped substrate from the factory interface to a physical vapor deposition chamber to deposit a film layer on the backside of the substrate. In another embodiment, an apparatus for depositing a backside film layer on a backside of a substrate, which includes a substrate supporting surface configured to support the substrate at or near the periphery of the substrate supporting surface without contacting an active region on a front side of the substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cluster tool for depositing a backside film layer on a backside of a substrate, comprising:
a physical vapor deposition chamber having a chamber lid and one or more sidewalls, comprising:
a processing region bounded at least partially by the chamber lid and the one or more sidewalls;
a sputter target having a first surface that is in contact with the processing region and a second surface that is opposite the first surface;
a power source coupled to the sputter target;
a substrate support having a substrate supporting surface facing the sputter target, the substrate supporting surface configured to support the substrate at or near the periphery of the substrate supporting surface without contacting an active region on a front side of the substrate, such that the backside of the substrate is exposed to the sputter target, wherein the sputter target is configured to deposit the backside film layer on the backside of the substrate;
a shadow mask disposed above the substrate support, the shadow mask defining a deposition area on the backside of the substrate;
a gas conduit disposed in the sidewall of the physical vapor deposition chamber; and
a magnetron disposed adjacent to the second surface of the sputter target, wherein the magnetron comprises:
an inner pole comprising an inner plurality of magnets, the inner pole creating an inner magnetic field; and
an outer pole surrounding the inner pole, the outer pole comprising an outer plurality of magnets concentric with and separate from the inner plurality of magnets, the outer pole creating an outer magnetic field, wherein a strength of the outer magnetic field is different from a strength of the inner magnetic field, wherein the outer pole is disposed radially outward relative to an outer diameter of the sputter target.

2. The cluster tool of claim 1 , wherein the sputter target comprises silicon, and the gas conduit is in fluid communication with a gas source, wherein the gas source supplies a process gas to the sputter target, the process gas comprising a nitrogen-containing gas.

3. The cluster tool of claim 1 , wherein the power source is configured to deliver DC power at a voltage of about 2000 V to about 60000 V, a time duration of about 10 μs and about 40 μs, and a pulse cycle time of about 200 μs.

4. The cluster tool of claim 1 , wherein the power source is configured to apply an RF bias to the substrate support.

5. The cluster tool of claim 1 , further comprising a factory interface, wherein the substrate support is configured to receive the substrate from the factory interface.

6. The cluster tool of claim 5 , wherein the factory interface comprises a flipper configured to hold and flip the substrate without contacting the active region of the front side of the substrate.

7. The cluster tool of claim 1 , wherein:
the inner pole and the outer pole form a closed-loop magnetron assembly,
wherein the ratio of the magnetic field strength of the inner magnetic field to the outer magnetic field is 0.5 to 0.73.

8. The cluster tool of claim 6 , wherein the flipper is configured to contact only an edge exclusion area of the substrate, the edge exclusion area measuring from an edge of the substrate to a radially inward distance of about 1 mm to about 5 mm.

9. The cluster tool of claim 8 , wherein the radially inward distance is about 1 mm to about 2 mm.

10. The cluster tool of claim 6 , wherein the flipper comprises a blade and arms extending from the blade.

11. The cluster tool of claim 10 , wherein each arm of the blade comprises a clamping spring disposed on a distal end of each arm.

12. The cluster tool of claim 11 , wherein the blade further comprises a vertical wall coupled to the clamping spring and configured to contact an edge of the substrate.

13. The cluster tool of claim 11 , further comprising a contact pad coupled to the clamping spring, the contact pad configured to contact an edge exclusion area of the substrate.

14. The cluster tool of claim 1 , wherein the physical vapor deposition chamber further comprises a flipper configured to hold and flip the substrate without contacting the active region of the front side of the substrate.

15. The cluster tool of claim 1 , wherein the power source is a direct current (DC) power source.

16. The cluster tool of claim 15 , wherein the DC power source is configured to supply a pulsed DC voltage to the sputter target.

17. The cluster tool of claim 1 , wherein the sputter target is a dielectric sputter target.

18. The cluster tool of claim 17 wherein the sputter target is a silicon sputter target.

19. The cluster tool of claim 15 , wherein the power source further supplies an alternating current (AC) power to the sputter target, wherein a ratio of RF power level to DC power level is from about 2:1 to about 8:1.

20. The cluster tool of claim 1 , wherein the substrate support comprises one or more lamps configured to anneal the substrate to about 750° C. to about 950° C.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Zhou Chunming
• Ramalingam Jothilingam
• Cao Yong
• Moraes Kevin Vincent
• Lavan Shane

Classifications

• H10P72/3304

  characterised by movements or sequence of movements of transfer devices · CPC title

• H10P72/3302

  Mechanical parts of transfer devices · CPC title

• H10P14/6329 Primary

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

• H10P72/7602

  the wafers being placed on a robot blade or gripped by a gripper for conveyance · CPC title

• H10P72/3211

  Changing orientation of the substrate, e.g. from a horizontal position to a vertical position · CPC title