Electroplating using DC current interruption and variable rotation rate
Granted: November 25, 2004
Application Number:
20040231996
A negative bias is applied to an integrated circuit wafer immersed in an electrolytic plating solution to generate a DC current. After about ten percent to sixty percent of the final layer thickness has formed in a first plating time, biasing is interrupted during short pauses during a second plating time to generate substantially zero DC current. The pauses are from about 2 milliseconds to 5 seconds long, and typically about 10 milliseconds to 500 milliseconds. Generally, about 2 pauses…
Method of forming low-resistivity tungsten interconnects
Granted: October 14, 2004
Application Number:
20040202786
Methods and apparatus for preparing a low-resistivity tungsten film on a substrate are provided. Methods involve the formation of a tungsten nucleation layer on a substrate using pulsed nucleation layer (PNL) techniques and depositing a bulk tungsten layer thereon. Methods for forming the tungsten nucleation layer involve the use of a boron-containing species, a tungsten-containing precursor, and optionally, a silane. The methods described are particularly useful for applications where…
Active rinse shield for electrofill chemical bath and method of use
Granted: September 23, 2004
Application Number:
20040182424
An active rinse shield designed to protect electrofill chemical baths from excessive dilution during rinse sprays on the semiconductor wafer. The shield uses overlapping blades to cover the bath, making a physical barrier between the bath chemistry and the wafer rinse water. The blades are interconnecting ribs that actuate around a common pivot axis. A linear mechanical actuator controls the blade movement, moving the top-most blade, which in turn, moves an adjacent lower blade. Each…
Deposition of tungsten nitride
Granted: July 22, 2004
Application Number:
20040142557
Methods for depositing a tungsten nitride layer are described. The methods form a tungsten nitride layer using a carefully controlled deposition technique such as pulsed nucleation layer (PNL). Initially, a tungsten layer is formed on a substrate surface. The tungsten layer is then exposed to a nitriding agent to form a tungsten nitride layer. Methods of forming relatively thick layers of involve repeated cycles of contact with reducing agent, tungsten precursor and nitriding agent. In…
Erbium-doped oxide glass
Granted: July 15, 2004
Application Number:
20040136681
An optical planar waveguide comprising erbium-doped silica glass has an active core with a length of not less than 5 cm, typically in a range of 0.2 cm to 100 meters, preferably 0.5 cm to 5 meters. Preferably, the active core of the planar waveguide has a serpentine shape. The radius of curvature of the serpentine planar waveguide is in a range of about 0.1 mm to 50 mm, preferably about 20 mm. The erbium-doped silica glass has a low concentration of erbium atoms, corresponding to an…
Silicon carbide having low dielectric constant
Granted: July 1, 2004
Application Number:
20040126929
A low-k precursor reactant compound containing silicon and carbon atoms is flowed into a CVD reaction chamber. High-frequency radio-frequency power is applied to form a plasma. Preferably, the reaction chamber is part of a dual-frequency PECVD apparatus, and low-frequency radio-frequency power is applied to the reaction chamber. Reactive components formed in the plasma react to form low-dielectric-constant silicon carbide (SiC) on a substrate surface. A low-k precursor is characterized…
Nitrogen-free fluorine-doped silicate glass
Granted: May 13, 2004
Application Number:
20040091717
Nitrogen-free reactant gas containing silicon, oxygen, and fluorine atoms is flowed to a nitrogen-free CVD reaction chamber. Preferably, SiH4 gas, SiF4 gas, and CO2 are flowed to the reaction chamber. Radio-frequency power is applied to form a plasma. Preferably, the reaction chamber is part of a dual-frequency PECVD or HPD-CVD apparatus. Reactive components formed in the plasma react to form low-dielectric-constant nitrogen-free fluorine-doped silicate glass (FSG) on a substrate…
Liquid treatment using thin liquid layer
Granted: April 8, 2004
Application Number:
20040065540
A treating head having a treating surface and a substrate treatment surface define a thin fluid gap that is filled with reactant liquid to form a thin liquid layer on the substrate for conducting a liquid chemical reaction treatment or other liquid treatment of the substrate. The thin liquid layer has a volume in a range of about from 50 ml to 500 ml. Preferably, the chemical composition, temperature, and other properties of liquid in the thin liquid layer are dynamically variable.
Gas-purged vacuum valve
Granted: January 15, 2004
Application Number:
20040007188
A vacuum valve assembly for use in a vacuum processing chamber includes a seat defining an opening in the vacuum valve, with the seat having a sealing face adjacent the opening and normal to the direction of the opening; and a gate having a sealing face adapted to mate with the seat sealing face, the gate being movable toward and away from the seat sealing face to seal and open the vacuum valve opening. A continuous elastomeric seal extends around the vacuum valve opening between the…
Method for the formation of diffusion barrier
Granted: October 16, 2003
Application Number:
20030194858
Electronic components such as semiconductor wafer VLSI and ULSI integrated circuit devices are provided having a robust barrier layer in the device interconnects. The robust barrier layer provides excellent step coverage, low resistance and enhanced adhesion to CVD copper and the interconnect has a double structure of a layer of a barrier material and a metal layer thereon. The metal layer is preferably tungsten and is formed by replacing silicon or other such atoms on the surface of the…
Dynamically variable field shaping element
Granted: May 1, 2003
Application Number:
20030079995
In an electrochemical reactor used for electrochemical treatment of a substrate, for example, for electroplating or electropolishing the substrate, one or more of the surface area of a field-shaping shield, the shield's distance between the anode and cathode, and the shield's angular orientation is varied during electrochemical treatment to screen the applied field and to compensate for potential drop along the radius of a wafer. The shield establishes an inverse potential drop in the…
UNIFORM SURFACE TEXTURING FOR PVD/CVD HARDWARE
Granted: October 17, 2002
Application Number:
20020150687
A method is provided for texturing the surface of a substrate to enhance the adhesion and to reduce the stress concentration of coatings applied to the substrate. In one embodiment, a first layer of first spheres is applied to the substrate to provide a textured surface onto which is deposited a second layer of larger second spheres. The layered substrate is then reflowed to melt the first layer of first spheres so that the second layer of second spheres is embedded in the formed first…
Method for the formation of diffusion barrier
Granted: June 27, 2002
Application Number:
20020081845
Electronic components such as semiconductor wafer VLSI and ULSI integrated circuit devices are provided having a robust barrier layer in the device interconnects. The robust barrier layer provides excellent step coverage, low resistance and enhanced adhesion to CVD copper and the interconnect has a double structure of a layer of a barrier material and a metal layer thereon. The metal layer is preferably tungsten and is formed by replacing silicon or other such atoms on the surface of the…
Apparatus and method for injecting and modifying gas concentration of a meta-stable or atomic species in a downstream plasma reactor
Granted: April 4, 2002
Application Number:
20020039625
This invention provides an apparatus and method for injecting gas within a plasma reactor and tailoring the distribution of an active species generated by the remote plasma source over the substrate or wafer. The distribution may be made more or less uniform, wafer-edge concentrated, or wafer-center concentrated. A contoured plate or profiler is provided for modifying the distribution. The profiler is an axially symmetric plate, having a narrow top end and a wider bottom end, shaped to…
Apparatus and method for injecting and modifying gas concentration of a meta-stable or atomic species in a downstream plasma reactor
Granted: March 14, 2002
Application Number:
20020029747
This invention provides an apparatus and method for injecting gas within a plasma reactor and tailoring the distribution of an active species generated by the remote plasma source over the substrate or wafer. The distribution may be made more or less uniform, wafer-edge concentrated, or wafer-center concentrated. A contoured plate or profiler is provided for modifying the distribution. The profiler is an axially symmetric plate, having a narrow top end and a wider bottom end, shaped to…
