1. A cyclone unit for separating contaminants from contaminants-laden air drawn through an air inlet port of a dust-collecting receptacle via a suction nozzle of a vacuum cleaner and for discharging air having contaminants separated to an air-discharging pipe, the cyclone unit comprising:
a cylindrical body disposed inside the dust-collecting receptacle;
at least one supporting bracket extending from an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body to an inner circumferential surface of the dust-collecting receptacle to support the cylindrical body and to separate the cylindrical body from the inner circumferential surface of the dust-collecting receptacle; and
an air inlet pipe having one end in fluid communication with the air inlet port of the dust-collecting receptacle and the other end in fluid communication with the cylindrical body in a tangential direction.
2. The cyclone unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one supporting bracket has an end bonded on the inner circumferential surface of the dust-collecting receptacle by thermal fusion bonding.
3. The cyclone unit of claim 1, wherein the air inlet pipe wraps around some outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body to increase the whirling degree of the contaminants-laden air.
4. The cyclone unit of claim 1, further comprising:
a helical guide disposed inside the cylindrical body to whirl the contaminants-laden air entering the cylindrical body through the air inlet pipe and to guide the contaminants-laden air to the air-discharging pipe formed at an upper side of the cylindrical body.
5. The cyclone unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one supporting bracket has a width that is the same dimension as a dimension of an outer diameter of the air inlet pipe.
6. The cyclone unit of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical body further comprises a center shaft disposed at a center thereof for the contaminants-laden air to whirl smoothly therein.
7. A contaminants collecting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner comprising:
a body having an air inlet through which contaminants-laden air entering via a suction nozzle of the vacuum cleaner can pass, in which contaminants separated from the contaminants-laden air can be collected, and from which clean air can be discharged; and
a cyclone unit comprising:
a cylindrical body disposed inside the body;
at least one supporting bracket extending from an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body to an inner circumferential surface of the body to support the cylindrical body and to separate the cylindrical body from the inner circumferential surface of the body;
an air inlet pipe having one end in fluid communication with the air inlet of the body and the other end in fluid communication with the cylindrical body in a tangential direction; and
a helical guide disposed inside the cylindrical body to whirl the contaminants-laden air entering the cylindrical body through the air inlet pipe and to guide the contaminants-laden air to the air-discharging pipe formed at an upper side of the cylindrical body.
8. The contaminants collecting apparatus of claim 7, wherein the body further comprises an upper cover opening or closing a top end of the body,
wherein the upper cover is integrally formed with the air-discharging pipe to guide the clean air discharged from the body to the outside.
9. The contaminants collecting apparatus of claim 7, wherein the body further comprises a lower cover disposed at a bottom end of the body by a hinge connection to open or close the bottom end of the body.
10. The contaminants collecting apparatus of claim 7, wherein the body is made of transparent material or semitransparent material.
11. The contaminants collecting apparatus of claim 8, wherein the cyclone unit has a top end that is spaced apart from a bottom end of the upper cover so that contaminants centrifugally separated in the cyclone unit are discharged to the body.
12. The contaminants collecting apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a contaminants discharging pathway formed between an outer circumferential surface of the cyclone unit and an inner circumferential surface of the body and a contaminants collecting chamber formed between a bottom surface of the cyclone unit and a lower cover.
13. The contaminants collecting apparatus of claim 7, wherein the air-discharging pipe extends downwardly from the upper cover inside the cylindrical body of the cyclone unit.
14. The contaminants collecting apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one supporting bracket has an end that is bonded on the inner circumferential surface of the body by thermal fusion bonding.
15. The contaminants collecting apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one supporting bracket is fixed to the body by at least one screw.
16. The contaminants collecting apparatus of claim 7, wherein the cyclone unit comprises a plurality of supporting brackets,
wherein the width of each of the plurality of supporting brackets is wider than a gap between an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body and an inner circumferential surface of the body so that a side end of each of the plurality of supporting brackets presses the inner circumferential surface of the body to fix the cylindrical body into the body.
17. The contaminants collecting apparatus of claim 7, wherein the air inlet pipe is in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the body so that the air inlet pipe separates the cylindrical body from the inner circumferential surface of the body and supports the cylindrical body.
18. The contaminants collecting apparatus of claim 17, wherein the air inlet pipe is bonded on the inner circumferential surface of the body by thermal fusion bonding.
19. The contaminants collecting apparatus of claim 17, the air inlet pipe has an outer diameter that is larger than a gap between an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body and an inner circumferential surface of the body so that the air inlet pipe presses the inner circumferential surface of the body with at least one of the plurality of supporting brackets to fix the cylindrical body into the body.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A method of selectively forming a barrier region in a contact level via comprising the steps of:
providing a substrate having a silicon layer and a dielectric layer, where a via is formed through the dielectric layer and has a bottom exposing at least a portion of the silicon layer;
depositing a layer of titanium;
processing said titanium to form titanium silicide at said bottom of said via;
removing said titanium and leaving said titanium silicide;
nitriding said titanium silicide, where said nitrided titanium silicide is said barrier region.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said processing step is accomplished using rapid thermal processing.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said nitriding step is performed using a nitrogen plasma.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said nitriding step is performed using rapid thermal processing and an atmosphere containing nitrogen.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said processing step further comprises the step of:
heating said substrate to a temperature of between 600 and 800 degrees C. for a period of approximately 30 seconds.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein said layer of titanium is approximately 200 thick.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein said removing step is accomplished using a wet etchant.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of fortifying said nitrided titanium silicide by oxygen stuffing.
9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of metallizing said via to contact said nitrided titanium silicide.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said metallizing step includes depositing aluminum using a deposition process selected from the following: a chemical vapor deposition process, a physical vapor deposition process, or an integrated chemical vapor depositionphysical vapor deposition process.
11. A contact level via formed using a method comprising the steps of:
providing a substrate having a silicon layer and a dielectric layer, where a via is formed through the dielectric layer and has a bottom exposing at least a portion of the silicon layer;
depositing a layer of titanium;
processing said titanium to form titanium silicide at said bottom of said via;
removing said titanium and leaving said titanium silicide;
nitriding said titanium silicide, where said nitrided titanium silicide is said barrier region.
12. The contact level via of claim 11 wherein said processing step is accomplished using rapid thermal processing.
13. The contact level via of claim 11 wherein said nitriding step is performed using a nitrogen plasma.
14. The contact level via of claim 11 wherein said nitriding step is performed using rapid thermal processing and an atmosphere containing nitrogen.
15. The contact level via of claim 11 wherein said processing step further comprises the step of:
heating said substrate to a temperature of between 600 and 800 degrees C. for a period of approximately 30 seconds.
16. The contact level via of claim 11 wherein said layer of titanium is approximately 200 thick.
17. The contact level via of claim 11 wherein said removing step is accomplished using a wet etchant.
18. The contact level via of claim 11 further comprising a step of metallizing said via to contact said nitrided titanium silicide.
19. The contact level via of claim 11 further comprising a step of fortifying said nitrided titanium silicide by oxygen stuffing.
20. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of metallizing said barrier region.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein said metallizing step includes depositing aluminum using a deposition process selected from the following: a chemical vapor deposition process, a physical vapor deposition process, or an integrated chemical vapor depositionphysical vapor deposition process.
22. A contact level via comprising:
a substrate having a silicon layer and a dielectric layer, where a via is formed through the dielectric layer having a bottom that exposes at least a portion of the silicon layer; and
a nitrided titanium silicide region formed only at the bottom of the via, where said nitrided titanium silicide layer is a barrier layer.
23. The contact level via of claim 22 further comprising:
a metallization layer formed in said via to contact said nitrided titanium silicide region.
24. The contact level via of claim 22 wherein said nitrided titanium silicide region is oxygen stuffed.
25. A computer system having a memory coupled to a processor, where execution by said processor of a program stored in said memory causes said computer system to control a semiconductor wafer processing system to perform a method of selectively forming a barrier region in a contact level via comprising the steps of:
providing a substrate having a silicon layer and a dielectric layer, where a via is formed through the dielectric layer and has a bottom contacting the silicon layer;
depositing a layer of titanium;
processing said titanium to form titanium silicide at said bottom of said via;
removing said titanium and leaving said titanium silicide;
nitriding said titanium silicide, where said nitrided titanium silicide is said barrier region.
26. The program of claim 25 wherein said processing step is accomplished using rapid thermal processing.
27. The program of claim 25 wherein said nitriding step is performed using a nitrogen plasma.
28. The program of claim 25 wherein said nitriding step is performed using rapid thermal processing and an atmosphere containing nitrogen.
29. The program of claim 25 wherein said processing step further comprises the step of:
heating said substrate to a temperature of between 600 and 800 degrees C. for a period of approximately 30 seconds.
30. The program of claim 25 wherein said layer of titanium is approximately 200 thick.
31. The program of claim 25 wherein said removing step is accomplished using a wet etchant.
32. The program of claim 25 further comprising the step of metallizing said via to contact said nitrided titanium silicide.
33. The program of claim 25 further comprising the step of fortifying said nitrided titanium silicide by oxygen stuffing.
34. The program of claim 25 further comprising the step of metallizing said barrier region.
35. The program of claim 34 wherein said metallizing step includes depositing aluminum using a deposition process selected from the following: a chemical vapor deposition process, a physical vapor deposition process, or an integrated chemical vapor depositionphysical vapor deposition process.