PLASMA PROCESSING CHAMBER HAVING ENHANCED DEPOSITION UNIFORMITY

Abstract

A plasma-enhanced substrate processing system includes a magnetic-field generation unit that can create a substantially uniform magnetic field along an axial direction in a spatial region, a processing chamber in the spatial region, and a first planar source unit that provides a deposition material. The magnetic field can produce a plasma gas in the processing chamber, which enables the deposition material to be deposited on a substrate.

Description

The present application claims priority to pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/411,549, entitled “Plasma processing chamber having enhanced deposition uniformity”, filed by the same inventor on Nov. 9, 2010, the disclosures of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application relates to materials deposition on a substrate and removal of materials from a surface in the presence of a plasma gas.

Material deposition is widely used in window glass coating, flat panel display manufacturing, coating on flexible films, coating of magnetic materials on hard disks, industrial surface coating, semiconductor wafer processing, photovoltaic panels, and other applications. Removal of materials from a deposition source and/or a substrate is also used in these applications. Plasma is often used to enhance material deposition and material removal in many applications.

One example is material deposition in which target materials are sputtered or vaporized from a source and deposited on a substrate. One desirable feature for material deposition is to maximize the utilization and to minimize waste of target materials. Another desirable feature for material deposition is to achieve uniform deposition across the substrates, preferably at low pressure which requires high plasma density.

In another example, chemical gases such as silane and hydrogen are ionized in plasma and form solid deposition on substrate. One desirable feature for solid deposition is to achieve uniform plasma density across substrate surface, preferably high density plasma to enhance the breakup efficiency of the chemicals.

Another example relates to the removal of materials from substrate or/and deposition sources. One desirable feature is to achieve uniform plasma at a low pressure and high plasma density. Another desirable feature is to process more substrate area in a given volume.

There is therefore a need to provide uniform plasma density and thus material deposition for a wide range of applications involving material depositions and removals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The presently disclosed systems and methods can provide improved uniformity in large-area sputter deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, low pressure sputter etch, plasma etch and cleaning, and ion assisted evaporation.

The presently disclosed systems and methods can provide high deposition throughput by depositing on a multiple of substrate in parallel and provide deposition on both sides of a substrate if necessary.

The disclosed systems can provide efficient and uniform material deposition in a wide range of industrial applications such as thin-film deposition, substrate etching, sputtering using DC (direct current)/RF (radio frequency) diode or magnetron, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), sputter etch, plasma etch, or reactive ion etch.

The disclosed systems can improve target utilization and reduce material cost by using targets that are smaller than the substrates. The disclosed system can also improve the collection of the sputtered materials by enclosing the targets by a plurality of substrates. The disclosed systems can utilize thick targets to allow longer deposition cycles between target changes, thus reducing scheduled system down time. The disclosed magnetron source can improve target utilization and reduce target cost by reducing the unevenness in the erosion of the target.

In some implementations of the disclosed systems, sources can be positioned in a central region surrounded by a plurality of substrates with deposition surfaces facing the center. Particles, ions, atoms, molecules, etc can move outward from the sources to the substrate surfaces. The sources can be positioned close to each other to achieve the improved uniformity. The substrates can be placed adjacent to each other to achieve the most material collection of the source materials by the substrates.

The deposition and etch systems can provide deposition on large substrate while occupying relatively small footprint. The disclosed deposition and etch systems can simultaneously deposit on a plurality of large substrates. The substrates can be rigid or flexible. For example, the substrates can include webs that are fed in rolls.

The disclosed processing system can generate high sputtering rate for magnetic and ferromagnetic target materials. The disclosed processing system allows material compositions to be controlled and varied. The disclosed processing system also allows different processing such as sputtering and ion etching to be conducted on the same substrate in the same vacuum environment. The disclosed deposition and etch systems can use reduce the usages of energy, chemicals and other materials when compared to conventional processing system.

In one general aspect, the present invention relates to a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system which includes a magnetic-field generation unit that can create a substantially uniform magnetic field along an axial direction in a spatial region; a processing chamber in the spatial region and configured to house a first substrate; and a first planar source unit that can provide a deposition material, wherein the magnetic field can produce a plasma gas in the processing chamber, which enables the deposition material to be deposited on the first substrate.

Implementations of the system may include one or more of the following. The magnetic-field generation unit can include an electrical coil that can carry an electrical current therein and to produce substantially uniform magnetic field in the spatial region. The electrical coil can be outside and encircles the processing chamber, and wherein the spatial region is at least partially inside the electrical coil. The electrical coil can be inside the processing chamber, and wherein the spatial region is at least partially outside the electrical coil. The first planar source unit can include a first target comprising the deposition material and a sputtering surface, wherein the magnetic field can produce the plasma gas between the sputtering surface and the first substrate, wherein the deposition material is sputtered off the first target to be deposited on the first substrate via physical vapor deposition (PVD). The first planar source unit can include a gas distribution device that can provide the deposition material in a chemical vapor, wherein the magnetic field can produce the plasma gas between the gas distribution device and the first substrate, wherein the deposition material can be deposited on the first substrate in a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system can further include a plurality of planar source units, including the first planar source unit, positioned in a first closed loop, wherein the processing chamber in the spatial region can house a plurality of substrates comprising the first substrate, wherein the plurality of substrates are positioned in a second closed loop, wherein the plurality of substrates can receive deposition materials from the plurality of source units. The magnetic-field generation unit can include a plurality of permanent magnets that form a third close loop, wherein the plurality of permanent magnets in the third close loop can be moved relative to the plurality of planar source units in the first closed loop. The first closed loop can be inside the second closed loop. The second closed loop can be inside the first closed loop. At least one of the first closed loop or the second closed loop can form a polygon when viewed in the axial direction. The first substrate can be provided as or on a flexible web. The magnetic-field generation unit can include two electrical coils can create a substantially uniform magnetic field along an axial direction in a spatial region between the two electrical coils.

In another general aspect, the present invention relates to a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system that include a magnetic-field generation unit that can create a substantially uniform magnetic field along an axial direction in a spatial region, a processing chamber in the spatial region and configured to house a first substrate, wherein the processing chamber can house a first group of substrates and a second group of substrates, wherein the first group of substrate can include a first substrate; a first group of source units including a first source unit, wherein the first group of source units can be positioned in a first closed loop, wherein the first group of substrates can be positioned in a second closed loop, wherein the magnetic field can produce a plasma gas in the processing chamber to enable deposition materials from the first group of source units to be deposited on the first group of substrates; and a second group of source units positioned in a third closed loop, wherein the second group of substrates can be positioned in a fourth closed loop, wherein the magnetic field can produce a plasma gas in the processing chamber to enable deposition materials from the second group of source units to be deposited on the second group of substrates.

Implementations of the system may include one or more of the following. The first closed loop, the second closed loop, the third closed loop, and the fourth closed loop can be nested one in another. The magnetic-field generation unit can include an electrical coil that can carry an electrical current therein and to produce substantially uniform magnetic field in the spatial region. The electrical coil can be outside and can encircle the processing chamber, and wherein the spatial region is at least partially inside the electrical coil. The electrical coil can be inside the processing chamber, and wherein the spatial region is at least partially outside the electrical coil. The first source unit can include a first target comprising the deposition material and a sputtering surface, wherein the magnetic field can produce the plasma gas between the sputtering surface and the first substrate to allow the deposition material to be sputtered off the first target to be deposited on the first substrate via physical vapor deposition (PVD). The first source unit can include a gas distribution device that can provide the deposition material in a chemical vapor, wherein the magnetic field can produce the plasma gas between the gas distribution device and the first substrate to allow the deposition material to be deposited on the first substrate in a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The first closed loop can be inside the second closed loop. The second closed loop can be inside the first closed loop.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and in the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1C are respectively a perspective view, a top view, and a cross-sectional view of a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system for depositing and removing materials from substrates.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate respectively a top view and a cross-sectional view of an exemplified plasma-enhanced substrate processing system for depositing and removing materials from substrates in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate respectively a top view and a cross-sectional view of another exemplified plasma-enhanced substrate processing system for depositing and removing materials from substrates in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate respectively a top view and a cross-sectional view of another exemplified plasma-enhanced substrate processing system for depositing and removing materials from substrates in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views of exemplified plasma-enhanced substrate processing systems in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 6A-6F are cross-sectional views of exemplified plasma-enhanced substrate processing systems having the magnetic-field generation units, the targets, and the substrates in different positions in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system showing separate voltage controls for different targets in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate respectively a top view and a cross-sectional view of an exemplified plasma-enhanced substrate processing system providing CVD or PECVD to substrates in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system including a web-based substrate in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1A-1C, a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system 100 includes a processing chamber 120 that are formed in part by a plurality of sequentially connected inner chamber walls 121 and a plurality of sequentially connected outer chamber walls 125. The outer chamber walls 125 form a large polygon-shaped enclosure outside of the small enclosure. The space between the small enclosure and the large enclosure defines a space 150 that is the interior of the processing chamber 120. The processing chamber 120 can further include a lower wall 140 and an upper wall 141 to seal the space 150. A vacuum environment can be created in the space 150.

The inner chamber walls 121 and the outer chamber walls 125 can be aligned substantially along a direction 175, which can be defined as the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 1A, the cross section of the inner chamber walls 121 can form a small polygon (e.g. a hexagon) in a top view. The outer chamber walls 125 can form a larger polygon (e.g. a hexagon) outside of the small polygon. The inner chamber walls 121 and the outer chamber walls 125 can form several pairs of opposing chamber walls that are substantially parallel to each other.

A plurality of substrates 115 can be held on the outer chamber walls 125. A plurality of targets 110 can be held on the inner chamber walls 121. The targets 110 and the substrates 115 can be planar. The substrates 115 and the targets 110 can be positioned within the processing chamber 120 and have surfaces facing the space 150 that can be evacuated to a vacuum environment. Each target 110 includes a sputtering surface 112 opposing a deposition surface 117 on a substrate 115. The sputtering surface 112 can be substantially flat and parallel to the vertical direction. The sputtering surface 112 can also have other shapes such as a curved surface, or a surface not parallel to the direction 175. For viewing simplicity, the vacuum envelope is not fully illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C and the most of the following figures (except for FIGS. 5A and 5B).

The target 110 and the substrate 115 can be respectively held on opposing inner chamber wall 121 and outer chamber wall 125. The targets 110 and the substrate 115 can be arranged such that the sputtering surface 112 is substantially parallel to the deposition surfaces 117 in at least lateral dimension. The outer chamber walls 125 can form an enclosure surrounding the substrates 115 and the targets 110.

A plasma gas can be generated by an electric voltage, preferably in radio frequency (RF), applied across each pair of the targets 110 and the substrates 115. The substrate 115 can be moved by a transport mechanism 170. As shown in the cross-sectional view in FIG. 1B (along the line C-C in FIG. 1A), a magnetic field can be provided at the sputtering surfaces by permanent magnet 130a and 130b mounted on back plates 113 behind the targets 119. The magnetic fields can trap ionized electrons and increase their path lengths, which increases ionization efficiency and can lower the requirement on the operating pressure.

In some embodiments, the targets 110 can form an inner closed loop around the space 150 which allows the excited electrons near the sputtering surfaces of the targets 110 to travel in a closed loop around the space 150. Similarly, the substrates 115 can form an outer closed loop around the space 150 outside of the inner closed loop formed by the targets. The closed loop of substrates ensures effective collection of materials sputtered off the targets.

The permanent magnet 130a and 130b can form a closed loop that forms a magnetic field in a closed loop. The closed loop can be formed over a single target 110, or over the plurality of targets 110. In some embodiments, the permanent magnets 130a and 130b can form a closed magnetic loop in the plane that is perpendicular to the direction 175. The closed magnetic loop is adjacent to the closed loop formed by the targets. The magnetic in the closed loop can be moved by a transport mechanism (not shown) to scan across the targets 110 along the direction 175. The closed loop of permanent magnets around the processing chamber can achieve high utilization of the target materials because no magnetic return path is required at each target. In contrast, a conventional magnetron requires the return path for a target, which usually produces a closed loop erosion groove on the sputtering surface of the target and cannot fully erode the area at the edges adjacent to neighboring targets, which is a major cause for target waste.

The above described magnetic enhance plasma can perform sputtering deposition, PECVD, sputter etch, plasma etch, reactive ion etch, and ion assisted evaporation.

In some embodiments, the plasma-enhanced substrate processing system 100 can be further improved by using non-local magnetic fields (such as the ones formed by the magnetrons behind the targets), which removes the needs for a transport mechanism (not shown) that scans the magnetron relative to the target. The non-local magnetic fields can also improve sputtering and deposition uniformities, and can improve target material utilization, in comparison to many conventional deposition systems.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B (FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view along the line C-C in FIG. 2A), a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system 200 includes a processing chamber 120 and a magnetic-field generation unit 190. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view along the line C-C in FIG. 2A. The present invention is compatible with different types of processing chambers. In an exemplified implementation, the processing chamber 120 includes inner chamber walls 121 and outer chamber walls 125 defining a space 150 therein. The processing chamber 120 also includes targets 110, substrate 115, and other components similar to the plasma-enhanced substrate processing system 100 (FIGS. 1A-1C) except no magnets are mounted on the backing plates 113. It should be noted that the targets represent in general source units configured to provide deposition materials. The source units can also include gas delivery devices such as chemical vapor chamber.

The magnetic-field generation unit 190 is capable of producing a uniform magnetic field in a spatial region in which the processing chamber 120 is positioned. In other words, the processing chamber 120 is immersed in a substantially parallel magnetic field in the axial direction 180. As described in more detail below, the present invention is compatible with many configurations of magnetic generation sources. In some embodiments, the magnetic-field generation unit 190 includes an electric magnet comprising electrical coils 193 formed by conductive wires. The electrical coils 193 can be positioned outside of and encircling the processing chamber 120. The electrical coils 193 can substantially cover the full length of the processing chamber 120 along the axial direction 180.

In processing operation, a voltage is applied between the targets 110 and the substrates 115, which generates electrons moving at high speeds. The electrons are trapped by the Lorenz force F=eV×B in the magnetic field produced by the magnetic-field generation unit 190. The trapped electrons drift in the direction perpendicular to both the magnetic field and electron movement direction to form closed loops over the target surfaces when viewed in the axial direction (perpendicular to the viewing plane of FIG. 2A). The increased electron path lengths can greatly increase the ionization efficiency and the plasma density, and decrease the operating pressure.

The electrical coils 193 produce a substantially uniform magnetic field therein, which are represented by the magnetic flux lines 195 in FIG. 2B. The current directions in the electrical coils 193 are indicated by the dot (out of the viewing plane) and the “x” (into the viewing plane). The processing chamber 120 is positioned in the spatial region having the substantially uniform magnetic field. The magnetic field represented can provide uniform high-density plasma density distribution at the sputtering surfaces of the targets 110. Since the magnetic field is substantially uniform in a large spatial region, uniform sputter deposition, PECVD, low pressure sputter etch, plasma etch and cleaning, and ion assisted evaporation can be conducted to large substrates and targets, without the complexity and the need for a local magnetron and associated transport mechanism for scanning the magnetron relative to the target during deposition. The disclosed systems and methods thus significantly simplify design and lower the cost for large-area deposition systems.

The electric magnet in the present invention can be formed by electrical conductive wires that form a helical loop (e.g. coils). The conductive wire can be made of copper, aluminum, or other conductive materials. The electric magnet can be cooled by air, water, liquid nitrogen, liquid helium, or other media to lower the electric resistance. Superconductive electric wires can also be used to further lower resistance and to achieve high magnetic field. The typical magnetic field used ranges from 10 to 10,000 gauss. The circular electric magnet loop in the illustrations can be replaced with other shape such as polygon and other shapes of closed loops. In some embodiments, the magnetic-field generation unit can be formed by permanent magnets.

In some embodiments, the magnetic field can be produced by an internal magnetic-field generation unit and an external magnetic-field generation unit. As shown in FIG. 3A and 3B (FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view along the line C-C in FIG. 3A), in a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system 300, a uniform magnetic field represented by flux lines 305 is produced along the axial direction 180 by an internal magnetic-field generation unit 310 comprising electrical coils 315 and an external magnetic-field generation unit 320 comprising electrical coils 325. The electrical coils 315 are inside the targets 110 while the electrical coils 325 are outside of the substrates 115. The electrical coils 315 are nested inside the electrical coils 325 having substantially the full length of the target 110 along the axial direction 180. The electrical coils 315 are nested inside the electrical coils 325 are substantially parallel to each other and can form two concentric cylinders. The electric currents in the electrical coils 315 and the electrical coils 325 are running in opposite directions (as indicated by the dots and “x” in the circles of the electrical coils) such that the magnetic fields generated by the internal magnetic-field generation unit 310 and the external magnetic-field generation unit 320 are in the same directions and additive to each other to form the uniform magnetic field having flux lines 305. The resulting magnetic field is stronger and more uniform than having just the external magnetic-field generation unit 320.

In some embodiments, referring to plasma-enhanced substrate processing system 400 in FIG. 4A and 4B, only internal magnetic-field generation unit 310 is used if the magnetic uniformity is not critical.

In the present plasma-enhanced substrate processing systems, the substrates and the sputtering surfaces of the targets are usually inside a vacuum envelope. The backsides of the targets can be inside or outside of the vacuum envelope. In a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system 500, as shown in FIG. 5A, the magnetic-field generation unit 190 is outside the vacuum chamber 510. In a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system 550, as shown in FIG. 5B, the magnetic-field generation unit 190 is inside the vacuum chamber 560. In the processing systems 500 and 550, the targets 110 and the substrates 115 can respectively form closed loops (top views not shown) similar to those shown in FIGS. 2A, 3A, and 4A.

Referring to FIG. 6A, a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system 600 includes targets 110 that form a closed loop positioned outside the substrates 115 which may also form a closed loop. External electrical coils 193 can provide a substantially uniform magnetic field between the targets 110 and substrate 115.

In the plasma-enhanced substrate processing systems 600 and 650 in FIGS. 6A and 6B and the plasma-enhanced substrate processing system shown in FIGS. 6C-6F, the targets 110 and the substrates 115 can respectively form closed loops (top views not shown) similar to those shown in FIGS. 2A, 3A, and 4A.

As shown in FIGS. 6B-6F, the targets 110 and the substrates 115 can flexibly form different configurations of closed loops in the electrical coils 193. Referring to FIG. 6B, a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system 650 includes two sets of targets that form two nested closed loops. The substrates 115 are sandwiched between the two closed loops formed by the targets. External electrical coils 193 can provide a substantially uniform magnetic field between the targets 110 and substrate 115 in each of the closed loops. The magnetic-field generation unit (comprising for example electrical coils 193) can eliminate the needs for a large number of magnetrons and associated transport mechanisms behind the targets in the conventional substrate processing systems. A substrate can receive material deposition on two opposing surfaces. A pair of substrates can be placed back to back, both of which can receive material deposition in one processing operation.

In a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system shown in FIG. 6C, targets 110 form an inner closed loop, which is surrounded by two closed loops of back-to-back substrates, which is in turn surrounded by a closed loop of back-to-back targets 110, which is finally surrounded by a closed loop of substrates 115. External electrical coils 193 outside the vacuum chamber 680 can provide a substantially uniform magnetic field between the targets 110 and substrate 115 in each of the closed loops.

FIG. 6D shows a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system in which an extra pairs of substrate and target in outer closed loops in comparison to the configurations in FIG. 6C. The outermost targets can be mounted on the vacuum chamber 680. The electrical coils 193 are outside the vacuum chamber 680.

FIG. 6E shows a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system in which the electrical coils 193 are inside the vacuum chamber 680 and outside of the closed loops of targets 110 and substrates 115.

FIG. 6F shows a plasma-enhanced substrate processing system in which several closed loops of targets and substrate nested one in another, all being in a vacuum envelope defined by inner chamber walls 685 and outer chamber walls 688. The inner electrical coils 315 are inside the inner chamber walls 685 and the outer electrical coils 325 are outside the outer chamber walls 685. Both inner electrical coils 315 and the outer electrical coils 325 are outside of the vacuum envelope. The multiple closed loops of source units (e.g. targets) and substrates are paired up and nested one in another. The substantially uniform and non-local magnetic field can enhance material depositions and associated uniformities between each pair of closed loops of source units and substrates.

In the presently disclosed plasma-enhanced substrate processing systems (e.g. as shown in FIGS. 6A-6F), different pairs of target and substrates can be provided with different bias voltage controls for optical material deposition or material removal for each set of substrates and targets. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a plasma-enhanced substrate processing systems 700 showing separate voltage controls 710a-710c for different targets 720a-720d in accordance with the present invention. The electrical coils 190 are positioned outside of the vacuum chamber 750.

The substrates can also be placed back to back with or without space between the two substrates and receive deposition from two close-loop targets or process stations. The space between two substrates can be used to contain heater, voltage biasing devices, or gas outlets. This configuration can substantially increase the number of substrates that can be processed in each process chamber and thus reduce the cost of processing.

It should be noted that sputter deposition is used above only for the purpose of illustration. The disclosed plasma-enhanced substrate processing systems are also suitable for other processing techniques such as PECVD, sputter etches, plasma etches, and ion assisted evaporation.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate respectively a top view and a cross-sectional view of an exemplified plasma-enhanced substrate processing system providing CVD or PECVD to substrates in accordance with the present invention. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system 800 has most of the components the same as the plasma-enhanced substrate processing system 200 (FIGS. 2A and 2B) except for the targets 110 being replaced by a gas distribution devices 810 which each includes holes in plates 815 covering a vapor generation chamber 820. The vapor generation chambers 820 and the substrates 115 can be planar. The plasma density is significantly increased enhanced by the magnetic field produced by the electrical coils 193, which increases deposition uniformity and lowers the required bias voltage compared to conventional systems.

In sputter etch application, the bias is negative relative to target surface, the energetic ions are attracted to bombard substrate surfaces and remove materials.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a plasma-enhanced substrate processing systems 900 in accordance with the present invention. A substrate 910 is moved as a flexible web or on a flexible web by a transport mechanism (not shown). The electrical coils 193 are positioned outside of the vacuum chamber 950 to produce magnetic field between the substrate and the target (or gas generation device for CVD). The substrates 920 can be moved relative to a plurality of deposition or etch sources 960, 970 immersed in the magnetic field produced by the electrical coils 193 for performing sequential operations such as etching and deposition.

It is understood that the disclosed processing systems are compatible with other types of magnetic-field generation devices that can produce uniform magnetic field in a large spatial region in which the targets and the substrates are positioned. The disclosed processing systems are compatible with other positions of substrates, targets, and the magnetic-field generation devices. The disclosed processing systems are compatible with many different types of processing operations such as physical vapor deposition (PVD), thermal evaporation, thermal sublimation, sputtering, CVD, PECVD, ion etching, or sputter etching. The disclosed processing systems can include other components such as load lock, transport mechanism for the substrates, etc. without deviating from the spirit of the invention. The deposition materials can be provided by sputtering targets, gas distribution device, and other types of source units without deviating from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A plasma-enhanced substrate processing system, comprising:

a magnetic-field generation unit configured to create a substantially uniform magnetic field along an axial direction in a spatial region;

a processing chamber in the spatial region and configured to house a first substrate; and

a first planar source unit configured to provide a deposition material, wherein the magnetic field is configured to produce a plasma gas in the processing chamber, which enables the deposition material to be deposited on the first substrate.

2. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the magnetic-field generation unit comprises an electrical coil configured to carry an electrical current therein and to produce substantially uniform magnetic field in the spatial region.

3. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 2, wherein the electrical coil is outside and encircles the processing chamber, and wherein the spatial region is at least partially inside the electrical coil.

4. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 2, wherein the electrical coil is inside the processing chamber, and wherein the spatial region is at least partially outside the electrical coil.

5. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the first planar source unit comprises a first target comprising the deposition material and a sputtering surface, wherein the magnetic field is configured to produce the plasma gas between the sputtering surface and the first substrate, wherein the deposition material is sputtered off the first target to be deposited on the first substrate via physical vapor deposition (PVD).

6. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the first planar source unit comprises a gas distribution device configured to provide the deposition material in a chemical vapor, wherein the magnetic field is configured to produce the plasma gas between the gas distribution device and the first substrate, wherein the deposition material is deposited on the first substrate in a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).

7. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of planar source units, including the first planar source unit, positioned in a first closed loop, wherein the processing chamber in the spatial region is configured to house a plurality of substrates comprising the first substrate, wherein the plurality of substrates are positioned in a second closed loop, wherein the plurality of substrates are configured to receive deposition materials from the plurality of source units.

8. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 7, wherein the magnetic-field generation unit comprises a plurality of permanent magnets that form a third close loop, wherein the plurality of permanent magnets in the third close loop are configured to be moved relative to the plurality of planar source units in the first closed loop.

9. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 7, wherein the first closed loop is inside the second closed loop.

10. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 7, wherein the second closed loop is inside the first closed loop.

11. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first closed loop or the second closed loop forms a polygon when viewed in the axial direction.

12. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the first substrate is provided as or on a flexible web.

13. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 1, wherein the magnetic-field generation unit comprises two electrical coils configured to create a substantially uniform magnetic field along an axial direction in a spatial region between the two electrical coils.

14. A plasma-enhanced substrate processing system, comprising:

a magnetic-field generation unit configured to create a substantially uniform magnetic field along an axial direction in a spatial region;

a processing chamber in the spatial region and configured to house a first substrate, wherein the processing chamber is configured to house a first group of substrates and a second group of substrates, wherein the first group of substrate comprise a first substrate;

a first group of source units including a first source unit, wherein the first group of source units are positioned in a first closed loop, wherein the first group of substrates are positioned in a second closed loop, wherein the magnetic field is configured to produce a plasma gas in the processing chamber to enable deposition materials from the first group of source units to be deposited on the first group of substrates; and

a second group of source units positioned in a third closed loop, wherein the second group of substrates are positioned in a fourth closed loop, wherein the magnetic field is configured to produce a plasma gas in the processing chamber to enable deposition materials from the second group of source units to be deposited on the second group of substrates.

15. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 14, wherein the first closed loop, the second closed loop, the third closed loop, and the fourth closed loop are nested one in another.

16. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 14, wherein the magnetic-field generation unit comprises an electrical coil configured to carry an electrical current therein and to produce substantially uniform magnetic field in the spatial region.

17. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 16, wherein the electrical coil is outside and encircles the processing chamber, and wherein the spatial region is at least partially inside the electrical coil.

18. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 16, wherein the electrical coil is inside the processing chamber, and wherein the spatial region is at least partially outside the electrical coil.

19. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 14, wherein the first source unit comprises a first target comprising the deposition material and a sputtering surface, wherein the magnetic field is configured to produce the plasma gas between the sputtering surface and the first substrate to allow the deposition material to be sputtered off the first target to be deposited on the first substrate via physical vapor deposition (PVD).

20. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 14, wherein the first source unit comprises a gas distribution device configured to provide the deposition material in a chemical vapor, wherein the magnetic field is configured to produce the plasma gas between the gas distribution device and the first substrate to allow the deposition material to be deposited on the first substrate in a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).

21. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 14, wherein the first closed loop is inside the second closed loop.

22. The plasma-enhanced substrate processing system of claim 14, wherein the second closed loop is inside the first closed loop.