Cambridge Nanotech Fiji ALD
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Cambridge Nanotech Fiji ALD - Staff
iLab Name: Fiji200 ALD
iLab Kiosk: BRK Growth Core
FIC: Zhihong Chen
Owner: Mihailo Bradash
Location: Cleanroom - G Bay
Maximum Wafer Size: 8"/200 mm
Overview
Type | Films Available | Restricted Materials | Available Gases | Wafer Size |
---|---|---|---|---|
Thermal / Plasma ALD | Aluminium Oxide Hafnium Oxide Silicon Oxide Zirconium Oxide | Backside must be clean No outgassing materials in mTorr range No thermally unstable materials | Carrier Gas: Argon Plasma Gases: Argon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Hydrogen | Small pieces up to full 8 inch wafer. Maximum sample thickness is approximately 6mm. |
gas valve numbers |
---|
0: H2O 10/2022 1: HfO2 06/2023 2: SiO2 06/2023 3: ZrOx 09/2023 4: Al2O3 09/2023 5: N/A |
Growth rates (Thermal) | Growth rates (Plasma) |
---|---|
Al2O3~TBD | Al2O3~TBD |
HfO2~TBD | HfO2~TBD |
SiO2~ N/A | SiO2~0.7 A/cycle |
General Description
Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is a technique that takes advantage of self limiting surface reactions, the nature of the reactions ensures atomic-level thickness control and excellent conformality. Following the standard example, growth of Al2O3 film from water and trimethylaluminum (TMA) precursors will be used here to discuss the principle of ALD film growth. Recipes for other materials use different precursors, but are similar in principle and procedure.
ALD Temperature Window
The chemical and physical conditions necessary to obtain self-limiting growth differ for each ALD process. Furthermore, each process is deemed to have a specific temperature window in which ALD behavior is obtained. An idealized temperature window is plotted to the right where the growth per cycle is plotted as a function of temperature. The ideal temperature window represents the temperature range over which the growth per cycle shows weak or no temperature dependence. This is indicated by the horizontal in the plot to the right. Outside the temperature window, chemical and physical processes can disrupt the ALD behavior. Condensation - At low temperatures, some precursors and co-reactants can condense on the surface, leading to an increase in growth per cycle. Low reactivity - The reactivity of the molecules with the surface sites can be too low because of limited thermal energy at low temperatures. This prevents saturation of the reaction and leads to a decrease in growth per cycle. Decomposition - At high temperatures the precursors or co-reactants can decompose, leading to a CVD component and an increase in growth per cycle. Desorption - At high temperatures the film itself or the reactive surface groups involved may desorb or etch. This leads to a decrease in growth per cycle. |
Safety Considerations
Danger! Fire Hazard! Trimethylaluminum (TMA) is a liquid at room temperature and is pyrophoric. This means that it burns upon exposure to air. TMA reacts with water vapor in the air. For this reason, the TMA bottle may only be opened in a glove box with inert atmosphere by experienced professionals.
Temperature of the precursors and heating jackets should not exceed safety or decomposition temperature of the chemical being used.
Maintaining cleanliness and proper function of the system is critical for high quality, low leakage dielectric films. It is the responsibility of all users to follow standard operating procedures and to use the system within the prescribed limitations.
You must gain permission from Professor Zhihong Chen and/or the staff engineer before you can be trained for this tool. You will be asked to describe your intended use and sample stack. If you intend to process other substrates and stacks in the future you must first gain permission from Professor Zhihong Chen and/or the staff engineer.
Processing substrates or stacks without prior approval may result in chamber contamination due to outgassing/melting of the materials. This will result in loss of privilege to the tool and your PI may be held accountable for the cost of restoring the tool to operating condition.
Specifications
Available Chemistry
Thermal Limits
Heater ID | Max Temp |
---|---|
ALD Valves (17) | Remains set to 150 C in all conditions and processes. |
Precursor Delivery (16) | Remains set to 150 C in all conditions and processes. |
Reactor 1 (13) | 250 C |
Reactor 2 (14) | 250C |
Chuck (15) | 500 C |
Cone (12) | 250 C |
Precursor Heating Jacket | 200 C |
RF Plasma Controls
RF Source | Max Power (watts) |
---|---|
ICP Coil | 300 |
Available Standard Recipes
Sample Requirements and Preparation
Sample Specification Clean, vacuum compatible non-outgassing substrates and film stacks. Backside must be clean and free of any metals or photoresist to prevent contaminating the sample carrier. Check with Professor Zhihong Chen or staff engineer for compatibility of your sample. Maximum sample size: Small pieces up to full 200 mm diameter wafer. Approximately 6mm of vertical clearance when inserting the sample carrier, will accommodate thick non traditional samples. Common Substrates: Si, SiO2, GaAs, Glass, Quartz. Common Films (None allowed on backside): Ti, Au, Ag, ......... Not Allowed: ..... | |
Small Samples Small silicon samples, on the order of 5 x 5 mm and smaller, can be lost in the chamber during pumping. These samples cannot be retrieved. A good solution to this problem is presented in the image to the right. Two glass slides are placed such that they are perpendicular to the loading tool arm. The sample is placed between these two slides to shield the sample from gas flows created by initial pumping and stabilize its position on the chuck. New glass slides are not clean! You must clean them using the standard TAI solvent cleaning process before placing them on the chuck or inside the ALD chamber. |
Software Interface Reference
Standard Operating Procedure
Arriving at the Tool
Loading Your Sample
Recipe Selection and Setup
Running the Recipe
Removing Your Sample
Leaving the Work Area
Questions & Troubleshooting
How do I know if my growth proceeded as expected?
I'm receiving a USB failed to connect error message when starting the Fiji control software and logging in as Operator, what should I do?
What are the standard idle conditions?