Abstract: The substrates supported in substrate holders are carried on holder carriers in a manner, that their extended surfaces are exposed to the surrounding atmosphere along an extended surface of the holder carriers. The holder carriers include an axis traverse to their extended surface. The substrates on a holder carrier are vacuum treated in a vacuum treatment chamber. This chamber communicates via a gate valve with a transfer vacuum chamber. A holder carrier with substrates in the vacuum treatment chamber is exchanged with a holder carrier carrying untreated substrates from the transfer vacuum chamber 23 by means of an exchange robot. During treatment in the vacuum treatment chamber, holder carriers with treated substrates and holder carriers with untreated substrates are exchanged in the transfer vacuum chamber through a gate valve. The transfer vacuum chamber acts as a load-lock.

Abstract: A vacuum layer deposition apparatus includes a vacuum coating chamber with an inner space; a material source to generate electrically positively charged particles of a material to be deposited on a substrate in said inner space; a substrate holder with an extended metal or dielectric material surface exposed to said inner space; and a Rf plasma source comprising: first and second electrodes Rf-connectable or Rf-connected to first and second taps of a Rf generator, respectively. Said first and second electrodes include first and second electrode surfaces, respectively, of metal or of a dielectric material which are freely exposed to said inner space. Said extended surface of said substrate holder is at least a part of said first electrode surface and said second electrode surface is larger than said first electrode surface by at least a factor of 1.5. A method includes vacuum-process depositing a layer on a substrate.

Abstract: A measuring device for measuring parameters of a piezoelectric crystal onto which a thin film of material is deposited (under vacuum). The crystal includes two spaced-apart electrodes. A frequency generator is adapted to generate an oscillator signal at a specified output frequency. A measuring amplifier is adapted to apply the oscillator signal as a drive signal to one of the electrodes of the crystal and to provide a crystal output signal in response to the drive signal. A quadrature demodulator is adapted to down convert the crystal output signal and to provide an in-phase output signal and a quadrature output signal. A computation unit is adapted to determine one or more parameters of the crystal based on the in-phase output signal and the quadrature output signal. Furthermore, there is provided a corresponding measuring method as well as to thin-film deposition systems (including a vacuum chamber) with such a device and methods for controlling such systems.

Abstract: A substrate having a surface coated with a piezoelectric coating I, the coating including A-xMexN, wherein A is at least one of B, Al, Ga, In, Tl, and Me is at least one metallic element Me from the transition metal groups 3b, 4b, 5b 6b the lanthanides, and Mg the coating I having a thickness d, and further including a transition layer wherein the ratio of atomic percentage of Me to atomic percentage of Al steadily rises along a thickness extent ?3 of said coating for which there is valid: ?3?d.

Abstract: A method to deposit a coating including a material with highly oriented microstructure, the method including at least the following sequence of process steps: providing a flat substrate into a first vacuum processing chamber; etching one surface of the substrate by physical vapor etching; depositing a first metallic layer on the etched substrate surface by sputtering in a first metal deposition step; annealing the first metallic layer at an annealing temperature at least 50° C. higher than a compound deposition temperature of the subsequent compound deposition step; depositing a first compound layer at the compound deposition temperature on the outer surface of the first metallic layer by reactive sputtering in a first compound deposition step; and depositing a second metallic layer on the outer surface of the first compound layer by sputtering in a second metal deposition step.

Abstract: An apparatus to coat at least one three-dimensional (3D) object. The apparatus includes: a coating chamber; a vacuum pump system; a chamber port; and a rotatable object holder. The holder has a rotational axis Z. At least two rotary cathodes are positioned in the chamber. Each cathode includes a hollow cylindrical rotary target having a rotary axis Y. A magnetic system is swivel or rotary mounted round axis Y and positioned neighboring to an inner diameter surface of the target. At least one power supply is provided for the target. The targets of the at least two rotary cathodes are positioned round the holder, with their axes Y1, Y2 transverse to axis Z, both being offset to the holder in a z-direction, and being offset to each other in a direction along axis Z on opposite sides of an object plane O which is vertical to axis Z.

Abstract: A wafer holder and temperature controlling arrangement has a metal circular wafer carrier plate, which covers a heater compartment. In the heater compartment a multitude of heater lamp tubes is arranged, which directly acts upon the circular wafer carrier plate. Latter is drivingly rotatable about the central axis. A wafer is held on the circular wafer carrier plate by means of a weight-ring residing upon the periphery of a wafer deposited on the wafer carrier plate.

Abstract: A vacuum apparatus to deposit a compound layer on at least one plate shaped substrate by sputtering. The apparatus including a vacuum chamber with side walls around a central axis. The chamber includes at least one inlet for a process gas, at least one inlet for an inert gas, a substrate handling opening, a pedestal including an electrostatic chuck formed as a substrate support in a central lower area of a sputter compartment, a magnetron sputter source including the target at the frontside and a magnet-system at the backside of the source, an anode looping around the target and at least an upper part of the pedestal and a pump compartment connected to a bottom of the sputter compartment by a flow labyrinth. A vacuum pump system is connected to the pump compartment.

Abstract: A vacuum treatment apparatus for substrate including a vacuum treatment arrangement. An input load-lock arrangement leads towards and into the vacuum treatment arrangement and an output load-lock arrangement leads from the vacuum treatment arrangement. One of the two load-lock arrangements includes at least two load-locks in series respectively pumped by pumps.

Abstract: A sputtering device to sputter a liquid target. The sputtering device including a trough to receive a liquid target material and a device to stir or agitate the liquid target material. The device configured to degas the liquid target material or/and to dissipate solid particles or islands on a surface of the target or/and to move such particles or islands from an active surface region to a passive surface region and/or vice-versa, whereby the passive surface region is at least 50% less exposed to sputtering as the active surface region.

Abstract: In a magnetron sputtering reaction space a magnetron magnetic field is generated. A further magnetic field is generated in the reaction space whereby a resultant magnetic field has a directional component parallel to a target plane which is larger than the directional component of the magnetron magnetic field parallel to the target plane in the reaction space.

Abstract: A heater and/or cooler chamber includes a heat storage block or chunk. In the block a multitude of parallel, stacked slit pockets are each dimensioned to accommodate a single plate shaped workpiece. Workpiece handling openings of the slit pockets are freed and respectively covered by a door arrangement. The slit pockets are tailored to snugly surround the plate shaped workpieces therein so as to establish an efficient heat transfer between the heat storage block or chunk and the workpieces to be cooled or heated.

Abstract: In a capacitive coupled etch reactor, in which the smaller electrode is predominantly etched, the surface of the larger electrode is increased by a body e.g. a plate, which is on the same electric potential as the larger electrode and which is immersed in the plasma space. A pattern of openings in which plasma may burn is provided in the body so as to control the distribution of the etching effect on a substrate placed on the smaller electrode.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a base with a process-side surface and a substrate support arranged on the process-side surface and designed to carry a substrate at its periphery. The periphery, more specifically the plane defined by the periphery, is spaced apart from the process-side surface. The substrate processing apparatus also includes a radiation sensor adapted to measure electromagnetic radiation arranged on a side of a back-side surface of the base. A radiation channel is arranged between the radiation sensor and the periphery of the substrate support, more specifically between the radiation sensor and the plane defined by the periphery, wherein the radiation channel is at least partially permeable to electromagnetic radiation.

Abstract: In a magnetron sputtering reaction space a magnetron magnetic field is generated. A further magnetic field is generated in the reaction space whereby a resultant magnetic field has a directional component parallel to a target plane which is larger than the directional component of the magnetron magnetic field parallel to the target plane in the reaction space.

Abstract: In a plasma reactor a pumping compartment is separate from a plasma-treating compartment by a structure which includes a central frame. The frame is suspended to the casing of the reactor via spokes. The spokes allow free expansion and contraction of the frame under thermal loading. The slits between the spokes do not allow plasma ignition there and provide for a small flow resistance between the treatment compartment and the pumping compartment. The frame may act as a downholding member for a substrate on the smaller electrode.

Abstract: A plasma etching chamber including within a vacuum recipient: an etching compartment with a central axis and a surrounding wall enclosing the etching compartment; a pumping compartment with a metal surrounding wall having a feed through opening; a metal partition wall traverse to the axis separating the etching compartment from the pumping compartment; a pumping slit in or along the partition wall; a workpiece support; a metal tubular arrangement through the opening, including a first part coupled to the workpiece support and a second part coupled to the metal surrounding wall, the second part being electrically conductively joint to the metal surrounding wall; an Rf feed line through the tubular arrangement connected to the workpiece support; a system ground connector at an end of the second part; distributed metal connectors establishing electric contact from the metal surrounding wall, across the pumping slit via the partition wall to the first part.

Abstract: A method of in situ monitoring a thin film deposition process on a substrate, the method including a) defining a desired spectrum, the desired spectrum being a transmission or a reflection spectrum; b1) illuminating the substrate by means of a light source emitting light within the desired spectrum, b2) receiving light reflected from the substrate or transmitted through the substrate, b3) determining a transmission or a reflection spectrum out of the received light; c) defining a spectrum or a combination of spectra in dependency of the spectrum determined in step b3) to be a current spectrum; d) determining a weight spectrum as a function of the current spectrum; e) calculating a real number as a function of the current spectrum, of the desired spectrum and of the weight spectrum; f) exploiting the real number as indication for a deviation of the current spectrum from the desired spectrum.

Abstract: Rf power is supplied to a vacuum processing module in that in the plasma processing module a time invariant impedance transform is performed by an impedance transform network in the plasma processing module and a time variable matching is performed by a matchbox connected to the impedance transform network. The impedance transform network includes an inductive element of a hollow conductor. A cooling medium is flown through the hollow conductor of the impedance transform network as well as through a part of the plasma processing module to be cooled and not being part of the impedance transform network at the plasma processing module.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for sputter depositing an insulation layer onto a surface of a cavity formed in a substrate and having a high aspect ratio. A target formed from a material to be included in the insulation layer and the substrate are provided in a substantially enclosed chamber defined by a housing. A plasma is ignited within the substantially enclosed chamber and a magnetic field is provided adjacent to a surface of the target to contain the plasma adjacent to the surface of the target. A voltage is rapidly increased to repeatedly establish high-power electric pulses between a cathode and an anode. An average power of the electric pulses is at least 0.1 kW, and can be much greater. An operational parameter of the sputter deposition is controlled to promote sputter depositing of the insulation layer in a transition mode between a metallic mode and a reactive mode.