System And Method To Control PVD Deposition Uniformity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020335331-A1
Application number	US-202016850670-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 16, 2020
Priority date	Apr 19, 2019
Publication date	Oct 22, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A physical vapor deposition chamber comprising a tilting substrate support is described. Methods of processing a substrate are also provided comprising tilting at least one of the substrate and the target to improve the uniformity of the layer on the substrate from the center of the substrate to the edge of the substrate. Process controllers are also described which comprise one or more process configurations causing the physical deposition chamber to perform the operations of rotating a substrate support within the physical deposition chamber and tilting the substrate support at a plurality of angles with respect to a horizontal axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A substrate processing method comprising:
supporting a substrate having an exposed substrate surface in a physical vapor deposition process chamber on a substrate support; producing a plume of deposition material from a target, the plume of deposition material producing a plume area with respect to the substrate surface; depositing a layer from the plume of deposition material on the exposed substrate surface; determining uniformity of the layer on the substrate across the substrate from a center of the substrate to an edge of the substrate; and tilting at least one of the substrate and the target to improve the uniformity of the layer on the substrate from the center of the substrate to the edge of the substrate.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising rotating the substrate around a rotational axis.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the physical vapor deposition process utilizes a first cathode having a radial center that is offset from a rotational axis.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the physical vapor deposition process is performed in a multi-cathode physical vapor deposition chamber having at least the first cathode and a second cathode having a radial center that is offset from the rotational axis.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising tilting the substrate support while depositing the layer.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein tilting the substrate support comprises tilting the substrate support at a coupling including a pivot.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein coupling comprises a universal joint.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the coupling comprises a universal joint.

9 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the coupling further comprises a flexible bellows coupling.

10 . A physical vapor deposition chamber comprising:
a first target comprising material to be deposited on a substrate; a motor coupled to a rotational shaft having a rotational axis; and a substrate support coupled to the rotational shaft by a coupling comprising a pivot, the coupling configured to move the substrate support from a position that is parallel to a horizontal axis and tilted at an angle from the horizontal axis.

11 . The physical vapor deposition chamber of claim 10 , further comprising at least a first cathode including the first target and a second cathode comprising a second target the first target and the second target each having a radial center that is offset from a center of the substrate.

12 . The physical vapor deposition chamber of claim 11 , wherein the coupling comprises a universal joint and a first pivot and a second pivot.

13 . The physical vapor deposition chamber of claim 11 , wherein the coupling comprises a flexible bellows coupling.

14 . The physical vapor deposition chamber of claim 11 , further comprising a controller coupled to a measurement system, wherein measurements from the measurement system are used to determine a degree to which the substrate support is tilted to compensate for deposition non-uniformity across the substrate from a substrate edge to a substrate center.

15 . The physical vapor deposition chamber of claim 11 , wherein the first target is tilted with respect to a horizontal axis.

16 . The physical vapor deposition chamber of claim 15 , further comprising a first ring disposed adapter supporting the first cathode, the first ring adapter having a thickness that is different on a first side of the first ring adapter than a second side of the first ring adapter.

17 . The physical vapor deposition chamber of claim 16 , wherein the ring adapter is wedge shaped.

18 . The physical vapor deposition chamber of claim 16 , further comprising a second ring adapter supporting the second cathode.

19 . The physical vapor deposition chamber of claim 18 , wherein the first target and the second target are disposed at different angles with respect to the horizontal axis.

20 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions, that, when executed by a processing unit of a physical deposition chamber, causes the physical deposition chamber to perform operations of:
rotating a substrate support within the physical deposition chamber; tilting the substrate support at a plurality of angles with respect to a horizontal axis; and applying power to cathode within the physical vapor deposition chamber to generate a plasma within the physical vapor deposition chamber to form a first layer of material on the substrate.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Xiao Wen
• Jindal Vibhu
• Bhat Sanjay

Classifications

• H10P72/7618 Primary

  characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating carrousel · CPC title

• H10P72/53

  using optical controlling means · CPC title

• H10P14/6329 Primary

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

• H10P72/7626

  characterised by the construction of the shaft · CPC title

• H01J37/3476

  Testing and control · CPC title