Micro/Nano Fabrication Techniques
Lecture 9
Sputtering
Dr. Yasmine Elogail
Slides based on lecture’s of Dr. Amr Bayoumi
NANENG 301 – Spring 2024
Reprinted from Fabrication Engineering at the Micro and Nanoscale, Stephen A. Campbell, Third Edition, Oxford University Press
Pages
• Content:
Sections : 12.6 – 12.8
Examples: 12.4
Reprinted from Fabrication Engineering at the Micro and Nanoscale, Stephen A. Campbell, Third Edition, Oxford University Press
Sputtering System
• A parallel-plate plasma reactor in a
vacuum chamber
• High energy ions strike a target
containing the material to be
deposited placed on the electrode with
the maximum ion flux.
• To collect as many of ejected atoms as
possible, cathode and anode are
closely spaced
Reprinted from Fabrication Engineering at the Micro and Nanoscale, Stephen A. Campbell, Third Edition, Oxford University Press
Reprinted from Fabrication Engineering at the Micro and Nanoscale, Stephen A. Campbell, Third Edition, Oxford University Press
3
Why Sputtering ?
• The primary alternative to evaporation for metal film deposition in
microelectronics:
- It has better step coverage
- Better at producing layers of
compound materials and alloys
The most common microelectronic
application of sputtering is the
deposition of metal interconnect layers
for ICs.
Reprinted from Fabrication Engineering at the Micro and Nanoscale, Stephen A. Campbell, Third Edition, Oxford University Press
4
Sputtering System
Reprinted from Fabrication Engineering at the Micro and Nanoscale, Stephen A. Campbell, Third Edition, Oxford University Press
5
Sputtering Mechanisms
When an energetic ion strikes the surface of a material
• Ions with very low energies may bounce
off surface.
• At energies ~< 10 eV, ion may adsorb
to surface, giving up its energy to
phonons.
• At energies > 10 keV, the ion penetrates
into many atomic layers, depositing
most of its energy deep into substrate.
• In between, nuclear stopping at the
surface is quite effective. Most of the
energy transfer occurs within several
atomic layers. Substrate atoms will be
ejected from surface of the substrate.
Reprinted from Fabrication Engineering at the Micro and Nanoscale, Stephen A. Campbell, Third Edition, Oxford University Press
6
Step Coverage
Ejected atomic clusters from the cathode escape with energies of 10 to 50 eV.
This additional energy provides sputtered atoms with additional surface mobility
for improved step coverage (in addition to the higher pressure).
crucial feature of deposition is ability
of films to maintain adequate
thickness over high aspect ratio
Reprinted from Fabrication Engineering at the Micro and Nanoscale, Stephen A. Campbell, Third Edition, Oxford University Press
7
Deposition Rate: Sputter Yield
Sputter yield S is the ratio of number of
target atoms ejected from target to
number of ions incident on target.
It depends on ion mass, ion energy, the
target mass, and the target crystallinity.
depends on ion
flux to target
V is the voltage difference from target
electrode to the wafer, d is the dark
space thickness
θ is the angle between target normal and
velocity vector of incident ion.
Reprinted from Fabrication Engineering at the Micro and Nanoscale, Stephen A. Campbell, Third Edition, Oxford University Press
8
Example
Deposition rate =
ion flux / number
density of material
Reprinted from Fabrication Engineering at the Micro and Nanoscale, Stephen A. Campbell, Third Edition, Oxford University Press
9
Sputter System
Reprinted from Fabrication Engineering at the Micro and Nanoscale, Stephen A. Campbell, Third Edition, Oxford University Press
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