Hollow cathode sputter source
AssigneeSeagate Technology LLC
InventorPaul Stephen McLeod
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A magnetically enhanced hollow cathode sputter source for providing a sputtered particle flux containing an increased proportion of ionized target material comprises a four-sided, box-shaped chamber open at the top and defining an interior space. Each of the interiorly facing surfaces of the chamber comprises the target material and a magnet means extends continuously around the exterior surface of the four vertical sides of the chamber for providing a sputtering plasma generated within the interior space with a racetrack-shaped electron Hall drift current. An electrically biasable substrate is positioned opposite the open top for receiving sputtered particle flux for deposition thereon.
Claims20
A hollow cathode sputter source providing a sputtered particle flux having an increased ionization probability, comprising:
- (a) a box-shaped chamber defining an interior space, said chamber being open at the top and comprising a flat, horizontal bottom wall and a first pair of opposing, flat, vertical sidewalls connected at the lateral ends thereof by a second pair of opposing, flat, vertical sidewalls, said bottom wall and each of said sidewalls comprising an electrically conductive material, and at least the interiorly facing surfaces of said bottom wall and each of said sidewalls adapted to comprise a sputtering target material;
- and
- (b) a magnet means having a pair of vertically spaced-apart magnetic poles of opposite polarity, said magnet means continuously extending around the periphery of said box-shaped chamber along the exterior surface of each of said sidewalls for generating magnetic field lines which emerge from and re-enter each of the interiorly facing surfaces of the sidewalls at vertically spaced-apart locations, said magnet means adapted to generate an electron Hall drift current traveling in opposite directions along said interiorly facing surfaces of said first and second pairs of opposing sidewalls.
A method of sputter coating a workpiece, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a hollow cathode sputter source for generating a sputtered particle flux having an increased ionization probability, comprising:
- (i) a box-shaped chamber defining an interior space, said chamber being open at the top and comprising a flat, horizontal bottom wall and a first pair of opposing, flat, vertical sidewalls connected at the lateral ends thereof by a second pair of opposing, flat, vertical sidewalls, said bottom wall and each of said sidewalls comprising an electrically conductive material, and at least the interiorly facing surfaces of said bottom wall and each of said sidewalls comprising a sputtering target material;
- and
- (ii) a magnet means having a pair of vertically spaced-apart magnetic poles of opposite polarity, said magnet means continuously extending around the periphery of said box-shaped chamber along the exterior surface of each of said sidewalls for generating magnetic field lines which emerge from and re-enter each of said interiorly facing surfaces of said sidewalls at vertically spaced-apart locations;
- (b) positioning a workpiece having a deposition surface in spaced opposition to said open top of said box-shaped chamber for receiving sputtered target material from said hollow cathode sputter source;
- (c) supplying a sputter gas to said interior space of said box-shaped chamber;
- (d) applying an electrical potential to said hollow cathode sputter source to generate a plasma discharge therein for sputtering said target material from said interiorly facing surfaces of said bottom wall and each of said sidewalls, said plasma discharge being characterized by an electron Hall drift current traveling in opposite directions along said interiorly facing surfaces of said first and second pairs of opposing sidewalls;
- and
- (e) forming a layer of sputtered target material over said surface of said workpiece.
A sputter source, comprising:
- a box-shaped hollow cathode sputtering target defining an interior space and comprising a bottom wall and first and second pairs of electrically interconnected, opposing vertical sidewalls;
- and
- means continuously extending around the periphery of said box-shaped target for generating a continuous loop-shaped electron Hall drift current traveling in opposite directions along interiorly facing surfaces of said first and second pairs of opposing sidewalls.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.