Nano Layer Deposition; Unique Thin Film Deposition Technology Surpasses Atomic Layer Deposition in Flexibility

http://www.physorg.com/news462.html

Nano Layer Deposition; Unique Thin Film Deposition Technology Surpasses
Atomic Layer Deposition in Flexibility
July 22, 2004

Tegal Corporation today announced that it has been granted United
States Patents, No. 6,689,220 and 6,756,318, which enable nano layer
deposition (NLD) of conformal thin films for barrier, copper seed and high-K
dielectric applications in advanced microprocessor and memory device
production.

The systems and methods described in the '220 and the '318 enable nano layer
deposition with ultra-conformality comparable to that of atomic layer
deposition (ALD) and the manufacturing throughput of more conventional
chemical vapor deposition (CVD) systems. NLD allows semiconductor
manufacturers to choose from a wide field of deposition precursors (a key
limitation of ALD) for the application of any thin film in use today on the
surface of a wafer with atomic layer precision. NLD technology can also be
used to construct complex, compound film structures with a level of control
and conformality that was previously unavailable or impractical.

The '220 patent covers a system and process incorporating a pulsed plasma
and deposition technique applicable to a variety of films such as Titanium
Nitride, Copper and several low-K (dielectric constant) insulating films.
The pulsing technique can also be used to deposit a low-K material and to
"seal" it in-situ in order to preserve the film's low-K properties. This has
been a major limitation to the successful implementation of low-K dielectric
materials into current generations of semiconductors.

The '318 patent combines system design, source design and NLD technology to
enable a manufacturing solution for next generation semiconductor devices.
The '318 discloses a new helical ribbon electrode as a plasma source for use
in an NLD system. The '318 patent builds on the technology disclosed in the
'220 patent and provides a multi-chamber platform for performing a wide
variety of processing steps such as pre-clean, etch, NLD, densification,
etc. As a result, complex films can be deposited with complete conformality
and layer thicknesses can be controlled to one monolayer or to several
hundred of Angstroms.

The market for highly conformal deposition tools, such as ALD and NLD, is
one of the fastest-growing segments of the semiconductor device
manufacturing space. According to VLSI Research Inc., the current market for
highly conformal deposition tools is over US$100 million and will grow at an
annual rate of over 66% to reach US$1.35 billion in 2008.

"We are pleased to add these two key patents to Tegal's extensive base of
intellectual property and know-how," said Michael Parodi, Tegal chairman,
president & CEO. "This is one of the most exciting areas that Tegal has ever
participated in, and we look forward to demonstrating the superiority of our
NLD systems in the market."

--
Bubba Do Way Ditty

"Arbolist.... Look it up the word. I don't know, maybe I made it up.
Anyway, it's an arbo-tree-ist, somebody who knows about trees."

Bushisms, 2001