Physical vapor deposition chamber with static magnet assembly and methods of sputtering

A plasma sputter chamber comprising:

• a chamber wall defining a processing volume within the plasma sputter chamber;
• a magnetron comprising an outer pole, a first inner pole and a second inner pole positionable at a back of a sputtering target in a fixed relationship with the target;
• the outer pole comprising a plurality of first elongate magnets of a first magnetic polarity, the first elongate magnets mounted on a magnetic yoke arranged in a first closed pattern around a central region;
• the first inner pole disposed within the first closed pattern, separated from the outer pole by a gap, comprising a plurality of second elongate magnets of a second magnetic polarity opposite the first magnetic polarity arranged in a second closed pattern mounted on the magnetic yoke;
• and
• the second inner pole disposed in the central region and surrounded by the second closed pattern, separated from the first inner pole by a gap, comprising at least one of a third elongate magnet of the first magnetic polarity mounted on the magnetic yoke, the outer pole, the first inner pole and the second inner pole arranged such that there is an unbalance ratio defined by a total magnetic intensity of poles of magnets of the first polarity to the total magnetic intensity of poles of magnets of the second polarity and the unbalance ratio is greater than 1 and less than 3.

A method of processing a substrate in a plasma sputter chamber chamber, the method comprising:

• placing a substrate on a substrate support within a processing volume of the plasma sputter chamber defined by a chamber wall, the processing volume including an upper portion and a lower portion, the substrate support in the lower portion;
• the upper portion including a magnetron comprising an outer pole, a first inner pole and a second inner pole positionable at a back of a sputtering target in a fixed relationship with the target;
• the outer pole comprising a plurality of first elongate magnets of a first magnetic polarity, the first elongate magnets mounted on a magnetic yoke arranged in a first closed pattern around a central region;
• the first inner pole disposed within the first closed pattern, separated from the outer pole by a gap, comprising a plurality of second elongate magnets of a second magnetic polarity opposite the first magnetic polarity arranged in a second closed pattern mounted on the magnetic yoke;
• and
• the second inner pole disposed in the central region and surrounded by the second closed pattern, separated from the first inner pole by a gap, comprising at least one of a third elongate magnet of the first magnetic polarity mounted on the magnetic yoke, the poles arranged such that there is an unbalance ratio defined by a total magnetic intensity of poles of magnets of the first polarity to the total magnetic intensity of poles of magnets of the second polarity and the unbalance ratio is greater than 1 and less than 3;
• and
• sputtering material from the target comprising source material located above the substrate support in the upper portion onto a substrate.