Method for determining the relevant ion and particle flows in i-PVD processes

In i-PVD processes transporting metal atoms and metal ions in a gas plasma, under an influence of electromagnetic fields, to a substrate and depositing the metal atoms and the metal ions on the substrate, a method for determining relevant deposition parameters which comprises:

• (A) calculating reaction rates for desired reagents of the gas plasma and of a material to be deposited, the material selected from at least one of the group consisting of a metal and a metal compound;
• (B) simulating an edge coverage of a predetermined structure with the deposited material based upon the reaction rates calculated in step (A) with simultaneous systematic variation of the relevant deposition parameters;
• (C) compiling, from results of the simulation of step (B), variant tables for the relevant deposition parameters for the predetermined structure;
• (D) executing an i-PVD process in a selected gas plasma and using a selected material over the predetermined structure;
• (E) experimentally verifying the simulated edge coverage for the product produced in step (D) with an imaging process;
• and
• (F) determining the relevant deposition parameters by comparing the experimental verification produced in step (E) with the variant tables compiled in step (C).

A method for determining relevant deposition parameters in i-PVD processes, in which metal atoms and metal ions are transported in a gas plasma, under an influence of electromagnetic fields, to a substrate and deposited thereon, which comprises:

• (A) calculating reaction rates for desired reagents of the gas plasma and of a material to be deposited, the material selected from at least one of the group consisting of a metal and a metal compound;
• (B) simulating an edge coverage of a predetermined structure with the deposited material based upon the reaction rates calculated in step (A) with simultaneous systematic variation of the relevant deposition parameters;
• (C) compiling, from results of the simulation of step (B), variant tables for the relevant deposition parameters for the predetermined structure;
• (D) executing an i-PVD process in a selected gas plasma and using a selected material over the predetermined structure;
• (E) experimentally verifying the simulated edge coverage for the product produced in step (D) with an imaging process;
• and
• (F) determining the relevant deposition parameters by comparing the experimental verification produced in step (E) with the variant tables compiled in step (C).

In a control configuration of a production installation executing i-PVD processes, in which metal atoms and metal ions are transported in a gas plasma, under an influence of electromagnetic fields, to a substrate and deposited thereon, a method for deciding if relevant process parameters are moving out of a desired target corridor, which comprises:

• (A) calculating reaction rates for desired reagents of the gas plasma and of a material to be deposited, the material selected from at least one of the group consisting of a metal and a metal compound;
• (B) simulating an edge coverage of a predetermined structure with the deposited material based upon the reaction rates calculated in step (A) with simultaneous systematic variation of the relevant process parameters;
• (C) compiling, from results of the simulation of step (B), variant tables for the relevant process parameters for the predetermined structure;
• (D) executing an i-PVD process in a selected gas plasma and using a selected material over the predetermined structure;
• (E) experimentally verifying the simulated edge coverage for the product produced in step (D) with an imaging process;
• and
• (F) determining the relevant process parameters by comparing the experimental verification produced in step (E) with the variant tables compiled in step (C).

A method for deciding if relevant process parameters are moving out of a desired target corridor in a control configuration of a production installation, which comprises:

• executing i-PVD processes in the production installation to transport metal atoms and metal ions in a gas plasma, under an influence of electromagnetic fields, to a substrate and to deposit the metal atoms and the metal ions on the substrate by:
• (A) calculating reaction rates for desired reagents of the gas plasma and of a material to be deposited, the material selected from at least one of the group consisting of a metal and a metal compound;
• (B) simulating an edge coverage of a predetermined structure with the deposited material based upon the reaction rates calculated in step (A) with simultaneous systematic variation of the relevant process parameters;
• (C) compiling, from results of the simulation of step (B), variant tables for the relevant process parameters for the predetermined structure;
• (D) executing an i-PVD process in a selected gas plasma and using a selected material over the predetermined structure;
• (E) experimentally verifying the simulated edge coverage for the product produced in step (D) with an imaging process;
• and
• (F) determining the relevant process parameters by comparing the experimental verification produced in step (E) with the variant tables compiled in step (C).