International Business Machines Corporation

John Wesley Williams

Diana Perez

Son Van Nguyen

Cherngye Hwang

Andrew C Ting

David C Cheng

Ernest S Ward

Howard A Hendrix

David Emery Haney

William J Glover

Robert James Huber

Peter I Bonyhard

Raymond Bus-Kwoffie

A method and apparatus for achieving etch rate uniformity in a reactive ion etcher. The reactive ion etcher generates a plasma within a vacuum chamber for etching a substrate disposed at a cathode of a reactor can within the chamber wherein the plasma emanates from a top plate of the reactor can, and is influenced by localized magnetic fields for locally controlling etch rates across the cathode to produce a uniform etch rate distribution across the cathode as a result of the localized magnetic field. The magnet array may be disposed between the top plate and the vacuum chamber for providing the localized magnetic fields. The magnet array includes a plurality of individual magnets and a grid plate for holding the individual magnets in position.

Method and apparatus for achieving etch rate uniformity in a reactive

A can for use in an etching system including a continuous conductive wall with a first opening to be placed adjacent the reactor upper electrode and a second opening to be placed adjacent the reactor lower electrode. Preferably, the conductive wall is a dual wall further including an inner wall and an outer wall, the inner and outer wall separated by one or more openings configured normal to the height of the continuous wall, the openings allowing for the flow of coolant through the wall.

Apparatus for achieving etch rate uniformity

A sputtering apparatus in which the electrode for supporting the substrates upon which thin magnetic films are to be deposited has a polygon-shaped planar coil adjacent to a surface so that the coil can be energized to produce a uniform magnetic field at the surface of the substrates which is oriented normal to the polygon faces of the coil. This apparatus produces uniform easy axis of the thin magnetic films deposited on the substrates during relative motion between the substrates and the target electrode.

Sputtering apparatus

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

John Wesley Williams