Sputtering Recipes

Back to Vacuum Deposition Recipes. R1

Sputter 3 (AJA ATC 2000-F)

Please see the SignupMonkey Page for a list of currently installed targets.

Tips & Tricks

Ignition Issues

It is somewhat common that you might have a plasma ignition failure at some point. Common remedies for this are to increase the chamber pressure just for the ignition step, then drop dow to the process pressure in the PreClean and/or Dep step. For example, set the ignition step pressure to 10mTorr or 30mT, then during deposition decrease the pressure to 3mTorr and the plasma will stay lit.

Materials Table (Sputter 3)

The recipes below are given as starting points from data obtained in the nanofab. For critical depositions, calibrations are recommended.

Material	P(mT)	Pow(W)	Sub(W)	T(C)	Ar	N2	O2	Height-Tilt(mm)	Rate(nm/min)	Stress(MPa)	Rs(uOhm-cm)	n@633nm	k@633nm	Target Consumed Lower Limit	Data Below	Comment
Au	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Set: 200 W Read: 400 VDC	no
Al2O3	3	200 (RF2)	off	20	30		1.5	1.52"-4mm	5.32			1.6478	0		no	Demis D. John
Co	10(5)	200	0	20	25	0	0	25-9	2.3	-	-	-	-		yes	Alex K
Cr	5	200	0	20	25	0	0	44-4	6.84	-	-	-	-		no	Brian
Cu	1.5	50(395v)	0	20	25	0	0	25-9	4.15	-	-	-	-		no	Ning
Cu	5	150(~490v)	0	20	15	0	0	0.82"-9	8	-	-	-	-		yes	Ning
Fe	10(5)	200	0	20	25	0	0	25-9	1.25	-	-	-	-		No	Alex K
Mo	3	200	0	20	25	0	0	44-4	13.15	-	-	-	-		yes	Ning
Ni	5	150	0	20	25	0	0	44-4	5.23	-	-	-	-		yes	Ning
Ni	5	150	0	20	25	0	0	25-9	1.82	-	-	-	-		yes	Ning
Ni	5	75	0	20	25	0	0	44-4	2.50	-	-	-	-		yes	Ning
Ni	3	200	0	20	25	0	0	44-4	9.4	-	-	-	-		yes	Ning
Ni	1.5	50(399v)	0	20	25	0	0	25-9	0.96	-	-	-	-		no	Ning
Pt	3	50	0	20	25	0	0	0.82"-9	2.9	-	-	-	-		no	Ning
Si	8	250	0	25	25	0	0	15-3	1.4	-	-	-	-		no	Gerhard - ramp 2W/s - 3% Unif 4" wafer
SiN	3	200	10	20	25	3	0	25-9	1.56	-	-	1.992	-		yes	Brian
SiN	3	250	10	20	25	2.5	0	25-9	2.1	-	-	2.06	-		yes	Brian
SiO2	3	200	10	20	25	0	3	25-9	3.68	-	-	1.447	-		yes	Brian
SiO2	3	200	10	20	25	0	5	45-3	2.60	-	-	1.471	-		yes	Brian
SiO2	3	250	10	20	25	0	2.5	25-9	4.3	-	-	1.485	-		yes	Brian
Ta	5	150	0	20	25	0	0	44-4	9.47	-	-	-	-		yes	Ning
Ta	5	75	0	20	25	0	0	44-4	5.03	-	-	-	-		yes	Ning
Ti	3	100	0	20	25	0	0	25-9	1.34	-	-	-	-		yes	Ning
SampleClean-NativeSiO2	10	0	18	20	25	0	0	44-4	-	-	-	-	-		yes	150Volts 5 min

Height Conversion for Older Recipes

Old recipes using the manual Height setting in millimeters can be converted to the new programmatic settings in inches as follows:

Old (mm)	New (inches)	Typical Gun Tilt (mm)
15
25	0.82	9
44	1.52	4

Interpolation plot can be found here.

Fe and Co Deposition (Sputter 3)

• Fe and Co Deposition Recipe

Cu Deposition (Sputter 3)

• Cu Deposition Recipe

Mo Deposition (Sputter 3)

• Mo Deposition Recipe

Ni and Ta Deposition (Sputter 3)

• Ni and Ta Deposition Recipe
• Ni Sputtering Film Recipe-3mT-200W

SiO2 Deposition (Sputter 3)

• SiO2 Uniformity Data
• SiO2 Flow and Bias Variations Including AFM Data

SiN Deposition (Sputter 3)

• SiN Flow and RF Variations Including AFM Data

Ti Deposition (Sputter 3)

• Ti Sputtering Film Recipe-3mT-100W

Sputter 4 (AJA ATC 2200-V)

Please see the SignupMonkey page for a list of currently installed targets.

Materials Table (Sputter 4)

The recipes below are given as starting points from data obtained in the nanofab. For critical depositions, calibrations are recommended.

Material	P(mT)	Power Source	Pow(W)	Sub(W)	T(C)	Ar	N2	O2	Height-Tilt(mm)	Rate(nm/min)	Stress(MPa)	Rs(uOhm-cm)	n@633nm	k@633nm	Data Below	Comment
Al	5		200	0	20	45	0	0	H2.75-T5	4.4	-	-	-	-	Yes	Ning Cao
Al2O3	3	RF4-Sw1	200	0	20	30	0	1.5	H2.75-T5	5.1			1.64202	0	partial	Demis D. John
Au	5		200	0	20	45	0	0	H1-T10	17.7	-	-	-	-	Yes	Ning Cao
Au	10		200	0	20	45	0	0	H2.75-T5	35.5	-	-	-	-	Yes	Demis: 200W rate (Max for Au) 2022-08-03
Cu	5		150	0	20	30	0	0	H0.82-T9	6.7					No (SEM available)	Ning Cao
Nb	4		250	0	20	30	0	0	H2.00-T7	7.5	-	-	-	-	No
Pt	5		200	0	20	45	0	0	H2.75-T5	7.4	-	-	-	-	Yes	Ning Cao
Pt	3		50(439V)	0	20	45	0	0	H2.75-T5	3.9	-	-	-	-	Yes	Ning Cao
Ru	3		200			45			H2.75-T4	~10					Yes	Ning Cao
Ti	10		200	0	20	45	0	0	H2.75-T5	2.3	-	-	-	-	Yes	Ning Cao
TiN	3		150	110V	20	48.25	1.75	0	H2.5-T5	2	-	60	-	-	No
TiO2	3		250(RF:450V)	0	20	45	0	3	H2.75-T5	4.3	-		-	-	Yes	Ning Cao
TiW	4.5		200	0	20	45	0	0	H1-T10	4.7	-	-	-	-	Yes	Ning Cao
TiW	4.5		300	0	75	45	0	0	H2.75-T5	9.5	-150 to 150	60	-	-	Yes	10%Ti by Wt
W	3		300	0	50	45	0	0	H2.75-T5	11.5	-150 to 150	11	-	-	Yes	Jeremy Watcher

Au Deposition (Sputter 4)

• Au Film's AFM Step and Roughness

Al Deposition (Sputter 4)

• Al Film SEM Profile

Al2O3 Deposition (Sputter 4)

• Rate: 5.134 nm/min
• Cauchy Refractive Index Params (fit from λ=190-1700nm, indicating transparency over this range)
  • A = 1.626
  • B = 5.980E-3
  • C = 1.622E-4

Pt Deposition (Sputter 4)

• Pt Film's AFM Step and Roughness

Ru Deposition (Sputter 4)

• Ruthenium Hardmask for SiO2 Etching - Full Process Traveler by Ning Cao
  • Deposition Rate ~10nm/min
  • See Fluorine-ICP > SiO2 Etching page for more info.

Ti-Au Deposition (Sputter 4)

• Ti-Au Deposition Recipe and SEM Cross-Sections

TiO₂ Deposition (Sputter 4)

• TiO₂ Film's Refractive Index Spectrum, Resistivity, AFM Roughness

TiW Deposition (Sputter 4)

• TiW Film's AFM Step and Roughness

W-TiW Deposition (Sputter 4)

• W-TiW Deposition Recipe

Sputter 5 (AJA ATC 2200-V)

Please see the SignupMonkey page for a list of currently installed targets.

Materials Table (Sputter 5)

The recipes below are given as starting points from data obtained in the nanofab. For critical depositions, calibrations are recommended.

Material	P(mT)	Power Source	Pow(W)	Sub(V)	T(C)	Ar	N2	O2	Height-Tilt(mm)	Rate(nm/min)	Stress(MPa)	Rs(uOhm-cm)	Rq(nm)	n@633nm	k@633nm	LPDb/LPDa*	Data Below	Comment
Al	5		250	0	20	45	0	0	H1-T10	2.5	22						No (SEM available)	Ning
Al2O3	1.5	DC5-SW1	150	-	-	45	-	5	H2.75-T5	5.3	?	?	?	1.641	-	?	No	Demis 2018-04-13
Cr	5.0	RF	200	~345	20	45			H2.75-T5	4.47							No	BT 2024-07-02
Pt	3.0		200(507v)	-	-	45	-	-	H1-T10	7.03	?	?	?	2.068	4.951	?	No	Ning 2021-09-27
SiO2	3		250	120	20	45	0	2	H1.0-T10	2.32		-	-	1.49	-	153/6384	No	Biljana
SiO2	3		250	120	20	45	0	4.5	H1.0-T10	2.29	-515	-	0.210	1.49		138/4445	No ( AFM available)	Biljana
SiO2	3		250	120	20	45	0	6	H1.0-T10	2.32		-	-	1.49	-	27/1515	Yes	Biljana
Ti	3.0		200(374v)	-	-	45	-	-	H1-T10	2.52	?	?	?	2.679	1.853	?	No	Ning 2021-09-27

*LPD: light particle detection:

• LPDb: light particle detection before deposition
• LPDa: light particle detection after deposition

SiO2 Deposition (Sputter 5)

• SiO2 film

Ion Beam Deposition (Veeco NEXUS)

Ion-Beam Assisted Deposition - high density reactive sputtering for dielectric film stacks, with angled/rotating fixtures.

• Method to calibrate multi-layer optical films: For example, for calibrating and depositing Multi-layer DBR gratings, Anti-Reflection coatings etc.

SiO₂ deposition (IBD)

• SiO₂ [IBD] Standard Recipe - "1_SiO2_dep"
• SiO₂ [IBD] Process Control Data
• SiO₂ [IBD] Historical Data - Before Oct. 2021

SiO₂ Thin-Film Properties (IBD)

• Dep.rate: ≈ 5.2 nm/min (users must calibrate this prior to critical deps)
• HF Etch Rate ~350 nm/min
• Stress ≈ -390MPa (compressive)
• Refractive Index: ≈ 1.494
• Cauchy Parameters (350-2000nm):
  • A = 1.480
  • B = 0.00498
  • C = -3.2606e-5

SiO₂ Uniformity

Measured in June 2010 (Demis D. John)

Uniformity Statistics

	Thickness (nm)	Refractive Index (at 632nm)
Mean (Avg.), nm	1677.80	1.480
Min	1671.09	1.479
Max	1688.9	1.482
Std. Deviation (nm)	5.99	8.6e-4

Plot of SiO2 thickness and refractive index measured across 6-inch wafer, measured with ellipsometry. Credit: Demis D. John, 2010-06-15

Si₃N₄ deposition (IBD)

• Si₃N₄ [IBD] Standard Recipe - "1_Si3N4_Dep"
• Si₃N₄ [IBD] Process Control Data

Si₃N₄ Thin-Film Properties (IBD)

• Deposition Rate: ≈ 4.10 nm/min (users must calibrate this prior to critical deps)
• HF Etch Rate: ~11nm/min
• Stress ≈ -1590MPa (compressive)
• Refractive Index: ≈ 1.969
• Cauchy Parameters (350-2000nm):
  • A = 2.000
  • B = 0.01974
  • C = 1.2478e-4

Ta₂O₅ deposition (IBD)

• Ta₂O₅ [IBD] Standard Recipe - "1_Ta2O5_dep"
• Ta₂O₅ [IBD] Process Control Data
• Ta₂O₅ [IBD] Historical Data - before Oct. 2021

Ta2O5 Thin-Film Properies (IBD)

• Ta2O5 1hr depositions:
• Deposition Rate: ≈ 7.8 nm/min (users must calibrate this prior to critical deps)
• HF Etch Rate ≈ 2 nm/min
• Stress ≈ -232MPa (compressive)
• Refractive Index: ≈ 2.172
• Cauchy Parameters (350-2000nm):
  • A = 2.1123
  • B = 0.018901
  • C = -0.016222

Al₂O₃ deposition (IBD)

• Al₂O₃ [IBD] Standard Recipe - "1_Al2O3_dep"
• Al₂O₃ [IBD] Process Control Data

Al2O3 Thin-Film Properties (IBD)

• Deposition Rate ≈ 2.05nm/min (users must calibrate this prior to critical deps)
• HF etch rate ≈ 167nm/min
• Stress ≈ -332MPa (compressive)
• Refractive Index: ≈ 1.656
• Cauchy Parameters (350-2000nm):
  • A = To Be Added
  • B =
  • C =
• Absorbing < ~350nm

TiO₂ deposition (IBD)

• TiO₂ [IBD] Standard Recipe - "1_TiO2_dep"
• TiO₂ [IBD] Process Control Data

TiO₂ Thin-Film Properties (IBD)

• Deposition Rate: ≈ 1.29 nm/min (users must calibrate this prior to critical deps)
• HF etch rate ~5.34nm/min
• Stress ≈ -445MPa (compressive)
• Refractive Index: ≈ 2.259
• Cauchy Parameters (350-2000nm):
  • A = 2.435
  • B = -4.9045e-4
  • C = 0.01309
• Absorbing < ~350nm wavelength

SiO_xN_y deposition (IBD)

These are some old (2010), initial characterizations only. A recipe improvement would be to increase the Assist O2+N2 = 60sccm total, increasing repeatability by getting away from the low-flow limit of the MFC's. Data provided by Demis D. John, 2010.

IBD SiOxNy: Refractive Index vs. O2/N2 Flow.	Dep. Rate of IBD SiOxNy vs. Assist O2 flow.

Standard Cleaning Procedure (IBD)

You must edit the "#_GridClean"("#" is your group number) steps in your Process according to the following times:

• 5min GridClean for 1hr or less deposition
• 10min GridClean for up to 2hrs of dep.
• Do not deposit for longer than 2hrs - instead break up your Process into multiple 2-hr subroutines with cleans in between. See the recipe "1_SiO2_Dep_Multi" for an example.

Standard Grid-Clean Recipe

To Be Added

Reference Recipes (Disabled Tools)

Sputter 2 (SFI Endeavor)

This Tool has been Disabled, and is not available for use any more! These recipes are displayed here for historical/reference purposes only.

Al Deposition (Sputter 2)

• Al Deposition Recipe

AlN_x Deposition (Sputter 2)

• AlN_x Deposition Recipe

Au Deposition (Sputter 2)

• Au Deposition Recipe

TiO₂ Deposition (Sputter 2)

• TiO2₂ Deposition Recipe