The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 25, 1996
Filed:
Apr. 24, 1995
Applicant:
Inventor:
Virgle Hedgcoth, Claremont, CA (US);
Assignee:
Telic Technologies Corporation, Santa Monica, CA (US);
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
C23C / ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
20429821 ; 20429814 ; 20429824 ; 20419212 ;
Abstract
The invention is an expandable magnetron sputtering system that does not require an external vacuum chamber and has a valveless, continuously-open, straight through, air-to-air sputtering path. The system is based on connectable cathode modules and anode modules that each have an opposed pair of apertures. The modules themselves may beneficially serve as part of an integral vacuum chamber. Using vacuum-tight connectors, the modules are connected end-to-end with their apertures aligned to form the vacuum-tight sputtering path. Differential vacuum entries are provided on opposite sides of the sputtering path.