Cylindrical magnetron shield structure
US5464518A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 19, 1994 |
| Grant date | Nov 7, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 19, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01J37/3426
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A rotating cylindrical sputtering target surface as part of a magnetron has cylindrical shields adjacent each end of the target that are shaped at their respective inner edges to maximize etching and to prevent condensation and subsequent arcing that undesirably occurs when certain materials, particularly dielectrics, are being sputtered. If two or more rotating targets are employed in a single magnetron system, each is similarly shielded. In an alternative form, the target is provided with a single cylindrical shield that is cut away for a significant portion of the distance around the cylinder to provide an opening through which a sputtering region of the target is accessible, while maintaining shielding of the target end regions. This alternative single shield is similarly shaped at portions of its inner edges adjacent to the opening to maximize etching and to prevent undesired condensation and subsequent arcing. The preferred shield structure is rotatable in order to allow the position of the sputtering activity to be selected.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.