Self-ionized and inductively-coupled plasma for sputtering and resputtering

A method of depositing material into holes each having an aspect ratio of at least 4:1 and formed in a dielectric layer of a substrate, comprising:

• sputtering a target of a chamber using a magnetron which generates a self-ionized plasma which ionizes the material sputtered from the target;
• depositing sputtered material ionized in the self-ionized plasma into said holes of a substrate in said chamber;
• and
• generating an inductively coupled plasma in said chamber using an RF coil to further process said substrate.

A method of sputter depositing deposition material onto a substrate, comprising:

• providing a chamber having a target;
• rotating a magnetron about the back of the target, said magnetron having an area of no more than about ¼ of the area of the target and including an inner magnetic pole of one magnetic polarity surrounded by an outer magnetic pole of an opposite magnetic polarity, a magnetic flux of said outer pole being at least 50% larger than the magnetic flux of said inner pole;
• applying power to said target to thereby sputter material from said target onto said substrate at a first rate;
• and
• applying RF power to a first coil to provide a plasma to resputter deposition material on said substrate in said chamber.

A method of depositing material into holes each having an aspect ratio of at least 4:1 and formed in a dielectric layer of a substrate, comprising:

• ionizing sputtered target material in a magnetron generated self-ionized plasma in a chamber;
• depositing sputtered material ionized in the self-ionized plasma into said holes of a substrate in said chamber;
• and
• resputtering material from a portion a bottom of each of said holes in an inductively coupled plasma in said chamber.

A method of forming a barrier layer and a liner layer into holes formed in a dielectric layer of a substrate, comprising:

• operating a magnetron to generate a self-ionized plasma adjacent a target in a chamber;
• sputtering said target to provide sputtered target material wherein at least a portion of said sputtered target material is ionized in said self-ionized plasma;
• biasing said substrate in said chamber to deposit into each of said holes a barrier layer comprising sputtered target material ionized in said magnetron generated self-ionized plasma in said chamber;
• operating an RF coil to generate an inductively coupled plasma in said chamber;
• sputtering coil material from said RF coil onto said substrate in said chamber;
• resputtering bottom portions of said barrier layers using said inductively coupled plasma in said chamber to thin said bottom portions of said barrier layers;
• operating said magnetron to generate additional self-ionized plasma adjacent said target in said chamber;
• sputtering said target to provide additional sputtered target material wherein at least a portion of said additional sputtered target material is ionized in said additional self-ionized plasma;
• biasing said substrate in said chamber to deposit into each of said holes a liner layer comprising said additional sputtered target material ionized in said additional magnetron generated self-ionized plasma in said chamber;
• operating said RF coil to generate additional inductively coupled plasma in said chamber;
• sputtering additional coil material from said RF coil onto said substrate in said chamber;
• and
• resputtering bottom portions of said liner layers using said additional inductively coupled plasma in said chamber to thin said bottom portions of said liner layers.

A plasma sputter reactor for sputter depositing a film on a substrate, comprising:

• a vacuum chamber containing a pedestal aligned to a chamber axis and having a support surface for supporting a substrate to be sputter deposited;
• a target comprising a material to be sputter deposited on said substrate and electrically isolated from said vacuum chamber;
• a magnetron disposed adjacent said target and having an area of no more than about ¼ of the area of the target and including an inner magnetic pole of one magnetic polarity surrounded by an outer magnetic pole of an opposite magnetic polarity, a magnetic flux of said outer pole being at least 50% larger than the magnetic flux of said inner pole, and adapted to generate a self-ionized plasma in said chamber adjacent said target to ionize deposition material sputtered from said target;
• and
• a first RF coil disposed between said target and said pedestal and adapted to inductively couple RF energy to generate an inductively coupled plasma in a plasma generation area between said target and pedestal.

A plasma sputter reactor for sputter depositing a film on a substrate, comprising:

• a vacuum chamber containing a pedestal aligned to a chamber axis and having a support surface for supporting a substrate to be sputter deposited;
• a target comprising a material to be sputter deposited on said substrate and electrically isolated from said vacuum chamber;
• a magnetron disposed adjacent said target and having an area of no more than about ¼ of the area of the target and including an inner magnetic pole of one magnetic polarity surrounded by an outer magnetic pole of an opposite magnetic polarity, a magnetic flux of said outer pole being at least 50% larger than the magnetic flux of said inner pole, and adapted to generate a self-ionized plasma in said chamber adjacent said target to ionize deposition material sputtered from said target;
• and
• a first RF coil disposed between said target and said pedestal and adapted to inductively couple RF energy to generate an inductively coupled plasma in a plasma generation area between said target and pedestal to resputter target deposition material from said substrate.

A plasma sputter reactor for sputter depositing a film on a substrate having a plurality of holes, comprising:

• a vacuum chamber containing a pedestal aligned to a chamber axis and having a support surface for supporting a substrate to be sputter deposited;
• a controller;
• a pedestal power source responsive to said controller and coupled to said pedestal and adapted to bias said substrate supported on said pedestal support surface;
• a target comprising a material to be sputter deposited on said substrate and electrically isolated from said vacuum chamber wherein said target is spaced from said pedestal by a throw distance that is greater than 50% of a diameter of the substrate;
• a magnetron responsive to said controller and disposed adjacent said target and having an area of no more than about ¼ of the area of the target and including an inner magnetic pole of one magnetic polarity surrounded by an outer magnetic pole of an opposite magnetic polarity, a magnetic flux of said outer pole being at least 50% larger than the magnetic flux of said inner pole, and adapted to generate a self-ionized plasma in said chamber adjacent said target to ionize deposition material sputtered from said target;
• a target power source coupled to said target and responsive to said controller to bias said target to cause target material to be sputtered from said target;
• a first electrically conductive shield generally symmetric about said axis and disposed within said chamber;
• an RF coil generally symmetric about said axis and insulatively carried by said shield and disposed between said target and said pedestal;
• an RF power source responsive to said controller and coupled to said RF coil to power said RF coil to inductively couple RF energy to generate an inductively coupled plasma in a plasma generation area between said target and pedestal;
• and
• a coil biasing source responsive to said controller and coupled to said RF coil and adapted to bias said RF coil to cause coil material to be sputtered from said RF coil;
• wherein said controller is adapted to:
• operate said magnetron to generate a self-ionized plasma adjacent said target;
• operate said target power source to bias said target to sputter said target to provide sputtered target material wherein at least a portion of said sputtered target material is ionized in said self-ionized plasma;
• operate said pedestal power source to bias said substrate in said chamber to deposit into each of said holes a barrier layer comprising sputtered target material ionized in said magnetron generated self-ionized plasma in said chamber;
• operate said RF source to operate said RF coil to generate an inductively coupled plasma in said chamber;
• operate said coil biasing source to bias said RF coil to sputter coil material from said RF coil onto said substrate in said chamber;
• operate said pedestal power source to bias said substrate to resputter bottom portions of said barrier layers using said inductively coupled plasma in said chamber to thin said bottom portions of said barrier layers;
• operate said magnetron to generate additional self-ionized plasma adjacent said target in said chamber;
• operate said target power source to bias said target to sputter said target to provide additional sputtered target material wherein at least a portion of said additional sputtered target material is ionized in said additional self-ionized plasma;
• operate said pedestal power source to bias said substrate in said chamber to deposit into each of said holes a liner layer comprising said additional sputtered target material ionized in said additional magnetron generated self-ionized plasma in said chamber;
• operate said RF power source to operate said RF coil to generate additional inductively coupled plasma in said chamber;
• operate said coil biasing source to bias said RF coil to sputter additional coil material from said RF coil onto said substrate in said chamber;
• and
• operate said pedestal power source to bias said substrate to resputter bottom portions of said liner layers using said additional inductively coupled plasma in said chamber to thin said bottom portions of said liner layers.

A reactor for depositing conductive material onto a substrate, comprising:

• pedestal means for supporting a substrate;
• target means for sputter depositing a layer of conductive material onto said substrate, and for generating a self ionized plasma to ionize a portion of said conductive material sputtered from said target means prior to being deposited onto said substrate;
• means for biasing said substrate to attract ionized conductive material from said target means to deposit onto said substrate;
• inductively coupled plasma means for generating an inductively coupled plasma containing ions within said chamber, said inductively coupled plasma means including an RF coil of conductive material;
• said substrate biasing means further for biasing said substrate to attract said ions from said inductively coupled plasma to resputter from said substrate conductive material deposited on said substrate from said target means;
• and
• means for sputtering said coil to deposit coil material onto said substrate while target means conductive material is resputtered from said substrate;
• wherein said pedestal means includes a substrate support surface and said target means includes a target which is spaced from said substrate support surface by a throw distance that is greater than 50% of a diameter of the substrate.

A method of sputter depositing deposition material onto a substrate, comprising:

• providing a chamber having a target;
• rotating a magnetron about the back of the target, said magnetron having an area of no more than about ¼ of the area of the target and including an inner magnetic pole of one magnetic polarity surrounded by an outer magnetic pole of an opposite magnetic polarity, a magnetic flux of said outer pole being at least 50% larger than the magnetic flux of said inner pole;
• applying power to said target to thereby sputter material from said target onto said substrate;
• and
• applying RF power to a first coil to provide additional plasma density in said chamber.

A method of depositing copper into a hole having an aspect ratio of at least 4:1 and formed in a dielectric layer of a substrate, comprising:

• sputter depositing a first copper layer in a self-ionized plasma in a chamber to form a copper layer on at least a first portion of the walls of said hole but not filling said hole;
• sputter depositing a second copper layer in an inductively coupled plasma in said chamber to form another copper layer on at least a second portion of the walls of said hole but not filling said hole;
• and
• depositing a third copper layer onto said first and second layers.

A method of sputter depositing copper onto a substrate, comprising:

• providing a chamber having target principally comprising copper spaced from a pedestal for holding a substrate to be sputter coated by a throw distance that is greater than 50% of a diameter of the substrate;
• rotating a magnetron about the back of the target, said magnetron having an area of no more than about ¼ of the area of the target and including an inner magnetic pole of one magnetic polarity surrounded by an outer magnetic pole of an opposite magnetic polarity, a magnetic flux of said outer pole being at least 50% larger than the magnetic flux of said inner pole;
• after a plasma has been ignited in the chamber, pumping said chamber to a pressure of no more than 5 milliTorr;
• applying at least 10 kW of DC power to said target normalized to a 200 mm wafer while said chamber is pumped to said pressure, to thereby sputter copper from said target onto said substrate;
• and
• applying RF power to a coil to provide additional plasma density.

A plasma sputter reactor for sputter depositing a film on a substrate, comprising:

• a metallic vacuum chamber containing a pedestal aligned to a chamber axis and having a support surface for supporting a substrate to be sputter deposited;
• a target comprising a material to be sputter deposited on said substrate and electrically isolated from said vacuum chamber;
• a magnetron disposed adjacent said target and having an area of no more than about ¼ of the area of the target and including an inner magnetic pole of one magnetic polarity surrounded by an outer magnetic pole of an opposite magnetic polarity, a magnetic flux of said outer pole being at least 50% larger than the magnetic flux of said inner pole;
• a first electrically conductive shield generally symmetric about said axis, supported on and electrically connected to said chamber, and extending away from said target along a wall of said chamber to an elevation behind said support surface;
• a first RF coil insulatively carried by said first shield;
• and
• a controller adapted to control the pressure in said chamber to a pressure of no more than 5 milliTorr during at least a first portion of said sputter depositing.