Particulate capture in a plasma tool
OwnerScott Arthur Cummingsinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for increasing adhesion of particles ejected from a substrate being sputtered to interior surfaces of a vacuum chamber containing the substrate. The method includes: forming a viscous coating on a at least some regions of interior surfaces of the vacuum chamber, the viscous coating having a vapor pressure of no greater than 1/1000 of a nominal operating pressure of the vacuum chamber, the vapor pressure measured at a maximum operating temperature of the interior surfaces of the vacuum chamber that will be reached when the substrate is being bombarded by ions generated in and extracted from a plasma; and bombarding the substrate with the ions and capturing at least some of the ejected particles in the viscous coating.
Claims20
A method for increasing adhesion of particles ejected from a substrate being sputtered to interior surfaces of a vacuum chamber containing said substrate, comprising:
- forming a viscous coating on a at least some regions of interior surfaces of said vacuum chamber, said viscous coating having a vapor pressure of no greater than 1/1000 of a nominal operating pressure of said vacuum chamber, said vapor pressure measured at a maximum operating temperature of said interior surfaces of said vacuum chamber when said substrate is being bombarded by ions generated in and extracted from a plasma;
- and
- bombarding said substrate with said ions and capturing at least some of said ejected particles in said viscous coating.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a vacuum chamber;
- means for generating a vacuum in said plasma chamber;
- a chuck for holding a substrate in said vacuum chamber;
- means for generating a plasma in said vacuum chamber;
- means for directing ions from said plasma to said substrate;
- and
- a viscous coating on a at least some regions of interior surfaces of said vacuum chamber, said viscous coating having a vapor pressure of no greater than 1/1000 of a nominal operating pressure of said vacuum chamber, said vapor pressure measured at a maximum operating temperature of said interior surfaces of said vacuum chamber that will be reached when said substrate is being bombarded by ions generated in and extracted from a plasma.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.