Thomas H Licata

US Patent:

58854258, Mar 23, 1999

Filed:

Jun 6, 1995

Appl. No.:

8/470604

Inventors:

Julian Juu-Chuan Hsieh - Bronx NY
Donald McAlpine Kenney - Shelburne VT
Thomas John Licata - LaGrangeville NY
James Gardner Ryan - Newton CT

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

C23C 1434

US Classification:

20419212

Abstract:

An apparatus and method provide deposition on a surface by angled sputtering using a collimation grid having angled vanes which limit the distribution of trajectories of particles in at least one coordinate direction around a central axis oriented at an angle of less than 90. degree. to said surface; resulting in improved uniformity of deposition and/or selective favoring of deposition on surfaces at a high angle to the deposition surface (e. g. sidewalls). Substantially parallel orientation and uniform spacing of the sputtering target and deposition surface provides good uniformity of results over the deposition surface. The angled trajectories of sputtered particles provides improved deposition on sides of upstanding mandrel features and filling of recessed features of high aspect ratio, especially when the collimation grid is rotated about an axis generally perpendicular to the deposition surface. Angled, collimated deposition also allows for control of deposition at potentially sub-lithographic feature sizes by using portions of features as a mask with deposition being performed only on remaining exposed portions of features or deposition on selected sides of a mandrel feature. Sidewall image transfer techniques may thus be extended to non-symmetrical and singular features.