# US 2008/0185285 A1 · Design supporting method, system, and program of magnetron sputtering apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2008/0185285 A1 - Document ID: US20080185285A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 11/960,905 - Filed: 2007-12-20 - Published: 2008-08-07 - Earliest claimed: 2007-02-05 - Assignees: Fujitsu Limited - Inventors: Atsushi Furuya; Akihiko Fujisaki; Tetsuyuki Kubota - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080185285A1 ## CPC - C23C 14/35: by application of a magnetic field, e.g. magnetron sputtering {(C23C14/3457 takes precedence)} - G06F 30/00: Computer-aided design [CAD] - H01J 37/3408: {Planar magnetron sputtering} - H01J 37/3452: {Magnet distribution} - H01J 37/3455: {Movable magnets} - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) ## Abstract A static magnetic field structure data is read, a cross section which is parallel with the target surface and in which plasma is generated is specified at an arbitrary position, and an erosion center line segment having an endless shape which goes through the center of a region in which the magnetic field vertical to the plane of the specified cross section is zero is calculated. The static erosion rate distribution in the specified cross section of the magnetic field structure data is calculated based on the erosion rate of the erosion center line segment, the rotational erosion rate distribution caused along with rotation of the magnet is calculated, and the film formation rate distribution on the objective material is calculated by using the rotational erosion rate distribution. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A design supporting method of magnetron sputtering apparatus which forms a magnetic field in a surface side of a target, which is a film formation material, by a rotating magnet disposed in a back surface side of the target so as to confine plasma and causes ion atoms generated from the plasma to collide with the target at a high speed so as to carry out sputtering and form a thin film on an objective material such as a wafer, the design supporting method of magnetron sputtering includes: a static magnetic field structure data reading step of reading a static magnetic field structure data generated in a stopped state of the magnet and storing the data in a memory unit; a cross-section specifying step of specifying, at an arbitrary position of the static magnetic field structure data, a cross section which is parallel with the target surface and in which plasma is generated; an erosion center line segment calculating step of calculating an erosion center line segment having an endless shape which goes through the center of a region in which a magnetic field vertical to a plane in the specified cross section of the static magnetic field structure data is zero; a static erosion rate distribution calculating step of calculating static erosion rate distribution in the specified cross section of the static magnetic field structure data based on an erosion rate of the erosion center line segment; a rotational erosion rate distribution calculating step of calculating rotational erosion rate distribution by integration of the static erosion rate along with rotation of the magnet; and a film formation rate distribution calculating step of calculating film formation rate distribution on the objective material by using the rotational erosion rate. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The design supporting method of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, further having a static magnetic field analysis step of generating the static magnetic field structure data, which is read in the static magnetic field structure data reading step, by static magnetic field analysis. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The design supporting method of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the cross section specifying step, an arbitrary cross section is specified with respect to the static magnetic field structure data based on a specifying operation of a user. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The design supporting method of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the static magnetic field structure data, objective space is divided into minute cuboidal meshes, a magnetic field (Bx, By, Bz) three-dimensionally calculated based on material property and shapes of the magnet and target present in the objective space is disposed for each coordinate (X[Ix], Y[Iy], Z[Iz]) of a predetermined vertex of the cuboidal mesh. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The design supporting method of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, in the erosion center line segment calculating step, when the specified cross section of the static magnetic field structure data cuts the cuboidal mesh, the vertical magnetic field of the cross section position is calculated by interpolation calculations of vertical magnetic fields set at two vertices positioned so as to sandwich the cut surface of the cuboidal mesh in a vertical direction. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The design supporting method of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, in the erosion center line segment calculating step, a line segment in which one side of the vertical magnetic field is a positive magnetic field and the other side is a negative magnetic field is extracted from the line segments between lattice points in the two dimensional meshes constituting the specified cross section of the static magnetic field model; and, for each extracted line segment, a position at which the vertical magnetic field on the line segment is zero is calculated by linear interpolation calculations of the positive magnetic field and the negative magnetic field, rearrangement is carried out so that the calculated vertical magnetic field zero positions are adjacent to each other, and coordinate data representing an erosion center line is generated. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The design supporting method of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the erosion center line segment calculating step, a misaligned distance due to centrifugal force caused along rotational motion of plasma particles is calculated and corrected based on curvature of the erosion center line segment. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The design supporting method of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, in the static erosion rate distribution calculating step, the static erosion rate distribution is calculated based on an analysis function model such as a Gaussian function. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The design supporting method of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 8 wherein, in the static erosion rate distribution calculating step, an erosion rate and distribution width on an erosion center line segment set in advance are read, the distance from a lattice point of the two dimensional meshes constituting the specified cross section of the static magnetic field structure data to the erosion center line segment is calculated, and the static erosion rate of the cell to which the lattice point belongs is calculated based on an specified analysis function such as a Gaussian function wherein the erosion rate, distribution width, and distance are used as calculation parameters. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The design supporting method of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 9, in the static erosion rate distribution calculating step, as distances from the lattice point of the two dimensional meshes to the erosion center line segment, the distances between the lattice point and all coordinate points constituting the static erosion center line are calculated, and a minimum distance among the calculated distances is selected. ### Claim 11 (depends on 4) The design supporting method of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, in the rotational erosion distribution calculating step, the erosion rate at an arbitrary position of the two dimensional mesh in the specified cross section is calculated by an interpolation calculation based on the erosion rates calculated in the static erosion rate calculating step of four lattice points of a cell including the arbitrary position, and the rotational erosion rate distribution is calculated by integration of the erosion rates of the lattice points of the two dimensional meshes and the arbitrary position according to rotation of the magnet. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The design supporting method of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the film formation rate distribution calculating step, the film formation rate distribution is calculated from the rotational erosion rate distribution and scattering angle dependency. ### Claim 13 A design supporting system of magnetron sputtering apparatus which forms a magnetic field in a surface side of a target, which is a film formation material, by a rotating magnet disposed in a back surface side of the target so as to confine plasma and causes ion atoms generated from the plasma to collide with the target at a high speed so as to carry out sputtering and form a thin film on an objective material such as a wafer, the design supporting system of magnetron sputtering apparatus having: a static magnetic field structure data reading unit which reads a static magnetic field structure data generated in a stopped state of the magnet and storing the model in a memory unit; a cross-section specifying unit which specifies, at an arbitrary position of the static magnetic field structure data, a cross section which is parallel with the target surface and in which plasma is generated; an erosion center line segment calculating unit which calculates an erosion center line segment having an endless shape which goes through the center of a region in which a magnetic field vertical to a plane in the specified cross section of the static magnetic field structure data is zero; a static erosion rate distribution calculating unit which calculates static erosion rate distribution in the specified cross section of the static magnetic field structure data based on an erosion rate of the erosion center line segment; a rotational erosion rate distribution calculating unit which calculates rotational erosion rate distribution by integration of the static erosion rate along with rotation of the magnet; and a film formation rate distribution calculating unit which calculates film formation rate distribution on the objective material by using the rotational erosion rate. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The design supporting system of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the cross section specifying unit specifies an arbitrary cross section with respect to the static magnetic field structure data based on a specifying operation of a user. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The design supporting system of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 13, wherein, in the static magnetic field structure data, objective space is divided into minute cuboidal meshes, a magnetic field (Bs, By, Bz) three-dimensionally calculated based on material property and shapes of the magnet and target present in the objective space is disposed for each coordinate (X[Ix], Y[Iy], Z[Iz]) of a predetermined vertex of the cuboidal mesh. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The design supporting system of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, when the specified cross section of the static magnetic field structure data cuts the cuboidal mesh, the erosion center line segment calculating unit calculates the vertical magnetic field of the cross section position interpolation calculations of vertical magnetic fields set at two vertices positioned so as to sandwich the cut surface of the cuboidal mesh in a vertical direction. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The design supporting system of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the erosion center line segment calculating unit extracts a line segment, in which one side of the vertical magnetic field is a positive magnetic field and the other side is a negative magnetic field, from the line segments between lattice points in the two-dimensional meshes constituting the specified cross section of the static magnetic field structure data; and, for each extracted line segment, calculates a position at which the vertical magnetic field on the line segment is zero by linear interpolation calculations of the positive magnetic field and the negative magnetic field, carries out rearrangement so that the calculated vertical magnetic field zero positions are adjacent to each other, and generates coordinate data representing an erosion center line. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The design supporting system of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 17, wherein, the static erosion rate distribution calculating unit calculates the static erosion rate distribution based on a Gaussian function model. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The design supporting system of magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, the static erosion rate distribution calculating unit reads an erosion rate and distribution width on an erosion center line segment set in advance, calculates the distance from a lattice point of the two-dimensional meshes constituting the specified cross section of the static magnetic field structure data to the erosion center line segment, and calculates the static erosion rate of the cell to which the lattice point belongs based on the Gaussian function model wherein the erosion rate, distribution width, and distance are used as calculation parameters. ### Claim 20 A computer-readable storage medium which stores a program which causes a computer of a design supporting system of magnetron sputtering apparatus which forms a magnetic field in a surface side of a target, which is a film formation material, by a magnet, which is disposed in a back surface side of the target and rotates at a constant speed, so as to confine plasma and causes ion atoms generated from the plasma to collide with the target at a high speed so as to carry out sputtering and form a thin film on an objective material such as a wafer, to execute: a static magnetic field structure data reading step of reading a static magnetic field structure data generated in a stopped state of the magnet and storing the model in a memory unit; a cross-section specifying step of specifying, at an arbitrary position of the static magnetic field structure data, a cross section which is parallel with the target surface and in which plasma is generated; an erosion center line segment calculating step of calculating an erosion center line segment having an endless shape which goes through the center of a region in which a magnetic field vertical to a plane in the specified cross section of the static magnetic field structure data is zero; a static erosion rate distribution calculating step of calculating static erosion rate distribution in the specified cross section of the static magnetic field structure data based on an erosion rate of the erosion center line segment; a rotational erosion rate distribution calculating step of calculating rotational erosion rate distribution by integration of the static erosion rate along with rotation of the magnet; and a film formation rate distribution calculating step of calculating film formation rate distribution on the objective material by using the rotational erosion rate. ### Claim 21 A simulation method of magnetron sputtering apparatus which forms a magnetic field in a surface side of a target, which is a film formation material, by a rotating magnet disposed in a back surface side of the target so as to confine plasma and causes ion atoms generated from the plasma to collide with the target at a high speed so as to carry out sputtering and form a thin film on an objective material such as a wafer, the simulation method of magnetron sputtering apparatus including: a static magnetic field structure data reading step of reading a static magnetic field structure data generated in a stopped state of the magnet and storing the model in a memory unit; a cross-section specifying step of specifying, at an arbitrary position of the static magnetic field structure data, a cross section which is parallel with the target surface and in which plasma is generated; an erosion center line segment calculating step of calculating an erosion center line segment having an endless shape which goes through the center of a region in which a vertical magnetic field in the specified cross section of the static magnetic field structure data is zero; a static erosion rate distribution calculating step of calculating static erosion rate distribution in the specified cross section of the static magnetic field structure data based on an erosion rate of the erosion center line segment; a rotational erosion rate distribution calculating step of calculating rotational erosion rate distribution by integration of the static erosion rate along with rotation of the magnet; and a film formation rate distribution calculating step of calculating film formation rate distribution on the objective material by using the rotational erosion rate. ### Claim 22 A simulation system of magnetron sputtering which forms a magnetic field in a surface side of a target, which is a film formation material, by a rotating magnet disposed in a back surface side of the target so as to confine plasma and causes ion atoms generated from the plasma to collide with the target at a high speed so as to carry out sputtering and form a thin film on an objective material such as a wafer, the simulation system of magnetron sputtering having: a static magnetic field structure data reading unit which reads a static magnetic field structure data generated in a stopped state of the magnet and storing the model in a memory unit; a cross-section specifying unit which specifies, at an arbitrary position of the static magnetic field structure data, a cross section which is parallel with the target surface and in which plasma is generated; an erosion center line segment calculating unit which calculates an erosion center line segment having an endless shape which goes through the center of a region in which a magnetic field vertical to a plane in the specified cross section of the static magnetic field structure data is zero; a static erosion rate distribution calculating unit which calculates static erosion rate distribution in the specified cross section of the static magnetic field structure data based on an erosion rate of the erosion center line segment; a rotational erosion rate distribution calculating unit which calculates rotational erosion rate distribution by integration of the static erosion rate along with rotation of the magnet; and a film formation rate distribution calculating unit which calculates film formation rate distribution on the objective material by using the rotational erosion rate.