Inert plasma gas surface cleaning process performed insitu with physical vapor deposition (PVD) of a layer of material

A method for making a semiconductor structure, the method comprising the steps of:

• placing a semiconductor substrate into a chamber, the semiconductor substrate having a surface characterized as having surface contamination thereon;
• cleaning the surface contamination on the surface of the semiconductor substrate within the chamber to form a cleaned surface of the semiconductor substrate by creating a plasma using a coil located within the chamber and directing ions of the plasma to the surface of the semiconductor substrate;
• and
• insitu sputtering material from a surface of a sputter target within the chamber to form a layer of material on the cleaned surface of the semiconductor substrate.

A method for making a semiconductor structure, the method comprising the steps of:

• placing a semiconductor substrate on a wafer chuck in a chamber, the semiconductor substrate having an active surface characterized as having surface contamination thereon;
• introducing argon (Ar) gas into the chamber at a flow rate between approximately 10 standard cubic centimeters per minute (sccm) and 100 sccm;
• pressurizing the chamber to a pressure within a range of approximately 5 millitorr to 100 millitorr;
• applying power to a coil within the chamber to create an Ar plasma from the Ar gas in the chamber;
• applying power to the wafer chuck to bias the semiconductor substrate to a predetermined voltage within a range of approximately −30 volts to −40 volts;
• cleaning the surface contamination on the active surface of the semiconductor substrate by keeping the chamber pressurized and the wafer chuck powered for a predetermined time to create a cleaned active surface on the semiconductor substrate;
• applying power to an anode which is attached to a sputter target at an opposite end of the chamber from the semiconductor substrate;
• and
• in situ sputtering material from a surface of the sputter target to form a layer of material on the cleated active surface of the semiconductor substrate.