APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR HIGH THROUGHPUT SPUTTERING

• Main Authors: PAYNE, GARY, L, ZUBECK, ROBERT, B, BONIGUT, JOSEF, WALTRIP, DELBERT, F, HOLLARS, DENNIS, R, SMITH, ROBERT, M
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 15.10.1992
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION ORPROCESSING OF GOODS; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; CONTROLLING; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; INFORMATION STORAGE; INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORDCARRIER AND TRANSDUCER; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; METALLURGY; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS ORELEMENTS; PHYSICS; REGULATING; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE

An apparatus provides a single or multi-layer coating to the surface of a plurality of substrates. The apparatus includes a plurality of buffer and sputtering chambers (12, 18, 20, 22A-E, 24A-C, 26 and 28-30), and an input end and an output end. The substrates are transported through said chambers (12, 18, 20, 22A-E, 24A-C, 26 and 28-30) at varying rates of speed. The apparatus may further include means for transporting a plurality of substrates through sputtering chambers (20, 26, 28) at variable velocities; means for reducing the ambient pressure within the sputtering chambers (20, 26, 28) to a vacuum level to enable sputtering operation; means for heating the substrates to a temperature conducive to sputtering coatings thereon providing a substantially uniform temperature profile over the surface of the substrates; and control means for providing control signals to and for receiving feedback input from, said sputtering chambers (20, 26, 28), means for transporting, means for reducing, and means for heating, the control means being programmable for allowing control over the means for sputtering, transporting, reducing and heating. Un appareil permet d'effectuer un revêtement mono- ou multi-couche sur la surface d'une pluralité de susbstrats. Cet appareil comporte une pluralité de chambres intermédiaires et de pulvérisations (12, 18, 20, 22A-E, 24A-C, 26 et 28-30), ainsi qu'une extrémité d'entrée et une extrémité de sortie. Les substrats sont transportés à travers lesdites chambres (12, 18, 20, 22A-E, 24A-C, 26 et 28-30) à des vitesses variables. L'appareil peut également comporter des moyens pour transporter une pluralité de substrats à travers des chambres de pulvérisation (20, 26, 28) à des vitesses variables; des moyens pour réduire la pression ambiante à l'intérieur des chambres de pulvérisation (20, 26, 28) à un niveau de vide permettant l'opération de pulvérisation cathodique; des moyens pour chauffer les substrats à une température permettant la pulvérisation du revêtement sur ceux-ci, assurant une courbe de température sensiblement uniforme sur la surface des susbstrats; et des moyens de commande pour fournir des signaux de commande à destination de et pour recevoir des signaux d'entrée en retour en provenance desdites chambres de pulvérisation (20, 26, 28), desdits moyens de transport, desdits moyens de réduction et desdits moyens de chauffage, ces moyens de commande étant programmables pour permettre la commande des moyens de pulvérisation, transport, réduction et chauffage.