公开(公告)号：US20240177997A1

公开(公告)日：2024-05-30

申请号：US18244904

申请日：2023-09-11

Applicant: SPTS Technologies Limited

Inventor： Scott Haymore ,  Tony Wilby ,  Steve Burgess

IPC: H01L21/285 ,  C23C14/02 ,  C23C14/34 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H01J37/34 ,  H01L21/02

CPC classification number: H01L21/2855 ,  C23C14/021 ,  C23C14/345 ,  H01J37/32082 ,  H01J37/3464 ,  H01L21/02068 ,  H01J2237/332 ,  H01J2237/335

Abstract: A PVD apparatus can perform a cleaning step and a deposition step on an electrically conductive feature formed on a semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate with the electrically conductive feature thereon can be positioned on the substrate support. A cleaning step can be performed to remove material from the electrically conductive feature predominantly by etching with ions of an inert gas while the target is simultaneously sputtered. A deposition step is performed by applying no RF bias to the substrate support or applying an RF bias which is less than the RF bias applied to the substrate support during the cleaning step and supplying an electrical signal having an associated electrical power to the target. The RF bias, if present, and electrical power are sufficient to deposit an electrically conductive deposition material onto the electrically conductive feature by PVD.

公开(公告)号：US20240011159A1

公开(公告)日：2024-01-11

申请号：US18372123

申请日：2023-09-24

Applicant: SPTS Technologies Limited

Inventor： Stephen BURGESS ,  Kathrine CROOK ,  Daniel ARCHARD ,  William ROYLE ,  Euan Alasdair MORRISON

IPC: C23C16/458 ,  C23C16/455 ,  C23C16/509 ,  C23C16/56 ,  C23C16/40

CPC classification number: C23C16/458 ,  C23C16/455 ,  C23C16/509 ,  C23C16/56 ,  C23C16/401

Abstract: A capacitively coupled Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PE-CVD) apparatus has a chamber, a first electrode with a substrate support positioned in the chamber, a second electrode with a gas inlet structure positioned in the chamber, and an RF power source connected to the gas inlet structure for supplying RF power thereto. The gas inlet structure has an edge region, a central region which depends downwardly with respect to the edge region, and one or more precursor gas inlets for introducing a PE-CVD precursor gas mixture to the chamber. The edge region and the central region both constitute part of the second electrode. The precursor gas inlets are disposed in the edge region and the central region is spaced apart from the substrate support to define a plasma dark space channel.

公开(公告)号：US11664232B2

公开(公告)日：2023-05-30

申请号：US17098426

申请日：2020-11-15

Applicant: SPTS Technologies Limited

Inventor： Huma Ashraf ,  Kevin Riddell ,  Codrin Prahoveanu

IPC: H01L21/3065 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/308 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/683 ,  H01L29/16

CPC classification number: H01L21/3065 ,  H01J37/32082 ,  H01J37/32449 ,  H01J37/32715 ,  H01L21/308 ,  H01L21/67069 ,  H01L21/6831 ,  H01J2237/2007 ,  H01J2237/334 ,  H01L29/16 ,  H01L29/1608

Abstract: A structure comprising a substrate and a component which forms involatile metal etch products is plasma etched. A structure comprising a substrate and a component which forms involatile metal etch products is provided. The structure is positioned on a support within a chamber having a first gas inlet arrangement comprising one or more gas inlets and a second gas inlet arrangement comprising one or more gas inlets. The structure is etched by performing a first plasma etch step using a first etch process gas mixture which is only introduced into the chamber through the first gas inlet arrangement. The structure is further etched by performing a second plasma etch step using a second etch process gas mixture which is only introduced into the chamber through the second gas inlet arrangement.

公开(公告)号：US20230079067A1

公开(公告)日：2023-03-16

申请号：US17891089

申请日：2022-08-18

Applicant: SPTS Technologies Limited

Inventor： Tristan Harper ,  Kathrine Crook

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  H01J37/32 ,  C23C16/50 ,  C23C16/36

Abstract: According to the present invention there is provided a method of depositing a hydrogenated silicon carbon nitride (SiCN:H) film onto a substrate by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) comprising the steps of: providing the substrate in a chamber; introducing silane (SiH4), a hydrocarbon gas or vapour, nitrogen gas (N2), and hydrogen gas (H2) into the chamber; and sustaining a plasma in the chamber so as to deposit SiCN:H onto the substrate by PECVD at a process temperature of less than about 200° C.

公开(公告)号：US11521840B2

公开(公告)日：2022-12-06

申请号：US15899634

申请日：2018-02-20

Applicant: SPTS Technologies Limited

Inventor： Anthony Wilby ,  Steve Burgess ,  Ian Moncrieff ,  Clive Widdicks ,  Scott Haymore ,  Rhonda Hyndman

IPC: C23C14/35 ,  H01J37/34 ,  B81B3/00 ,  C23C14/50 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/02 ,  C23C14/34 ,  H01L21/285 ,  H01L21/768

Abstract: A method and apparatus are for controlling stress variation in a material layer formed via pulsed DC physical vapour deposition. The method includes the steps of providing a chamber having a target from which the material layer is formed and a substrate upon which the material layer is formable, and subsequently introducing a gas within the chamber. The method further includes generating a plasma within the chamber and applying a first magnetic field proximate the target to substantially localise the plasma adjacent the target. An RF bias is applied to the substrate to attract gas ions from the plasma toward the substrate and a second magnetic field is applied proximate the substrate to steer gas ions from the plasma to selective regions upon the material layer formed on the substrate.

公开(公告)号：US20220199409A1

公开(公告)日：2022-06-23

申请号：US17548148

申请日：2021-12-10

Applicant: SPTS Technologies Limited

Inventor： Janet Hopkins ,  Simon Dawson

IPC: H01L21/3065 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/683

Abstract: A metallic feature on a substrate is subjected to a plasma dicing process and is cleaned. The workpiece has a carrier sheet attached to a frame member. The carrier sheet carries the substrate. The workpiece is provided on a workpiece support disposed within a chamber of an inductively coupled plasma apparatus. A sputter etch step is performed, including introducing a sputter gas or gas mixture into the chamber and sustaining an inductively coupled plasma of the sputter gas or gas mixture so as to sputter etch the substrate. A chemical etch step also is performed, including introducing O2 gas and/or O3 gas) into the chamber and sustaining an inductively coupled plasma of the O2 and/or O3 gas) so as to chemically etch the substrate. The sputter etch step and chemical etch step can be repeated.

公开(公告)号：US20220085275A1

公开(公告)日：2022-03-17

申请号：US17461928

申请日：2021-08-30

Applicant: SPTS TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED

Inventor： Scott Haymore ,  Adrian Thomas ,  Tony Wilby

IPC: H01L41/316 ,  H01L41/08 ,  H01L41/187 ,  H01L41/319 ,  C23C14/06 ,  C23C14/00 ,  C01B21/06

Abstract: Pulsed DC reactive sputtering of a target deposits an additive-containing aluminium nitride film onto a metallic layer of a semiconductor substrate. The additive-containing aluminium nitride film contains an additive element selected from scandium, yttrium, titanium, chromium, magnesium and hafnium. Depositing the additive-containing aluminium nitride film includes introducing a gaseous mixture comprising nitrogen gas and an inert gas into the chamber at a flow rate, in which the flow rate of the gaseous mixture comprises a nitrogen gas flow rate, and in which the nitrogen gas flow rate is less than or equal to about 50% of the flow rate of the gaseous mixture and also is sufficient to fully poison the target.

公开(公告)号：US11251037B2

公开(公告)日：2022-02-15

申请号：US16541615

申请日：2019-08-15

Applicant: SPTS TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED

Inventor： Kathrine Crook ,  Steve Burgess

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  C23C16/34 ,  C23C16/505 ,  H01J37/32 ,  C23C16/52

Abstract: A method is for depositing silicon nitride by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). The method includes providing a PECVD apparatus including a chamber and a substrate support disposed within the chamber, positioning a substrate on the substrate support, introducing a nitrogen gas (N2) precursor into the chamber, applying a high frequency (HF) RF power and a low frequency (LF) RF power to sustain a plasma in the chamber, introducing a silane precursor into the chamber while the HF and LF RF powers are being applied so that the silane precursor forms part of the plasma being sustained, and subsequently removing the LF RF power or reducing the LF RF power by at least 90% while continuing to sustain the plasma so that silicon nitride is deposited onto the substrate by PECVD.

公开(公告)号：US20210391170A1

公开(公告)日：2021-12-16

申请号：US17326273

申请日：2021-05-20

Applicant: SPTS Technologies Limited

Inventor： Tristan Harper ,  Kathrine Crook

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  H01L23/00

Abstract: A hydrogenated silicon carbon nitride (SiCN:H) film is deposited onto a substrate by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) comprising: providing the substrate in a chamber; introducing silane (SiH4), a carbon-donating precursor, and nitrogen gas (N2) into the chamber; and sustaining a plasma in the chamber so as to deposit SiCN:H onto the substrate by PECVD, wherein the substrate is maintained at a temperature of less than about 250° C.

公开(公告)号：US20210317592A1

公开(公告)日：2021-10-14

申请号：US17357406

申请日：2021-06-24

Applicant: SPTS TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED

Inventor： JOHN MACNEIL ,  MARTIN AYRES ,  TREVOR THOMAS

IPC: C25D17/00 ,  H01L21/67 ,  C25D17/06 ,  H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/687

Abstract: A method of processing a semiconductor wafer is provided. The method includes introducing the wafer to a main chamber via a loading port, using a transfer mechanism to transfer the wafer to a first wafer processing module in a stack so that the wafer is disposed substantially horizontally in the first wafer processing module with a front face facing upwards, and performing a processing step on the front face of the wafer in the first wafer processing module.