Sputtering device and method for reactive for reactive sputtering
AssigneeDeposition Sciences, Inc.
InventorsLeroy Albert Bartolomei, Thomas Read, Craig Shevlin
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Abstract
A method for reactive sputter coating in a chamber in which large substrates to be coated are transported past one or more coating stations. The stations are comprised of at least one sputtering target and at least one adjacent plasma generator. In the practice of this invention the sputtering and reaction zones within the chamber are indistinguishable.
Claims19
A method for reactive coating of substrates comprising providing a vacuum chamber and moving substrates therein, providing a first device in the form of a planar magnetron sputtering target positioned at a work station adjacent to said moving substrates, creating a plasma adapted for sputtering at least a selected material onto said substrates substantially at a base sputtering rate, providing a second device in the form of a microwave activated plasma generator positioned adjacent said first device, introducing a reactive gas at said work station, activating said plasma generator to excite and commingle with said plasma at least a portion of said reactive gas to create a reactive atmosphere at said work station, said reactive atmosphere acting to accelerate said sputtering to a rate substantially greater than said base sputtering rate and to convert said selected material to a different chemical species without substantially poisoning said planar magnetron sputtering target by actively controlling in dynamic manner the partial pressure of said gas at said work station.
A sputter coating system for coating a substrate with a predetermined material comprising:
- (a) a vacuum chamber having a work station site defined therein;
- (b) a support assembly disposed within said vacuum chamber for supporting and displacing relative to said work station site at least one said substrate;
- (c) sputtering target means disposed within said vacuum chamber at said work station site, said target means being adapted to generate a first plasma for sputtering said predetermined material onto said substrate substantially at a base sputtering rate when said substrate is positioned adjacent said work station site;
- (d) plasma generation means disposed within said vacuum chamber adjacent said sputtering target means for generating adjacent said work station site a second plasma having associated therewith a partial pressure parameter, said second plasma commingling with said first plasma to form adjacent said work station site a sputter plasma, said sputter plasma being characterized by greater electron density and reactivity than said first plasma, said sputter plasma being adapted to accelerate said sputtering to a rate substantially greater than said base sputtering rate when said partial pressure parameter associated with said second plasma is maintained within a predetermined partial pressure range;
- and,
- (e) automatic control means for monitoring and actively maintaining said partial pressure parameter associated with said second plasma within said predetermined partial pressure range, whereby substantial electrochemical conversion of said sputtering target means responsive to said generation of said second plasma is inhibited.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.