Evatec Ag

Oc Oerlikon Balzers Ag

Oerlikon Advanced Technologies Ag

Jürgen Weichart

Stanislav Kadlec

Siegfried Krassnitzer

Martin Dubs

Mohamed Elghazzali

Bart Scholte Van Mast

Dominik Wimo Amman

Hartmut Rohrmann

Heinz Felzer

Sven Uwe Rieschl

Frantisek Balon

Johannes Weichart

Hanspeter Friedli

Stefan Bammesberger

Martin SCHÄFER

Dennis Minkoley

A target for a physical vapor deposition system includes a top, a bottom, and a base. The base essentially is defined by the surface of the target to be sputtered. A first, inner ring and a second, outer ring extend from the base. Each ring has an inner side and an outer side, wherein sputtering is concentrated on the outer sides by means of a magnet arrangement adjacent to the target.

Target shaping

For producing a directional layer for instance with constant nominal directionality, such as a low-retentivity layer with a preferred direction of magnetization or a support layer for such a layer by cathode sputtering on a substrate surface (), the coating process takes place in a manner whereby particles emanating from a target surface () impinge predominantly from directions whose projections onto the substrate surface () lies within a preferred angular range surrounding the nominal direction. This is achieved for instance by positioning a collimator (), encompassing plates () that extend at a normal angle to the substrate surface () parallel to the nominal direction in front of the substrate surface (), but in lieu of or in addition to such positioning the location or movement of the substrate surface () relative to the target surface () can also be suitably adjusted or controlled.

Method for producing a directional layer by cathode sputtering, and device for implementing the method

Apparatus () for depositing a layer () on a substrate () in a process gas comprises a chuck () comprising a first surface () for supporting the substrate (), a clamp () for securing the substrate () to the first surface () of the chuck (), an evacuatable enclosure () enclosing the chuck () and the clamp () and comprising an inlet, through which the processing gas is insertable into the enclosure (), and control apparatus (). The control apparatus () is adapted to move at least one of the chuck () and the clamp () relative to, and independently of, one another to adjust a spacing between the chuck () and the clamp () during a single deposition process while maintaining a flow of the processing gas and a pressure within the enclosure () that is less than atmospheric pressure.

Apparatus and method for depositing a layer onto a substrate

An apparatus for generating sputtering of a target to produce a coating on a substrate is provided. The apparatus comprises a magnetron including a cathode and an anode. A power supply is operably connected to the magnetron and at least one capacitor is operably connected to the power supply. The apparatus also includes an inductance operably connected to the at least one capacitor. A first switch and a second switch are also provided. The first switch operably connects the power supply to the magnetron to charge the magnetron and the first switch is configured to charge the magnetron according to a first pulse. The second switch is operably connected to discharge the magnetron. The second switch is configured to discharge the magnetron according to a second pulse.

Arc suppression and pulsing in high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS)

The present invention concerns a procedure for the production of a plasma that is at least co-produced in the vacuum chamber () of a vacuum recipient () of a device suitable for plasma processing with at least one induction coil () carrying an alternating current, where the gas used to produce the plasma is fed into the vacuum chamber () through at least one inlet () and the vacuum chamber () is subject to the pumping action of at least one pump arrangement (), and where a possibly pulsed direct current is also applied to the induction coil () in order to influence the plasma density.

Procedure and device for the production of a plasma

An apparatus for generating sputtering of a target to produce a coating on a substrate with a current density on a cathode of a magnetron between 0.1 and 10 A/cmis provided. The apparatus comprises a power supply that is operably connected to the magnetron and at least one capacitor is operably connected to the power supply. A first switch is also provided. The first switch operably connects the power supply to the magnetron to charge the magnetron and the first switch is configured to charge the magnetron according to a first pulse. An electrical bias device is operably connected to the substrate and configured to apply a substrate bias.

RF substrate bias with high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS)

Apparatus for sputtering comprises a vacuum chamber, at least one first electrode having a first surface arranged in the vacuum chamber, a counter electrode having a surface arranged in the vacuum chamber and a RF generator. The RF generator is configured to apply a RF electric field across the at least one first electrode and the counter electrode so as to ignite a plasma between the first electrode and the counter electrode. The counter electrode comprises at least two cavities in communication with the vacuum chamber. the cavities each have dimensions such that a plasma can be formed in the cavity.

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Balzers, Liechtenstein

Jürgen Weichart