Systems and methods for single magnetron sputtering

A power supply system for a single magnetron sputtering system, the power supply system comprising:

• a target lead to couple to a target and an anode lead to couple to an anode;
• a pulsed DC power supply coupled to the target lead and the anode lead, the pulsed DC power supply is configured to generate and apply an alternating sputtering voltage at the target lead relative to the anode lead that alternates between a positive portion during an anode sputtering pulse and a negative portion during a target sputtering pulse,
• a pulse controller configured to control when the alternating sputtering voltage at the target lead alternates from the positive portion to the negative portion, and the pulse controller is configured to control an anode sputtering energy applied by the pulsed DC power supply during the anode sputtering pulse responsive to an anode-energy-control signal;
• an anode monitor system comprising a voltage monitor coupled to the anode lead and the target lead to measure the alternating sputtering voltage;
• and
• an anode sputtering adjustment system comprising:
• a field programmable gate array coupled to the voltage monitor;
• and
• a non-transitory tangible medium comprising instructions that, when used to configure the field programmable gate array, cause the field programmable gate array to:
• receive the measurements of the alternating sputtering voltage during multiple target sputtering pulses;
• determine when the negative portion of the alternating sputtering voltage increases more than the threshold deviation to maintain target sputtering power during the multiple target sputtering pulses;
• and
• provide the anode-energy-control signal to the pulse controller with a value to prompt the pulse controller to increase the anode sputtering energy to eject material from the anode when the negative portion of the alternating sputtering voltage increases more than the threshold deviation.