Granted Patent B2

US 12,217,951 · App. 17/574,950 · Granted Feb 4, 2025

Inventors: Shih-Yao Lin (Hsinchu, TW); Stephane Ferrasse (Spokane, WA); Jaeyeon Kim (Liberty Lake, WA); Frank C. Alford (Spokane Valley, WA)

Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.

H01J37/3491C23C14/3407H01J37/3423H01J37/3426H01J37/3435H01J37/347H01J37/3432

Abstract

Claims (25)

1. A sputtering target assembly comprising a sputtering target formed of a sputtering material having a non-planar sputtering surface at beginning of life (BOL), the non-planar sputtering surface having a circular shape and comprising:

a central axis region having a center axis, the central axis region including a cavity symmetrically disposed about the center axis and having a bottom surface, the bottom surface of the cavity being flat and having a first point on the center axis; and

a surrounding region disposed about the central axis region, the surrounding region comprising a top planar surface, a first recessed groove having a first bottom surface located below the top planar surface, a first sidewall and second sidewall extending upwards from the first bottom surface and a first depth, and a second recessed groove having a second bottom surface located below the top planar surface, a third sidewall and a fourth sidewall extending upwards from the second bottom surface and a second depth, wherein the first depth and the second depth are different, wherein the first point is below the top planar surface of the surrounding region, and the first point is below the first bottom surface and the second bottom surface;

wherein a distance from the top planar surface of the surrounding region to the first point is about 10 percent to about 30 percent of a total thickness of the sputtering target, and the cavity extends radially from the center axis a radial distance of from about 5 percent to about 40 percent relative to a total radius of the sputtering target.

2. The sputtering target assembly of claim 1 , wherein the distance from the top planar surface of the surrounding region to the first point is about 15 percent to about 20 percent of the total thickness of the sputtering target.

3. The sputtering target assembly of claim 2 , wherein the radial distance that the cavity extends radially from the center axis is from about 23 percent to about 27percent relative to the total radius of the sputtering target.

4. The sputtering target assembly of claim 1 , wherein the radial distance that the cavity extends radially from the center axis is from about 20 percent to about 30percent relative to the total radius of the sputtering target.

5. The sputtering target assembly of claim 4 , wherein the radial distance that the cavity extends radially from the center axis is from about 23 percent to about 27percent relative to the total radius of the sputtering target.

6. The sputtering target assembly of claim 1 , wherein the radial distance that the cavity extends radially from the center axis is from about 23 percent to about 27percent relative to the total radius of the sputtering target.

7. The sputtering target assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sputtering material includes at least one material chosen from Ti, Al, Cu, Ta, Ni, Co, Mo, Au, Ag, Pt, W, Cr, a Ti alloy, an Al alloy, a Cu alloy, a Ta alloy, a Ni alloy, a Co alloy, a Mo alloy, an Au alloy, an Ag alloy, a Pt alloy, a W alloy, and a Cr alloy.

8. The sputtering target assembly of claim 1 and further comprising a backing plate bonded to the sputtering target.

9. The sputtering target assembly of claim 8 , wherein the sputtering target is diffusion bonded to the backing plate.

10. The sputtering target assembly of claim 1 wherein after 1000kWhrs of use in a sputtering chamber, the sputtering target has an erosion profile having a protuberance symmetrically disposed about the center axis.

11. The sputtering target assembly of claim 10 , wherein the protuberance is taller than the erosion profile of the surrounding region.

12. The sputtering target assembly of claim 10 , wherein the protuberance has a slope of 0.015 to 0.176 after 3000 kWhrs of use.

13. A method of using a sputtering target assembly, the method comprising:

securing the sputtering target assembly of claim 1 within a sputtering chamber; and

applying an electrical field between a cathode assembly and an anode assembly in the sputtering chamber to deposit particles from the sputtering target onto a substrate, wherein after 1000 kWhrs of use in the sputtering chamber, the sputtering target has an erosion profile having a protuberance symmetrically disposed about the center axis.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the protuberance is taller than the erosion profile of the surrounding region.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the protuberance has a slope of 0.015 to 0.176 after 3000 kWhrs of use.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the distance from the top planar surface of the surrounding region to the first point is about 15 percent to about 20 percent of the total thickness of the sputtering target.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the cavity extends radially from the center axis the radial distance of from about 23 percent to about 27 percent relative to the total radius of the sputtering target.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the sputtering material includes at least one material chosen from Ti, Al, Cu, Ta, Ni, Co, Mo, Au, Ag, Pt, W, Cr, a Ti alloy, an Al alloy, a Cu alloy, a Ta alloy, a Ni alloy, a Co alloy, a Mo alloy, an Au alloy, an Ag alloy, a Pt alloy, a W alloy, and a Cr alloy.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the sputtering target assembly further comprises a backing plate bonded to the sputtering target.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the sputtering target is diffusion bonded to the backing plate.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (3)

References Cited (60)