Abstract: A plasma reactor for automotive exhaust gas applications which efficiently promotes diffusion, mass transfer and chemical reaction processes of atoms, ions and radicals, in that the ground (outer) electrode has an axially discrete pattern which provides alternating regions of active and passive electric field along the axial direction of the plasma reactor. As the exhaust gas passes axially along the plasma reactor, each active region produces plasma atoms, ions and radicals, which then have time to react with the NOx over the course of the adjacent passive region. In this manner, successive active regions produce copious atoms, radicals and ions, and the adjacent passive regions provide time for these radicals and ions to react with the NOx and hydrocarbons before the next active region is encountered by the moving stream of exhaust gas, thereby enhancing the performance of the plasma reactor.

Abstract: High-saturation magnetization composite soft magnetic films can be deposited with sintered targets made of preferably at least two kinds of powders/elements with much lower saturation magnetization than that of the deposited soft magnetic films. Such a high-saturation magnetization composite soft magnetic film can be deposited by sputtering a plurality of species from a sintered target that forms a film of a material of higher saturation magnetization than that of the species.

Abstract: A system and method for sputtering using a plurality of different bias voltages, a plurality of target-cathodes that can be powered at different voltages disposed along said path of travel, and a controller configured to selectively vary the target-cathode voltage and the pallet bias voltage while the pallet moves along the path of travel. The target-cathodes are spaced apart along the path of travel by a distance less than a length of the pallet and on both sides of the path of travel. The controller can include a timing circuit for synchronizing changes in the target-cathode voltages with changes in the pallet bias voltage.

Abstract: In the rod target for an arc evaporation source, of which the outer peripheral surface is used as an evaporation surface, the opposite ends thereof in the longitudinal direction thereof are each formed thicker than the central part thereof. The length of the thicker portion at each of the opposite ends in the longitudinal direction is set to be not less than 75 mm nor more than 200 mm. Work with a uniform film thickness is provided, and the availability of a rod target is improved, thereby preventing the rod target from going to waste.

Abstract: A coated article, and a corresponding method of making the same are provided. The coated article includes a coating supported by a substrate, the coating including a thin metal or metal nitride contact layer (e.g., NiCr, Ni, Cr, CrNx or NiCrNx) located directly between and contacting an infrared (IR) reflecting layer (e.g., Ag) and an oxide barrier layer (e.g., NiCrOx).

Abstract: A PVD method and a PVD apparatus use a rotating magnetic field in order to increase the yield. The magnetic field is provided such that it essentially vanishes, at least in a time average, outside a rotation axis of the magnetic field in sectors of the target region of the PVD apparatus. In this manner the PVD method and the PVD apparatus achieve a uniform coating.

Abstract: A cylindrical magnetron capable of running at high current and voltage levels with a target tube that is self cleaning not only in the center portion, but also at the ends. Sputtering the ends of the target tube virtually eliminates accumulation of condensate at the ends and any resultant arcing, resulting in a more reliable magnetron requiring less service and a magnetron that produces more consistent coatings.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device has the steps of: (a) evacuating a sputtering chamber to a pressure of 1.5×10?8 torr to 9×10?8 torr and heating a silicon substrate to a temperature of 330° C. to 395° C.; (b) sputtering Co on the heated silicon substrate; (c) after the step (b), forming a cap layer having a small oxygen transmission performance on the silicon substrate without exposing the silicon substrate in air; (d) after the step (c), performing primary annealing; (e) after the step (d), removing the cap layer and unreacted Co; and (f) after the step (e), performing secondary annealing by heating the silicon substrate to a temperature of 450° C. to 750° C.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ITO sputtering target for forming a high-resistance transparent conductive film which target can be used virtually in a DC magnetron sputtering apparatus and can form a high-resistance, transparent film, and a method for producing a high-resistance transparent conductive film. The sputtering target for forming a high-resistance transparent conductive film having a resistivity of about (0.8–10)×10?3 ?cm contains indium oxide, an insulating oxide, and optionally tin oxide.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a sputtering device which can provide increased distribution of film formation and coverage distribution better than prior sputtering devices. Thus, this invention is that, in the sputtering device constituted of a substrate holder for holding a substrate, at least one target for forming a thin film on the substrate, at least one sputtering cathode which has the target and magnets arranged behind the substrate, an axis of the target is inclined to an axis of the sputtering cathode, and the sputtering cathode is rotated on its axis to make the target swing relative to the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention is directed at least in part to methods and apparatus for optically monitoring selected optical characteristics of coatings formed on substrates during the deposition process and controlling the deposition process responsive thereto. In one aspect, the system includes a retroreflector for reflecting an electromagnetic beam transmitted by the coating and substrate back through the substrate and coating before selected properties of the retroreflected beam are measured. The system and method improve the signal to noise properties of the measured beam. The present invention may be used in systems for coating one or an array of substrates, and is particularly suitable for deposition processes where the substrates are translated past the sources of material to be deposited, and wherein the angle of incidence of a monitor beam on the substrate changes as the substrate translates past the beam source.

Abstract: A method for producing a superconducting conductor is disclosed, including providing a substrate, depositing a buffer film having a biaxial texture to overlie the substrate by reactive sputtering, and depositing a superconducting layer to overlie the buffer film. Deposition of the buffer film is carried out by exposing the substrate along a deposition zone to a material plume generated by bombarding a target in the presence of a magnetic field, the deposition zone having a length of at least 1.0 m. The assist ions may be generated from a gridless ion source. The buffer film may have a biaxial texture having an out-of-plane crystallographic texture represented by a mosaic spread of not greater than 30°.

Abstract: An adapter assembly is provided for supporting a sputtering cathode in a fixed opening in the chamber of a sputter coating machine. The assembly includes: one of several adapter bodies, each configured to support, in the fixed opening, a target of one of a plurality of sizes and types, and at one of several target-to-substrate spacings; one of several insulator rings, each for a target of a different size or type; one of several dark-space shields, each for a target of a different size, type, material, or processing pressure; and one of several adapter shields, each for a different adapter body and target material. Only the shields accumulate deposits and require cleaning or replacement. The dark-space shield is spaced from the target rim by a gap of at 0.045 to 0.067 inches to form a deep narrow space that prevents deposits onto the insulator ring while avoiding arcing and plasma formation in the gap.

Abstract: The present invention is directed towards a process of depositing multilayer thin films, disk-shaped targets for deposition of multilayer thin films by a pulsed laser or pulsed electron beam deposition process, where the disk-shaped targets include at least two segments with differing compositions, and a multilayer thin film structure having alternating layers of a first composition and a second composition, a pair of the alternating layers defining a bi-layer wherein the thin film structure includes at least 20 bi-layers per micron of thin film such that an individual bi-layer has a thickness of less than about 100 nanometers.

Abstract: In a non-thermal plasma reactor (300), at least a component of the active material (320) is selected or modified to provide the capability to adsorb or trap a predetermined chemical species in the gas flow thereby to increase the effective residence time of said species relative to the residence time of unadsorbed species in the gas flow.

Abstract: A multi-step sputtering process in plasma sputter reactor having target and magnetron operable in two modes, for example, in a substrate sputter etch and a substrate sputter deposition. The target has an annular vault facing the wafer to be sputter coated. Various types of magnetic means positioned around the vault create a magnetic field supporting a plasma extending over a large volume of the vault. An integrated copper via filling process with the inventive reactor or other reactor includes a first step of highly ionized sputter deposition of copper, which can optionally be used to remove the barrier layer at the bottom of the via, a second step of more neutral, lower-energy sputter deposition of copper to complete the seed layer, and a third step of electroplating copper into the hole to complete the metallization. The first two steps can be also used with barrier metals.

Abstract: An odor removal system to neutralize odors and VOC emissions in commercial and/or industrial air streams utilizes Non-Thermal Plasma (NTP) to create a range of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) to cause the oxidation and/or reduction of odor causing molecules and VOC's. The ROS is generated by drawing atmospheric and/or odorous air through a Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Generation Cell (DBDPGC). The gas is activated by passing it through the non-thermal plasma field in the DBDPGC, producing the ROS that are then immediately mixed into the odorous gas to be treated. If the odorous gas is passing through the NTP field, it is inherently mixed. When large volumes of gas, and/or extremely high odor loads in large gas volumes must be treated, multiple units can be combined in parallel. The DBDPGC has hermetically sealed hot electrodes and may be used in other applications.

Abstract: A graphite cathode and a graphite anode are placed opposite each other through an insulating plate having a notch. A voltage is applied between both of the electrodes to generate arc discharge at the notch of the insulating plate. A given area of the graphite anode is evaporated from an electrode point of the arc discharge, and simultaneously an arc jet is generated from the notch. Thereby, a carbon nanoparticle comprising soot of carbon nanomaterial containing carbon nanohorn is generated. The soot is deposited on a recovering plate for recovery.

Abstract: A conductive barrier layer may be formed within high aspect ratio openings by a two-step ionizing sputter deposition. The first step is performed at low pressure and low bias power to obtain good coverage of upper portions of the openings. In the second step, the bias power and the pressure are raised to improved directionality of the particles while at the same time increasing the scatter events so that an increased deposition rate at critical structure areas is obtained, thereby achieving a good coverage at lower sidewall areas.

Abstract: A method of influencing variations in composition of thin films is described. The elemental plasma field distribution in sputtering systems is manipulated by generating a nonuniform electric field along a surface of the substrate to alter the composition by differentially re-sputtering the target elements. The nonuniform electric field is used to modulate the kinetic energy of the ions generated in the plasma which strike the thin film's surface. By applying varying electric potentials at a plurality of points on a conductive surface of a substrate, the electric field across the surface of the substrate can be modulated in a variety of patterns. In the preferred embodiment a radial voltage gradient is applied to a conductive surface of a disk on which a magnetic thin film is being formed to radially modulate the platinum content of the magnetic film.