Inverted cylindrical magnetron (ICM) system and methods of use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12106924-B2
Application number	US-202117317723-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2021
Priority date	Aug 9, 2012
Publication date	Oct 1, 2024
Grant date	Oct 1, 2024

Abstract

An Inverted Cylindrical Magnetron (ICM) System and Methods of Use is disclosed herein generally comprising a co-axial central anode concentrically located within a first annular end anode and a second annular end anode; a process chamber including a top end and a bottom end in which the first annular end anode and the second annular end anode are coaxially disposed, whereby the first annular end anode, the second annular end anode, and the central anode form a 3-anode configuration to provide electric field uniformity, and the process chamber including a central annular space coupled to a tube insulator disposed about the central annular space wall; a cathode concentrically coupled to the tube insulator and a target; and a plurality of multi-zone electromagnets or hybrid electro-permanent magnets surrounding the exterior of the process chamber providing a tunable magnetic field.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An inverted cylindrical magnetron (ICM) source comprising:
a. a co-axial central anode concentrically located within a first annular end anode and a second annular end anode;
b. a process chamber having a top end and a bottom end in which the first annular end anode and the second annular end anode are coaxially disposed and the process chamber further has a central annular space coupled to a tube insulator disposed about the central annular space wall;
c. a cathode concentrically coupled to the tube insulator and a target;
d. a plurality of tunable magnets configured to generate a tunable magnetic field, the plurality of tunable magnets surrounding an exterior of the process chamber, wherein the plurality of tunable magnets comprise a plurality of windings to form a plurality of coils to provide at least two magnetic zones, wherein the plurality of coils comprises a first full-length main coil, and a first mirrored end coil and a second mirrored end coil;
e. a temperature adjustable target cooling jacket coaxially disposed between the tube insulator and the target; and wherein the plurality of tunable magnets are selected from the group consisting of electromagnets or hybrid electro-permanent magnets, and
f. a carousel holder coaxially disposed within the process chamber, wherein the carousel holder comprises a plurality of holders configured to hold a plurality of substrates.

2. The ICM source of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of working gas flow inlets and a plurality of pumping ports with adjustable flowing and pumping rates operably coupled to the process chamber to provide a top flow, a top pumping, a bottom pumping, and a bottom flow.

3. The ICM source of claim 2 , wherein the top flow pressure and the bottom flow pressure can be independently adjusted.

4. The ICM source of claim 3 , further comprising an adjustable gap between cathode and the co-axial central anode.

5. The ICM source of claim 4 , wherein the co-axial central anode includes a plurality of working gas inlets to provide a gas supply into the process chamber.

6. The ICM source of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is biased on a continuous DC bias between about 0-200 V, or the substrate may be biased with a pulsed DC bias between about 0-500 V, a 0-100% duty cycle, and a frequency between about 1 Hz to 300 kHz.

7. The ICM source of claim 6 , further comprising: a first electrically insulated end cap and a second electrically insulated endcap coaxially surrounding the first end anode and the second end anode, respectively, at each end of the process chamber, whereby the first and second electrically insulated end caps coaxially fit within the first and second ends of the process chamber.

8. The ICM source of claim 7 , further comprising a ring disposed between the target cooling jacket and the first and second electrically insulated end caps, wherein a recessed feature is included at a top portion of the inner diameter of the first and second electrically insulated end caps.

9. The ICM source of claim 8 , wherein the target cooling jacket includes a plurality of embedded cooling channels and small axially oriented grooves on the inner diameter surface of the target cooling jacket.

10. The ICM source of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of tunable magnets provide an axial component of magnetic flux density to confine electrons for ionization near the target surface with a range between about 50-500 Gauss.

11. The ICM source of claim 1 , further comprising a multi-chamber system for simultaneously processing multiple substrate carousel holders for high-throughput integrated multi-step processing, comprising:
a. a plurality of ICM chambers operably coupled with a plurality of cylindrical chambers;
b. a dual loadlock to load incoming substrate carousel holder and unload processed substrate carousel holder out of the plurality of ICM chambers during a deposition procedure; and
c. a transfer chamber to transfer substrate carousal holders to the plurality of ICM chambers by a transportation robot.

12. An inverted cylindrical magnetron (ICM) source comprising:
a. a co-axial central anode concentrically located within a first annular end anode and a second annular end anode;
b. a process chamber having a top end and a bottom end in which the first annular end anode and the second annular end anode are coaxially disposed and the process chamber further has a central annular space coupled to a tube insulator disposed about the central annular space wall;
c. a first electrically insulated end cap and a second electrically insulated endcap coaxially surrounding the first end anode and the second end anode, respectively, at each end of the process chamber, whereby the first and second electrically insulated end caps coaxially fit within the first and second ends of the process chamber, the first and second electrically insulated end caps further including a recessed feature at a top portion of the inner diameters thereof;
d. a cathode concentrically coupled to the tube insulator and a target and an adjustable gap between the cathode and the co-axial central anode;
e. a plurality of tunable magnets comprising a plurality of windings to form a plurality of coils to configured to generate at last two tunable magnetic field zones, the plurality of tunable magnets surrounding an exterior of the process chamber and provide an axial component of magnetic flux density to confine ionization electrons near the target surface with a range between about 50-500 Gauss, wherein the plurality of tunable magnets are selected from the group consisting of electromagnets or hybrid electro-permanent magnets, wherein the plurality of coils comprises a first full length main coil, a first mirrored end coil, and a second mirrored end coil;
f. a temperature adjustable target cooling jacket coaxially disposed between the tube insulator and the target, the target cooling jacket further including a plurality of embedded cooling channels and axially oriented groves on an inner diameter surface of the target cooling jacket;
g. a ring disposed between the target cooling jacket and the first and second electrically insulated end caps, wherein a recessed feature is included at a top portion for the inner diameter of the first and second
h. a plurality of working gas flow inlets and a plurality of pumping ports with adjustable flowing and pumping rates operably coupled to the process chamber to a gas supply to the process chamber and provide a top flow, a top pumping, a bottom pumping, and a bottom flow, wherein a top flow pressure and a bottom flow pressure are capable of being independently adjusted; and
i. a carousel holder coaxially disposed within the process chamber, wherein the carousel holder includes a plurality of holders to hold a plurality of substrates, wherein the substrates are biased on a continuous DC bias between about 0-200 V, or the substrate may be biased with a pulsed DC bias between about 0-500 V, a 0-100% duty cycle, and a frequency between about 1 Hz to 300 kHz.

13. The ICM source of claim 12 , further comprising a multi-chamber system capable of simultaneously processing multiple substrate carousel holders, comprising:
a. a plurality of ICM chambers operably coupled with a plurality of cylindrical chambers;
b. a dual loadlock to load incoming substrate carousel holder and unload processed substrate carousel holder out of the plurality of ICM chambers during a deposition procedure; and
c. a transfer chamber to transfer substrate carousal holders to the plurality of ICM chambers by a transportation robot.

Assignees

• Vactronix Scientific Llc

Inventors

• Xu Tianzong
• Guo George Xinsheng
• Nguyen Oahn

Classifications

• C23C14/566

  using a load-lock chamber · CPC title

• H01J37/342

  Hollow targets · CPC title

• H01J37/3417

  Arrangements · CPC title

• H01J37/3405

  Magnetron sputtering · CPC title

• C23C14/35 Primary

  by application of a magnetic field, e.g. magnetron sputtering {(C23C14/3457 takes precedence)} · CPC title