Geometries and configurations for magnetron sputtering apparatus

A process for forming films on a substrate comprising:

• providing within a vacuum chamber a carrier means having a rotation axis, the carrier means comprising a spider assembly including at least a pair of spaced arms mounting substrate carrying cylinders between opposite ends thereof, the spider assembly being rotatable about the carrier means rotation axis and the cylinders being individually rotatable about associated axes generally parallel to the carrier means rotation axis;
• providing film deposition devices and ion source plasma generation devices at selected positions about the periphery of the carrier means, the deposition devices and the ion source plasma generation devices arranged such that at least one deposition device and one ion source plasma generation device may be located spatially separated adjacent each cylinder such that each thereof acts on a different portion of the cylinder;
• and selectively indexing the spider assembly between the selected positions and rotating the cylinders while at the selected positions for selectively depositing at least one predetermined material onto the substrate and effecting a selected chemical reaction with the deposited material at each position as the substrate passes the ion source plasma generation device;
• the combination of carrier configuration, deposition device configuration and the rotation providing controlled thickness profiles of material deposited on similarly-shaped substrate surfaces.

Apparatus for depositing an optical coating on a substrate in a vacuum chamber, comprising:

• a substrate holder located in said vacuum chamber, said substrate holder being rotatable about an axis generally transverse thereto and including means for supporting the substrate thereon;
• at least first and second deposition devices located in the vacuum chamber, for depositing respectively first and second metals;
• at least one reactive ion source device located in said vacuum chamber for providing a locally intensified plasma in and of at least one reactive gas between the ion source device and the substrate holder to chemically react with the deposited layer of material;
• and
• said deposition devices and said ion source device being located adjacent said substrate holder and spatially separated from each other such that each acts over a separate region of the substrate holder, and said substrate holder, said deposition devices, and said reactive ion source device being arranged such that, when said substrate holder is rotated, the substrates move sequentially past said first and second deposition devices and said reactive ion source device, for depositing a layer of material selected from the first metal and the second metal and completely chemically reacting said layer with the reactive plasma as the substrate passes the ion source device.

Apparatus for depositing a multilayer optical interference coating on a substrate, comprising:

• a vacuum chamber;
• vacuum pump means, connected to said vacuum chamber for creating a vacuum therein;
• a substrate holder located in said vacuum chamber, said substrate holder being rotatable about an axis generally normal thereto and including means for supporting the substrate thereon;
• at least first and second magnetron sources located in said vacuum chamber, for depositing respectively first and second metals;
• means for operating the first and second magnetron sources for selectively depositing the first and second metals;
• at least one magnetron enhanced ion source device located in said vacuum chamber for providing locally intensified plasma including a reactive gas between said magnetron enhanced ion source device and said substrate holder;
• and
• said first and second magnetron sources and said magnetron enhanced ion source device being located adjacent said substrate holder and spatially separated from each other such that each acts over a separate region of the substrate holder, and said substrate holder, said first and second magnetron sources, and said magnetron enhanced ion source device being arranged such that, when said substrate holder is rotated, the substrate is moved sequentially past said first and second magnetron sources and said magnetron enhanced ion source device for depositing a layer of metal and completely and chemically reacting the layer during a single pass of the substrate past the magnetron enhanced ion source device.

Apparatus for depositing a multilayer optical interference coating on a substrate, comprising:

• a vacuum chamber;
• vacuum pump means, connected to said vacuum chamber for creating a vacuum therein;
• a substrate holder located in said vacuum chamber, said substrate holder being rotatable about an axis generally normal thereto and including means for supporting the substrate thereon;
• at least one magnetron source located in said vacuum chamber, for depositing a metal on the substrate;
• at least one magnetron enhanced ion source device located in said vacuum chamber for providing a locally intensified plasma including a reactive gas between said magnetron enhanced ion source device and said substrate holder;
• and
• said magnetron source and said magnetron enhanced ion source device located adjacent said substrate holder and spatially separated such that each acts over a different region of said substrate holder, and said substrate holder, said magnetron source, and said magnetron enhanced ion source device being arranged such that, when said substrate holder is rotated, the substrate is moved sequentially past said magnetron source and said magnetron enhanced ion source device for depositing a metal layer on the substrate and completely reacting the metal layer as the substrate passes said magnetron enhanced ion source device, whereby the metal layer is converted to a compound of the reactive gas.

A method of forming a layer of a metal compound on a substrate, comprising:

• supporting the substrate on a substrate holder;
• providing a magnetron enhanced sputter deposition source for depositing a metal and a plasma generation device for forming a locally intensified plasma including a reactive gas between said plasma generation device and the substrate, said magnetron enhanced sputter deposition source and said plasma generation device located adjacent the substrate holder and spatially separated such that each acts over a different region of the substrate holder;
• rotating the substrate holder past said magnetron enhanced sputter deposition source for forming at least one monolayer of the metal on the substrate, and through the locally intensified plasma, for sequentially depositing said at least one monolayer of metal on the substrate and completely chemically reacting said monolayer of metal with the reactive gas in the locally intensified plasma before the substrate holder returns to the magnetron-enhanced sputter deposition device, to form a compound of the metal and the reactive gas;
• and continuing the substrate holder rotation until a layer of the metal compound of a predetermined thickness is built up on the substrates.

A method of forming a layer of a metal compound on a substrate, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a vacuum chamber including a substrate holder rotatable about an axis transverse thereto, at least one magnetron enhanced deposition source for depositing a metal, and at least one magnetron enhanced ion source device for creating a locally intensified plasma including a reactive gas between the magnetron enhanced ion source and the substrate holder, said magnetron enhanced deposition source and said magnetron enhanced ion source device located adjacent the substrate holder and spatially separated such that each acts on a different region of the substrate holder;
• (b) supporting the substrate on said substrate holder, with the substrate, said magnetron enhanced deposition source, and said magnetron enhanced ion source arranged such that, when said substrate holder is rotated, the substrate is moved sequentially past said magnetron enhanced deposition source and said magnetron enhanced ion source device;
• (c) activating said magnetron enhanced deposition source and said magnetron enhanced ion source device;
• (d) rotating said substrate holder such that the substrate moves sequentially past said activated magnetron enhanced deposition source and said activated magnetron enhanced ion source device, thereby sequentially depositing at least one monolayer of metal on the substrate and reacting said at least one monolayer of metal with the reactive gas to form a compound of the metal and reactive gas as the substrate passes through the locally intensified plasma before the substrate is returned to the region of the magnetron-enhanced deposition source;
• and
• (e) continuing the substrate holder rotation until a layer of the metal compound of a predetermined thickness is built up on the substrate.

Apparatus for depositing a multi-layer optical coating on a plurality of substrates, comprising:

• a vacuum chamber;
• a substrate holder located in the vacuum chamber, the substrate holder being mounted for rotation about an axis in the vacuum chamber, including a means for receiving, holding and transporting substrates at the surface of the substrate holder;
• means adapted for rotating the substrate holder at a selected velocity about the axis past physically spaced work stations, the physically spaced work stations comprising at least two first work stations and at least one second work station, the physically spaced first and second work stations positioned adjacent to the substrate holder in different regions of the vacuum chamber;
• at least two magnetron sputter devices positioned at the first work stations adjacent to the substrate holder, each sputter device having a target of selected material for sputter deposition on substrates and wherein the magnetron sputter devices are operated either alternately or simultaneously;
• means for selecting the process operating conditions of the magnetron sputter devices for sputter depositing material from a selected sputter device onto substrates being transported by the substrate holder;
• at least one magnetron enhanced ion source device positioned at the second work station adjacent to the substrate holder, and including means for providing an oxygen plasma for oxidation of sputter deposited materials;
• means for selecting the process operating conditions of the magnetron enhanced ion source device for effecting a desired reaction with the thin layer of sputter deposited material on the substrates;
• and
• the substrate holder, the sputter devices, the ions and the ion source device arranged so that, when the substrate holder is rotated at a selected velocity and a selected sputter device is operated, the substrate traverses repeatedly past the sputter devices and the ion source device, depositing the thin layer of material from the selected sputter device onto the substrates during each one of the repeated passes and completely reacting each the thin layer of material in the oxygen plasma at the second work station during each pass of the substrate holder.

A process for depositing a multi-layer optical coating on a plurality of substrates, comprising the steps:

• (A) continuously rotating a planar array of substrates about an axis perpendicular to the array, repeatedly traversing the array past at least a pair of first stations and a second station;
• at one of the first stations, sputter coating on the rotating substrates a relatively thin layer of a first metal during a pass of the substrates past the one first station;
• at the second station, completely oxidizing the relatively thin layer of the first metal on the rotating substrates in an oxygen plasma during said pass of the substrates past the second station;
• and continuing the deposition and oxidation of the relatively thin layers of the first metal to form a relatively thick first oxide layer of predetermined thickness;
• (B) continuously rotating the planar array of substrates about the axis perpendicular to the array, repeatedly traversing the array past the pair of first stations and the second station;
• at the second of the first stations, sputter coating on the rotating substrates a relatively thin layer of a second metal during a pass of the substrates past the second first station;
• at the second station, completely oxidizing the relatively thin layer of the second metal on the rotating substrates in an oxygen plasma during said pass of the substrates past the second station;
• and continuing the deposition and oxidation of the relatively thin layers of the second metal to form a relatively thick second oxide layer of predetermined thickness;
• and
• (C) selectively repeating step (A) and step (B) to form a multi-layer optical coating.