Method for forming a thin film of a metal compound by vacuum deposition
AssigneeShincron Co., Ltd.
InventorsShigeharu Matsumoto, Kazuo Kikuchi
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Abstract
A method for forming a thin film of a metal compound is disclosed. Within a vacuum chamber, a metallic ultra-thin film of a metal or an incompletely-reacted metal is deposited on a substrate. The metallic ultra-thin film is brought in contact with the electrically neutral activated species of a reactive gas so as to convert the metallic ultra-thin film to an ultra-thin film of a metal compound through the reaction of the metallic ultra-thin film with the activated species of the reactive gas. The above-described steps are sequentially repeated so as to deposit on the substrate the ultra-thin film of the metal compound in layers until a thin film of the metal compound having a desired thickness is formed on the substrate.
Claims14
A method for forming a film of a metal compound comprising the steps of:
- depositing on a substrate, within a film deposition zone in a vacuum chamber, a metallic film of a metal or an incompletely-reacted metal;
- generating a plasma of a reactive gas, said plasma containing electrically neutral activated species and charged species;
- then separating charged species from the reactive gas plasma;
- then bringing the metallic film, within a reaction process zone separate from the film deposition zone, into contact with the reactive gas plasma so as to convert the metallic film to a film of a metal compound through the reaction of the metallic film with the electrically neutral activated species of the reactive gas;
- and
- sequentially repeating the steps so as to deposit on the substrate the film of the metal compound as layers until the metal compound is formed to a desired thickness on the substrate.
A method for forming a thin film of a metal compound comprising the steps of:
- depositing an a substrate, within a film deposition zone in a vacuum chamber, a metallic film of a metal or an incompletely-reacted metal, AC power at a frequency ranging between 1 kHz and 100 kHz being applied to a pair of same or different magnetron sputtering targets insulated electrically from the ground such that the polarity of each of the targets alternates between positive and negative with respect to the ground potential and thus, in an alternating manner, one target serves as a cathode and the other target serves as an anode;
- generating a plasma of a reactive gas, said plasma containing electrically neutral activated species and charged species;
- then spearating charged species from the reactive gas plasma;
- then bringing the metallic film, within a reaction process zone separate from the film deposition zone, in contact with electrically neutral activated species of the reactive gas so as to convert the metallic film to a film of a metal compound through the reaction of the metallic film with the activated species of the reactive gas;
- and
- sequentially repeating the steps so as to deposit on the substrate the film of the metal compound as layers until a film of the metal compound is formed to a desired thickness on the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.