Target for sputtering equipment
US5798029A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 30, 1996 |
| Grant date | Aug 25, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 30, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC23C14/3407
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In sputtering equipment, a pair of targets are positioned in spaced apart relation defining a space therebetween. Each of the targets forms an electrode that is connected to a voltage supply unit. The voltage generates an electric field between the target pair. Furthermore, a process gas is supplied to the space between the targets. As the gas flows through this space, the electric field excites the gas into a plasma state. The plasma, being proximate the targets, causes the material comprising the targets to be sputtered. Additionally, to increase the plasma density in the space between the targets, a magnetic field is applied orthogonally to the electric field. A substrate, upon which the target material is sputtered, is positioned within the sputtering equipment opposite the targets. Further, because the target surfaces from which the material is sputtered are not parallel to the substrate, sputtered particles strike the substrate from an oblique angle. Such oblique striking angles produce a thin film upon the substrate having improved step coverage.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.