Apparatus and method for controlling processing uniformity in a magnetron
US5147520A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 15, 1991 |
| Grant date | Sep 15, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 15, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB01J2219/0894
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus and method for producing a more uniform processing rate in a plasma processing magnetron. A pair of opposing spaced apart plasma barriers, preferably made of a non-magnetic material, are positioned on a substrate holder, such as an electrode for generating an electric field in the magnetron. The inner surfaces of the barriers are oriented transverse to the magnetic field of the magnetron and define a narrower spacing therebetween adjacent a predetermined portion of a substrate surface. The barriers may preferably be elongate rectangular bodies canted from parallel to each other to define a narrower spacing therebetween so that a more uniform processing rate is obtained across the entire substrate surface. The inherent non-uniformity of the magnetron may be detected by observing visual color bands appearing across a thin film on the substrate surface as it is being plasma processed. Alternatively, the plasma density may be measured at predetermined positions adjacent the substrate surface and this measured non-uniformity corrected by repositioning the barriers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.