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:
Oct. 15, 2002
Filed:
Mar. 04, 1997
Steven Hurwitt, late of Park Ridge, NJ (US);
Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A sputtering system for depositing a thin film onto a substrate is disclosed wherein the system includes an evacuatable chamber which includes the substrate. In particular, the system includes a target positioned within the chamber, wherein the target has a back surface and a sputtering surface. Further, the system includes plasma for eroding the target to provide material for forming the thin film wherein erosion of the target occurs in a predetermined erosion pattern and is controlled by a shape of the plasma. The system also includes a support for supporting the substrate opposite the sputtering surface. A magnet arrangement is provided which provides a magnetic field on the target for controlling the shape of the plasma, wherein the magnet arrangement is positioned adjacent the back surface. The magnet arrangement includes a plurality of magnet segments which may be moved into desired positions so as to change the shape of the magnet arrangement. This enables adjustment of a dwell time of the magnetic field over predetermined portions of the target to change the shape of the plasma and thus change the erosion pattern of the target.