Very low pressure high power impulse triggered magnetron sputtering
US8568572B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 10, 2010 |
| Grant date | Oct 29, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 12, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01J37/3467
- WIPO fieldSurface technology, coating
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A method and apparatus are described for very low pressure high powered magnetron sputtering of a coating onto a substrate. By the method of this invention, both substrate and coating target material are placed into an evacuable chamber, and the chamber pumped to vacuum. Thereafter a series of high impulse voltage pulses are applied to the target. Nearly simultaneously with each pulse, in one embodiment, a small cathodic arc source of the same material as the target is pulsed, triggering a plasma plume proximate to the surface of the target to thereby initiate the magnetron sputtering process. In another embodiment the plasma plume is generated using a pulsed laser aimed to strike an ablation target material positioned near the magnetron target surface.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.