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:
May. 01, 2007
Filed:
Dec. 17, 2004
Eric Seymour, Fort Collins, CO (US);
Richard A. Scholl, Fort Collins, CO (US);
Eric Seymour, Fort Collins, CO (US);
Richard A. Scholl, Fort Collins, CO (US);
Advanced Energy Industries, Inc., Fort Collins, CO (US);
Abstract
There is provided by this invention an apparatus for sputter deposition of an insulating material in a continuous mode of operation that utilizes at least two sputtering anodes and a cathode connected to a center tapped conductor to maintain the target cathode at a negative potential with respect to the plasma wherein an ac power supply drives each anode alternately to an ion collecting state to attract ions in the half cycle that a sputtering anode is at a negative potential relative to the plasma, and an electron collecting state to attract electrons in the half cycle that a sputtering anode is at a small potential relative to the plasma or is near the plasma potential. In an alternate embodiment the center tapped conductor is replaced with a pair of series connected diodes having the cathode of a first diode connected to a first sputtering anode, a cathode of a second diode connected to a second sputtering anode and the junction of the anodes of the first and second diodes connected to the target cathode to maintain the target cathode at a negative potential with respect to said plasma wherein the ac power supply drives each sputtering anode alternately to an ion collecting state to attract ions in the half cycle that an anode is at a negative potential relative to the plasma, and an electron collecting state to attract electrons in the half cycle that an anode is at a potential relative to the plasma small compared to the power supply voltage and providing for plasma current flow during the period either sputtering anode is in an ion collecting state.