Abstract: An elevator structure is actuated to remove wafers individually out of a storage cassette to an elevated delivery position. The elevator is a lift blade with an arcuate upper end shaped to match the curvature of the wafers, and a groove within this end adapted to match the thickness of a wafer and retain a wafer edgewise. A wafer-holding chuck on a chuck assembly is adapted to receive a wafer from the elevator when the elevator is in the elevated delivery position. The chuck assembly is movable from the delivery position to a remote position where the chuck presents the wafer to a support member. The support member is provided with an aperture and a plurality of deformable wafer-holding clips spaced around the aperture. The chuck assembly includes a pneumatic cylinder capable of contacting a portion of each clip to urge same to an open position. The invention includes an arrangement in which the chuck is mounted on a chuck assembly in the form of a door for sealing an opening in a process chamber.

Abstract: A magnetron sputter device includes separate first and second targets over which first and second discharges are formed by separate ionizing electric fields and separate confining magnetic fields. The separate confining magnetic fields include first and second magnetic circuits through the first and second targets, respectively. The first magnetic circuit includes first and second pole pieces for coupling magnetic flux from a first magnetic field source to the first target. The second magnetic circuit includes the second pole piece and a third pole piece for coupling magnetic flux from a second magnetic field source to the second target. The magnetic circuits and the magnetic field sources are arranged so that magnetic fluxes from the first and second magnetic field sources combine in the second pole piece.

Abstract: The system for rotating the transfer plate of a coating system in a vacuum chamber consists of a transfer plate driver assembly on the outside of the chamber at the axis and a transfer plate rotator assembly inside the chamber. The driver assembly consists of a pneumatic actuator for linear motion, a barrel cam which translates the linear motion into rotary motion with high torque at starting and stopping positions, and a rotary feedthrough all in a structural housing. The rotator assembly comprises a central hub with means for supporting the end walls, a transfer plate hub assembly and a ratchet arm connected to the rotary feedthrough. As the pressure plate assembly is drawn back by the ram, it in turn draws back the transfer plate and engages the ratchet arm with the transfer plate hub. The actuator then rotates the transfer plate. The ram then reverses direction, the ratchet arm disengages and is returned to its initial position.

Abstract: A method of sputter depositing a desired film thickness profile on a substrate is accomplished by depositing material onto a substrate at spaced apart coating stations whereby a substrate at any of said stations is not coated by the sputter coating action at any of the other sputter stations. The substrate is held stationary during complete sputtering at each station. A blocking shield is placed in fixed position between the substrate and the sputter coating source at one or more of the stations. The duration of sputter coating time at one station may be different than at another station.

Abstract: The arbitrary contouring of thickness of a sputter-deposited film is made possible by a blocking means having a primary blocking shield and an ancillary blocking shield. The primary blocking shield intercepts atoms sputtered directly from the cathode target by line-of-sight transport. The ancillary blocking shield extends downwardly from the side of the primary blocking shield which is placed closest to the substrate. The ancillary blocking shield intercepts atoms sputtered from the cathode which by intervening gas collisions have been redirected to travel underneath the primary blocking shield. Precise tailoring of the thickness profile of the coating on the substrate is thereby provided and the quality of the composite film is maintained. The method for contouring the thickness of sputter coated layers comprises sputter coating portions of the film at successive stations. By employing the improved blocking shield at selected stations, the film in the aggregate may have the desired thickness contour.

Abstract: A system for the automated handling and transfer of wafers individually and repetitively to and between processing stations and cassettes. A track-like conveyor engages a cassette holding a plurality of wafers in vertically facing alignment, to move same horizontally past a loading station of a processing chamber. A vertically moveable blade passes between the conveyor tracks and through the cassette to engage a wafer edgewise from below and move same upwardly to the processing chamber entrance. Vacuum means mounted to the door of the chamber entrance engages and holds the wafer during insertion into the chamber by closure of the door. Clip means are mounted within the periphery of an aperture of a vertical support plate just within the chamber entrance, to engage edgewise the wafer and support it within the plate aperture while in the processing chamber. The wafer is removed after processing by operating the foregoing apparatus in reverse order.