Dielectric barrier layer films
View Patent ↗In accordance with the present invention, a dielectric barrier layer is presented. A barrier layer according to the present invention includes a densified amorphous dielectric layer deposited on a substrate by pulsed-DC, substrate biased physical vapor deposition, wherein the densified amorphous dielectric layer is a barrier layer. A method of forming a barrier layer according to the present inventions includes providing a substrate and depositing a highly densified, amorphous, dielectric material over the substrate in a pulsed-dc, biased, wide target physical vapor deposition process. Further, the process can include performing a soft-metal breath treatment on the substrate. Such barrier layers can be utilized as electrical layers, optical layers, immunological layers, or tribological layers.
1. A method of forming a barrier layer, comprising:
providing a substrate;
depositing a highly densified, amorphous, dielectric material over the substrate in a pulsed-DC, biased, wide target physical vapor deposition process; and
performing a soft metal breath treatment on the substrate.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric material is formed from a target comprising 92% Al and 8% Si.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric material is formed from a target comprising of Titanium.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric material is formed from a target material comprising materials chosen from a group consisting of Mg, Ta, Ti, Al, Y, Zr, Si, Hf, Ba, Sr, Nb, and combinations thereof.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the soft-metal breath treatment is an indium/tin breath treatment.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer is also an optical layer.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer has a permeable defect concentration of less than about 1 per square centimeter.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer includes a TiO 2 layer.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer is also an electrical layer.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the barrier layer includes a capacitive layer.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the capacitive layer is at least one of a TiO 2 layer and an Alumina/silica layer.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the barrier layer includes a resistive layer.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the resistive layer is indium-tin metal or oxide.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer includes a tribological layer.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the tribological layer is at least one of a TiO 2 layer and an Alumina/silica layer.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer is a biologically immune compatible layer.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the biologically immune compatible layer is TiO 2 .
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein a target utilized to form the barrier layer is formed from metallic magnesium.
19. The method of claim 1 , wherein a target material utilized to form the barrier layer comprises materials chosen from a group consisting of Mg, Ta, Ti, Al, Y, Zr, Si, Hf, Ba, Sr, Nb, and combinations thereof.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the target material includes a concentration of rare earth metal.
21. The method of claim 1 , wherein a target material utilized to form the barrier layer comprises a sub-oxide of a group consisting of Mg, Ta, Ti, Al, Y, Zr, Si, Hf, Ba, Sr, Nb, and combinations thereof.
22. The method of claim 1 , wherein an optical attenuation through the barrier layer is less than about 0.1 dB/cm in a continuous film.
23. The method of claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer has a thickness less than about 500 nm.
24. The method of claim 1 , wherein the barrier layer operates as a gate oxide for a thin film transistor.