Sputtering

Basic Sputtering Process

There are many different ways to deposit materials such as metals, ceramics, and plastics onto a surface (substrate) and to form a thin film. Among these is a process called SPUTTERING that has become one of the most common ways to fabricate thin films. Sputtering is a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process used for depositing materials onto a substrate, by ejecting atoms from such materials and condensing the ejected atoms onto a substrate in a high vacuum environment. Basic Techniques DC (diode) RF (radio frequency)

The basic process is as follows: A target, or source of the material desired to be deposited, is bombarded with energetic ions, typically inert gas ions such as Argon (Ar+). Electrically neutral Argon atoms are introduced into a vacuum chamber at a pressure of 1 to 10 mTorr. A DC voltage is placed between the target and substrate which ionizes Argon atoms and creates a plasma, hot gas-like phase consisting of ions and electrons, in the chamber. This plasma is also known as a glow discharge due to the light emitted. These Argon ions are now charged and are accelerated to the anode targe. The forceful collision of these ions onto the target ejects target atoms into the space. These ejected atoms then travel some distance until they reach the substrate and start to condense into a film. As more and more atoms condensed on the substrate, they begin to bind to each other at the molecular level, forming a tightly bound atomic layer. One or more layers of such atoms can be created at will depending on the sputtering time, allowing for production of precise layered thin-film structures.

DC Sputtering: Good for insulating materials Positive charge builds up on the cathode (target) need 1012 volts to sputter insulators !! RF Sputtering: avoid charge build up by alternating potential

Comparison of evaporation and sputtering

EVAPORATION low energy atoms high vacuum path

SPUTTERING higher energy atoms low vacuum, plasma path

few collisions line of sight deposition little gas in film

many collisions less line of sight deposition gas in film

larger grain size fewer grain orientations poorer adhesion

smaller grain size many grain orientations better adhesion

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)

In this process, the substrate is placed inside a reactor to which a number of gases are supplied. The fundamental principle of the process is that a chemical reaction takes place between the source gases. The product of that reaction is a solid material with condenses on all surfaces inside the reactor. The two most important CVD technologies in MEMS are the Low Pressure CVD (LPCVD) and Plasma Enhanced CVD (PECVD). The LPCVD process produces layers with excellent uniformity of thickness and material characteristics. The main problems with the process are the high deposition temperature (higher than 600C) and the relatively slow deposition rate. The PECVD process can operate at lower temperatures (down to 300 C) thanks to the extra energy supplied to the gas molecules by the plasma in the reactor. However, the quality of the films tend to be inferior to processes running at higher temperatures. Secondly, most PECVD deposition systems can only deposit the material on one side of the wafers on 1 to 4 wafers at a time. LPCVD systems deposit films on both sides of at least 25 wafers at a time. A schematic diagram of a typical LPCVD reactor is shown in the figure below.