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AssigneeBalzers Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsPius Gruenenfelder, Hans Hirscher, Urs Schwendener, Walter Haag
Estimating the term…
For optimizing the yield of atomized-off material on a magnetron atomization source, a process space, on the source side, is predominantly walled by the atomization surface of the target body. The magnetron atomization source has a target body with a mirror-symmetrical, concavely constructed atomization surface with respect to at least one plane and a magnetic circuit arrangement operable to generate a magnetic field over the atomization surface. The magnetic circuit arrangement includes an anode arrangement, a receiving frame which extends around an edge of the target body and is electrically insulated with respect thereto. The receiving frame has a receiving opening for at least one workpiece to be coated. The magnetron source can be used to provide storage disks, such as CDs, with an atomization coating.
A magnetron atomization chamber, comprising a target body having, in a new condition an atomization surface, F.sub.1, constituting a mirror-symmetrical concave surface constructed with respect to at least one plane, a magnetic circuit arrangement operable to generate a magnetic field over the atomization surface, including an anode arrangement, a receiving frame which extends around an edge of the target body and is electrically insulated with respect thereto, which receiving frame has a receiving opening for at least one workpiece to be coated, and the atomization surface and a surrounding non-atomized residual interior surface of the receiving frame being sized and arranged relative to one another such that a process space bounded substantially by the atomization surface of the target body and the surrounding non-atomized residual interior surface, F.sub.9, of the receiving frame, except for the receiving opening for the at least one workpiece, satisfies the relationship, F.sub.9 .ltoreq.50% F.sub.1, to minimize the surrounding non-atomized residual interior surface and thereby to ensure, during an atomizing operation, a stable plasma discharge.
A method of using an atomization chamber comprising a target body having, in a new condition an atomization surface, F.sub.1, constituting a mirror-symmetrical concave surface constructed with respect to at least one plane, a magnetic circuit arrangement operable to generate a magnetic field over the atomization surface, including an anode arrangement, a receiving frame which extends around an edge of the target body and is electrically insulated with respect thereto, which receiving frame has a receiving opening for at least one workpiece to be coated, and the atomization surface and a surrounding non-atomized residual interior surface of the receiving frame being sized and arranged relative to one another such that a process space bounded substantially by the atomization surface of the target body and the surrounding non-atomized residual interior surface, F.sub.9, of the receiving frame, except for the receiving opening for the at least one workpiece, satisfies the relationship, F.sub.9 .ltoreq.50% F.sub.1, to minimize the surrounding non-atomized residual interior surface and thereby to ensure, during an atomizing operation, a stable plasma discharge, comprising the step of providing storage disks with atomization coating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.