# US 12,112,890 B2 · Top magnets for decreased non-uniformity in PVD

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- Number: US 12,112,890 B2
- Document ID: US12112890B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/478,047
- Filed: 2021-09-17
- Published: 2023-03-23
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2021-09-17
- Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Applicants: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Inventors: Borui Xia; Anthony Chih-Tung Chan; Shiyu Yue; Wei Lei; Aravind Miyar Kamath; Mukund Sundararajan; Rongjun Wang; Adolph Miller Allen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12112890B2

## CPC

- H01F 7/0273: {Magnetic circuits with PM for magnetic field generation}
- H01F 7/18: Circuit arrangements for obtaining desired operating characteristics, e.g. for slow operation, for sequential energisation of windings, for high-speed energisation of windings
- C23C 14/021: {Cleaning or etching treatments}
- C23C 14/358: {Inductive energy}
- H01F 7/0221: {Mounting means for PM, supporting, coating, encapsulating PM}
- H01J 37/3405: {Magnetron sputtering}
- H01J 37/345: {Magnet arrangements in particular for cathodic sputtering apparatus (material of magnets or magnets in general H01F1/00, H01F7/00)}
- H01J 37/3452: {Magnet distribution}
- H01F: MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)

## Abstract

Magnet assemblies comprising a housing with a top plate each comprising aligned openings are described. The housing has a bottom ring and an annular wall with a plurality of openings formed in the bottom ring. The top plate is on the housing and has a plurality of openings aligned with the plurality of openings in the bottom ring of the housing. The magnet assembly may also include a non-conducting base plate and/or a conductive cover plate. Methods for using the magnet assembly and magnetic field tuning are also described.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A magnet assembly comprising:
one or more magnets; and
a housing having a bottom ring with a top surface and a bottom surface defining a thickness of the bottom ring, an inner diameter with an inner peripheral face and an outer diameter with an outer peripheral face, the bottom ring having a plurality of openings extending through the thickness of the bottom ring, and a housing annular wall extending a height from the top surface of the bottom ring, the housing annular wall having an inner diameter with an inner peripheral face and an outer diameter with an outer peripheral face defining a wall thickness, and a top flange on a top of the housing annular wall, the top flange extending outwardly from the outer peripheral face of the housing annular wall.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The magnet assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings are arranged in sets, each set of openings aligned along a vector extending from a center of the bottom ring to the outer peripheral face of the bottom ring, each opening of each set of openings positioned at different distances from the center.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The magnet assembly of claim 2, wherein there are three openings in each set of openings forming three rings of holes around the center, each ring having a different radius from the center.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The magnet assembly of claim 2, wherein there are in the range of 24 to 60 sets of openings.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The magnet assembly of claim 1, wherein the bottom ring has a truncated portion forming a flat on the outer peripheral face.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The magnet assembly of claim 1, wherein the height of the housing annular wall is in the range of 0.5 to 2.5 inches.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The magnet assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises aluminum.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The magnet assembly of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the bottom ring and the wall thickness of the annular wall are in the range of 1/16 inch to ¼ inch.

### Claim 9

A magnet assembly comprising:
one or more magnets;
a base plate having a top surface and a bottom surface defining a thickness of the base plate;
a housing on the base plate, the housing having a bottom ring with a top surface and a bottom surface defining a thickness of the bottom ring, an inner diameter with an inner peripheral face and an outer diameter with an outer peripheral face, the bottom ring having a plurality of openings extending through the thickness of the bottom ring, and a housing annular wall extending a height from the top surface of the bottom ring, the housing annular wall having an inner diameter with an inner peripheral face and an outer diameter with an outer peripheral face defining a wall thickness;
a top plate on the housing, the top plate having a top surface and a bottom surface defining a thickness of the top plate, and an inner diameter with an inner peripheral face and an outer diameter with an outer diameter face, the top plate having a plurality of openings extending through the thickness of the top plate, the plurality of openings aligned with the plurality of openings in the bottom ring of the housing; and
a cover plate having a cover plate top wall and a cover plate annular wall, the cover plate top wall having a top surface and a bottom surface defining a thickness of the cover plate top wall, the cover plate annular wall having an inner diameter with an inner diameter face and an outer diameter with an outer diameter face defining a wall thickness, the cover plate annular wall extending a height from the bottom surface of the cover plate top wall and having an outer diameter less than the inner diameter of the housing annular wall.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The magnet assembly of claim 9, wherein the plurality of openings in the housing are arranged in sets, each set of openings aligned along a vector extending from a center of the bottom ring to the outer peripheral face of the bottom ring, each opening of each set of openings positioned at different distances from the center, and the plurality of openings in the top plate are arranged in sets aligned with the sets of openings in the housing.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The magnet assembly of claim 10, wherein there are three openings in each set of openings forming three rings of openings around the center, each ring of openings having a different radius from the center.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The magnet assembly of claim 10, wherein there are in the range of 24 to 60 sets of openings.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The magnet assembly of claim 10, wherein the height of the housing annular wall is in the range of 0.5 to 2.5 inches.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The magnet assembly of claim 9, wherein the base plate comprises at least two portions that when assembled form a ring-shaped base plate.

### Claim 15 (depends on 9)

The magnet assembly of claim 9, wherein the base plate comprises a non-conductive material, the housing comprises aluminum, the top plate comprises stainless steel and the cover plate comprises aluminum.

### Claim 16 (depends on 9)

The magnet assembly of claim 9, further comprising at least one shim between the base plate and the housing.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The magnet assembly of claim 16, wherein each of the at least one shim comprises at least two portions that when assembly assembled form a ring-shaped shim.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The magnet assembly of claim 16, further comprising a top flange on a top of the housing annular wall, the top flange extending outwardly from the outer peripheral face of the housing annular wall.

### Claim 19 (depends on 9)

The magnet assembly of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of magnets positioned between the housing and the top plate, each of the magnets positioned within aligned openings in the housing and the top plate.