Sputter apparatus with a pipe cathode and method for operating this sputter apparatus
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsJurgen Henrich, Andreas Sauer, Andreas Geiss, Felix Brinckmann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sputter apparatus with a pipe cathode is arranged such that the supply of power, cooling fluid and other media to the pipe cathode takes place via flexible lines or tubes which can be wound about a receptor. If the pipe cathode completes a pendulum movement, the lines and/or tubes are wound onto the receptor or wound from it. The pendulum movement of the pipe cathode is preferably such that the pipe cathode is rotated by a certain first angle in a first direction and subsequently by a certain second angle in a second direction, the second angle differing from the first angle. Methods for operating the sputter apparatus are also disclosed.
Claims22
A sputter apparatus comprising:
- a vacuum chamber,
- a pipe cathode in the vacuum chamber,
- a cylindrical target connected to the pipe cathode;
- a rotatable receptor having an outside surface onto which flexible conducting line elements are wound and from which said flexible conducting line elements are wound out, and
- connecting elements, with which the flexible conducting line elements are connectable with the rotatable receptor, wherein the rotatable receptor surrounds an internal tube which transports cooling means.
A method comprising sputtering a sputter coating on a substrate by
- a) rotating and sputtering a cylindrical target connected to a pipe cathode by a first angle between 150° to 270° about its longitudinal axis (A-A) in a first direction, wherein flexible conducting line elements are wound onto a rotatable receptor or wound from it;
- b) rotating and sputtering the cylindrical target connected to the pipe cathode by a second angle about its longitudinal axis (A-A) in a second direction opposite to the first direction, wherein the second angle is greater or smaller by a defined magnitude than the first angle and wherein the flexible conducting line elements are wound from the rotatable receptor or wound onto it;
- and
- c) repeating steps a) and b) until the cylindrical target connected to the pipe cathode has moved at least 360° about its longitudinal axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.