Sputter Gun Shield
AssigneeIntermolecular, Inc.
InventorJay Dedontney
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A shielding component and a sputter gun are described. The sputter gun has a housing. The housing has a region configured to expose a target surface. The shielding component extends around an inward facing periphery of the region. The shielding component comprises metal foam. The shielding component is configured to provide a fluid proximate to the target surface. An annular channel may be arranged to provide a gas through pores of the metal foam of the shielding component, to the region proximate to the target.
Claims20
A sputter gun, comprising:
- a housing, wherein the housing comprises:
- a target attached to the interior of the housing by a clamping ring secured by target clamping ring screws;
- and
- a shielding component,
- wherein the shielding component is disposed around the perimeter of the target,
- wherein the shielding component comprises metal foam.
In a sputter gun, a shield comprising:
- an annular, metallic shield that is operable to provide a barrier to sputtering products from a target disposed proximate to the metallic shield, the metallic shield comprising metal foam;
- wherein the target is attached to the interior of the housing of the sputter gun by a clamping ring secured by target clamping ring screws;
- and
- an annular channel disposed around an outer periphery of the metallic shield.
(canceled)
A method of operating a sputter gun, comprising:
- flowing a gas through a metal foam portion of a metallic shield disposed around a perimeter of a target of the sputter gun;
- creating a plasma from the gas;
- and
- depositing sputtered atoms from the target onto a substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.