PVD sputtering target with a protected backing plate
US8968537B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 9, 2011 |
| Grant date | Mar 3, 2015 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 10, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01J37/3435
- WIPO fieldMaterials, metallurgy
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Embodiments of the invention provide sputtering targets utilized in physical vapor deposition (PVD) and methods to form such sputtering targets. In one embodiment, a sputtering target contains a target layer disposed on a backing plate, and a protective coating layer—usually containing a nickel material—covering and protecting a region of the backing plate that would otherwise be exposed to plasma during the PVD processes. In many examples, the target layer contains a nickel-platinum alloy, the backing plate contains a copper alloy (e.g., copper-zinc), and the protective coating layer contains metallic nickel. The protective coating layer eliminates the formation of highly conductive, copper contaminants typically derived by plasma erosion of the copper alloy contained within the exposed surfaces of the backing plate. Therefore, the substrates and the interior surfaces of the PVD chamber remain free of such copper contaminants during the PVD processes.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.