LAYERS 9 – Welcome to Advanced Directional Sputtering (ADS)
Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) sputtering has long been a core technique across Evatec’s markets, supporting high‑volume manufacturing with fast, uniform and cost‑efficient thin‑film deposition. However, as device architectures evolve toward smaller geometries, tighter pitches and more complex 3D structures, the limitations of conventional sputtering are increasingly evident. In deep features such as trenches or through‑vias, isotropic particle flux can lead to excessive sidewall deposition, void formation and incomplete bottom coverage—ultimately impacting electrical performance and reliability.
To address these challenges, Evatec has introduced Advanced Directional Sputtering (ADS), a next‑generation PVD capability engineered to deliver highly directional material flux with near‑vertical incidence on the substrate surface. ADS uses techniques such as collimated sputtering, ionized PVD (I‑PVD) and long‑throw sputtering to ensure superior step coverage, improved conformality and reduced risk of discontinuities in high‑aspect‑ratio features.
ADS is available on the CLUSTERLINE® 200 and CLUSTERLINE® 300 platforms and forms a cornerstone of Evatec’s new frontend capabilities. The technology supports high productivity and low contamination operation, with options including RF bias, hot and cold electrostatic chucks and advanced shutter configurations. For less demanding structures, Evatec also offers SDS (Standard Directional Sputtering), a cost‑effective setup with fewer tuning features but the same core principles. Key materials processed include Ti/TiN, Ta/TaN and Cu, with the ability to optimize additional materials as required.
Across industries, directional sputtering has become a critical enabler for next‑generation devices. In power discretes, ADS ensures continuous Ti/TiN barrier layers deep inside trench structures. In wireless applications, it supports conformal metallization for GaAs‑based HBTs and HEMTs. In frontend interconnects, ADS enables void‑free barrier and seed layers in contact holes, trenches and dual damascene features. And in advanced packaging, ADS secures continuous Ti‑Cu seed coverage in high‑aspect‑ratio TSVs, essential for reliable Cu electroplating.
As design rules shrink and performance demands rise, ADS provides the directional control required to achieve consistent, reliable metallization for cutting‑edge semiconductors.
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