The Boc Group, Inc.

Gary B Crumley

Richard E Demaray

The present invention provides a water cooled crucible adapted to be received in a crucible support element of an electron beam evaporation system. The crucible comprises a base wall and a sidewall upstanding from the base wall to form a rim and pocket located between the rim and the base wall for containing molten material to be evaporated. The support element has an inner surface surrounding the sidewall of the crucible to define an annular passage for circulating cooling water in a direction taken from the rim to the base wall of the crucible. The sidewall includes a thickened region positioned to conduct heat generated at the top surface of the molten material and having a thickness such that the outer surface contacts the inner surface of the support element. The thickened region has a plurality of circumferentially spaced, preferably spiral grooves defined at the outer surface of the thickened region. The grooves have a total inner surface area greater than the area of contact between the outer surface of the thickened region and the inner surface of the support element to increase the heat transfer between the sidewall and cooling water in order to prevent the onset of wetting.

Water cooled crucible

A magnetron sputter coating device having a target of material to be sputtered and a magnetic means for producing a closed-loop magnetic tunnel capable of confining a glow discharge adjacent a surface of the target is disclosed. A groove is provided in the surface of the target along at least part of the erosion region. The groove affects the sputtering voltage and profile of the sputtering surfaces as it erodes. The dimensions and locations of the groove can be selected to optimize the effects for particular magnetron sputtering devices.

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Oakland, CA, United States of America

Gary B Crumley