Patent ID: 11913107
Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
Field: Surface technology, coating (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC C  H | IPC C  H

Claim 9:
10. A physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber for processing a substrate, comprising:
a DC power source and an RF power source;
a gas source for providing at least one process gas into a processing volume of the PVD chamber; and
a controller coupled to the DC power source and the RF power source and configured to:
form metal ions to be sputtered on a surface of a substrate disposed within the processing volume of the PVD chamber, selectively etch from the substrate an exposed first layer of material, covering an underlying second layer of material, and adjacent to a third layer of material having a top surface exposed above an entirety of the first layer of material, using both process gas ions and metal ions, in an amount sufficient to expose the second layer of material while simultaneously depositing a layer of metal to passivate the third layer of material to protect the third layer from breakdown during an outclassing procedure; and
subsequently deposit metal onto the second layer of material.