Apparatus and method for multi-target physical-vapor deposition of a multi-layer material structure
US6905578B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 27, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jun 14, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 27, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC23C14/568
- WIPO fieldSurface technology, coating
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
An apparatus and method for depositing plural layers of materials on a substrate within a single vacuum chamber allows high-throughput deposition of structures such as these for GMR and MRAM application. An indexing mechanism aligns a substrate with each of plural targets according to the sequence of the layers in the structure. Each target deposits material using a static physical-vapor deposition technique. A shutter can be interposed between a target and a substrate to block the deposition process for improved deposition control. The shutter can also preclean a target or the substrate and can also be used for mechanical chopping of the deposition process. In alternative embodiments, plural substrates may be aligned sequentially with plural targets to allow simultaneous deposition of plural structures within the single vacuum chamber. A monitoring and control device can be wed to optimize equipment state, process state, and wafer state parameters by sensing each respective state during or after the deposition process.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.