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AssigneeAgere Systems Inc.
InventorsBradley Paul Barber, Linus Albert Fetter
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The invention embodies a method and apparatus for controlling the thickness of a dielectric film formed by physical vapor deposition (PVD). The method compensates for the continuously varying electrical load conditions inherent in dielectric deposition via PVD. The method can be implemented through three different stages. Initially, the system power supply can be configured to operate in either constant current or constant voltage mode, herein referred to as constant supply parameter mode. Next, a gas composition which minimizes excursions in system impedance under these conditions is empirically determined. Finally, a test deposition can be performed using the constant parameter power supply mode and the gas mixture. This deposition is performed while tracking and summing the energy delivered to the system. The thickness of the deposited film is subsequently measured, and from these data a thickness-per-unit-energy relationship is determined. Depositions of predictable film thickness are then reproducibly performed under these established conditions. In practice, a given deposition is terminated at a value of total energy as determined by the established thickness per unit energy value and the required film thickness. The method is much more reliable than the current art technique of deposition at constant power for a fixed time.
A method of depositing a dielectric material on a substrate using a deposition apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber, a power supply having controllable supply parameters, and a monitor coupled to the power supply for monitoring the supply parameters, in which the dielectric material and substrate are enclosed in the vacuum chamber and subjected to bombardment by electrically-excited ions by electrical excitation provided by the power supply, the method comprising the steps of:
The method of claim I wherein said dielectric material applied to said substrate is used in a bulk acoustic wave device.
A method of depositing a dielectric material on a substrate using a deposition apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber, a power supply having controllable supply parameters, and a monitor coupled to the power supply for monitoring the supply parameters, in which the dielectric material and substrate are enclosed in the vacuum chamber and subjected to bombardment by electrically-excited ions by electrical excitation provided by the power supply, the method comprising the steps of:
A method of depositing a dielectric material on a substrate using a deposition apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber, a power supply having controllable supply parameters, and a monitor coupled to the power supply for monitoring the supply parameters, in which the dielectric material and substrate are enclosed in the vacuum chamber and subjected to bombardment by electrically-excited ions by electrical excitation provided by the power supply, the method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.