# US 2009/0260977 A1 · Method for manufacturing workpieces with ion-etched surface > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2009/0260977 A1 - Document ID: US20090260977A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/427,021 - Filed: 2009-04-21 - Published: 2009-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2008-04-22 - Assignees: Oerlikon Trading AG, Truebbach - Inventors: Siegfried Krassnitzer; Oliver Gstoehl; Markus Esselbach - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20090260977A1 ## CPC - H01J 37/32: Gas-filled discharge tubes (heating by discharge H05B) - H01J 2237/334: Etching - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) ## Abstract Planetary carriers (22) for workpieces mounted on a carousel (19) are provided within a vacuum chamber. A source (24) for a cloud comprising ions (CL) is provided so that a central axis (ACL) of the cloud intercepts the rotary axis (A20) of the carousel (19). The cloud (CL) has an ion density profile at the moving path (T) of planetary axes (A22) which drops to 50% of the maximum ion density at a distance from the addressed center axis (ACL) which is at most half the diameter of the planetary carriers (22). When workpieces upon the planetary carriers (22) are etched by the cloud comprising ions material which is etched off is substantially not redeposited on neighboring planetary carriers but rather ejected towards the wall of the vacuum chamber. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for manufacturing workpieces, at least a part of the surface of said workpieces being etched including etched by ion impact, comprising: providing a carousel base drivingly rotatable about a carousel axis; providing along the periphery of and on said carousel base at least two planetary carriers, each drivingly rotatable about a planetary axis parallel to said carousel axis; generating a cloud comprising ions and having, considered in a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to said carousel and said planetary axes, a center axis in a center of an area of maximum ion density; directing said center axis so as to intersect with said carousel axis, considered in said cross-sectional plane; applying at least one workpiece to be etched on each of said planetary carriers, each of said planetary carriers defining by rotating about its planetary axis for a diameter with respect to such planetary axis; said cloud comprising ions having an ion density dropping to 50% of maximum ion density of said beam at a distance from said center axis which is at most equal to 50% of said diameter, considered in said cross-sectional plane, and at the locus of moving path of said planetary axes; rotating said carousel base and said planetary carriers about said respective axes; etching the workpieces as moved into and through said cloud. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said cloud is generated substantially linearly extended in a direction parallel to the planetary axes. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, comprising applying said workpieces eccentrically with respect to the respective planetary axis and preferably rotating each workpiece about a workpiece axis. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising additionally preventing re-deposition of material momentarily etched from said workpieces to others of said workpieces by mutual shielding. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising further concentrating said etching by selectively applying a higher negative bias voltage to one or more than one workpieces being momentarily etched than to workpieces momentarily not being etched. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, said generating comprising shaping said cloud by a diaphragm in one of the following manners, namely through an electrically floating metallic diaphragm or through a dielectric diaphragm or through an anode diaphragm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, said generating comprising applying a magnetic field along said cloud. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, thereby generating said cloud as a plasma. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, said distance being at most equal to a quarter of said diameter. ### Claim 10 An ion etching apparatus comprising: a carousel base drivingly rotatable about a carousel axis in a vacuum chamber; at least two planetary carriers drivingly mounted adjacent to the periphery of and on said carousel base and drivingly rotatable about respective planetary axes which are parallel to said carousel axis; each of said planetary carriers defining for a diameter with respect to the respective planetary axis; a source generating a cloud comprising ions and having, considered in a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to said carousel and said planetary axes, a center axis, said center axis intersecting said carousel axis; at least one workpiece support for a workpiece at each of said at least two planetary carriers, said cloud comprising ions having an ion density dropping to 50% of its maximum ion density at a distance from the center axis which is at most equal to 50% of said diameter, considered in said cross-sectional plane, and at the locus of moving path of said planetary axes. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The etching apparatus of claim 10, wherein said cloud comprising ions extends substantially linearly in direction parallel to said planetary axes. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of said planetary carriers comprises workpiece supports adjacent the respective periphery of said planetary carriers, said supports being preferably drivingly rotatable about a respective support axis. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a shield between neighboring planetary carriers, said shield being stationary with respect to said carousel base and extending radially with respect to said carousel axis. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a shield between neighboring of said workpiece supports mounted on respective ones of said planetary carriers and extending radially with respect to respective of said planetary axes. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said shields are of a metal and are operated electrically floatingly or are of a dielectric material. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising around each of said planetary carriers a shielding member mounted on said carousel base and having an opening directed radially outwards with respect to said carousel axis. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a shielding member around said workpiece supports mounted on said planetary carriers, each having an opening directed radially outwards with respect to the respective planetary axes. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said shielding members are of a metal and are operated electrically floatingly or are of a dielectric material. ### Claim 19 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising an electric supply for biasing said workpiece supports so as to attract ions of said beam. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising a bias control unit controlling said bias to be higher whenever a respective one of said supports is immersed in said cloud than when said workpiece is not immersed in said cloud. ### Claim 21 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10 comprising a diaphragm along said beam being an electrically floating, metallic diaphragm or a dielectric diaphragm or acting as an anode. ### Claim 22 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a coil arrangement generating a focusing magnetic field along said cloud. ### Claim 23 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said source is a plasma source and said cloud is a plasma. ### Claim 24 (depends on 14) The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said shields are of a metal and are operated electrically floatingly or are of a dielectric material. ### Claim 25 (depends on 17) The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said shielding members are of a metal and are operated electrically floatingly or are of a dielectric material.