Method and Device for Particle Measurement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017309459-A1
Application number	US-201515313063-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 7, 2015
Priority date	Aug 19, 2014
Publication date	Oct 26, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided are a method and a device that can measure sputtered particles discharged by sputtering with high precision within a short time. A measuring device has a measuring section that measures a ratio between an equivalent value of the number of ion particles discharged from a target by sputtering caused by a pulsed electric discharge and an equivalent value of the number of neutral particles discharged from the target by the pulsed electric discharge. The ratio between the number of the ion particles and the number of the neutral particles discharged from the target by the sputtering can be regarded as one of factors affecting quality of a vapor-deposited film, a film growth rate and an etching rate. Thus, a factor affecting the quality of the vapor-deposited film, the film growth rate and the etching rate can be grasped and also controlled.

First claim

1 .- 28 . (canceled)

29 . A measuring device comprising:
a measuring section for measuring a ratio between an equivalent value of the number of ion particles discharged from a target by sputtering caused by a pulsed electric discharge and an equivalent value of the number of neutral particles discharged from the target by the sputtering caused by the pulsed electric discharge; and an ion particle removing section for removing the ion particles discharged from the target by the sputtering.

30 . The measuring device as in claim 29 , further comprising a section for synchronizing the drive of the ionizing section and the drive of the ion particle removing section.

31 . The measuring device as in claim 29 , wherein the measuring section measures the equivalent value of the number of the ion particles and the equivalent value of the number of the neutral particles by the time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

32 . The measuring device as in claim 29 ,
wherein the pulsed electric discharge is constituted by a plurality of successive pulsed electric discharges, and wherein the measuring section measures the ratio based on the equivalent values of the first ion particles, which are discharged in the form of ions from the target by the sputtering, and the second ion particles, which are discharged in the form of neutral particles from the target by the sputtering and ionized by the ionizing section, the sputtering being caused by one or a plurality of the pulsed electric discharges arbitrarily selected from the successive pulsed electric discharges.

33 . The measuring device as in claim 32 , wherein the pulsed electric discharges selected by the measuring section are pulsed electric discharges that are timewise adjacent to each other.

34 . A sputtering device using High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HIPIMS), comprising:
the measuring device as in claim 29 ; and a controller for controlling either or both of a current amount, a voltage or an electric energy for one time of the pulsed electric discharge of the HIPIMS and a bias voltage applied to a work as a processing object of the sputtering device based on the ratio of the equivalent values measured by the measuring device.

35 . A measuring device comprising:
a measuring section for measuring a ratio between an equivalent value of the number of ion particles discharged from a target by sputtering caused by a pulsed electric discharge and an equivalent value of the number of neutral particles discharged from the target by the sputtering caused by the pulsed electric discharge; an ionizing section for ionizing the neutral particles discharged from the target by the sputtering; a frequency divider for generating a frequency dividing signal based on a pulse signal synchronized with an occurrence of the pulsed electric discharge, the frequency dividing signal having a period that is integral multiple of a period of the pulse signal; and a driver for driving the ionizing section with the frequency dividing signal, wherein the measuring section performs the measurement at a plurality of successive timings, and wherein the measuring section measures the sum total of an equivalent value of the number of first ion particles discharged in the form of ions by the sputtering and an equivalent value of the number of second ion particles that are discharged in the form of neutral particles and ionized by the ionizing section through the measurement at timing when the driver drives the ionizing section with the frequency dividing signal, and the measuring section measures only the equivalent value of the number of the first ion particles discharged in the form of ions by the sputtering through the measurement at timing when the driver does not drive the ionizing section with the frequency dividing signal.

36 . The measuring device as in claim 35 , wherein the frequency dividing signal has a period that is integral multiple of the period of the pulse signal and that is two to ten times the period of the pulse signal.

37 . The measuring device as in claim 35 ,
wherein the pulsed electric discharge is constituted by a plurality of successive pulsed electric discharges, and wherein the measuring section measures the ratio based on the equivalent value or the equivalent values of either or both of the first ion particles, which are discharged in the form of ions from the target by the sputtering, and the second ion particles, which are discharged in the form of neutral particles from the target by the sputtering and ionized by the ionizing section, the sputtering being caused by the pulsed electric discharge occurring at timing corresponding to timing when the frequency dividing signal is generated, and based on the equivalent value or the equivalent values of either or both of the first ion particles, which are discharged in the form of ions from the target by the sputtering, and the second ion particles, which are discharged in the form of neutral particles from the target by the sputtering and ionized by the ionizing section, the sputtering being caused by the pulsed electric discharge occurring at timing different from the timing when the frequency dividing signal is generated.

38 . The measuring device as in claim 35 , further comprising an ion particle removing section for removing the first ion particles discharged from the target by the sputtering.

39 . A measuring device comprising:
a measuring section for measuring a ratio between an equivalent value of the number of ion particles discharged from a target by sputtering caused by a pulsed electric discharge and an equivalent value of the number of neutral particles discharged from the target by the sputtering caused by the pulsed electric discharge; an ionizing section for ionizing the neutral particles discharged from the target by the sputtering; a frequency divider for generating a frequency dividing signal based on a pulse signal synchronized with an occurrence of the pulsed electric discharge, the frequency dividing signal having a period that is integral multiple of a period of the pulse signal; and a section for allowing or prohibiting the ionization of the neutral particles by the ionizing section based on the frequency dividing signal, wherein the measuring section performs the measurement at a plurality of successive timings, and wherein the measuring section measures the sum total of an equivalent value of the number of first ion particles discharged in the form of ions by the sputtering and an equivalent value of the number of second ion particles that are discharged in the form of neutral particles and ionized by the ionizing section through the measurement at timing when the section for allowing or prohibiting allows the ionization of the neutral particles by the ionizing section based on the frequency dividing signal, and the measuring section measures only the equivalent value of the number of the first ion particles discharged in the form of ions by the sputtering through the measurement at timing when the section for allowing or prohibiting prohibits the ionization based on the frequency dividing signal.

40 . A measuring device comprising:
a measuring section for measuring a ratio between an equivalent value of the number of ion particles discharged from a target by sputtering caused by a pulsed electric discharge and an equivalent value of the number of neutral particles discharged from the target by the sputtering caused by the pulsed electric discharge; an ionizing section for ionizing the neutral particles discharged from the target by the sputtering; and a discriminating section for discriminating first ion particles, which are

Assignees

• Ayabo Corp
• Univ Tohoku

Inventors

• Tsukamoto Keizo
• Tona Masahide
• Misaizu Fuminori
• Koyasu Kiichirou

Classifications

• H01J37/3467

  Pulsed operation, e.g. HIPIMS · CPC title

• C23C14/52

  Means for observation of the coating process · CPC title

• H01J37/32972

  Spectral analysis · CPC title

• H01J37/32935 Primary

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

• H01J49/40

  Time-of-flight spectrometers (H01J49/36 takes precedence) · CPC title