Plasma-Therm PECVD

A PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) reacts gases in a RF (radio

frequency) induced plasma to deposit materials such as silicon dioxide and silicon nitride.

This PECVD has two chambers. One is intended for silicon nitride depositions and has
2% silane in nitrogen (SiH4/N2), ammonia (NH3), nitrogen (N2), and 10%
tetrafluoromethane in oxygen (CF4/O2) connected. The other chamber is intended
primarily for silicon dioxide depositions and is connected to 2% silane in nitrogen
(SiH4/N2), nitrous oxide (N2O), ammonia (NH3), and 10% tetrafluoromethane in oxygen
(CF4/O2), which is used for cleaning the chamber.

Typical deposition rates range from 100 Å/s to 400 Å/s.

Operating Characteristics
Typical Processes
 Silicon Dioxide
 Silicon Nitride
 Silicon Oxynitride

See recipe list for more information.

Operating Instructions
I. Loading

1. Login to the machine.

2. Press the ON button at the bottom of the screen.
3. Highlight Utilities, Select Active Chamber, and choose the appropriate chamber
(depends on the process you are running!).
4. Press the STANDBY button at the bottom of the screen.
5. Highlight Utilities, Vent.
6. Listen for the sound the chamber venting. Once you hear the nitrogen escaping
from the chamber, lift the chamber door. If the nitrogen does not turn off
automatically, highlight Utilities, Close Gates.
7. Load sample into the center of the chamber.
8. Highlight Utilities, Pump Chamber

II. Operating
 1. If you do not already have a recipe, see the Recipes section of this document.
Highlight Process, Load Recipe.
2. Press the READY button at the bottom of the screen.
3. After READY parameters have been applied and press the RUN button at the
bottom of the screen. Note: you can skip the first step of your process that lets
the source cool down to the set temperature by pressing END STEP.

III. Unloading

1. After the process is over, press the STANDBY button at the bottom of the screen.
2. Highlight Utilities, Vent.
3. Listen for the sound the chamber venting. Once you hear the nitrogen escaping
from the chamber, raise the chamber door. If the nitrogen does not turn off
automatically, highlight Utilities, Close Gates.
4. Unload sample from the chamber.
5. Highlight Utilities, Pump Chamber.

Recipes
In general, your recipe should have seven steps: an initial step, a purge step, an
evacuation step, two process steps, another purge and an end step. The initial step
evacuates the chamber and brings the chamber to the process temperature. The purge step
continues to evacuate the chamber, ensuring there are no lingering process gases in the
process chamber. The evacuation step purges the gas lines, ensuring that there is no
unwanted gases in the lines that could possibly contaminate the process plasma. The first
process step stabilizes the process gases and pressure without RF power. Due to the RF
power being off, no etching will actually take place during this step. The second process
step is identical to the stabilization step except the RF power is on. The etching of the
process takes place during this step. The end step pumps the system back to base
pressure.

Instructions

From the Process menu, choose Build to create a new recipe or Edit to edit an existing
one.
A list of the recipe steps will be displayed on the right side of the screen. To edit a step,
double click on it. To create a new step, select the step that will go after the new step and
click the appropriate button for the type of step you want at the bottom of the screen.

Initial Step

All recipes start with an initial step. This step will evacuate the chamber and bring the
chamber to the desired operating temperature.
Set the pressure to 1.0 x 10-2 Torr and set the time to 10-30 seconds. This will cause the
system to evacuate as much air from the chamber as possible before starting the process.

Set the temperature to your desired process temperature. Note that the temperature is
measured in degrees Celsius. Room temperature is 25-30 degree Celsius.

You should describe your recipe in the Description box. The first few words will be
displayed by the filename when you are loading your recipe.

Purge Step

The purge step removes any lingering gases from the process chamber. This step should
be 30-60 seconds long. The pump should be the same pump selected during the initial
step. The pressure set point should be 1.0 x 10-2 Torr. There is an option to strike a
plasma in this step if it is desired to clear gas from the chamber.

Evacuation Step

The evacuation step purges gas from the gas lines in the system in order to insure only
the desired process gas will contribute to the etch process. This step should be 30-60
seconds long. The pump should be the same pump selected during the initial step. The
pressure setpoint should be 1.0 x 10-2 Torr.

Process Step

All recipes should contain two process steps. They should be identical with a few
exceptions. The process step dialog box has four major areas: time, pressure, gas flow,
and power.

Time

The first process step should be set to "Fixed Time"

This step will be used to stabilize the chamber
conditions. The time for this step is not critical, but 30-
60 seconds is acceptable Process Step

The second step will actually perform your process.

Pressure

Select the proper pump from the pull down menu based on your desired process pressure.
Set the pressure to the process pressure you want for both process steps.

Gas Flow
Set the flow rate for each gas here. The flow rates are given in sccm (standard cm3/min).
The flow rates should be the same for both process steps. All of the channels are utilizing
a 100 sccm mass flow controller (MFC).

Power

Leave the power set to zero in the first step. Set it to the power you want for your etch
process in the second process step. There is a 500W power supply on this tool. The
maximum allowable power setting is 80% of the maximum power or 400W. Do not
exceed 400W for this step, as the power supply will be unstable above 400W and the
lifetime of the power supply will be shortened.

End Step

All recipes have an end step that evacuates the chamber

to the base pressure. The pump should be the same
pump selected during the initial step. Set the pressure to
7.0 x 10-2 torr and set the time to 10-30 seconds.
End Step

View Standard Plasma-Therm Recipes

Using Manual Mode

Manual mode allows one to directly control the system
parameters without creating a recipe. This can be useful
for developing new processes. To operate the system in
manual mode press STANDBY at the bottom of the
screen. Make sure that the chamber is currently being
pumped. Then select Service, Manual Mode. The
manual mode window will appear.

This window is divided into four sections: Temperature, Manual Mode

Pressure, Gas, and RF Control. Each of these sections is
summarized below.

Temperature

This sets the temperature of the bottom and top sections of the chamber. Note that it will
take a while for the temperatures to change after you change the settings.

Gas
This sets the flow rates for each of the gases. The gas flow will not start until you press
the Gas button at the top of the display.

Pressure

This sets the chamber pressure. The chamber pressure will not be regulated until you
press the Pressure button at the top of the display. You must have at least one gas on
before you can turn the pressure on.

RF Control

This controls the power. Config should be set to "RIE" and Mode should be set to
"Power." Set sets the power in watts. If Time is set to zero, the power will run
indefinitely once it is turned on. If Time is set to anything else, the system will run for
the time set and then shut off the power, gas, and pressure. Run indicates how long the
power has been on. The power will not come on until you press the RF button at the top
of the display.

Troubleshooting
The menu option I want to select is grayed out.
Some menu options are not available depending on which mode the system is in. Try
switching between the "ON," "STANDBY," AND "READY" modes with the buttons at
the bottom of the screen.

The alarm is going off.

To silence the alarm, press the ALARM SILENCE button at the lower right corner of
the screen. At the bottom center of the screen, there is a box labeled "Alarm" that will tell
you why the alarm is going off.

The reflected power is high or I get an "RF1 detected

off" alarm.
If you know that the pressure you are using has worked before, try pressing HOLD one
time only to make the system try again. If it still doesn't work, contact an MiRC staff
member. DO NOT PRESS HOLD MORE THAT ONCE If you keep pressing hold,
you may cause serious and expensive damage to the power supply.

If the reflected power is too high, the process will stop and the alarm will sound. Usually,
if you still have high reflected power, the chamber needs to be cleaned. You can do this
by running the batch named clean using the instructions above. You will want to remove
your sample from the system before you do this.

If you are trying to run the system at a pressure you have never used before, and it still
will not run after you clean it, this probably means that the system can not operate at the
pressure you are using. You need to use another pressure. If you have run the system with
the pressure and gas flows you are using before, contact MiRC staff for assistance.

Personal Safety
To prevent risk of personnel injury, all maintenance and repair procedures must be
undertaken by technically qualified person(s) who are fully aware of all relevant safety
precaution associated with processing, operating and maintaining the equipment.
If you detect any chemical fume from the process chamber, please STOP your process
and contact a staff member immediately.
Potentially lethal voltages (in excess of 30 volts AC and 50 volts DC) are present on the
equipment. If you see any open and broken wire or exposure electrical parts, DO NOT try
to fix it. You have to contact a staff member right away.
To prevent an uncontrolled hazardous gas flow to the process chamber, which could
result in personal injury, DO NOT open the by-pass valve in the gas box when flowing a
process gas.