Shutter for thin-film processing equipment
US6132805A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 20, 1998 |
| Grant date | Oct 17, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 20, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC23C14/22
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A shutter assembly located substantially within a thin-film processing chamber includes a plurality of articulatable components that are movable between open and closed positions within the chamber. The articulatable components are preferably arranged in the form of an iris to regulate a size of an opening centered along said central axis. The shutter assembly can be used to isolate transmissions between a process energy source such as a PVD target and a substrate or to limit a range of incidence angles at which the transmissions reach the substrate. The shutter apparatus of this invention does not add any area to the footprint of processing equipment, enables very fast shuttering between open and closed positions, and enables enhanced process control.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.