Abstract: A sputtering apparatus for depositing a thin film (66) of magnetic material on a substrate (26) is modified to include a plate-shaped electromagnet (34, 44, or 70) for orienting magnetic domains within the film (66). The electromagnet (34, 44, or 70) has conductive windings (38; 46, 48, and 50; or 72) that are arranged for producing a magnetic field (42 or 52) within a plane (60) corresponding to a surface of the substrate (26). Field strength vectors (68) vary in absolute magnitude between points located along a first axis (62), but have substantially uniform components of magnitude at the same points measured in a common direction along the first axis (62).

Abstract: A hollow cathode magnetron for sputtering target material from the inner surface of a target onto an off-spaced substrate. The magnetron is in the shape of a truncated cone, also known as a conical frustum. The target cone is backed by a conical cathode maintained at a predetermined voltage for attracting gas ions into the inner surface of the target cone to sputter material therefrom. The inner surface of the cone is bounded at its inner and outer edges by magnetic pole pieces orthogonal to and extending inwardly and outwardly of the cone surface. The magnetic path is completed by a conical magnet surrounding the target and conical electrode and magnetically connected to the pole pieces to form a magnetic cage. Lines of magnetic flux extending above the target surface between the pole pieces are substantially parallel with the target surface, providing uniform erosion over the entire surface.

Abstract: A robotic arm assembly in a transport module is expansible to have an effector at its end receive a substrate in a cassette module and is then contracted and rotated with the effector to have the effector face a process module. Planets on a turntable in the process module are rotatable on first parallel axes. The turntable is rotatable on a second axis parallel to the first axes to move successive planets to a position facing the effector. At this position, an alignment assembly is aligned with, but axially displaced from, one of the planets. This assembly is moved axially into coupled relationship with such planet and then rotated to a position aligning the substrate on the effector axially with such planet when the arm assembly is expanded. A lifter assembly aligned with, and initially displaced from, such planet is moved axially to lift the substrate from the effector. The arm assembly is then contracted, rotated with the effector and expanded to receive the next cassette module substrate.

Abstract: An apparatus for sputtering material onto a workpiece, composed of: a chamber; a first target disposed in the chamber for sputtering material onto the workpiece; a holder for holding the workpiece in the chamber; a plasma generation area between the target and the holder; a coil for inductively coupling energy into the plasma generation area for generating and sustaining a plasma in the plasma generation area; and a second target disposed in the chamber below the first target and above the coil for sputtering material onto the workpiece.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating a plasma by inductively coupling electromagnetic energy into the plasma. In one embodiment, first and second antenna coils are disposed about the circumference of the plasma containment area. The first and second antenna coils are relatively spaced along the longitudinal axis of the plasma containment area. A current is generated in the first and second antenna coils. A phase shift regulating network establishes a difference between the phase of the current in the first antenna and the phase of the current in the second antenna. The phase difference corresponds to the phase difference required to launch a helicon wave in the plasma. In a second embodiment, a chamber shield is made of a conductive material and is coupled to the RF source such that the shield functions as an RF antenna. The shield may be coupled in series to a coil surrounding the shield to increase the resultant flux density.

Abstract: An apparatus for applying material by cathodic arc vapor deposition to a substrate is provided which includes a vessel, a disk-shaped cathode, a platter for supporting the substrate, apparatus for maintaining a vacuum in the vessel, and apparatus for selectively sustaining an arc of electrical energy between the cathode and an anode. The disk-shaped cathode has a first end surface, a second end surface, and an evaporative surface extending between the first and second end surfaces, and the cathode is mounted on a pedestal positioned inside the vessel. The platter has a slot for receiving the pedestal, thereby enabling the platter to be movable into and out of the vessel.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for compensating the process-related asymmetries produced in physical vapor processing of a surface. The apparatus and method may be used on either a substrate when sputtering material from a source or when using an ionized physical vapor deposition (IPVD) apparatus to either deposit a film onto or remove material from a substrate. A compensating magnet is configured and positioned to produce a compensating magnetic field. The compensating magnetic is positioned to offset the effects of chamber and process-related asymmetries, particularly those that affect the distribution of plasma processing on a substrate where the plasma has been otherwise symmetrically produced. Assymetries about an axis of the substrate, for example, are corrected, in, for example, systems such as sputter coating machines where a rotating magnet cathode or other such technique produces an initially symmetrical plasma.

Abstract: A magnetron sputtering system is provided that uses cooling channels in the magnetron assembly to cool the target. The magnetron sputtering system also generates low pressure region in the magnetron assembly such that the backing plate sees a pressure differential much lower than atmospheric pressure. In one embodiment, the backing plate includes a center post to support the backing plate during operation. The backing plate is reduced in thickness and provides less of a barrier to the generated magnetic field.

Abstract: An enhanced DC plasma processing system which acts to immediately stop current from flowing through the plasma allows a variety of alternative embodiments for varying applications. In one embodiment, a tapped inductor is switched to ground to achieve substantial voltage reversal of about 10% upon detection of an arc condition through voltage and/or rate of voltage change techniques. This reversal of voltage is maintained long enough to allow restoration of uniform charge density within the plasma prior to restoration of the initial driving condition. A technique for preventing arc discharges involving periodically applying a reverse voltage is effected through a timer system in the power supply.

Abstract: An impurity solid including boron as impurity and a solid sample to which boron is introduced are held in a vacuum chamber. Ar gas is introduced into the vacuum chamber to generate plasma composed of the Ar gas. A voltage allowing the impurity solid to serve as a cathode for the plasma is applied to the impurity solid and the impurity solid is sputtered by ions in the plasma, thereby mixing boron included in the impurity solid into the plasma composed of Ar gas. A voltage allowing the solid sample to serve as a cathode for the plasma is applied to the solid sample, and boron mixed into the plasma is introduced to the surface portion of the solid sample.

Abstract: A plasma treatment system (200) for implantation with a novel susceptor with a silicon coating (203). The system (200) has a variety of elements such as a chamber, which can have a silicon coating formed thereon, in which a plasma is generated in the chamber. The system (200) also has a susceptor disposed in the chamber to support a silicon substrate. The silicon coating reduces non-silicon impurities that may attach to the silicon substrate. In a specific embodiment, the chamber has a plurality of substantially planar rf transparent windows (26) on a surface of the chamber. The system (200) also has an rf generator (66) and at least two rf sources in other embodiments.

Abstract: An aluminum sputtering process, particularly useful for filling vias and contacts of high aspect ratios formed through a dielectric layer and also usefull for forming interconnects that are highly resistant to electromigration. A liner or barrier layer is first deposited by a high-density plasma (HDP) physical vapor deposition (PVD, also called sputtering) process, such as is done with an inductively coupled plasma. If a contact is connected at its bottom to a silicon element, the first sublayer of the liner layer is a Ti layer, which is silicided to the silicon substrate. The second sublayer comprises TiN, which not only acts as a barrier against the migration of undesirable components into the underlying silicon but also when deposited with an HDP process and biased wafer forms a dense, smooth crystal structure. The third sublayer comprises Ti and preferably is graded from TiN to Ti. Over the liner layer, an aluminum layer is deposited in a standard, non-HDP process.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing a workpiece by delivering ions to the workpiece, which apparatus includes a processing chamber, a workpiece support having a workpiece support surface in the chamber, a sputtering target in the chamber and a coil for creating an inductively coupled plasma to sputter material from the target, ionize the sputtered material and direct the ionized, sputtered material at the workpiece. The coil is connected to receive an RF current for establishing in the coil an RF voltage having a peak-to-peak amplitude which varies between a minimum value at a first location along the circumference and a maximum value at a second location along the circumference, the first and second locations being substantially diametrically opposite one another, the RF voltage variation producing a corresponding variation in plasma density around the central axis.

Abstract: The invention concerns an apparatus for the plasma assisted physical vapor deposition of coatings onto workpieces and a cathode spot arc evaporator and the form of integration of the evaporator in the coating apparatus.

Abstract: A stationary vacuum deposition machine for use in a method for processing substrates to make magnetic hard disks includes a series of stations and a transport. The series of stations includes an entrance station for receiving substrates into the machine and a predetermined station. The transport operates in a cycle with each cycle including a transport phase and a stationary phase. The transport causes all the substrates that are in the machine to be moved during the transport phase, and be temporarily held stationary during the stationary phase, such that during each stationary phase a predetermined one of the stations is occupied by one of the substrates while each of a plurality of others of the stations is occupied by a respective one of a plurality of others of the substrates. The machine further includes a plurality of vacuum deposition stations and a scanning beam generator.

Abstract: A substrate which has been heated to a predetermined temperature by a heating unit during sputtering is transferred into an unload-lock chamber having a vacuum pump system and a vent gas introducing system. The unload-lock chamber is provided with a cooling stage which makes surface contact with the substrate so as to forcedly cool the substrate to a predetermined temperature. The substrate is placed on the cooling stage and forcedly cooled. After the substrate is cooled to the predetermined temperature or lower, the vent gas introducing system is operated so that the interior of the unload-lock chamber is returned to the atmospheric pressure ambient. Since the substrate under a high temperature condition does not make contact with the atmospheric pressure ambient, film properties are prevented from being varied.

Abstract: An ion beam sputtering system having a chamber and a target, a substrate, and a movable flux regulator located between the target and the substrate in the chamber. The position of the movable flux regulator relative to the deposition substrate affects the thickness uniformity of thin films deposited on the substrate in the ion beam sputtering system.

Abstract: An improved sputter etching technique is provided for substantially preventing or reducing plasma etch damages associated with sputter etching. The plasma etch technique can utilize a semiconductor wafer having at least one diode formed within an inactive region of the wafer near the outer periphery of the wafer. The diode is capable of preventing charge transfer or arcing between the grounded anode and the p-channel gate region. By placing a diode within the inactive region of the wafer, problems such as gate oxide breakdown, threshold voltage skew, flat-band voltage skew, etc. can be minimized or substantially reduced. Alternatively, a standard wafer not having an implanted or diffused diode can be utilized to obtain similar beneficial results provided the sputter etch anode is retrofitted to include a diode placed between the anode and the ground terminal. Similar to the diode placed on the wafer, the retrofitted anode is used to provide a depletion region for preventing charge transfer therethrough.

Abstract: A technique for ion beam sputter deposition of optical coatings. The technique includes the following features (i) an assist chemical emitted towards the sputter target to oppose the tendency of film growth on the target; (ii) a discriminate baffle to capture ions or assist chemicals reflected from the target; (iii) a screen chemical to protect the coating area from the assist chemical; (iv) compartmentalized of the coating chamber to reduce crossing effects between the different chemicals (D.W.) (C.L.); (v) a compartmentalized assist ion beam to modify the coating and to reduce microstructure, defects and impurities in the coating (D.W.) (C.L.); and (vi) to combine the above features or multiply use one of the above features to further advantage or to increase throughput.

Abstract: A method of forming a sputter target/backing plate assembly comprises the steps of: providing a target fabricated from a first material having a coefficient of thermal expansion; providing a backing plate fabricated from a second material having a coefficient of thermal expansion; providing a block fabricated from a third material having a coefficient of thermal expansion; positioning the block on one side of the backing plate; positioning the target on the other side of the backing plate; and subjecting the target, backing plate and block to elevated temperature and pressure to bond the target, backing plate and block together. The third material is selected so as to have a coefficient of thermal expansion which counteracts the effects of the coefficients of thermal expansion of the first and second materials. The third material may be selected so as to have a coefficient of thermal expansion which is approximately the same as the coefficient of thermal expansion of the first material.