Sputtering coating device
By setting a screening module and a bias voltage module in the sputtering coating apparatus, sputtered particles that meet the preset angle are screened out, which solves the problem of sputtered particles depositing on the sidewalls of photoresist and improves the controllability of sputtering coating and the performance of chip circuits.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-13
AI Technical Summary
During the sputtering deposition process, if the angle between the movement direction of the sputtered particles and the chip surface is too large, the sputtered particles will be deposited on the sidewalls of the photoresist, making them difficult to remove and affecting the performance of the chip circuit.
A screening module is set between the target stage and the sample stage. The screening plate selects sputtered particles that meet the preset angle conditions and deposits them on the sample surface. The bias voltage module provides kinetic energy, and the thin film is formed by combining the baffle and the auxiliary deposition particle source.
It improves the controllability of sputtered particle direction during sputtering deposition, reduces the deposition of sputtered particles on the photoresist sidewalls, and enhances the stripping effect of chip circuits and film quality.
Smart Images
Figure CN223991133U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of chip fabrication technology, specifically a sputtering coating apparatus. Background Technology
[0002] In existing sputtering coating technology, high-energy particles are used to bombard the surface of a solid target, enabling the target atoms to gain sufficient energy to overcome surface adhesion and sputter out of the target surface. After being sputtered out of the target surface, the sputtered particles migrate through the gas phase to reach the substrate surface and form a thin film.
[0003] In the process of fabricating chip circuit patterns using the lift-off process, when the angle between the sputtering particle movement direction and the chip surface is too large, the sputtering particles will deposit on the sidewall of the photoresist. This will cause the bottom pattern film to stick to the sidewall deposited film, making it difficult to lift off and affecting the chip circuit performance.
[0004] Therefore, improving the directionality of sputtered particles during the sputtering coating process is an urgent problem to be solved. Utility Model Content
[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a sputtering coating apparatus to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, which can improve the controllability of the sputtering particle direction during the sputtering coating process.
[0006] The solution presented in this application is implemented through the following steps.
[0007] In a first aspect, examples of this application provide a sputtering coating apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
[0008] Sputtering particle sources are used to generate high-energy particles;
[0009] A target stage, located in the transport path of the high-energy particles, is used to place the target, and the high-energy particles are used to bombard the target to generate sputtered particles.
[0010] A sample stage, located in the transport path of the sputtered particles, is used to place the sample;
[0011] The screening module, located between the target stage and the sample stage, is used to screen sputtering particles whose motion angle meets the preset angle conditions as target sputtering particles, and to sputter the target sputtering particles onto the sample surface to form a thin film.
[0012] According to some examples of this application, the filtering module includes:
[0013] Multiple screening plates with through holes, the screening plates being parallel to each other and the through holes being aligned;
[0014] The first control module, connected to the screening plate, is used to control the spacing between each screening plate so that the target sputtering particles that meet the preset angle conditions are sputtered onto the sample surface through the through holes to form the thin film.
[0015] According to some examples of this application, the first control module is used to determine the target spacing corresponding to the screening plate based on the target angle in the preset angle conditions and the position information of the target stage and the sample stage, and adjust the spacing between the screening plates to be equal to the target spacing.
[0016] According to some examples of this application, the length and width of the screening plate are both greater than the length and width of the sample stage.
[0017] According to some examples of this application, the screening plate does not obstruct the transmission path of the high-energy particles.
[0018] According to some examples of this application, the target stage and the sample stage are parallel to each other, and their axes of symmetry are coaxial.
[0019] According to some examples of this application, the sputtering coating apparatus further includes:
[0020] A bias voltage module, connected to the target material, is used to give the target material a target voltage, thereby providing kinetic energy to the high-energy particles.
[0021] According to some examples of this application, the sputtering coating apparatus further includes:
[0022] The second control module is connected to the target stage and the sample stage respectively, and is used to control the distance between the target stage and the sample stage to be equal to a preset distance.
[0023] According to some examples of this application, the sputtering coating apparatus further includes:
[0024] A baffle is located between the sample stage and the screening module;
[0025] The third control module is used to detect the coating state of the sample and control the baffle to selectively move to block or not block the sample stage according to the state.
[0026] When the coating state is detected to meet the target coating conditions, the baffle is controlled to block the sample stage;
[0027] When it is detected that the coating state does not meet the target coating conditions, the baffle is controlled to not block the sample stage.
[0028] According to some examples of this application, the sputtering coating apparatus further includes:
[0029] An auxiliary deposition particle source is used to generate auxiliary deposition particles that are not blocked by the screening module;
[0030] The sample stage is located in the transport path of the auxiliary deposition particles, and the auxiliary deposition particles and the target sputtering particles are configured to be sputtered together onto the sample surface to form the thin film.
[0031] In the sputtering coating apparatus described in the foregoing example of this application, by adding a screening module between the target stage and the sample stage, the target sputtering particles whose motion angle meets the preset angle conditions are screened by the screening module, so that the target sputtering particles form a thin film on the sample surface, which can improve the controllability of the sputtering particle direction during the sputtering coating process. Attached Figure Description
[0032] To illustrate this more clearly, the accompanying drawings used in the description will be briefly introduced below.
[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the sputtering coating apparatus in one example of this application;
[0034] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the filtering module in one example of this application;
[0035] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the sputtering coating apparatus in another example of this application;
[0036] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the sputtering coating apparatus in another example of this application. Detailed Implementation
[0037] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of this application. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.
[0038] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.
[0039] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this utility model, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.
[0040] The specific process of ion sputtering deposition is as follows: high-energy particles bombard the surface of a solid target, allowing the target atoms to gain sufficient energy to overcome surface adhesion forces and sputter out of the target surface. After being sputtered out of the target surface, the sputtered atoms migrate through the gas phase to reach the substrate surface, forming a thin film. During the sputtering process, the initial motion direction of the sputtered particles is affected by the interaction angle between the incident high-energy particles and the target surface. Typically, the incident high-energy particles are incident on the target surface at a certain angle, and the distribution of the sputtered particles is related to the cosine of their emission angle. This means that most sputtered particles are approximately conical in shape along the surface normal direction.
[0041] When using a stripping process to fabricate chip circuit patterns, there are certain requirements regarding the direction of motion of the sputtered particles. When the angle between the direction of motion of the sputtered particles and the normal direction of the chip surface is too large, the sputtered particles will deposit on the sidewalls of the photoresist, causing adhesion between the bottom pattern edge and the sidewalls. Since the film deposited on the sidewalls is difficult to peel off, this will affect the performance of the chip circuit.
[0042] Based on this, such as Figure 1 As shown in the illustration, one embodiment of the present invention provides a sputtering coating apparatus, which includes, for example, the following components:
[0043] Sputtering particle source 100 is used to generate high-energy particles;
[0044] The target stage 200 is located in the high-energy particle transport path and is used to place the target. The high-energy particles are used to bombard the target to generate sputtered particles.
[0045] The sample stage 300 is located in the sputtering particle transport path and is used to place the sample;
[0046] The screening module 400, located between the target stage 200 and the sample stage 300, is used to screen sputtering particles whose motion angle meets the preset angle conditions as target sputtering particles, and to sputter the target sputtering particles onto the sample surface to form a thin film.
[0047] Among them, the sputtering particle source 100 is a device for generating high-energy particles. It is usually formed by ionized gas (such as argon) to form plasma, and the ions in these plasmas are accelerated by electric or magnetic fields to make them high-energy particles.
[0048] The target stage 200 is used to stably hold the target, which is the raw material for sputtering coating. The target stage 200 may also include a cooling system to control the temperature of the target during the sputtering process. The sputtering particle source 100 can control the direction of flight of the high-energy particles. Based on the direction of flight of the high-energy particles, the target stage 200 is configured such that the surface of the target is located on the path of the high-energy particles, so that the high-energy particles can bombard the target along the path to generate sputtered particles. The target stage 200 can rotate, and can be rotated as needed to change the angle between the direction of flight of the high-energy particles and the target.
[0049] The sample stage 300 is used to place the sample to be coated. The sample stage 300 and the target stage 200 are arranged parallel and coaxially, with the sample surface of the sample stage 300 and the target surface of the target stage 200 opposite to each other. A screening module 400 is located between the target stage 200 and the sample stage 300. The screening module 400 does not obstruct the transport path of high-energy particles and is used to screen sputtered particles from the target sputtering that have a motion direction (angle) that meets a preset angle condition. The screening module 400 can be a physical shielding device to block sputtered particles whose motion angle does not meet the preset angle condition, causing them to deposit on the surface of the screening module 400 and preventing them from depositing on the sample surface. The screening module 400 also allows sputtered particles whose motion angle meets the preset angle condition to pass through the screening module 400 and successfully deposit on the sample surface.
[0050] In the sputtering coating apparatus described in the foregoing example of this application, by adding a screening module 400 between the target stage 200 and the sample stage 300, the screening module 400 is used to screen target sputtering particles whose motion angle meets the preset angle conditions, so that the target sputtering particles form a thin film on the sample surface, thereby improving the controllability of the sputtering particle direction during the sputtering coating process.
[0051] In one embodiment of this application, the screening module 400 includes:
[0052] Multiple screening plates with through holes, the screening plates are parallel to each other and the through holes are aligned;
[0053] The first control module, connected to the screening plates, is used to control the spacing between each screening plate so that target sputtering particles that meet the preset angle conditions can be sputtered onto the sample surface through the through holes to form a thin film.
[0054] The system comprises at least two screening plates, which can be either a grid structure or a rigid plate with through holes. The through-hole size of the screening plates remains constant during the sputtering deposition process. A first control module is connected to each screening plate to control the spacing between them. It should be noted that the connection between the first control module and the screening plates does not affect the movement of sputtered particles or obstruct the movement of high-energy particles.
[0055] The screening angle of the screening module 400 can be adjusted as needed. The first control module can store a first spacing-angle correspondence between the spacing between adjacent screening plates and the target angle. It should be noted that during the sputtering process, the through-hole size remains unchanged, and the positions of the target stage 200 and the sample stage 300 remain unchanged. Therefore, the first spacing-angle correspondence can be calculated based on trigonometric functions, according to the fixed through-hole size and the distance between the target stage 200 and the sample stage 300.
[0056] Specifically, before starting the sputtering particle source 100 for sputtering coating, the first control module determines the target spacing between adjacent screening plates based on the target angle range included in the preset angle conditions and the first spacing-angle correspondence. Then, the first control module adjusts the spacing between the screening plates to be equal to the target spacing so that the screening plates can smoothly sputter the sputtering particles corresponding to the target angle range onto the sample surface and block the sputtering particles that are not in the target angle range from running.
[0057] In one embodiment of this application, the first control module is used to determine the target spacing corresponding to the screening plates based on the target angle in the preset angle conditions, according to the position information of the target stage 200 and the sample stage 300, and adjust the spacing between the screening plates to be equal to the target spacing.
[0058] Specifically, the target stage 200 and sample stage 300 are equipped with position sensors to detect their coordinate positions in real time. Each screening plate is also equipped with a position sensor to detect its coordinate position in real time.
[0059] The first control module can store a second spacing-angle correspondence between the spacing and screening angle among the target stage 200, sample stage 300, and screening plate. Before starting the sputtering particle source 100 for sputtering coating, the first control module is used to acquire the position information of the target stage 200 and sample stage 300, determine the target position information (and corresponding spacing) of the screening plate based on the second spacing-angle correspondence, acquire the initial position information of the screening plate, move the screening plate to the position corresponding to the target position information, and make the spacing between the screening plates equal to the target spacing.
[0060] In one embodiment of this application, the screening plate is made of stainless steel.
[0061] It should be noted that the material of the screening plate must be stable in the sputtering coating environment, including but not limited to stainless steel, and can be selected according to actual needs.
[0062] In one embodiment of this application, the shape of the through hole includes rectangular, circular, or hexagonal.
[0063] It should be noted that the shape of the through hole can be selected according to actual needs, including but not limited to rectangle, circle or hexagon.
[0064] In one embodiment of this application, the length and width of the screening plate are both greater than the length and width of the sample stage 300.
[0065] In one embodiment of this application, the screening plate does not obstruct the transmission path of high-energy particles.
[0066] The screening plate does not obstruct the transmission of high-energy particles and is located on the path of sputtered particles from the target stage 200 to the sample stage 300. The length and width of the screening plate are both greater than the length and width of the sample stage 300, and the length and width of the screening plate are also greater than the length and width of the target stage 200.
[0067] In one embodiment of this application, the target stage 200 and the sample stage 300 are parallel to each other and their axes of symmetry are coaxial.
[0068] Specifically, the target stage 200 has the surface of the target material facing the sample stage 300, which has the surface of the sample. The line connecting the centers of the target stage 200 and the sample stage 300 is the axis of symmetry of the target stage 200 (or the sample stage 300).
[0069] In one embodiment of this application, the sputtering coating apparatus further includes:
[0070] The bias voltage module, connected to the target material, is used to apply the target voltage to the target material, thereby providing kinetic energy to the high-energy particles.
[0071] The bias voltage can be set according to actual needs. The bias voltage module applies voltage to the target material, which increases the kinetic energy of the high-energy particles bombarding the target material, making the high-energy particles more uniformly distributed on the target surface, thus improving the directionality of the coating and the quality of the deposited film.
[0072] In one embodiment of this application, the sputtering coating apparatus further includes:
[0073] The second control module is connected to the target stage 200 and the sample stage 300 respectively, and is used to control the distance between the target stage 200 and the sample stage 300 to be equal to a preset distance.
[0074] like Figure 2As shown, the screening module 400 can also be a baffle with a fixed thickness and a fixed through-hole size. For example, if the through-hole size is set to 1.5mm and the thickness is designed to be 10mm, the screening module 400 can filter out sputtered particles whose motion direction deviates from the baffle axis by more than 8.5°. If the through-hole size is set to 1mm and the thickness is designed to be 5mm, the screening module 400 can filter out particles whose motion direction deviates from the baffle axis by more than 11.3°.
[0075] At this time, the length and width of the screening module 400 are both greater than the length and width of the sample stage 300; the screening module 400 does not block the transmission path of high-energy particles.
[0076] Furthermore, the screening module 400 can also be fixedly connected to the sample stage 300, so that the screening module 400 and the sample stage 300 can move simultaneously. The target stage 200 and the sample stage 300 are equipped with position sensors to detect the coordinate position information of the target stage 200 and the sample stage 300 in real time.
[0077] When the screening module 400 is fixed to the sample stage 300, the distance between the target stage 200 and the sample stage 300 will affect the consistency of the movement direction of the sputtered target particles reaching the sample surface. Therefore, the second control module can obtain the initial coordinate position information of the target stage 200 and the sample stage 300 through the position sensor, and can adjust the distance between the target stage 200 and the sample stage 300 until the distance is equal to the preset distance.
[0078] It should be noted that the greater the distance between the target stage 200 and the sample stage 300, the better the consistency of the movement direction of the sputtered target particles reaching the sample surface. However, the preset distance needs to be set according to the actual device size, and can be within the range of greater than 30cm and less than 150cm.
[0079] like Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment of this application, the sputtering coating apparatus further includes:
[0080] Baffle 500 is located between sample stage 300 and screening module 400;
[0081] The third control module is used to detect the coating status of the sample and control the baffle 500 to selectively move to block or not block the sample stage 300 according to the status.
[0082] When the coating condition is detected to meet the target coating conditions, the control baffle 500 blocks the sample stage 300.
[0083] When the coating condition is detected to be unsatisfactory, the control baffle 500 will not block the sample stage 300.
[0084] The length and width of the baffle 500 are both greater than the length and width of the sample stage 300, and the baffle 500 moves in a direction parallel to the sample stage 300.
[0085] The third control module, connected to the baffle 500, is used to receive sputtering start commands and move the baffle 500 to control the baffle 500 to not block the sample stage 300, so that the target sputtering particles that meet the preset angle conditions can be deposited on the sample surface.
[0086] The third control module is also used to detect the coating status of the sample. When it is determined that the coating is not completed based on the coating status, the baffle 500 is kept from obstructing the sample stage 300.
[0087] The second control module is also used to move the baffle 500 in a direction parallel to the sample stage 300 when the coating is determined to be completed based on the coating status, so that the baffle 500 blocks the sample stage 300, stops the deposition coating, and outputs a shutdown command to control the sputtering particle source 100 to shut down.
[0088] like Figure 4 As shown, in one embodiment of this application, the sputtering coating apparatus further includes:
[0089] The auxiliary deposition particle source 600 is used to generate auxiliary deposition particles that are not blocked by the screening module 400.
[0090] The sample stage 300 is located in the transport path of the auxiliary deposition particles, which are configured to be co-sputtered onto the sample surface to form a thin film.
[0091] Specifically, the auxiliary deposition particle source 600 generates auxiliary deposition particles that can work together with the target sputtering particles to promote their deposition on the sample surface, thereby forming a denser and smoother film.
[0092] The second control module is also used to move the baffle 500 in a direction parallel to the sample stage 300 when the coating is determined to be completed based on the coating status, so that the baffle 500 blocks the sample stage 300, stops the deposition of auxiliary deposition particles and target sputtering particles, and outputs a shutdown command to control the sputtering particle source 100 and the auxiliary deposition particle source 600 to shut down.
[0093] It should be noted that the influence of the orientation of auxiliary deposition particles on the coating is not considered in this application.
[0094] In this specification, references to terms such as "some embodiments" or "examples" indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. The illustrative expressions of the above terms in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification.
[0095] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this utility model and do not constitute any limitation on this utility model. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art to the technical solutions and contents disclosed in this utility model without departing from the scope of the technical solutions of this utility model shall still fall within the protection scope of this utility model.
Claims
1. A sputter coating device, characterized in that The device comprises: a sputtering particle source for generating high-energy particles; a target carrier located in a transmission path of the high-energy particles for placing a target, the high-energy particles being used to bombard the target to generate sputtering particles; a sample carrier located in a transmission path of the sputtering particles for placing a sample; a screening module located between the target carrier and the sample carrier for screening sputtering particles with a motion angle satisfying a preset angle condition as target sputtering particles, and making the target sputtering particles sputter onto the sample surface to form a thin film.
2. The sputtering film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The screening module comprises: a plurality of screening plates with through holes, the screening plates being parallel to each other and the through holes being aligned; a first control module connected with the screening plates for controlling the spacing between each screening plate so that the target sputtering particles satisfying the preset angle condition sputter through the through holes to the sample surface to form the thin film.
3. The sputter coating device of claim 2, wherein The first control module is configured to determine a target spacing corresponding to the screening plates based on a target angle in the preset angle condition and position information of the target carrier and the sample carrier, and adjust the spacing between the screening plates to be equal to the target spacing.
4. The sputtering film deposition apparatus according to claim 2, wherein The length and width of the screening plates are greater than the length and width of the sample carrier.
5. The sputter coating device of claim 2, wherein The screening plates do not block the transmission path of the high-energy particles.
6. The sputter coating device of claim 1, wherein The target carrier and the sample carrier are parallel to each other, and the symmetry axes of the two are coaxial.
7. The sputtering film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The sputtering coating device further comprises: a bias voltage module connected with the target for making the target have a target voltage to provide kinetic energy for the high-energy particles.
8. The sputtering film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The sputtering coating device further comprises: a second control module connected with the target carrier and the sample carrier respectively for controlling the spacing between the target carrier and the sample carrier to be equal to a preset distance.
9. The sputtering film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The sputtering coating device further comprises: a baffle located between the sample carrier and the screening module; a third control module for detecting a coating state of the sample and selectively moving the baffle to shield or not shield the sample carrier according to the state; when it is detected that the coating state satisfies a target coating condition, the baffle is controlled to shield the sample carrier; when it is detected that the coating state does not satisfy the target coating condition, the baffle is controlled not to shield the sample carrier.
10. The sputter deposition apparatus of claim 1, wherein The sputtering coating device further comprises: an auxiliary deposition particle source for generating auxiliary deposition particles not blocked by the screening module; the sample carrier is located in a transmission path of the auxiliary deposition particles, and the auxiliary deposition particles and the target sputtering particles are configured to jointly sputter onto the sample surface to form the thin film.