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Sputter Process Diagnostics Form

Please provide a detailed description of the problem:

What troubleshooting, if any, was attempted to fix the problem:

System Serial Number:

System base pressure before sputtering :

<1.0 E-6 Torr
<1.3 E-6 mBar
<1.3 E-4 Pa

Have the process gas lines been pumped and purged? :

Yes No

Pump to the recommended pressures above, verifying no leaks and purge to remove contaminates

Are the process gas lines made of stainless steel? :

Yes No

Recommended to have SS gas lines from gas cylinder to sputter system

Process gas cylinder regulator pressure: Recommended ~15 psi (~100 kPa)

Are all process gases ultra-high purity (UHP)? :

Yes No

Purity: %

Target to substrate distance / Throw distance:

(Decreasing throw distance is the best way to increase deposition rate)

Is the Substrate heat sensitive?:

Yes No

If yes, what is the max temperature: ℃

Method of pre-cleaning in the process chamber:

(Pre-clean substrate to improve adhesion and remove contaminates)

Sputter target material:

Is the Target bonded? :

Yes No

If yes, what is the type of bond:

Target diameter:

Target thickness :

Is there heat being applied to the substrate during deposition? :

Yes No

If yes, what is the substrate heater setpoint: ℃

Is RF bias being applied to the substrate during deposition? :

Yes No
(Suggested when doing reactive nitride depositions)

If yes:

RF FWD Power (Watts):

RF DC Bias Voltage (V):

Deposition process pressure:

UHP argon MFC flow rate :

sccm

Are you reactively sputtering? :

Yes No

(Always light with pure argon and introduce reactive gas after pressure reduction)

(Must have flow setpoint > 10% of the max flow rate of the MFC for accuracy and stability)

If yes:

What reactive gas?:

Reactive gas MFC flow rate:
sccm

Ramp rate to deposition power (Watts per second):

Pre-sputter/burn-in time (seconds):

(Use same ramp rate down from deposition power)

(Reccomend 0.3 W/s for RF and 5 W/s for DC sputtering)

(Reccomend to pre-sputter until voltage stabilizes)

(If using a new compound target, an extended initial burn-in
is necessary to stabilize surface chemistry)

Pulsed DC Frequency (Hz):

Pulsed DC Rev Time (µs):

Was DC voltage stable throughout the entire deposition?:

Yes No

(A steady decrease in voltage indicates the target not overheating. Repeatable voltage from run to run at the same deposition power and pressure indicates process stability)

If no,

please explain:

DC Bias Voltage / DCBV (V):

Were RF parameters stable throughout the entire deposition? :

Yes No

If no,

please explain:

Please take the following photographs of the system:

Inside of the process chamber
Picture of sputter source (with shutter open and no components removed)
Picture of sputter plasma
Picture of the system description tag found on the rear of the electrical rack
(Please see photo for example)

Please attach the photos of the system here:

Attach Files

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