Physical vapor deposition process apparatus and method of optimizing thickness of a target material film deposited using the same

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a semiconductor processing chamber, wherein the semiconductor processing chamber includes:

• a magnetic assembly including a plurality of magnetic columns positioned on the semiconductor processing chamber, the method comprising:
• monitoring an erosion uniformity of a target material in the semiconductor processing chamber and a thickness uniformity of a film of the target material deposited on a semiconductor substrate positioned in the semiconductor processing chamber, wherein monitoring the thickness uniformity includes measuring a resistivity of the deposited film of the target material at different regions of the semiconductor substrate to determine a thickness of the deposited film of the target material in each of the different regions of the semiconductor substrate;
• when the erosion uniformity of the target material and/or the thickness uniformity of the deposited film of the target material exceeds a corresponding threshold, removing three magnetic columns of the plurality of magnetic columns from the magnetic assembly such that the target material is eroded in a substantially uniform manner and a film having a substantially uniform thickness is deposited on the semiconductor substrate;
• and
• performing a semiconductor manufacturing process on the semiconductor substrate using the magnetic assembly after the removing three magnetic columns.

A method, comprising:

• sputter depositing a film on a semiconductor substrate disposed within a vacuum chamber including a target,
• wherein a magnetic assembly including a plurality of magnets is positioned over the vacuum chamber;
• measuring a magnetic flux density distribution formed by the plurality of magnets in the magnetic assembly;
• measuring a thickness uniformity of the film by measuring a resistivity of the film at different regions of the semiconductor substrate to determine a thickness of the film in each of the different regions of the semiconductor substrate;
• based on the measured magnetic flux density distribution and the measured thickness uniformity of the film, adjusting positions of one or more magnets of the plurality of magnets relative to another magnet of the plurality of magnets along a direction away from the target;
• and
• after adjusting positions of one or more magnets, performing a sputtering operation using the vacuum chamber housing the target.