Coater with a large-area assembly of rotatable magnetrons
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsStefan Bangert, Frank Fuchs, Ralph Lindenberg, Andreas Lopp, Uwe Schüssler, Tobias Stolley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention relates to a coater for the coating, in particular, of large-area substrates by means of cathode sputtering, the coater having a coating chamber and, provided therein, a cathode assembly (2) where the material to be sputtered is located on a target (4) with a curved surface, the material to be sputtered being located, in particular, on the lateral surface of a cylinder, there being in a single coating chamber for a coherent coating zone at least three, preferably more, cathode assemblies (2) with rotatable, curved targets (4) positioned one beside the other.
Claims15
A coater for coating large-area substrates by means of cathode sputtering, said coater comprising a coating chamber and, provided therein, more than three cathode assemblies (2) where a material to be sputtered is located on a target (4) that rotates during a coating process and has a curved surface, wherein the cathode assemblies (2) with rotatable, curved targets (4) are magnetrons with magnets (3) or magnet assemblies provided inside the target (4) and the target (4) rotates around the magnets (3) or magnet assemblies and means are provided for continuously rotating the targets around the magnets or magnet assemblies during the coating process, wherein the more than three cathode assemblies (2) with rotatable, curved targets (4) are positioned one beside the other with two outer cathode assemblies in a single coating chamber for a coherent coating zone at the substrate, wherein the cathode assemblies are positioned equidistant to each other with only the two outer cathode assemblies pushed nearer to adjacent cathode assemblies, providing even coating of static large-area substrates.
A method for coating static large-area substrates by means of cathode sputtering, said coater comprising a coating chamber and, provided therein, more than three cathode assemblies (2) where a single material to be sputtered is located on a target (4) that rotates during a coating process and has a curved surface, wherein the cathode assemblies (2) with rotatable, curved targets (4) are magnetrons with magnets (3) or magnet assemblies provided inside the target (4) and the target (4) rotates around the magnets (3) or magnet assemblies and means are provided for continuously rotating the targets around the magnets or magnet assemblies during the coating process, wherein during the coating process the more than three cathode assemblies (2) with rotatable, curved targets (4) are positioned one beside the other with two outer cathode assemblies in a single coating chamber for a coherent coating zone at the substrate, wherein the cathode assemblies are positioned equidistant to each other with only the two outer cathode assemblies pushed nearer to adjacent cathode assemblies, providing even coating of static large-area substrates.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.