International Business Machines Corporation

Manfred Muller

Klaus Goedicke

Torsten Winkler

Michael Junghahnel

Dieter W Meyer

Peter Frach

Artur Lang

Hans-Herrmann Schneider

Rainer C Schneider

Friedel Haese

Harald Strecker

A procedure and apparatus for the application of carbon layers using reactive magnetron sputtering is described. The process includes sputtering of at least two targets made of carbon in a reactive atmosphere with a pulsed energy feed. During a pattern period of the pulses all targets (magnetrons) are once switched on as an anode and at least one target is switched as an anode at all times Various embodiments include detection and limitation of the 'microarcs'; executing of regeneration processes according to fixed predetermined time intervals for at least 5 seconds. In one embodiment a microarc is detected on a magnetron and if a next pulse-off time is more than a selected time period away, then the magnetron is connected to a positive pole of the power supply. In another embodiment of the invention a pulsed negative voltage is applied to a substrate being sputtered by connecting the substrate to a negative pole of a pulsed power supply having a positive pole connected to a positive pole of a power supply for a magnetron. In another embodiment of the invention there is an electrode insulated from an installation mass which is connected to at least one positive pole of a power supply during the periodic pausing sputtering of substrates for regeneration.

Magnetron sputtering method and apparatus utilizing a pulsed energy

A method and apparatus for depositing an underlayer and/or a magnetic thin film layer on a data storage disk are described. The sputtering power is supplied in the form of pulses during the application of the underlayer and/or magnetic storage to periodically ignite the plasma and increase the charge-carrier density in the sputtering chamber. The repetition frequency and parameters for the pulses and pauses between pulses are adjusted to achieve a desired nominal value for the coercive field strength of the magnetic layer. Preferably the repetition frequency of the power switching is from 10 to 80 kHz and the ratio of pulse length to pulse pause is within 5:1 to 1:5.

Pulsed DC sputtering method of thin film magnetic disks

Growing community of inventors

Essenheim, Germany

Manfred Muller