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AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsJingang Su, Nelson A. Yee, John C. Forster, Kenny King-Tai Ngan, Lisa L. Yang
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A shield for a DC magnetron sputtering reactor, particularly advantageous for reliably igniting the plasma used in sputtering a ferromagnetic material such as cobalt or nickel. The grounded shield includes a slanted portion separated from the beveled periphery of the target by a small gap operating as a dark space. The shield also includes a straight cylindrical portion surrounding the main processing area. The slanted portion is joined to the cylindrical portion at a knee According to one embodiment of the invention, the knee is located greater than 9 mm from the face of the target and at a radial position at least 1 mm inward of the outer periphery of the target face.
A metal shield for use in a sputter reactor including a target having a planar face and a beveled outer periphery, said shield comprising a slanted portion extending along and apart from the beveled outer periphery to form a plasma dark space and a straight portion extending away from said target and in a direction perpendicular to said planar face and joined to said slanted portion by a knee, wherein said knee is located at least 9 mm from said planar face.
A metal shield for use in a sputter reactor including a target having a planar face and a beveled outer periphery, said shield comprising a slanted portion extending along and apart from the beveled outer periphery to form a plasma dark space and a straight portion extending away from said target and in a direction perpendicular to said planar face and joined to said slanted portion by a knee, wherein said knee is located at least 1 mm radially inwardly from an edge of said target between said planar face and said beveled outer periphery.
A sputter reactor, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.