Damage-free sculptured coating deposition

US6758947B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Tony P. Chiang · Campbell, US
• Gongda Yao · Fremont, US
• Peijun Ding · San Jose, US
• Fusen Chen · Dallas, US
• Barry Chin · Sunnyvale, US
• Gene Y. Kohara · Fremont, US
• Zheng Xu · Hangzhou City, CN
• Hong Mei Zhang · Beijing, CN

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 20, 2001
• Grant date: Jul 6, 2004
• Expiry date: Jul 20, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01L21/76883
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

We disclose a method of applying a sculptured layer of material on a semiconductor feature surface using ion deposition sputtering, wherein a surface onto which the sculptured layer is applied is protected to resist erosion and contamination by impacting ions of a depositing layer. A first protective layer of material is deposited on a substrate surface using traditional sputtering or ion deposition sputtering, in combination with sufficiently low substrate bias that a surface onto which the layer is applied is not eroded away or contaminated during deposition of the protective layer. Subsequently, a sculptured second layer of material is applied using ion deposition sputtering at an increased substrate bias, to sculpture a shape from a portion of the first protective layer of material and the second layer of depositing material. The method is particularly applicable to the sculpturing of barrier layers, wetting layers, and conductive layers upon semiconductor feature surfaces.