Apparatus for coating a substrate with thin layers
US6096174A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 15, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 1, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 15, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/02263
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus is provided for coating a substrate (24) with thin layers from targets (12, 13) between which a gas discharge plasma is sustained in order to produce the ions necessary for the bombardment of the targets (12, 13) connected to alternating current. The process chamber (6) contains a gas under a specific partial pressure. The targets (12, 13) are connected to a power source in such a circuit so that they alternately form the cathode and anode of the gas discharge. The reversal of the current direction is performed through an H bridge (4) formed of four switches (16 to 19), the conductor (14) connecting the H bridge (4) to a first power source (3) being connected through a branch line (21) to a second power source which can be connected by a switch (20) to ground. All switches (19 to 20) are operated by a control circuit in a regular and variable mode, the ion energy being controlled by the level of the potential difference between the cathode and the coating and the number of ions through the duration of this potential
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.