Thin-film processing electromagnet for low-skew magnetic orientation

A chuck assembly for supporting a substrate in a substrate processing environment and for magnetically orienting a magnetic film on a surface of the substrate comprising:

• a chuck housing supporting a mounting surface for the substrate within the substrate processing environment;
• a plate-shaped electromagnet supported within said chuck housing for producing a substantially uniaxial magnetic field in a plane of the substrate surface;
• a plate-shaped core of said electromagnet having front and back surfaces wrapped by electrically conductive windings of an electromagnetic coil;
• a frontside of said electrically conductive windings being located (a) adjacent to said front surface of the plate-shaped core and (b) between said front surface of the plate-shaped core and said mounting surface of the chuck housing;
• a backside of said electrically conductive winding being located (a) adjacent to said back surface of the plate-shaped core and (b) in a position separated from said mounting surface by said plate-shaped core;
• and
• a cavity formed in said plate-shaped core between said front and back sides of the electrically conductive windings for improving at least one of uniform direction and uniform magnitude of the substantially uniaxial magnetic field,
• in which said cavity is one of a plurality of cavities formed within an enclosed space between said front and back surfaces of the plate-shaped core.

A chuck assembly for supporting a substrate in a substrate processing environment and for magnetically orienting a magnetic film on a surface of the substrate comprising:

• a chuck housing supporting a mounting surface for the substrate within the substrate processing environment;
• a plate-shaped electromagnet supported within said chuck housing for producing a substantially uniaxial magnetic field in a plane of the substrate surface;
• a plate-shaped core of said electromagnet having front and back surfaces wrapped by electrically conductive windings of an electromagnetic coil;
• a frontside of said electrically conductive windings being located (a) adjacent to said front surface of the plate-shaped core and (b) between said front surface of the plate-shaped core and said mounting surface of the chuck housing;
• a backside of said electrically conductive windings being located (a) adjacent to said back surface of the plate-shaped core and (b) in a position separated from said mounting surface by said plate-shaped core;
• and
• a cavity formed in said plate-shaped core between said front and back sides of the electrically conductive windings for improving at least one of uniform direction and uniform magnitude of the substantially uniaxial magnetic field,
• in which said cavity has sidewalls that are tapered at an acute angle with respect to said front surface of the plate-shaped core.

A chuck assembly for supporting a substrate in a substrate processing environment and for magnetically orienting a magnetic film on a surface of the substrate comprising:

• a chuck housing supporting a mounting surface for the substrate within the substrate processing environment;
• a plate-shaped electromagnet supported within said chuck housing for producing a substantially uniaxial magnetic field in a plane of the substrate surface;
• a plate-shaped core of said electromagnet having front and back surfaces wrapped by electrically conductive windings of an electromagnetic coil;
• said plate-shaped core having a peripheral surface interconnecting said front and back surfaces;
• said peripheral surface having a closed shape;
• a frontside of said electrically conductive windings being located (a) adjacent to said front surface of the plate-shaped core and (b) between said front surface of the plate-shaped core and said mounting surface of the chuck housing;
• a backside of said electrically conductive windings being located (a) adjacent to said back surface of the plate-shaped core and (b) in a position separated from said mounting surface by said plate-shaped core;
• a cavity formed in said plate-shaped core between said front and back sides of the electrically conductive windings for improving at least one of uniform direction and uniform magnitude of the substantially uniaxial magnetic field;
• and
• at least four posts made of a magnetically permeable material being connected to said peripheral surface of the plate-shaped core.