Method and apparatus for non-aggressive plasma-enhanced vapor deposition of dielectric films
AssigneeAlcatel
InventorsChristophe Jany, Michel Puech
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Abstract
While performing plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition on a substrate by exposing the substrate in a vacuum to a flow of particles generated by a plasma, which particles react to form a passivation layer on the substrate, a grid is interposed between the plasma and the substrate, thereby reducing the flow of charged particles towards the substrate while conserving a flow of neutral particles. The grid is formed of metal wires that are crossed at a pitch that is less than two or three times the Debye length (λD) of the plasma used, at least at the beginning of deposition. The aging properties of semiconductor components made by such a method is thereby improved.
Claims11
Apparatus for depositing dielectric films on a substrate by a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method, the apparatus comprising:
- a source of high-density ion plasma;
- means for projecting plasma particles onto the substrate;
- and
- a selective trap for at least substantially reducing the flow of charged particles towards the substrate while conserving a flow of neutral particles which react to form a passivation layer on the substrate;
- said apparatus further comprising means for selectively retracting the trap, such that the trap is interposed in the flow of particles during an initial step of non-aggressive deposition, and the trap is retracted from the flow of particles during a following step of rapid deposition wherein deposition occurs more rapidly than during said non-aggressive deposition said.
Apparatus for depositing dielectric films on a substrate by a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method, the apparatus comprising:
- a source of high-density ion plasma;
- means for projecting plasma particles onto the substrate;
- and
- a selective trap for at least substantially reducing the flow of charged particles towards the substrate while conserving a flow of neutral particles which react to form a passivation layer on the substrate;
- in which the selective trap comprises a metal grid interposed between the plasma and the substrate, the grid being formed by metal wires crossed at a pitch that is determined as a function of the characteristics of the plasma to block the flow of charged particles;
- and
- in which the apparatus includes adaptation means for modifying the Debye length λD of the particles of the plasma, the grid remaining interposed permanently in the flow of particles during deposition, whereby the adaptation means provide a plasma having a Debye length λD that is greater than one-third or half the pitch of the grid during an initial step of non-aggressive deposition, and the adaptation means provide a plasma of Debye length λD that is considerably smaller than one-third or half the pitch of the grid during a following step of rapid deposition where deposition occurs more rapidly than during said non-aggressive deposition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.