High-density plasma for ionized metal deposition capable of exciting a plasma wave

A DC plasma sputter reactor, comprising:

• a vacuum chamber having a substantially circular target with a substantially planar central portion facing a substrate to be sputter coated;
• a DC power supply negatively biasing said target with respect to said chamber;
• a magnetron comprising a first pole of a first magnetic polarity substantially enclosing a second pole of a second magnetic polarity, said first and second poles being rotatable as a unit about a center of said target, said magnetron being disposed on a side of said target opposite said substrate;
• wherein a level of power supplied by said DC power supply to said target is sufficiently high to generate a first plasma wave that is converted into a second plasma wave having a frequency between 5 and 75 MHz.

A method of sputtering, comprising the steps of:

• providing a sputtering target having a planar central portion sealed to a plasma reaction chamber;
• rotating a magnetron about a center of said target, said magnetron having an inner pole of one magnetic polarity surrounded by a magnetically stronger outer pole of a second magnetic polarity;
• DC biasing said sputtering target with respect to chamber to create a plasma within said chamber to thereby sputter said target, said DC biasing being sufficiently strong to launch a first plasma wave of a first frequency;
• converting said first plasma wave to a second plasma wave of a second frequency of less than 20% of said first frequency;
• and
• interacting said second plasma wave with electrons of said plasma.

A DC plasma sputter reactor, comprising:

• a vacuum chamber having a substantially circular target with a substantially planar central portion facing a substrate to be sputter coated;
• a DC power supply negatively biasing said target with respect to said chamber;
• an unbalanced magnetron comprising a first pole of a first magnetic polarity substantially enclosing a second pole of a second magnetic polarity, a total magnetic flux of said first pole being at least 150% of a magnetic flux of said second pole, said second pole having no aperture therein, said first and second poles being rotatable as a unit about a center of said target, said magnetron being disposed on a side of said target opposite said substrate and rotating about a center thereof;
• wherein a level of power supplied by said DC power supply to said target is sufficiently high and said unbalanced magnetron produces a magnetic configuration with a sufficient magnetic strength to generate a first plasma wave that is converted into a second plasma wave having a frequency between 5 and 75 MHz.