This system is a highly integrated multi-chamber magnetron sputtering equipment, specially designed for the research and fabrication of high-performance microelectronic and acoustic devices, including BAW filters, SAW devices, MEMS sensors and other related components.

It is equipped with four process chambers: an AlN thin film sputtering chamber, an AlScN thin film sputtering chamber, a molybdenum (Mo) metal sputtering chamber, and an ion beam chamber for fine planarization and trimming of thin films.

The core application is the fabrication of piezoelectric thin-film devices with aluminum nitride (AlN) and scandium-doped aluminum nitride (AlScN) as the key functional materials.Thin films deposited by sputtering often exhibit insufficient surface flatness, and surface roughness severely degrades the performance of high-frequency devices, such as increased power loss. The ion beam planarization chamber is adopted to achieve ultra-smooth surface finishing of deposited films.

Process/Testing Capability

It enables the deposition of piezoelectric AlN, AlScN thin films and molybdenum (Mo) metal, as well as ion beam fine planarization and trimming of thin films.The process ensures a highly ordered crystalline structure of films. The preferred crystallographic orientation of AlN and AlScN is the (002) plane, while that of Mo is the (100) plane.The fabricated films feature low crystal defects and residual stress, making them highly suitable for the fabrication of piezoelectric surface acoustic wave devices such as SAW and F‑bar components.

Technical Specifications

1.Only intact wafers are acceptable as substrates, with available sizes of 4-inch, 6-inch and 8-inch.

2.Chamber vacuum level: 5×10−7 Torr.

3.Thickness uniformity (1 sigma/mean) of planarized 8-inch wafers:

a) 1 μm AlN: uniformity ＜ 0.1%;

b) 500 nm AlSc(30%)N: uniformity ＜ 0.1%;

c) 300 nm Mo: uniformity ＜ 0.7%.

4.The thin films possess a highly ordered crystalline structure. AlN and AlScN exhibit a preferred (002) crystallographic orientation, while Mo shows a preferred (100) crystallographic orientation.

5.Crystalline quality after planarization:

a) XRD rocking curve FWHM of AlN ＜ 1.5°;

b) XRD rocking curve FWHM of AlSc(30%)N ＜ 1.7°;

c) XRD rocking curve FWHM of Mo ＜ 2°.