Content of  pdf file

1. Project name

Development of the thee process modules for cluster tool on the basis of the universal scaled source of plasma

2. Project purpose

For the costs reduction on development and manufacturing of new generation of the special technological equipment (STE) the scientists and manufacturing engineers relay on the next innovate approaches [1,2]:

- the equipment should be cluster conception, containing universal loadlock chambers for  the load-unload of substrates and process modules, matched  to the universal transport module, with combined vacuum and control systems;

- quantity of the process modules should correspond to the number of the operations, required for forming of the completed system or a node of a microcircuit or device, for example systems of metallization or node of shutters of MOS transistor;

 - a typical process module, co-called reactor, consists of the plasma source processing,

(chemical, electrochemical, thermal, photonic, ion or plasma) substrate holder unit on which substrate is fixed and processed, and the chambers, usually of the cylindrical form, on which the plasma source and substrate holder unit are mounted and also can contain elements for improvement of uniformity of processing substrate;

           -  the source (system) of plasma processing should possess a maximum efficiency of energy use, i.e.to expend a minimum quantity of energy and energy carriers for processing of one wafer.

It is obvious, that the more technological operations can be carried out by the plasma source of processing, that the easier it can be scaled for processing of larger substrates, and then less it will consume the energy on processing, then cheaper will be cost price of   development and production of new generation STE.

At the present time all the leading companies for manufacturing of  industrial equipment are running research and development of the universal (providing a realization of the maximum possible set of the technological operations), scaled up to the 450 mm in the diameter of substrate and energy saving sources for chemical, electrochemical, thermal, photonic, ion and plasma processing. In particular development of sources for vacuum ion-plasma processing of substrates of diameter up to 450 mm on the basis of systems with plasma generation of high density (HDP) (high density plasma - HDP) is leading by the companies such as Applied Materials, Hitachi, TEL and Mattson [3,4].

At the present time the industrial cluster equipments consisting of the cluster chamber, where is loading chamber installed and the set of process modules, realizing the process  of ion plasma processing on the substrate with diameter 200 mm and 300 mm, (sequentially in each of them, without braking in vacuum and subsequently excluding the contact of items with atmosphere) are the basis of the advanced country of the World[1-2].

The cost of modern cluster equipment with (3-5) process modules amounts to 3,0-4,5 USD million, at that the value of modules amount to usually (70-90) % from the value of installation. Development of the same modules provided with special «tool» for items processing (chemical, electrochemical, thermal, photonic, ion or plasma etc.) is the more science-and-cost based field in the development of cluster equipment.

At present time, in Russia, there's no domestic industrial  cluster equipment for realization of the vacuum plasma-ion processing of materials and functional layers, in particular for manufacturing of the  integral circuits (IC),that contributes of its chronic delay in the field of nanotechnology. For improving of the situation «ESTO-Vacuum», LLC which is the leading manufacturer

of industrial vacuum equipment for the processes of ion plasma processing of materials for microelectronic and another manufacturing field of production planned to proceed to developing and industrial production of the domestic cluster tool.

          Based on the result of the investment agreement, «ROSNANO», JSC contributed to registered capital of the «ESTO-Vacuum», LLC company about 200 million RUB, for company’s development: increase in out-put of production, abstention of the production areas, infrastructure development and partial  within extension of production for development of new models of the industrial equipment for vacuum ion-plasma processing.

         In view of the substantial volume of the financial expenses for creation of the pilot sample of the modern domestic cluster equipment has been decided within a framework of «ESTO-Vacuum», LLC company using a raising founds «ROSNANO»,to work out transport and loading module, firmware for all installation and charring of pilot sample of the cluster installation to production chain as for development, preparation, research of the test and evaluation work and  commercialization of the tree process modules on the basis of the patented plasma source for installation to work out  on the terms of co- finances by the innovation centre «SKOLKOVO».

         For this purpose «ESTO-Vacuum», LLC company created a subsidiary company «PPT», LLC to which is planning to convey all patents and another intellectual property on universal scaled source of plasma after receiving the pattern of the innovation center Skolkovo.

Within a project Skolkovo with innovation center «Skolkovo», «PPT», LLC in planning to carry out a works as following:

a)      Development of module and carrying out the mathematic simulation of construction of plasma source for processing of substrates of diameter 200 mm with  inequality no more then ±5 %.

b)      Development, production work, research, test and evaluation work and  commercialization of the tree process modules on the basis of the universal plasma source realizing the process of vacuum ion-plasma processing as following:

- Process module №1- technological process of spattering of coatings and functional layer on substrates by means of ionic sputtering of targets.

-  Process module №2 -  technological process of high resolution (anisotropic) etching of non-organic functional layers and organic masking coverings on substrates.

-  Process module №3 - technological process of removal of organic masking covering and cleaning of subtract surface.

Non-uniformity of ±5 % on diameter (surface) of substrates meets market requirements for the vacuum ion plasma processing for 99 %. Just only 1% requirements of Word market is banded with preparation fine-geometry masks and mirror for X-ray optics, requires non-uniformity processing no more then ±1 % on surface of substrate The equipment cost, providing with non-uniformity of processing no more then ±1 % on surface of substrate is higher in (1,8-2,0) times  then equipment with non-uniformity no more then ±5 %   .

    c)   Software-based, vacuum and mechanical link-up if worked-out modules with transport         

         chamber of the pilot sample of cluster tool, produced within the project between                 

        «ROSNANO»,JSC and «ESTO-Vacuum», LLC company and realization it as a part of 

         pointed technological process of vacuum ion-plasma processing of layers of diameter 

   200  mm and non-uniformity no more then ±5 %.

d)Organization of revise  and improvement of model, mathematic simulation, development 

   and preparation of experimental scaled pattern of  diameter processing up to 450 mm of  

   plasma source, realization of research and test operations at the test-bed for the purpose of

   revelation of its possibility for improvement with inequality  ±5 %.

3. A substantiation of project execution 

            Industrial cluster equipment, realizing the ion-plasma processing on the substrates (wafers) of diameter 200 mm and 300 mm is the basis of nanotechnology in the field of production of the main items of microelectronics, micro-electromechanical system, photo and optoelectronics, quantum and molecular electronics in the lead country of the world[1,2].

           The analyses of vacuum of ion-plasma market (STE) and running the technologic processes [5] hasshown:

·         At present time, in Russia there is no domestic industrial cluster equipment  for realization of the ion-plasma processing materials and functional layers of IC (integral circuit);

·         Russian leading enterprises in the field of  microelectronic work on the layers of the diameter (150-200 mm and has been required the non-uniformity of proсessing no more then  ±5 % to diameter surface of layer;

·         «ESTO-Vacuum», LLC company issues 30% of volume the industrial STE in the basis of the autonomous single-chamber installation for vacuum ion-plasma processing;

·         «ESTO-Vacuum», LLC company possesses the domestic, patented in the leading country of the world, universal and energy-saving source of plasma. On the basis of it the company produces autonomous single-chamber and load-lock installation of etching, clearing and spattering of the functional layers «Caroline PE12»б «Caroline PE 15» and «Caroline PECVD12» [6,8].

        Carried out laboratory tests of the patented source of plasma  «ESTO-Vacuum», LLC company [9] on the basis of flat high-frequency (HF) system with transformer banded  plasma (TBP) (see the table)  have shown [9] that by the parameter energy efficiency i.e.  in degree of conversion the submit capacity in using for pressing the layers the ion current exceeds in (3,0-4,0) times the all well-known historical materials and domestic HF system (sources) generation  of high density.

     Therefore, developed cluster tool with three process modules (work chamber) on the basis of the universal, scaled and energy-saving source of plasma of high density plasma of high density (HDP) for realization technological processes of vacuum ion-plasma spattering, etching and cleaning will be competitive  on world market of the special technological equipments, and will have the wide field of distribution in Russia, where there is no such equipment  and in the short  run will be competitive  abroad.

References

1. Handbook of Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology / edited by Y. Nishi and R. Doering, Marcell Dekker Inc., N.Y., USA, Second Edition, 2008. - 1722 pp.

2. Kireev V. Introduction to the technology of microelectronics and nanotechnology,  «ЦНИИХМ», 2008. - 432 p.

3. Intel called to cooperate for transition to 450-mm wafers. - http://www.findsoft.ru/articl_text.php?vidd=18836&clase=1&subclase=16.

4. Yang Y., Kushner V.J. 450 mm dual frequency capacitive coupled plasma sources: conventional graded and segmented electrodes. - J. Appl. Phys. 108, 11, 3306 (2010).

            5. Marketing research «the Market of services and equipment for deposition of PVD and CVD coatings», «RUSNANO», JSC.

6. Website «ESTO-Vacuum», LLC company: www.esto-vacuum.ru

7.  The patent of the Russian Federation № 2171555 from the 6^th of March, 2000

8.  The patent of the Russian Federation № 2285742 from the 27^th of July, 2004

9.  E.Berlin, V.Kireev, D.Chelapkin. The special process equipment for manufacturing of microcircuits. Criteria of efficiency and competitiveness. - Electronics NTB, 2011, №6, p. 94 - 103.

          10. E. Berlin,S. Dvinin, N. Morozovsky at al. Reactive etching ion-plasma etching and deposition. Installation «Caroline 15» - SRL (science and research library), 2003, №2, p. 54-56.            

          11. T. Uchida, S. Hamaguchi. Magnetic neutral loop discharge (NDL) plasmas for surface processing. - J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., 2008, v.41, p. 3001 - 3022.

         12. T. Gans, D.L. Crintea, D. O’Connell. A planar inductively coupled radio-frequency magnetic neutral loop discharge. - J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., 2007, v.40, p. 4508 - 4514.

        13. Advertising material «Alcatel MicroMachiningSystems - AMMS» (France) Etching system with flat RF system and TCP.

          14. A. Aanesland, C. Charles, R.W. Boswell et al. Helicon plasma with additional immersed antenna. - J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., 2004, v.37, p. 1334 - 1341.

…...15. V.M. Slobodjan, V.F. Virko, G.S. Kirichenko, etc. Helicon discharge inducted by the flat antenna along magnetic field. - works of the international seminar «Pulse powerful accelerators and technologies», 2003, Kharkov, Ukraine.

        16. Advertising material «Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology» (Great Britain) etching system with cylindrical RF system and the inductive-coupled plasma.

        17. Shapoval S.U. appliance of ECR-plasma in nanostructure technology.- Reference of the Russian national scientific conference on physics of low-temperature plasma. FNTP-2004, Petrozavodsk 28-30 June 2004, t.2 p. 155-161.

4. Register list of planned work during execution project

Carried out laboratory researches of technological capabilities of the source of HDP have shown, that it can be used for realization of the following processes [6,10]:

-  sputtering of various coatings and functional layers;

- cleaning, modification and implantation of various materials for in order to provide required physical and physical and chemical properties;

- high-resolution (with sub- nanometer range) etching and exposure of various materials at photolithography and nanoimprint lithography;

- deep reactive ion etching (RIE) in routes of micro- and nano-devices with three-dimensional integration;

- above listed technological processes can be realized for processing of silicon substrates of various diameters up to 450 mm.

For use of source of plasma in the process modules of the pilot sample of cluster tool is planning to carry out of the following researches:

           - Development of the model and implementation of the model construction of the source  

             of plasma for layers processing in diameter  200mm with non-uniformity no more then ±5 % ;

           - Constructive specialization of the process module №1  under deposition process of

            by means of ion-deposition target, also research and optimization of the

            technological processes of the  sputtering of coating on it and deposition of functional       

            layers on layers of diameter 200 mm with non-uniformity ±5 % ; 

           - Constructive specialization of the process module №2  under of reactive ion etching  

           (RIE) process and also research and optimization technological processes of  a     

            high-resolution (anisotropic) etching of nonorganic functional layers and organic masks 

            coating on the layers of diameter 200 mm with non-uniformity ±5 % ; 

          - Constructive specialization of the process module №3  under removing organic masks          

            processes and cleaning layers, and also research and optimization of technological

            processes    of removing of organic mask coating and cleaning of the layer surface;

          - Carrying out  of the mathematic simulation and technological processes on the test-bed

           of model scaled  of diameter process up to the 450 mm of plasma source for the purpose 

           of reveal possibilities for processing with non-uniformity ±5 %.

Carrying out of research and technological tests of the process module №1 for realization of the processes of deposition of functional layers on substrates by the method of ion sputtering of targets includes:

1.1. Measurement of uniformity of parameters of argon plasma near sputtering target by means Langmuir probes.

1.2. Measurement of uniformity of parameters of argon plasma near sputtering target using optical spectrometer.

1.3. Measurement of an ionic current on a target and distributions of its density on a target surface.

1.4. Measurement of speed and uniformity of ion sputtering of a target and research of an influence on them of various operational and design parameters.

1.5. Measurement of speed and uniformity of sputtering material on substrate and research of influence on them of various operational and design parameters.

1.6. Researches of uniformity of a thickness of the depositing films on relief structures with various aspect ratios.

1.7. Researches of structure of the depositing films by a method of ion sputtering of targets.

1.8. Measurement of electro physical and mechanical properties of the depositing films by a method of ion sputtering of targets.