Procedure – Aluminum Sputtering
Using CVC 601 Tool
Overall view of CVC 601 Sputter Tool
Preparation
1. Verify cryopump is at temperature. Temperature should be below 20oK on cryopump temperature
indicator. If temperature is above 25oK, stop and notify the lab manager. The cryopump may need to
be regenerated.
2. Verify roughing pump is below 50 millitorr (5.0 x 10-3 torr)
Roughing pump pressure
Ion Gauge controller
Cryopump temperature indicator
Cooling water alarm – notify
Lab Manager if alarm sounds
DC power supply for sputtering
aluminum
3. Verify cooling water is flowing. Stop if alarm on control rack is sounding and call Lab Manager.
07/02/16 File:
Procedure – DC Sputtering using CVC 601 Tool for aluminum with automatic pump control
Procedure – Aluminum Sputtering
Using CVC 601 Tool
Chamber venting/Loading wafers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Locate automatic valve control AVC-485
Verify AVC-485 is in automatic mode
Check pressure on chamber pressure gauge.
Push to depress “vent” button
Hi-vac valve will close and chamber will vent with nitrogen.
+
AVC-485
automatic valve
controller
Pressure Gauge
Reads chamber
pressure when chamber
push button is in or on
Start push
button initiates
pump down
cycle
Chamber pressure
gauge
Vent push button
“In” is on
6. Flip chamber cover toggle switch to “raise”. Switch is located on the left side of the tool, just below the
chamber lid. Wait for chamber lid to open. This may take several minutes.
Chamber cover raise
toggle switch
07/02/16 File:
Procedure – DC Sputtering using CVC 601 Tool for aluminum with automatic pump control
Procedure – Aluminum Sputtering
Using CVC 601 Tool
Lid raised on chamber
Wafer holding ring
Wafers are loaded
face down (polished
side down) for top
side aluminum,
polished side up for
backside aluminum
8 inch aluminum target
is located below the
wafer ring. Avoid
putting wafers over the
target
7. Once the chamber is open, wafers can be placed in the openings, polished side down (shinny) for topside
aluminum, polished side up for backside aluminum. Openings are for 4" wafers. For 3” wafers, adapters
are available.
8. Avoid putting wafers above the aluminum target if possible. Both the inner and outer ring of openings can
both be used for DC sputtering of aluminum.
9. Load a thickness test wafer with evaporation mask clipped to it for actual thickness measurements if
needed. Mask on polished side, loaded polished side down.
Thickness test
wafer with
evaporation mask
clip to polished
side
10. Use dummy wafers to fill unused spaces to avoid sputtering on to the lid
Pump Down
1. Close chamber lid by flipping the chamber cover toggle down. Chamber cover should close.
2. Verify AVC-485 is in the automatic mode.
3. Verify chamber vacuum gauge is reading chamber pressure.
07/02/16 File:
Procedure – DC Sputtering using CVC 601 Tool for aluminum with automatic pump control
Procedure – Aluminum Sputtering
Using CVC 601 Tool
4. Press start push button to initiate pump down cycle.
5. Chamber will pump down to <.05 torr as shown on the chamber vacuum gauge on the AVC-485.
6. The high vac valve will open automatically
7. Wait for chamber vacuum gauge to reach zero.
8. Restart ion gauge. Ion gauge controller is located at the middle of the right control rack.
9. Allow chamber to reach 10-6 torr as shown on ion gauge. This typically takes about 4 hours.
10. Record pressure in log book.
Ionization Gauge
Controller
showing chamber
pressure of 8.9x10-6
torr. Will need to be
restarted after
automatic pump down
Sputtering
1. Open gas inlet valve toggle and allow chamber pressure to stabilize. It may be necessary to restart ion
gauge. Close the pressure control valve. This throttles down the pump speed of the cryopump.
Pressure control valve
Gas inlet toggle
valve
2. Find the MKS Multi Gas Controller 647C located on the left side of the control rack. If display is dark,
press the “ESC” button to activate the display.
07/02/16 File:
Procedure – DC Sputtering using CVC 601 Tool for aluminum with automatic pump control
Procedure – Aluminum Sputtering
Using CVC 601 Tool
3. Verify channel 1 is argon with a set point of 30 sccm and is “On”. Only channel #1 @ 30 sccm is needed
for DC sputtering
4. Turn on Gas 1 MFC toggle switch.
5. Verify argon is flowing on channel 1
MKS Multi Gas
Controller 647C
Verify channel 1 is argon
at 30 sccm and
channel 1shows “On”
Gas 1 MFC toggle switch
Chamber pressureavailable only with argon
flowing
6. Locate the DC power supply on the bottom right side of the control rack.
7. Turn on the DC power using the “red” button
8. DC voltage should jump to > 2KV.
DC power supply –
“on” with voltage at 3.8
KV and current at 1.0
amp
9. Turn up the current to about 2 amps and allow the voltage to increase to 3.5 to 4.0 KV.
10. Turn the current down to 1.0 or lowest setting that shows current. Plasma should be visible in the viewport
near the chamber lid.
11. Record chamber pressure. Typical is <5 millitorr as shown on the MKS 647C
07/02/16 File:
Procedure – DC Sputtering using CVC 601 Tool for aluminum with automatic pump control
Procedure – Aluminum Sputtering
Using CVC 601 Tool
12. Turn on rotation power supply and begin to time your sputtering run.
13. Target current vs. time graphs are available in the 3 ring binder to estimate4 thickness.
Turn on rotation control – red light
illuminated is “on”. Verify voltage
and current are visable and monitor
periodically.
Do not adjust voltage or current rotation speed control set to 1.0
14. Record required information in log book.
15. When time is complete, turn down the DC current and shut the power supply off.
16. Turn off Gas 1 MFC toggle switch, close the gas inlet toggle and open the pressure control valve.
17. Turn on the ion gauge and allow chamber to pump to 10-6 torr as shown on ion gauge.
18. Turn off the motor speed control
Unloading
1. Vent chamber according to vent procedure detailed earlier
2. Unload substrates.
3. Close chamber lid and pump down system by pushing start push button on AVC-485 controller.
4. Chamber should always be under vacuum
07/02/16 File:
Procedure – DC Sputtering using CVC 601 Tool for aluminum with automatic pump control