Tel-varian Limited

Jiro Katsuki

Hiroshi Kobayashi

Yuichi Wada

In a treatment apparatus, a collimator is insulated electrically from the other equipment to be rendered electrically floating, and also the potential of the collimator is variably controllable by a variable DC power source. Therefore, the thickness in plane of the layer to be produced can be uniformalized by controlling the voltage applied to the collimator, without changing both layout and figure of the hardware, e.g., permanent magnet, without process, and further without both beginning and end of a target.

Treatment apparatus

The sputtering system of the present invention includes a spare collimator storage chamber for accommodating one or more spare collimators and a processing chamber, which are provided in one-piece or in communication with each other through a gate valve. A used collimator in the processing chamber is quickly and readily replaced with a new collimator stored in the spare collimator storage chamber by a collimator exchanging device without exposing the interior of the processing chamber to atmospheric air.

Processing apparatus with collimator exchange device

A processing apparatus wherein a collimator which restricts sputtering directions of sputtered particles from a target comprises a plurality of slats arranged substantially parallel with each other. The respective slats constitute a louver mechanism in which rotatable rods are rotated to replace the side thereof facing the target and the side thereof facing the object-to-be-processed with each other. Because of the louver mechanism, the portion of the interior of a processing vessel belonging to the target and the portion thereof belonging to the object-to-be processed can be closed off from each other, and a side of the collimator facing the target and a side thereof facing the object-to-be-processed can be replaced with each other. As a result, the collimator has also a shutter function, and can suppress generation of particles.

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Kofu, Japan

Jiro Katsuki