The present invention provides a plasma enhancement method and apparatus for electric arc vapor deposition. The plasma enhancement apparatus is positioned to act upon plasma generated from a plasma source before the plasma reaches a substrate to be coated by the plasma. The plasma enhancement apparatus includes a magnet disposed about a magnet axis and defining a first aperture, and a core member disposed about a core member axis and at least partially nested within the first aperture. The core member defines a second aperture, and the plasma enhancement apparatus is arranged and configured in such a manner that the evaporated cathode source material passes from the cathode source and through the second aperture toward the substrate to be coated by the evaporated cathode source material. The plasma is favorably conditioned as it passes through the plasma enhancement apparatus.

Plasma enhancement apparatus and method for physical vapor deposition

A method of fabricating semiconductor devices, such as GaN LEDs, on insulating substrates, such as sapphire. Semiconductor layers are produced on the insulating substrate using normal techniques. Trenches that define the boundaries of the individual devices are formed through the semiconductor layers and into the insulating substrate, beneficially by inductive coupled plasma reactive ion etching. A first support structure is attached to the semiconductor layers. The hard substrate is then removed, beneficially by laser lift off. A second supporting structure, preferably conductive, is substituted for the hard substrate and the first supporting structure is removed. Individual devices are then diced, beneficially by etching through the second supporting structure. A protective photo-resist layer can protect the semiconductor layers from the attachment of the first support structure. A conductive bottom contact (possibly reflective) can be inserted between the second supporting structure and the semiconductor layers.

Method of fabricating vertical devices using a metal support film

Light emitting LEDs devices comprised of LED chips that emit light at a first wavelength, and a thin film layer over the LED chip that changes the color of the emitted light. For example, a blue LED chip can be used to produce white light. The thin film layer beneficially consists of a florescent material, such as a phosphor, and/or includes tin. The thin film layer is beneficially deposited using chemical vapor deposition.

Thin film light emitting diode

This composite back-etch/lift-off stencil method avoids the uncontrolled changes in the properties of contacts in small devices caused by the close proximity of the lift-off resist stencil to the contact area during the precleaning, surface preparation and metal deposition processes. This method limits the area of the wafer exposed to back-etching and thus restores the freedom of choice of contact metallurgy. Back-etching is only applied in the areas of the wafer near to the contact holes; lift-off techniques are used for the rest of the integrated circuit.

Composite back-etch/lift-off stencil for proximity effect minimization

A gallium arsenide monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) chip (12) has microelectronic devices (16, 18) formed on a frontside surface (12a), and via holes (12c, 12d) formed through the chip (12) from the frontside surface (12a) to a backside surface (12b). The backside surface (12b) of the chip (12) is bonded to a molybdenum carrier (14) by an eutectic gold/tin alloy (20). A barrier layer (22) including a refractory metal nitride material (22a) is sputtered onto the backside surface (12b) and into the via holes (12c, 12d) of the chip (12) prior to bonding. The barrier layer (22) blocks migration of tin from the eutectic gold-tin alloy (20) through the via holes (12c,-12d) to the frontside surface (12a) of the chip (12) during the bonding operation, thereby preventing migrated tin from adversely affecting the microelectronic devices (16, 18).

Bonding of integrated circuit chip to carrier using gold/tin eutectic alloy and refractory metal nitride barrier layer to block migration of tin through via holes

The plasma in an RF sputtering system is confined to the region between the anode and target by enclosing the target with the anode. The anode is in two parts which are connected electrically through sliding contacts that allow removal of one of the parts for access to the interior region of the anode.

Rf sputtering system with the anode enclosing the target

A semiconductor device comprising a resistor formed by a region of a layer of tantalum nitride (Ta.sub.2 N), said tantalum nitride layer also serving at another region as an adhesion layer and a barrier diffusion layer for the gold contacts and interconnects of the semiconductor device. A layer of tantalum nitride is also employed to form a mask for the metallization layer of a semiconductor device, the metallization layer thereafter being etched by sputter etching to produce very fine line electrical patterns for the integrated circuit.

Metallization structure and process for semiconductor devices

A semiconductor device comprising a resistor formed by a region of a layer of tantalum nitride (Ta2N), said tantalum nitride layer also serving at another region as an adhesion layer and a barrier diffusion layer for the gold contacts and interconnects of the semiconductor device. A layer of tantalum nitride is also employed to form a mask for the metallization layer of a semiconductor device, the metallization layer thereafter being etched by sputter etching to produce very fine line electrical patterns for the integrated circuit.

Weldon H Jackson

Papers

Rf sputtering system with the anode enclosing the target

Metallization structure and process for semiconductor devices

A process of forming metallization structures on semiconductor devices