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: Apparatus for sputtering comprises a vacuum chamber defined by at least one side wall, a base and a cover, at least one first electrode having a surface arranged in the vacuum chamber, a counter electrode having a surface arranged in the vacuum chamber and a RF generator. The RF generator is configured to apply a RF electric field across the at least one first electrode and the counter electrode so as to ignite a plasma between the first electrode and the counter electrode. The counter electrode comprises at least a portion of the side wall and/or the base of the vacuum chamber and an additional electrically conductive member. The additional electrically conductive member comprises at least two surfaces arranged generally parallel to one another and spaced at a distance from one another.

Abstract: A method for depositing an aluminium nitride layer on a substrate is provided that comprises: providing a silicon substrate; placing the substrate in a vacuum chamber; conditioning a surface of the substrate by etching and providing a conditioned surface; depositing an aluminum film onto the conditioned surface of the substrate by a sputtering method under an atmosphere of Argon and depositing an epitaxial aluminium nitride layer on the aluminum film by a sputtering method under an atmosphere of Nitrogen and Argon.

Abstract: A method for depositing a Group III nitride semiconductor film on a substrate is provided that comprises: providing a sapphire substrate; placing the substrate in a vacuum chamber; conditioning a surface of the substrate by etching and providing a conditioned surface; holding the substrate away from a substrate facing surface of a heater by a predetermined distance; heating the substrate to a temperature by using the heater whilst the substrate is held away from the substrate facing surface of the heater, and depositing a Group III nitride semiconductor film onto the conditioned surface of the substrate by a physical vapour deposition method whilst the substrate is held away from the substrate facing surface of the heater and forming an epitaxial Group III nitride semiconductor film with N-face polarity on the conditioned surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A substrate processing arrangement exhibits a thermal cavity with two reflective surfaces and a carbon heater for effectively heating substrates to temperatures of 750° C. and more. It has been shown, that even substrates with low absorption properties in the infrared part of the spectrum (glas, silicon, sapphire) can be effectively heated by “sandwiching” a substrate and a heating element between two reflective surfaces, which can be established by a mirror and the target of a PVD source.

Abstract: A method for depositing an aluminium nitride layer on a substrate is provided that comprises: providing a silicon substrate; placing the substrate in a vacuum chamber; conditioning a surface of the substrate by etching and providing a conditioned surface; depositing an aluminium film onto the conditioned surface of the substrate by a sputtering method under an atmosphere of Argon and depositing an epitaxial aluminium nitride layer on the aluminium film by a sputtering method under an atmosphere of Nitrogen and Argon.

Abstract: A method for depositing a Group III nitride semiconductor film on a substrate is provided that comprises: providing a sapphire substrate; placing the substrate in a vacuum chamber; conditioning a surface of the substrate by etching and providing a conditioned surface; holding the substrate away from a substrate facing surface of a heater by a predetermined distance; heating the substrate to a temperature by using the heater whilst the substrate is held away from the substrate facing surface of the heater, and depositing a Group III nitride semiconductor film onto the conditioned surface of the substrate by a physical vapour deposition method whilst the substrate is held away from the substrate facing surface of the heater and forming an epitaxial Group III nitride semiconductor film with N-face polarity on the conditioned surface of the substrate.

Abstract: Apparatus for sputtering comprises a vacuum chamber defined by at least one side wall, a base and a cover, at least one first electrode having a surface arranged in the vacuum chamber, a counter electrode having a surface arranged in the vacuum chamber and a RF generator. The RF generator is configured to apply a RF electric field across the at least one first electrode and the counter electrode so as to ignite a plasma between the first electrode and the counter electrode. The counter electrode comprises at least a portion of the side wall and/or the base of the vacuum chamber and an additional electrically conductive member. The additional electrically conductive member comprises at least two surfaces arranged generally parallel to one another and spaced at a distance from one another.

Abstract: A method for separating bonded substrates and a respective apparatus used for that method is disclosed. The method comprises positioning the bonded substrates (1) in an evacuable chamber (2) by respective means, detaching a space (10) from that evacuable chamber by means of a sealing arrangement (4) so that said space comprises a partial area of the substrates with at least one gap (5) between the bonded substrates (1), lowering the pressure in the vacuum chamber (2) while maintaining the pressure in the space (10), thereby causing the bonded substrates to separate.

Abstract: A method for separating bonded substrates and a respective apparatus used for that method is disclosed. The method comprises positioning the bonded substrates (1) in an evacuable chamber (2) by respective means, detaching a space (10) from that evacuable chamber by means of a sealing arrangement (4) so that said space comprises a partial area of the substrates with at least one gap (5) between the bonded substrates (1), lowering the pressure in the vacuum chamber (2) while maintaining the pressure in the space (10), thereby causing the bonded substrates to separate.