Method for igniting a plasma in a sputter reactor

US6413383B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Tony P. Chiang · Campbell, US
• Yu D. Cong · Sunnyvale, US
• Peijun Ding · San Jose, US
• Jianming Fu · San Jose, US
• Howard H. Tang · San Jose, US
• Anish Tolia · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 10, 2000
• Grant date: Jul 2, 2002
• Expiry date: Oct 10, 2020

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01L2221/1089
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A DC magnetron sputter reactor for sputtering copper, its method of use, particularly the ignition sequence, and shields and other parts promoting self-ionized plasma (SIP) sputtering, preferably at pressures below 5 milliTorr, preferably below 1 milliTorr. The SIP copper layer can act as a seed and nucleation layer for hole filling with conventional sputtering (PVD) or with electrochemical plating (ECP). Preferably, the plasma is ignited in a cool process in which low power is applied to the target in the presence of a higher pressure of argon working gas. After ignition, the pressure is reduced, and target power is ramped up to a relatively high operational level to sputter deposit the film.