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US 6,641,701 B1Granted
Cooling system for magnetron sputtering apparatus
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorAvi Tepman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus and method for cooling a magnetron sputtering apparatus. More particularly, a system including a stationary conduit, a hollow drive shaft rotatably coupled to the stationary conduit, and a magnetron coupled to the hollow drive shaft.
Claims27
Apparatus for semiconductor processing, comprising:
- a stationary conduit;
- a hollow drive shaft rotatably coupled to the stationary conduit and having at least a portion of a flowpath defined therein, the flowpath extending co-axially from the hollow drive shaft to a portion of a target assembly;
- a magnetron coupled to the hollow drive shaft and maintained in a spaced-apart relation to the target assembly;
- and
- a cooling cavity surrounding the magnetron and having an outlet disposed therein, the flowpath extending from the center portion between the magnetron and target assembly to the outlet.
2 more elements
A processing chamber, comprising:
- a chamber;
- a substrate support member disposed within the chamber;
- a stationary conduit;
- a hollow drive shaft rotatably coupled to the stationary conduit and having at least a portion of a flowpath defined therein, the flowpath extending co-axially from the hollow drive shaft to a portion of a target assembly;
- a magnetron coupled to the hollow drive shaft and maintained in a spaced-apart relation to the target assembly;
- and
- a cooling cavity surrounding the magnetron and having an outlet disposed therein, the flowpath extending from the center portion between the magnetron and target assembly to the outlet.
4 more elements
The processing chamber of claim 15, wherein the hollow drive shaft delivers coolant about a rotational axis of the magnetron to a central area of a sputtering target assembly.
A method for cooling a magnetron sputtering apparatus, comprising:
- providing a stationary conduit, a hollow drive shaft rotatably coupled to the stationary conduit, and a magnetron coupled to the hollow drive shaft, the magnetron disposed proximate a target assembly in a cooling cavity;
- flowing coolant from the stationary conduit into the hollow drive shaft;
- flowing coolant from the hollow drive shaft to a portion of the target assembly in a flowpath co-axial to the hollow drive shaft;
- and
- flowing coolant radially outward to an outlet disposed in the cooling cavity.
2 more elements
Apparatus for semiconductor processing, comprising:
- a stationary conduit;
- a hollow drive shaft rotatably coupled to the stationary conduit and having a coaxially aligned shaft inlet and shaft outlet;
- a magnetron coupled to the hollow drive shaft;
- a motor adapted to rotate the hollow drive shaft;
- a belt coupling the motor and the hollow drive shaft;
- and
- a cooling cavity having a cavity outlet, the cooling cavity surrounding the magnetron, whereby a coolant flowpath extends coaxially from the shaft outlet to a portion of the target assembly and then radially to cavity outlet.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.