Abstract: A magnetron sputtering apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, a cathode target that rotates on the outer side of a backing plate in the vacuum chamber, a magnetic circuit that is spaced from the outer side of the cathode target and defines an opening through which a plasma including a target material removed from the cathode target is ejected, and a yoke around the outer side of the cathode target, the yoke supporting the magnetic circuit.

Abstract: A film forming apparatus, for forming a metal oxide film on an object, includes a holding unit and a heating unit. The holding unit includes a first heater and holds the object in a processing chamber. A first heater power supply supplies power to the first heater. A target electrode is electrically connected to a metal target provided above the holding unit. A sputtering power supply is electrically connected to the target electrode. An introduction mechanism supplies an oxygen gas toward the holding unit. The heating unit includes a second heater for heating the object and a moving mechanism for moving the second heater between a region in a first space disposed above the holding unit and a region in a second space separated from the first space. A second heater power supply supplies power to the second heater.

Abstract: Embodiments of collimators for use in substrate processing chambers are provided herein. In some embodiments, a collimator includes: a body having a central region, a peripheral region, and a transitional region disposed between the central and peripheral regions; a first plurality of apertures in the central region having a first aspect ratio; a second plurality of apertures in the peripheral region having a second aspect ratio less than the first aspect ratio; and a third plurality of apertures in the transitional region, wherein the third plurality of apertures are cut so the transitional region forms a conical shape surrounding the central region.

Abstract: A plate-centering system that has a plate with a holder, in which the plate is centered in the holder both at room temperature and at higher temperatures, independently of the thermal expansion of the plate and the holder, and the plate can freely expand in the holder at higher temperatures. The invention relates in particular to a target having a frame-shaped target mount, which is very well suited for use in a coating source for high power pulsed magnetron sputtering of the target.

Abstract: A sputtering device and a gas supply pipe for a sputter device are disclosed. In one aspect, the sputtering device includes a chamber, a stage located in the chamber and configured to receive a substrate thereon, and a plurality of gas supply pipes arranged substantially parallel to each other. The gas supply pipes have a plurality of gas supply holes and the gas supply pipes are configured to supply gas into the chamber. The sputtering device further includes at least one exhaust pump placed at a side of the chamber, wherein the exhaust pump is substantially symmetrically arranged with respect to a center axis of the side of the chamber.

Abstract: The present invention advantageously provides an ion milling device that can set a high-precision processing area with a simple structure. The ion milling device includes a sample holder that holds a sample and a mask partially restricting irradiation of the sample with an ion beam. The sample holder includes a first contact surface that contacts an end surface of the sample located on a passing orbit side of the ion beam, and a second contact surface that contacts an end surface of the mask so that the mask is located at a position spaced apart from the ion beam more than the first contact surface.

Abstract: The invention relates to an integrated anode and activated reactive gas source for use in a magnetron sputtering device and a magnetron sputtering device incorporating the same. The integrated anode and activated reactive gas source comprises a vessel having an interior conductive surface, comprising the anode, and an insulated outer body isolated from the chamber walls of the coating chamber. The vessel has a single opening with a circumference smaller that that of the vessel in communication with the coating chamber. Sputtering gas and reactive gas are coupled through an input into the vessel and through the single opening into the coating chamber. A plasma is ignited by the high density of electrons coming from the cathode and returning to the power supply through the anode. A relatively low anode voltage is sufficient to maintain a plasma of activated reactive gas to form stoichiometric dielectric coatings.

Abstract: Methods for depositing a layer on a substrate are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of depositing a metal-containing layer on a substrate in a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber may include applying RF power at a VHF frequency to a target comprising a metal disposed in the PVD chamber above the substrate to form a plasma from a plasma-forming gas; optionally applying DC power to the target; sputtering metal atoms from the target using the plasma while maintaining a first pressure in the PVD chamber sufficient to ionize a predominant portion of the sputtered metal atoms; and controlling the potential on the substrate to be the same polarity as the ionized metal atoms to deposit a metal-containing layer on the substrate.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method comprises: providing a substrate having at least one layer in which the patterned dot array is to be fabricated; depositing a nanoparticle layer, wherein the nanoparticle layer comprises one or more surfactants and nanoparticles coated with the one or more surfactants; treating the one or more surfactants that coat the nanoparticles and the portions of the one or more surfactants that fill the spaces among the nanoparticles; removing the portions of the one or more surfactants that fill the spaces among the nanoparticles to expose portions of the at least one layer in which the patterned dot array is to be fabricated; etching the exposed portions of the at least one layer in which the patterned dot array is to be fabricated; and removing at least a portion of the nanoparticles.

Abstract: A titanium diboride target contains fractions of one or more metals from the group including iron, nickel, cobalt and chromium as well as carbon. The mean grain size of TiB2 grains is between 1 ?m and 20 ?m, the carbon content is in a range of 0.1 to 5% by weight and the total content of Fe, Ni, Co and/or Cr is in a range of 500 to 3,000 ?g/g. The carbon is distributed in free form at the grain boundaries of the TiB2 grains in such a way that mean distances between individual carbon particles are less than 20 ?m. The porosity is less than 5% by volume.

Abstract: An electronic device manufacturing method includes a first step of moving a substrate holder close to a first shield member and locating a first projecting portion formed on the first shield member and having a ring shape and a second projecting portion having a ring shape and formed on a second shield member installed on the surface of the substrate holder at the outer peripheral portion of a substrate at a position to engage with each other in a noncontact state, a second step of, after the first step, sputtering a target while maintaining the first projecting portion and the second projecting portion at the position to engage with each other in the noncontact state, and a third step of, after the second step, setting the first shield member in an open state and sputtering the target to perform deposition on the substrate.

Abstract: A method for making a bit-patterned media (BPM) magnetic recording disk by etching the recording layer using a patterned hard mask layer uses glancing angle deposition (GLAD) of additional hard mask material as a capping layer onto the tops of the patterned hard mask pillars while the disk is rotated about an axis orthogonal to the plane of the disk. In one embodiment the capping layer is deposited after the pillars have been only partially eroded during a partial ion-milling of the recording layer. Ion-milling is then again performed to remove the remaining recording layer material. In another embodiment, before ion-milling of the recording layer, the capping layer is deposited onto the tops of the un-eroded hard mask pillars. This increases the lateral dimension of the hard mask pillars so that after ion-milling of the recording layer, the magnetic islands have an increased lateral dimension.

Abstract: A plasma lens for enhancing the quality and rate of sputter deposition onto a substrate is described herein. The plasma lens serves to focus positively charged ions onto the substrate while deflecting negatively charged ions, while at the same time due to the line of sight positioning of the lens, allowing for free passage of neutrals from the target to the substrate. The lens itself is formed of a wound coil of multiple turns, inside of which are deposed spaced lens electrodes which are electrically paired to impress an E field overtop the B field generated by the coil, the potential applied to the electrodes increasing from end to end towards the center of the lens, where the applied voltage is set to a high potential at the center electrodes as to produce a potential minimum on the axis of the lens.

Abstract: A target for magnetron sputtering, comprising metal Co, metal Cr, and an oxide with an atomic ratio of the metal Cr to the total of the metal Co and the metal Cr being less than 25 at %, wherein the target comprises: a non-magnetic metal phase containing metal Co and metal Cr with an atomic ratio of the metal Cr to the total of the metal Co and the metal Cr being 25 at % or more and with an atomic ratio of the metal Co to the total of the metal Co and the other metals being more than 0 at % and 45 at % or less; and a magnetic metal phase containing metal Co, wherein a volume ratio of the oxide to the non-magnetic metal phase is more than 0 and 1.2 or less, and wherein the non-magnetic metal phase and the oxide are mutually dispersed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a hot rolled plate produced by hot rolling an ingot cast by continuous casting, in which the plate is made of a copper alloy containing 0.5 to 10.0 at % of Ca and the balance consisting of Cu and inevitable impurities and the average grain size of Cu-? phase crystal grains is 5 to 60 ?m in a Cu matrix.

Abstract: A probe, comprising: a shank region having a top surface integrally connected to a bottom surface of a conical region; a pyramidal tip region having a base surface integrally connected to a top surface of the conical region; and wherein the base surface of the pyramidal tip region is contained within a perimeter of the top surface of the conical region. Also a method of fabricating the probe and a method of probing devices under test.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for the vapor deposition of PVD layer systems by means of sputtering on at least one substrate, wherein the layer system comprises at least a first layer, characterized in that, at least in one step of the method, a HiPIMS method is used with a power density of at least 250 W/Cm2, wherein a pulse length with a duration of at least 5ms is used while a substrate bias is applied to the substrate.

Abstract: Provided are a sputtering device and a method of forming a layer using the same. The method of forming a layer using the sputtering device includes: placing a substrate within a chamber; depositing target particles emitted from a target, which faces the substrate, on the substrate using a sputtering process; and horizontally moving a plurality of shield rods, which are installed in a shield mask disposed between the substrate and the target and are separated from each other along a first direction, during the sputtering process.

Abstract: Embodiments of substrate supports having a radio frequency (RF) return path are provided herein. In some embodiments, a substrate support may include a dielectric support body having a support surface to support a substrate thereon and an opposing second surface; a chucking electrode disposed within the support body proximate the support surface; and an RF return path electrode disposed on the second surface of the dielectric support body. In some embodiments, a substrate processing system may include a process chamber having an inner volume; a shield to separate the inner volume into a processing volume and a non-processing volume and extending toward a ceiling of the process chamber; and a substrate support disposed below the shield, wherein the substrate support is as described above.

Abstract: Provided is a magnetron source, which comprises a target material, a magnetron located thereabove and a scanning mechanism connected to the magnetron for controlling the movement of the magnetron above the target material. The scanning mechanism comprises a peach-shaped track, with the magnetron movably disposed thereon; a first driving shaft, with the bottom end thereof connected with the origin of the polar coordinates of the peach-shaped track, for driving the peach-shaped track to rotate about the axis of the first driving shaft; a first driver connected to the first driving shaft for driving the first driving shaft to rotate; and a second driver for driving the magnetron to move along the peach-shaped track via a transmission assembly. A magnetron sputtering device including the magnetron and a method for magnetron sputtering using the magnetron sputtering device are also provided.