Method for preventing metal target from breakdown during physical vapor deposition sputtering process

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for preventing a metal target from breakdown during a physical vapor deposition (PVD) sputtering process. The method is completed based on a sputtering film plating apparatus, and comprises the following steps: applying negative voltage on one end of a target, connecting a substrate with the ground; real-timely tracking the data of the voltage V and the current I in the PVD metal sputtering process, and calculating R according to the following formula: R=V / I, wherein the R value represents the virtual thickness value of the target, the upper limit value of the R value and the lower limit value of the R value are set, if the R value exceeds the limit value, an alarm mechanism is started; determining the correlation between the target thickness and the target life time of the machine, fitting the specific calculation relationship between the target thickness and the target life time of the machine in a value manner during the whole service life period of the target; educing a correlation factor by the calculation relationship; setting the upper limit value of the correlation factor and the lower limit value of the correlation factor in the system, wherein the alarm mechanism is started if the correlation factor value exceeds the limit value. According to the present invention, the target thickness is real-timely monitored, such that the occurrence of abnormal situations such as poor target quality, mistake of target replacement, excessive target using, and the like can be effectively prevented so as to avoid a plurality of unnecessary losses.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, in particular to a method for preventing a metal target from being broken down during a physical vapor deposition sputtering process. Background technique [0002] Physical vapor deposition (Physical Vapor Deposition, PVD) technology is widely used in the field of semiconductor manufacturing, methods include vacuum evaporation, sputtering coating, molecular beam epitaxy, etc., among which sputtering coating is the most widely used in metal thin film process. The basic principle of sputtering coating is to make the argon gas glow discharge under the vacuum condition filled with argon gas (Ar), at this time, the argon atoms (Ar) are ionized into argon ions (Ar+), and under the action of the electric field force, the bombardment is accelerated The cathode target is made of plating material, and the target particles are sputtered out and deposited on the surface of the wafer. [...

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Problems solved by technology

Therefore, it is risky to completely rely on the target life to control the target usage.

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