Electrically isolated collimator and method

• Main Authors: LEIPHART; SHANE P, ELLIOT; RICHARD L
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 06.01.1998
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS; ELECTRICITY; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; METALLURGY; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION

Disclosed is a collimator, where the collimator is mounted within a sputter chamber and is interposed between a sputter target and a wafer to be coated with a thin film of the sputtered material. The collimator of the present invention is preferably mounted within the sputter chamber in an insulated manner so that the collimator is electrically insulated from the chamber and the collimator is able to take on a floating electrical potential of the plasma generated within the sputter chamber. The wafer is preferably rf-biased to effectuate a selective, reduced-rate sputtering of portions of the deposited film to inhibit premature pinch off by the film of recessed areas of the wafer.