Sputtering apparatus and methods

A method of sputter depositing material onto an object in a sputtering chamber, comprising the steps of:

• (a) positioning a walled object obscuring portion of a shutter between a source of the material and the object;
• (b) bombarding the source with ions produced in the chamber with the walled object obscuring portion of the shutter positioned between the source and the object and collecting matter dislodged from the source by such bombarding onto the object obscuring portion of the shutter;
• (c) moving the shutter to position an apertured portion of such shutter between such source and the object and repositioning the walled object obscuring portion of the shutter to a region in the chamber displaced from the object;
• (d) bombarding the source with ions produced in the chamber with the apertured portion of the shutter positioned between the source and the object and depositing matter dislodged from such source by such bombarding and passing through the apertured portion of the shutter onto the object;
• and
• (e) confining particles of the matter previously collected on the walled object obscuring portion of the shutter during step (b) to such walled object obscuring portion while the dislodged matter is deposited on the object.

A method of sputter depositing material onto an object in a sputtering chamber, such chamber having disposed therein a source of the material, the object, and a shutter disposed between the source and the object, such shutter having an apertured portion and an object obscuring portion, such object obscuring portion having a container, such container having:

• an open end formed in an upper portion of the shutter;
• an opposing bottom portion;
• and side wall portions disposed between the open end and the bottom portion, such method comprising the steps of:
• (a) positioning the upper portion of the shutter in a dark space region of the chamber and the open end of the container adjacent the source with the bottom portion between such source and the object and bombarding the source with ions produced in the chamber, and collecting matter dislodged from the source by such bombarding onto the bottom portion of such container;
• (b) moving the shutter to position an apertured portion of the shutter between the source and the object and repositioning the container to a region in the chamber displaced from the object, and bombarding the source with ions produced in the chamber with the apertured portion of the shutter positioned between the source and the object, and depositing matter dislodged from such source by such bombarding and passing through the apertured portion of the shutter onto the object while confining particles of the matter previously collected on the bottom portion during step (a) within the container and in the region in the chamber remote from the object.

A method of sputter depositing material on an object in a sputtering chamber, comprising the steps of:

• (a) positioning a walled obscuring portion of a shutter, disposed in the chamber, between the material and the object;
• (b) collecting matter, dislodged from a source of said material by bombardment of said source by ions produced in the chamber, on the obscuring portion of the shutter;
• (c) repositioning the shutter to remove the walled obscuring portion of the shutter from between the material and the object;
• (d) dislodging matter from said source of material and depositing such dislodged matter onto the object with the shutter repositioned, such dislodged matter passing from the source onto the object;
• and
• (e) confining particulates of the matter previously collected on the walled obscuring portion of the shutter during step (b) to such walled object-obscuring portion of the shutter when the object is being deposited with the dislodged matter.

In an apparatus for sputter depositing material on objects disposed on a rotatable pallet by bombardment of a selected one of a plurality of sources with ions generated in a sputtering chamber, such bombardment dislodging atoms of material from such selected one of such sources, such dislodged material passing through an aperture in a shutter disposed in such chamber and movably positionable between a selected one of the sources and a portion of the objects onto different ones of such objects exposed by the aperture as the pallet rotates within the chamber when the shutter is in an open position, such dislodged material being deposited on an obscuring portion of the shutter when such shutter is in a prior closed position when such ion bombardment dislodges contaminated surface portions of the sources, the improvement characterized by such shutter having in the obscuring portion thereof a plurality of containers, each one thereof having an open end portion and an opposing bottom portion with side wall portions therebetween, the open end portion of the containers being disposed adjacent the plurality of sources when such shutter is in the closed position to confine the dislodged contaminated surface portions of the sources deposited in such containers when such sources are bombarded with the shutter in the closed position and wherein the aperture is configured to provide substantially uniform deposition to the objects as the pallet rotates within the chamber when the shutter is in the open position.

Apparatus for sputter depositing material on an object in a sputtering chamber, comprising:

• (a) means disposed within the chamber for supporting a source of the material to be deposited on the object
• (b) means disposed within the chamber for supporting the object in spaced relationship from the source;
• (c) a shield disposed within the chamber, such shield having an obscuring portion, such obscuring portion having an open ended container, such container having:
• a bottom portion adjacent the object supporting means and the open end adjacent the source supporting means;
• and, side walls around peripheral portions of the bottom portion;
• and
• (d) means for selectively positioning the open ended container between the source and the object or for removing such open ended container from between the source and the object.

Sputtering apparatus, comprising:

• (a) means, including a sputtering chamber, for producing ions in the chamber;
• (b) means, disposed within the chamber, for supporting a target material;
• (c) means, disposed within the chamber, for supporting an object to be deposited with particles ejected from the target material by bombardment of such target material with the ions produced within the chamber;
• and
• (d) a shield, disposed in the chamber between the target supporting means and the object supporting means, such shield having:
• a shielding surface portion;
• an aperture formed in a portion of the shield;
• and, sidewalls disposed about the shielding surface portion and about the portion of the shield having the aperture formed therein providing a container having an open end disposable adjacent the target supporting means.