Balzers Aktiengesellschaft

Unaxis-balzers Aktiengesellschaft

Oerlikon Solar IP Ag, Trubbach

Pius Gruenenfelder

Walter Haag

Hans Hirscher

Urs Schwendener

Walter Albertin

Klaus Leitner

Peter Buechel

A magnetron sputtering source includes a plurality of electrodes and a switching circuit. The switching circuit sequentially connects each of the plurality of electrodes to a ground reference, making it anodic, while connecting the remaining of the plurality of electrodes as cathodes. A method of operating the magnetron sputtering source includes steps of: providing a plurality of target arrangements; causing each of the plurality of target arrangements to act as a cathode; and sequentially causing each of the plurality of cathodes to temporarily act as an anode.

Sliding anode magnetron sputtering source

For optimizing the yield of atomized-off material on a magnetron atomization source, a process space, on the source side, is predominantly walled by the atomization surface of the target body. The magnetron atomization source has a target body with a mirror-symmetrical, concavely constructed atomization surface with respect to at least one plane and a magnetic circuit arrangement operable to generate a magnetic field over the atomization surface. The magnetic circuit arrangement includes an anode arrangement, a receiving frame which extends around an edge of the target body and is electrically insulated with respect thereto. The receiving frame has a receiving opening for at least one workpiece to be coated. The magnetron source can be used to provide storage disks, such as CDs, with an atomization coating.

Magnetron atomization source and method of use thereof

Magnetron sputtering source and method of use thereof

Two mutually opposite sputtering surfaces of at least one target are self-enclosed such that a closed loop gap, and consequently a closed loop plasma discharge space, is formed. A gas flow is created between the sputtering surface and directed against workpieces. No gap ends exist on the closed loop gap so that electrons that move along and within the plasma loop can recirculate until most of their energy has been transferred through impacts to the gas particles.

Process for sputter coating, a sputter coating source, and sputter coating apparatus with at least one such source

A magnetron sputtering source and a method of use thereof on which the sputtering source has at least two toroidal magnetron electron taps each defining a maximum of a magnetic field strength component in a radial direction along a surface of the sputtering source. Thereby, from each one of a ring zone on a first smaller radius R.sub.1F and a second larger radius R.sub.2F, a plane of the workpiece in a holder facing the sputtering source has a corresponding distance d.sub.1 and d.sub.2. A value d assumes all possible values of d1 and d2. In particular,

A sputter source and a corresponding target and holding device are provided in which the target is held by form locking arrangements. The target is pushed in an x-direction in the manner of a sliding drawer and is fixed by a releasable lock. A foil, which defines a cooling system on the holding device side, braces the fixed target when the cooling system is acted upon by pressure.

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Wangs, Switzerland

Pius Gruenenfelder