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US 2006/0049042 A1Published application
Cathode for sputter coating
AssigneeJDS Uniphase Corporation
InventorsMarkus Tilsch, Georg Ockenfuss, Richard Seddon, Robert Hahn
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Abstract
A magnetron sputtering cathode for use in a vacuum deposition process is disclosed wherein the cathode is coated on its sides with an electrically insulating material such as alumina to prevent arcing, and wherein the first end surface of the cathode supports a material to be sputtered. The bottom of the cathode may also be coated with an electrically insulating coating or may be resting upon an insulating platform.
Claims19
A magnetron sputtering apparatus including:
- a magnetron cathode having first and second end surfaces and one or more side surfaces, the cathode having disposed therein a plurality of magnets adjacent to one another, at least one magnet having N-S poles facing first and second end surfaces respectively and at least one magnet having S-N poles facing the first and second end surfaces of the cathode respectively such that magnetic field lines extend from the N pole of one magnet to the S pole of the other magnet extending through the first end surface of the cathode, wherein the one or more side surfaces are at least partially coated with an electrically insulating material to prevent arcing, and wherein the first end surface of the cathode supports a material to be sputtered.
A magnetron sputtering apparatus comprising:
- a vacuum coating chamber;
- a substrate holding member disposed within the coating chamber for mounting a substrate on which a film is to be deposited;
- at least one magnetron cathode disposed in opposed relation to the substrate and having a target used to deposit the film on a surface of the substrate;
- a gas control system for supplying a gas to an interior of the vacuum coating chamber;
- and
- a power source system for supplying electrical power to said magnetron cathode;
- wherein the magnetron cathode has a first end surface, a second end surface and side surfaces and wherein the magnetron cathode includes a magnet assembly in which a plurality of magnet units' N and S poles are oppositely disposed adjacent to each other, and wherein the second end surface and side surfaces of the cathode are coated with an electrically insulating coating for preventing arcing.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.