Electrode device for plasma source for performing plasma processing

Abstract

In order to improve the etching depth and / or etching uniformity of the substrate, a plasma source having one or more evaporators and two or more electrodes according to the invention is proposed. The use of more than one electrode allows the use of different currents at the electrodes and the time-selective application of these currents, enabling improved control of the plasma generation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Generally, the invention relates to a vacuum chamber with at least one plasma source and in particular to a plasma source for generating a plasma for performing a plasma treatment on a surface of a substrate arranged within the vacuum chamber, wherein a special electrode arrangement allows increasing the efficiency of the plasma treatment. Background Art

[0002] In order to generate plasma, on the one hand, an electric glow discharge can be used, which is formed by applying a sufficiently high voltage between the cathode and the anode to pass a current through a gas, such as argon or other inert gases at a defined low pressure. On the other hand, the plasma generation of a gas or gas mixture in the form of a low-pressure plasma can be achieved by the interaction of high-energy electrons with the gas, which are provided by an electron source and accelerated to a defined energy by a suitable electrode. Such an electron source can be, for example, a cathode vacuum arc evaporator, which consists of an arc cathode with a suitable shield and an arc anode that absorbs arc electrons. In order to generate plasma, these arc electrons are absorbed by suitable electrodes and accelerated at high energy. The gas plasma thus generated can be used for different plasma treatments of substrates. For example, the inert gas ions (such as argon ions) thus generated are used for ion purification of substrates. The compounds excited in the plasma that may be decomposed and the atomized molecules of the gas and gas mixture can be used for thermochemical treatment of the substrate or even for layer deposition. It is applicable here: the local plasma generation is limitedly adjusted with respect to the treatment target using suitable electrodes in terms of shape, arrangement and operating parameters. The goal here is to design the electrodes in such a way that they do not protrude into the process chamber in a disruptive manner, can withstand high power densities and can be maintained as simply as possible. Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention relates to a vacuum chamber for carrying out a plasma treatment, the vacuum chamber having a plasma treatment zone and a plasma source, the plasma treatment zone being surrounded by a chamber wall. In this case, the plasma source comprises a cathode for cathodic vacuum arc evaporation, the cathode having an arc anode connected to the chamber, wherein the cathode is arranged on the chamber wall in the chamber; a shield for shielding particles and metal ions emitted by the cathode, wherein the shield is arranged on the chamber wall so that the shield can be arranged in front of the cathode; and an electrode arranged in the chamber and spaced apart from the cathode. In this case, the electrode comprises a two-dimensional surface for capturing electrons emitted by the cathode. The two-dimensional surface has a first orthogonal extension and a second orthogonal extension relative to the surface normal, wherein the first orthogonal extension is perpendicular to the second orthogonal extension and the length ratio of the first orthogonal extension to the second orthogonal extension is between 0.1 and 1. The electrode according to the invention can in particular be switched to an anode at least temporarily by means of a suitable power supply.

[0004] The following is an introduction to some concepts in a simplified form that will be explained in more detail later.

[0005] The vacuum chamber according to the invention can be used in particular to realize and improve locally adjustable processing of substrates and to control the plasma distribution of the vacuum chamber.

[0006] The electron source of the plasma source can be an arc cathode of an arc evaporator with a suitable shield, which is connected to an arc power supply. Here, the positive pole of the arc power supply can be connected to the chamber wall in a simple manner as an arc anode according to the present invention. The electrode that captures the arc electrons is connected to the positive pole of another power supply and is therefore an electron absorption electrode. The electrode is used to accelerate the arc electrons toward the direction of the electrode. These accelerated electrons excite the gas plasma and are captured on the substantially two-dimensional surface of the electrode. A typical industrial cathode vacuum arc evaporator can be used as an electron source.

[0007] Depending on the operating mode, the power supply of the cathode and the power supply of the electrode can be switched and adjusted. The electrode according to the invention can be operated not only as an anode but also as a coating source (cathodic vacuum arc evaporator, sputtering source; i.e. as a target). For this purpose, the power supply is biased negatively for operation as a coating source and positively for operation as an anode.

[0008] In front of the cathode vacuum arc evaporator which can be used as an electron source, a shield is preferably provided, which is designed so that it can withstand the heat input caused by vacuum arc evaporation. The area size of such a shield should be larger than the total area of ​​the cathode vacuum arc evaporator, which includes the surface to be evaporated, in order to avoid evaporation of the substrate.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present invention, the electrode that collects one or more electrons can be introduced into the processing chamber in the form of a non-cooled electrode. However, the use of non-cooled electrodes may lead to limitations on the power available to load these electrodes. Thus, it is advantageous to use a cooled electrode, such as a water-cooled electrode. In this case, preferably, the portion of the electrode that forms the working surface is cooled.

[0010] One or more typical power supplies (i.e. current sources) can be used as energy supply means for the electrodes, which can provide a voltage of up to 100 V and a current of up to 400 A. In this case, a current of 0.1 to 5 A / cm2 can be achieved on these electrodes. 2 The current density is between 0.5 and 500 W / cm 2 The power density between .

[0011] In the chamber, during the plasma treatment, a total gas pressure in the range of 0.01 Pa to 10 Pa should be maintained, preferably in the range of 0.1 Pa to 2 Pa. Typical gases here are argon, hydrogen, nitrogen or hydrocarbon gases (e.g. C2H2, acetylene), which are used as pure gases or gas mixtures depending on the treatment target.

[0012] The vacuum chamber according to the invention may include not only a plurality of electrodes but also a plurality of cathodes, in particular cathode vacuum arc evaporators. In this case, a plurality of cathodes, in particular cathode vacuum arc evaporators, may have a single shield or a plurality of shields. Here, a plurality of cathodes, in particular cathode vacuum arc evaporators, with the one shield may advantageously be arranged in the vacuum chamber together with at least one electrode. In particular, the vacuum chamber may also include the same number of electrodes and cathodes (in particular cathode vacuum arc evaporators), more electrodes than cathodes (in particular cathode vacuum arc evaporators), or more cathodes (in particular cathode vacuum arc evaporators) than electrodes. In this case, the electrodes and cathodes may be arranged at different positions (wall, top, bottom) in the vacuum chamber. The plasma distribution in the vacuum chamber may be adjusted not only by the arrangement of the electrodes and cathodes (in particular cathode vacuum arc evaporators) but also by the number of electrodes and cathodes (in particular cathode vacuum arc evaporators). In addition, this may, for example, achieve an improvement in the etching depth and / or etching uniformity on the substrate in an ion etching process. The use of more than one electrode allows the use of different currents at the electrodes and the time-selective application of these currents, so that an improved control of the plasma generation can be achieved.

[0013] The electron current at the electrodes can be adjusted by adapting the electrode voltage. A low electrode voltage leads to a low electron current and low plasma activity.

[0014] The typical maximum electron current at one or more electrodes should be selected to be about 120% of the current (arc current) of the cathode vacuum arc evaporator. For example: if a cathode vacuum arc evaporator is used as an electron source in a vacuum chamber containing argon gas at an argon pressure of 0.5 Pa, where the cathode vacuum arc evaporator is operated at an arc current of 100 A, the entire electrode current should be adjusted to about 120 A. That is, the current at the one electrode or the sum of the individual currents at the individual electrodes when more than one electrode is used should be adjusted to 120 A.

[0015] If a plurality of electrodes are arranged along one (or more) chamber walls so that they are distributed over the height of the vacuum chamber, each electrode can be operated on a separate power supply or on a specific power supply group, so that the electrodes can be switched to operate them at a maximum or process-dependent optimized current or to operate them in parallel at maximum current by applying different voltages to different electrodes. Typical values ​​for the electrode voltages are in the range of 10V-50V, and typical electrode currents are in the range of 10A-200A. In order to adjust the local plasma density, the electrodes are operated at different currents. This can be used to set uniform process targets, such as ion purification.

[0016] If a mixture of an argon gas flow and a hydrogen gas flow is fed to the chamber to generate a plasma in the chamber, the plasma being generated by one or more electron sources and one or more electrodes having a two-dimensional surface for absorbing electrons emitted by the cathode, the plasma thus generated can be used as a plasma for ion purification of the surface exposed to the plasma. If a nitrogen gas flow is additionally introduced into the chamber, a thermochemical heat treatment, commonly known as nitridation, can be performed on the surface exposed to the plasma thus generated.

[0017] The invention can also be used to perform coating processes, for example to apply diamond-like carbon (DLC) layers. In the case where aC:H type DLC layers should be applied, a mixture consisting of an acetylene (C2H2) gas flow and an argon gas flow should be delivered to the chamber.

[0018] In fact, any coating system designed to carry out vacuum coating processes, such as PVD arc evaporation processes or PVD sputtering processes, including HiPIMS, or plasma-assisted chemical deposition processes (PA-CVD), can be adapted according to the invention to carry out plasma treatment processes.

[0019] In the device according to the invention, the electron acceleration electrode is not spatially linear in terms of the ratio of the electrode length to the cross section, which is often rectangular, circular or elliptical. A substantially two-dimensional electrode is used. That is, the two-dimensional surface has a first orthogonal extension and a second orthogonal extension relative to the surface normal, wherein the first orthogonal extension is perpendicular to the second orthogonal extension. The length ratio of the first orthogonal extension to the second orthogonal extension is between 0.1 and 1. Here, the two-dimensional surface can be circular, elliptical, but can also be rectangular or have other suitable shapes. If the two-dimensional surface is circular, the first orthogonal extension and the second orthogonal extension correspond in particular to the diameter of the two-dimensional surface. If the two-dimensional surface is rectangular, the first orthogonal extension corresponds to the first side length of the two-dimensional surface and the second orthogonal extension corresponds to the second side length of the two-dimensional surface. If the two-dimensional surface is elliptical, the first orthogonal extension and the second orthogonal extension correspond in particular to the distance between the opposite vertices of the two-dimensional surface. Two-dimensional also refers in particular to the electrons being projected onto a substantially flat surface. However, due to manufacturing or use, the surface itself may have a certain structure. This structure may occur due to corrosion of the electrode when it is used as a coating source. In this case, due to the corrosion, the electrode may be corroded so that it no longer has a flat or regular structure / edge. Such a structured and corroded electrode is also considered to be essentially flat within the scope of the present invention. The ratio of the maximum depth of the structuring to the smaller orthogonal extent of the two-dimensional surface of the electrode (with respect to the first orthogonal extent or the second orthogonal extent according to the present invention) is at most 0.4, in particular at most 0.3, in particular at most 0.2. That is, the maximum depth of the structuring should always be smaller than the smaller orthogonal extent.

[0020] In the simplest case, a circular electrode is operated, which preferably has an electrode diameter of 100 mm. In this case, the electrode can be fixed on the wall of the vacuum chamber and can also be arranged at least partially in the chamber wall. If the electrode is at least partially arranged in the chamber wall, this has obvious advantages: the electrode will not significantly extend into the coating space. If there are multiple two-dimensional electrodes as described above, these electrodes can be fixed on different chamber walls. If, for example, two two-dimensional electrodes are constructed, these two two-dimensional electrodes are preferably arranged on opposite chamber walls. However, there is of course also the possibility of arranging multiple two-dimensional electrodes on adjacent chamber walls and / or multiple two-dimensional electrodes on the same chamber wall. Here, when the first and second electrodes are operated overlapping or side by side on a chamber wall, the first and second electrodes preferably have a distance of 20 to 400 mm, preferably 200 mm.

[0021] Here, the arrangement of two-dimensional electrodes on the chamber wall has the following advantages, especially relative to the prior art with linear electrodes in the vacuum chamber. More free space is provided in the vacuum chamber, especially in the plasma treatment zone in the center of the vacuum chamber. Therefore, better utilization of the chamber can be achieved through this free space. In order to better utilize the chamber, the substrates to be processed can be better distributed in the vacuum chamber, because there is more space to distribute the substrates to be processed due to the free space provided in the chamber. Through this, uniform plasma treatment of the substrate surface can also be achieved, especially when the substrates to be processed can be arranged more uniformly in the chamber. Another advantage of the device according to the invention is that simple cooling of these electrodes according to the invention can be achieved. Of course, the two-dimensional surface as present in the electrode according to the invention can be cooled significantly more simply and more effectively than in the case of linear electrodes. The cooling of the electron absorption surface can be direct (water flows through) or indirect. Here, indirect is to clamp the appropriate electrode material to the cooling body.

[0022] In the vacuum chamber according to the invention for carrying out plasma treatment, in particular, a magnet system can also be used. Here, the magnet system or these magnet systems can be used to adjust the distribution of the plasma in the vacuum chamber (chamber). The magnet system can be used in particular to control the distribution of the plasma at the two-dimensional electrode.

[0023] The material of the cathode of the electron source based on the cathode vacuum arc evaporator (hereinafter also referred to as evaporator) can preferably be titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr) or aluminum (Al). The cathode can also be composed of titanium alloy and / or zirconium alloy and / or aluminum and aluminum alloy. Of course, the material of the cathode can also be composed of other suitable elements, other suitable alloys or other suitable metals, which are helpful for the adsorption of residual gases (such as water, oxygen) caused by degassing or leakage in the vacuum chamber. Through such characteristics of the cathode of the vacuum arc evaporator used as an electron source, better vacuum quality for performing plasma processes can also be achieved in particular. All possible target materials of the cathode vacuum arc evaporator known from the prior art are suitable as electrode materials. In this case, a carbon target can be used as an electrode material, which is composed of pure carbon or an alloy such as copper-carbon alloy. Steel, copper, copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy or conductive evaporator materials such as aluminum-titanium, chromium or vanadium are also suitable as electrode materials.

[0024] In an embodiment of the invention, the electrode according to the invention can be used as an anode (absorbing arc electrons) and can thereby be switched to an anode in particular temporarily. Furthermore, in the vacuum chamber according to the invention, a second electrode can be additionally arranged and also a further third electrode spaced apart from the cathode can be arranged. In the vacuum chamber according to the invention, a second cathode and a fourth electrode spaced apart from the second cathode can also be provided, wherein the electrons emitted by the first cathode selectively flow in the direction of the third electrode and the electrons emitted by the second cathode selectively flow in the direction of the fourth electrode.

[0025] In practice, a second cathode may also be arranged in the vacuum chamber, wherein the electrons emitted by the first cathode selectively flow to the first electrode and the electrons emitted by the second cathode selectively flow to the second electrode. In an embodiment of the present invention, the vacuum chamber comprises a first power supply, which is connected to the electrode. The vacuum chamber according to the present invention may also comprise a second power supply, which is connected to the second electrode.

[0026] The first power supply may be designed so that a first current can be delivered to the first electrode, and the second power supply may be designed so that a second current can be delivered to the second electrode. In this case, the first current may be different from the second current, and the first electrode may be fed with the first current during a first time period and the second electrode may be fed with the second current during a second time period. The first time period and the second time period may overlap. In addition, the first current may be equal to the second current, and the first time period may be different from the second time period. Alternatively, the first current may be different from the second current, and wherein the first time period is equal to the second time period.

[0027] EXAMPLES AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0028] According to the present invention, such as Figure 2 In the embodiment shown in , the vacuum chamber for performing plasma treatment preferably includes: an area for performing plasma treatment, which is surrounded by a chamber wall; a plasma source, which includes at least one arc cathode of a cathode vacuum arc evaporator, which is arranged on the chamber wall within the chamber and is connected to a power supply, wherein the positive pole of the power supply is connected to the chamber wall in a simple manner as an arc anode for capturing arc electrons. There is a shield in front of the cathode vacuum arc evaporator. An electron absorption electrode is installed on the chamber wall. The electrode is connected to the positive pole of another power supply so that the arc electrons can be accelerated toward the electrode. The electrode for generating gas plasma has a substantially two-dimensional surface for capturing electrons generated by the arc discharge. Preferably, the two-dimensional surface of the first electrode is between 5 and 2000 cm 2 Between 25 and 320 cm 2 in the range between.

[0029] In another embodiment according to the present invention, a vacuum chamber for performing plasma treatment comprises the following: a region for performing plasma treatment, wherein the region is surrounded by a chamber wall; a plasma source, the plasma source comprising at least one cathode, the at least one cathode being arranged on a chamber wall within the chamber and connected to a power source; a first electrode, the first electrode being arranged on one of the chamber walls within the chamber and spaced apart from the at least one cathode; a second electrode, the second electrode being arranged on one of the other chamber walls within the chamber and spaced apart from the at least one cathode; and a first power source, wherein the first power source is connected to the first electrode or to the first and second electrodes, and wherein each of the two electrodes, referred to as the first and second electrodes, operates as an anode and comprises a two-dimensional surface for capturing electrons emitted by the at least one cathode. The two-dimensional surface for capturing electrons emitted by the cathode is located at 5 and 2000 cm for both the first electrode and the second electrode, respectively. 2 Between 25 and 320 cm 2 in the range between.

[0030] According to another example, the plasma source includes: a vacuum sealed chamber; a first cathode, which is arranged in the chamber; a second cathode, which is arranged in the chamber; a first electrode, which is arranged in the chamber separated from the first cathode; and a second electrode, which is arranged in the chamber separated from the second cathode, wherein electrons emitted by the first cathode selectively flow in the direction of the first electrode and electrons emitted by the second cathode selectively flow in the direction of the second electrode. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In all drawings and throughout the description, the same reference numerals represent the same elements, features, and structures. The relative sizes and representations of these elements may not be in the correct scale for reasons of clarity, illustration, or convenience.

[0032] Figure 1 An example of a known vacuum chamber for performing plasma processing is shown.

[0033] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a vacuum chamber for performing a plasma treatment using an electrode according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0034] Figure 2a A schematic diagram of a vacuum chamber for performing plasma processing using a rectangular electrode according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0035] Figure 2bA schematic diagram of a vacuum chamber for carrying out a plasma process with an electrode having a switch between the electrode and a power supply is shown according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 2c A schematic diagram of a vacuum chamber for carrying out a plasma process with an electrode having a switch for reversing the polarity of a power supply according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0037] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a vacuum chamber according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention for carrying out a plasma treatment using two electrodes according to the present invention with a power supply is shown.

[0038] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a vacuum chamber according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention for carrying out a plasma treatment using two electrodes according to the present invention with two power supplies is shown.

[0039] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a vacuum chamber according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown for carrying out a plasma treatment using an electrode according to the present invention and two cathodes.

[0040] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a vacuum chamber according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown for carrying out a plasma treatment using two electrodes according to the present invention and two cathodes.

[0041] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a vacuum chamber according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown for carrying out a plasma treatment using two electrodes according to the present invention and two cathodes.

[0042] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a vacuum chamber according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown for carrying out a plasma treatment using three electrodes according to the present invention and three cathodes.

[0043] Figure 8a A schematic diagram of a vacuum chamber according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown for carrying out a plasma treatment using three electrodes according to the present invention and three cathodes.

[0044] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a vacuum chamber according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention for carrying out a plasma treatment with three electrodes according to the present invention on different chamber walls is shown.

[0045] Figure 9aA schematic diagram of a vacuum chamber according to the invention according to a further exemplary embodiment is shown for carrying out a plasma treatment with three electrodes according to the invention on different chamber parts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Examples including one or more embodiments are described in the accompanying drawings. Here, the present invention is not limited to the described examples. For example, one or more features of one embodiment may also be implemented in another embodiment or even be arranged in another type of device.

[0047] Before carrying out a coating process, such as a coating by means of physical vapor deposition (PVD) or a diamond-like carbon coating, an arc auxiliary glow discharge process (also called an ion etching process) can be carried out on one or more substrates. In this case, the ion etching process is used to prepare the surface or pre-treat the surface, that is, the substrate surface is heated and etched by means of ion bombardment. This pre-treatment improves the bond between the substrate and the coating. Figure 1 A conventional ion etching system is shown in FIG. Figure 1 The system comprises a vacuum chamber 1 having evaporators 7 (the arc cathode of the cathode vacuum arc evaporator is hereinafter referred to as evaporator), which are arranged on opposite sides of the chamber 1. The evaporators 7 are connected to a DC current source 8 and can be operated at a voltage of 40V and a current of up to 300A. The baffle or shield 12 is connected to the wall of the chamber 1 and is rotatably arranged so that the baffle 12 can be rotated so that the corresponding electrode 7 is either shielded or not shielded. The linear electrode 13 is connected to the chamber and is equidistantly spaced from the evaporators 7. The linear electrode 13 can be connected to the current source 11, 14 via switches 15, 16, 17 and has the same voltage along the electrode 3 in the operating state. The current source 11, 14 is also connected to the wall of the chamber 1 and can be selectively connected to the rotatable substrate holder 10 via switches 15, 16. Via the valve 5, a gas, such as argon, can be put into the chamber 1 from the gas source 6 through the inlet 4. If the arc discharge is ignited, electrons are generated by the evaporator 7 and are accelerated in the direction of the linear electrode 13. These electrons excite the argon atoms and thus generate partially ionized argon atoms, which are deposited on the surface of the substrate 9 in order to prepare the surface for the coating. The system can only be adjusted with the aid of the direct current sources 8, 11, 14 and the rotating substrate holder 10. The system is therefore characterized by limited ionization, limited adjustability of the plasma activation due to the linear electrode 13 and limited adjustability of the homogeneity in the chamber 1.

[0048] exist Figure 3 , 4In order to be able to better control the flow of electrons in the chamber 100 (i.e. the vacuum chamber according to the present invention, hereinafter referred to as the chamber), different from the one in accordance with Figure 1 In the case of a device comprising linear electrodes, a plurality of electrodes 120, 130, 140 according to the invention are provided, which have a two-dimensional surface for capturing the electrons emitted by the cathode, and which can be arranged in the chamber. A very important advantage of the device is the possibility of positioning the electrodes on one or more walls of the chamber, thereby enabling an improved distribution of the substrates to be treated with the plasma in the chamber. As a result, in the chamber, the plasma treatment zone can be better utilized, thereby achieving a higher efficiency. For example, in Figure 3 4 schematically shows a vacuum sealed chamber 100. An evaporator 110 is arranged in the chamber 100 and can be arranged directly in the wall of the chamber 110 or on the wall of the chamber. The evaporator 110 may include one or more metals, such as titanium and / or any other metal that is provided for evaporation. The negative pole of the power supply or current source is connected to the evaporator 110 and is thus connected to the evaporator 110 in the form of a cathode. If the evaporator 110 is ignited, for example, by means of a trigger unit, arc electrons are emitted, which are accelerated by means of electrodes according to the invention and collide with one or more gases, such as argon (Ar), neon (Ne) or one or more other suitable gases, placed in the chamber 110 and thus generate a plasma. Subsequently, the ions of the plasma bombard the surface of one or more substrates (not shown here) arranged in the chamber 100, so as to prepare the surface of the substrate for a subsequent coating process, for example by cleaning or etching. One or more shields 115 are movably disposed in the chamber 100 so that the shield 115 can be selectively positioned between the evaporator 110 and the substrate. Thus, before the arc process is ignited, the shield 115 can be rotationally or otherwise moved in front of the evaporator to protect the substrate from contamination caused by the evaporator 110 during the process. If the arc is not present, the shield can be moved to another suitable position.

[0049] according to Figure 3 and 4 Two electrodes, namely a first electrode 120 and a second electrode 130, are provided in the chamber 100. The first and second electrodes 120, 130 are connected to the positive electrode of at least one power source or current source and thereby the first and second electrodes 120, 130 are connected as first and second anodes. Figure 3As shown in FIG. 1 , a common power source 121 may be connected to the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 130. In this device, the same voltage may be applied to the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 130. The voltage may be applied to the two electrodes 120, 130 at the same time and for the same duration. Alternatively, Figure 4 , the first power supply 121 can supply current to the first electrode 120 during the first time period and the second power supply 131 can supply current to the second electrode 130 during the second time period. As desired, the first and second time periods can be separated from or overlap each other. In another example, the first electrode 120 can be connected to the first power supply 121 and the second electrode 130 can be connected to the second power supply 131. Therefore, the first power supply 121 can supply the first current to the first electrode 120 and the second power supply 131 can supply the second current to the second electrode 130. By using different currents and / or different time periods, the plasma generated in the system can be affected, controlled, or can also be uniformized.

[0050] like Figure 3 and 4 As shown in , the electrons emitted by the evaporator 110 flow to the locations of the first and second electrodes 120, 130. By appropriate positioning of the individual first and second electrodes 120, 130 at the desired locations, better control of the plasma flow in the chamber 100 and therefore improved control of ion bombardment and etching of the substrate S can be achieved. Fig. 9 The diagram illustrates an embodiment in which three separate electrodes are provided, namely a first electrode 120, a second electrode 130 and a third electrode 140. Thus, corresponding first, second and third electron paths 160 are obtained, which point in the direction of the first, second and third electrodes 120, 130, 140, respectively. Figure 3 and 4 In the schematic drawing of FIG. 1 , the electrodes 120 and 130 are arranged opposite to the evaporator 110. Fig. 9 In the schematic drawings of , the electrodes 120, 130, 140 are arranged on different chamber parts. However, it is easy to understand that any suitable positioning of the first, second or optionally also the third electrode is possible in order to influence the electron flow so that improved plasma activation and uniformity can be achieved in the chamber. Correspondingly, any number of electrodes in the chamber is possible in order to deflect the electron flow onto a desired path. According to Figure 3 , 4 The evaporator 110 of 9 may be used with an applied current of 100 A; however, any other suitable current strength may of course be used.

[0051] Figure 6Another embodiment of a plasma source is shown, in which a plurality of evaporators are provided. The chamber 200 includes a first evaporator 210 and a second evaporator 220, both of which are connected as cathodes. The first and second evaporators 210, 220 may be provided in the wall of the chamber 200 or elsewhere on the chamber 200. Alternatively, the first or second evaporators 210, 220 may also be arranged on a suitable structure of the chamber 200 or in the chamber 200. A rotatable or otherwise movable shield 230 is provided near the first and second evaporators 210, 220. The shield 230 may have a size sufficient to shield the two evaporators 210, 220. Alternatively, the chamber 200 may include a first and a second shield, which belong to the first evaporator 110 and the second evaporator 220, respectively. In addition, a first electrode 240 and a second electrode 250 are provided in the chamber 200, both of which are connected as anodes. As shown by electron path 260, electrons emitted by first evaporator 210 flow in the direction of first electrode 240 and electrons emitted by second evaporator 220 flow in the direction of second electrode 250. It will be readily appreciated that any desired number of evaporators may be used with any desired number of separate electrodes. Figure 6 The system of may, for example, include two evaporators and four separate electrodes, such that electrons from the first evaporator 210 flow to two separate electrodes and electrons from the second evaporator flow to the other two separate electrodes.

[0052] according to Figure 8 Embodiments of can be used in particular in large systems. A plurality of plasma sources can be arranged in the chamber in such a way that evaporators 311, 321, 331 and electrodes 340, 350, 360 are arranged along the height of the chamber, that is to say along the height of the plasma treatment zone, wherein the plasma source comprises at least one evaporator and one, two or more individual electrodes in any case. Each electrode can be powered by its own power supply, but a plurality of electrodes can also be powered simultaneously by a switchable power supply.

[0053] according to Figure 2The embodiment of the present invention shows a schematically shown vacuum sealed chamber 100, an evaporator 110, which is arranged in the chamber 100 and can be arranged directly on the wall of the chamber 100. A power supply 111 is also provided, which has a negative pole. The negative pole of the power supply 111 or the current source 111 is connected to the evaporator 110. In the current embodiment, the evaporator 110 is therefore a cathode 110. As shown, the evaporator 110 emits arc electrons, which are first partially sucked away and accelerated by the electrode according to the present invention and thus excite the working gas-argon (Ar) (often also neon (Ne) or any other suitable gas or gas mixture) and thus generate plasma. For this purpose, a positive acceleration voltage is applied to the electrode 120, which can realize an electrode current to the electrode. The control of the electrode can usually be achieved by voltage or current, but can also be achieved by the energy composed of the product of voltage and current. Next, the ions of the plasma are directed onto the surface of a substrate S, which is preferably centrally arranged in the chamber 100, in order to prepare and activate the surface of the substrate for a subsequent coating process, for example by cleaning or etching. Figure 2 In the chamber 100, a shield 115 may also be movably arranged so that the shield 115 may be selectively positioned between the evaporator 110 and the substrate S. Therefore, before the arc process is ignited, the shield 115 may be rotationally or otherwise moved in front of the evaporator 110 so as to protect the substrate S from contamination caused by the evaporator 110 during the process. If the arc does not exist, the shield may be moved to another suitable position.

[0054] according to Figure 2 , a single electrode 120 is provided. The electrode 120 is connected to the positive pole of the power supply 121 and the electrode 120 is therefore the anode 120. By using different currents and / or different time periods at the current source 121 of the anode 120, the plasma generated in the system can be influenced.

[0055] like Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the electrons emitted by the evaporator 110 are directed to the location of the electrode / anode 120 along the first and second electron paths 150. Thus, the plasma generated in the chamber 100 can be accelerated in the same direction. By appropriate positioning of the first electrode 120 at the desired location, better / simpler control of the plasma flow in the chamber 100 and thus improved control of ion bombardment and etching of the substrate can be achieved.

[0056] according to Figure 2a The embodiment of the present invention shows a schematically shown vacuum sealed chamber 100, which has a vacuum sealed chamber according to Figure 2 The chamber 100 of the embodiment is similarly constructed. However, according to Figure 2aThe two-dimensional surface of the first electrode 120a for capturing electrons emitted by the cathode is rectangular, and Figure 2 The two-dimensional surface of the first electrode 120 is circular. In this case, the two-dimensional surface for capturing the electrons emitted by the evaporator has a first orthogonal extension and a second orthogonal extension relative to the surface normal, wherein the first orthogonal extension is perpendicular to the second orthogonal extension and the length ratio of the first orthogonal extension to the second orthogonal extension is between 0.1 and 1. In the case of a circular electrode 120, the first orthogonal extension and the second orthogonal extension correspond in particular to the diameter of the two-dimensional surface. In the case of a rectangular electrode 120a, the first orthogonal extension corresponds to the first side length of the two-dimensional surface and the second orthogonal extension corresponds to the second side length of the two-dimensional surface.

[0057] according to Figure 2b The embodiment of the present invention shows a schematically shown vacuum sealed chamber 100, which has a vacuum sealed chamber according to Figure 2 The chamber 100 of the embodiment is similarly constructed. However, according to Figure 2b The embodiment of the invention comprises a switching device 123 connected between the first electrode 120 and the power sources 121, 122. The power source 121 is arranged with a positive pole at the switch S1 of the switching device 123 and the power source 122 is arranged with a negative pole at the switch S2 of the switching device 123. If the switch S1 is closed and the switch S2 is open, the electrode 120 can be used as a plasma electrode according to the invention (i.e. also an anode). If the switch S1 is open and the switch S2 is closed, the electrode 120 can be used for a (arc) coating process or a sputtering process (i.e. a target).

[0058] according to Figure 2c The embodiment of the present invention shows a schematically shown vacuum sealed chamber 100, which has a vacuum sealed chamber according to Figure 2 The chamber 100 of the embodiment is similarly constructed. However, according to Figure 2c The embodiment of the invention comprises a switching device 123 connected between the first electrode 120 and the power supply 121. The power supply 121 is arranged with a positive pole at the switch S1 of the switching device 123 and with a negative pole at the switch S2 of the switching device 123. In addition, the positive pole of the power supply 121 is connected to the ground via a switch S3 and the negative pole of the power supply 121 is connected to the ground via a switch S4. If the switch S1 is closed, the switch S2 is open, the switch S3 is open and the switch S4 is closed, the electrode 120 can be used as a plasma electrode according to the invention. If the switch S1 is open and the switch S2 is closed, the switch S3 is closed and the switch S4 is open, the electrode 120 can be used for a (arc) coating process or a sputtering process.

[0059] according to Figure 3The embodiment of FIG. 1 shows a schematically shown vacuum sealed chamber 100. In this case, the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 130 are connected to the positive pole of the same power supply 121 or the same current source 121. Therefore, the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 130 are the first anode 120 and the second anode 130. By using different currents and / or different time periods at the current source 121 of the anodes 120 and 130, the plasma generated in the system can be affected.

[0060] Since a common power source is connected to the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 130, the same voltage can be applied to the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 130 using this device. The current can be applied to the two electrodes 120, 130 at the same time and for the same duration.

[0061] according to Figure 4 The embodiment of FIG. 1 shows a schematically shown vacuum sealed chamber 100. Figure 4 In an embodiment of the present invention, a first power supply 121 is arranged on the first electrode 120 and a second power supply 131 is arranged on the second electrode 130. In this case, by using different currents and / or different time periods at the first power supply 121 and the second power supply 131, the plasma that can be generated in the system can be affected, especially because the first power supply can supply the first current to the first electrode 120 and the second power supply can supply the second current to the second electrode 130. In this case, the first and second currents can be adjusted independently of each other so that a distribution of plasma can be formed by the first and second currents. In this case, the first power supply 121 can supply the first current to the first electrode 120 during the first time period and the second power supply 131 can supply the second current to the second electrode 130 during the second time period. The first and second time periods can be separated from each other or overlap as desired.

[0062] In accordance with Figure 2-4 In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1 , there is a single evaporator 110 and at least one anode 120 , 130 , respectively, whereby a plasma arc is generated.

[0063] Figure 5Another embodiment of a chamber 200 in which a plurality of evaporators are arranged is shown. The chamber 200 includes a first evaporator 210 and a second evaporator 220, which are connected as cathodes, i.e., connected to the negative poles of a first power source 211 and a second power source 221. The first and second evaporators 210, 220 are arranged on the wall of the chamber 200. Alternatively, the first or second evaporator 210, 220 can also be arranged on a suitable structure of the wall of the chamber 200 or arranged in the chamber 200. A rotatable or otherwise movable shield 230 is arranged near the first and second evaporators 210, 220. The shield 230 may have a size sufficient to shield the two evaporators 210, 220. Alternatively, the chamber 200 may include a first and a second shield, which belong to the first evaporator 210 and the second evaporator 220, respectively (not shown here). In addition, a first electrode 240 is provided in the chamber 200 and is connected as an anode, i.e., connected to the positive electrode of the first current source 241. As shown by the electron path 260, the electrons emitted by the first evaporator 210 and the electrons emitted by the second evaporator 220 all flow in the direction of the first electrode 240. It is easy to understand that any desired number of evaporators can be used together with any desired number of individual electrodes, so that the system can include an appropriate number of evaporators and an appropriate number of electrodes.

[0064] according to Figure 6 The embodiment of the present invention shows a schematically shown vacuum sealed chamber 200, which has a vacuum sealed chamber according to Figure 5 The chamber 200 of the embodiment of FIG. Figure 6 Examples and Figure 5 The difference is that there are first electrodes 240 and second electrodes 250. In this case, the first electrodes 240 and second electrodes 250 are connected to the positive electrode of the same power source 241 or the same current source 241. Therefore, the first electrodes 240 and second electrodes 250 are connected as first anodes 240 and second anodes 250.

[0065] Since a common power source is connected to the first electrode 240 and the second electrode 250, in the device the same current can be applied to the first electrode 240 and the second electrode 250. The current can be applied to the two electrodes 240, 250 at the same time and for the same duration.

[0066] according to Figure 7 The embodiment of the present invention shows a schematically shown vacuum sealed chamber 200, which has a vacuum sealed chamber according to Figure 6 The chamber 200 of the embodiment of FIG. Figure 7 Examples and Figure 6The difference is that the first power supply 241 is arranged at the first electrode 240 and the second power supply 251 is arranged at the second electrode 250. In this case, by using different currents and / or different time periods at the first power supply 241 and the second power supply 251, the plasma that can be generated in the system can be affected, especially because the first power supply can supply the first current to the first electrode 240 and the second power supply can supply the second current to the second electrode 250. In this case, the first and second currents can be adjusted independently of each other so that a distribution of plasma can be formed by the first and second currents. In this case, the first power supply 241 can supply the first current to the first electrode 240 during the first time period and the second power supply 251 can supply the second current to the second electrode 250 during the second time period. The first and second time periods can be separated from each other or overlap as desired.

[0067] In accordance with Figure 5-7 In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , there are two evaporators 210 , 220 and at least one anode 240 , 250 , respectively.

[0068] Figure 8 Another embodiment of a chamber 300 in which a plurality of evaporators are arranged is shown. The chamber 300 includes a first evaporator 310, a second evaporator 320, and a third evaporator 330, which are connected as cathodes, i.e., connected to the negative poles of the first power source 311, the second power source 321, and the third power source 331. The first, second, and third evaporators 310, 320, and 330 are arranged on the same wall of the chamber 300. Alternatively, the first, second, and third evaporators 310, 320, and 330 may also be arranged on a suitable structure of the wall of the chamber 300 or in the chamber 300. In addition, the first, second, and third evaporators 310, 320, and 330 may be arranged on different walls, or the first and third evaporators 310 and 330 may be arranged on one wall and the second evaporator 320 may be arranged on another wall. Three rotatable or otherwise movable shields 334, 332, and 333 are respectively disposed near the first, second, and third evaporators 310, 320, and 330. Alternatively, the chamber 300 may include a shield having a size sufficient to shield all of the evaporators 310, 320, and 330. In addition, a first electrode 340, a second electrode 350, and a third electrode 360 ​​are disposed in the chamber 300, and these electrodes are connected as anodes 340, 350, and 360, that is, connected to positive poles of a first power source 341, a second power source 351, and a third power source 361, respectively. As shown by the electron path, the electrons emitted by the first evaporator 310, the electrons emitted by the second evaporator 320, and the electrons emitted by the third evaporator 330 flow toward the direction of the three electrodes 340, 350, and 360.

[0069] In accordance with Figure 8In the schematic drawings of , electrodes 340, 350, 360 are arranged opposite to evaporators 310, 320, 330. However, it is easy to understand that any suitable positioning of the first, second and third electrodes is possible in order to influence the electron flow so that improved plasma activation and uniformity can be achieved in the chamber. Correspondingly, any number of electrodes in the chamber is possible in order to deflect the electron flow onto a desired path. The current applied to the evaporators 310, 320, 330 can be 100A, but of course any other suitable current strength can also be used.

[0070] That is, in accordance with Figure 8 In the embodiment of FIG. 5 , there are three evaporators 310 , 320 , and 330 and three anodes 340 , 350 , and 360 .

[0071] Figure 8a Another embodiment of a chamber 300 is shown having a Figure 8 The chamber in FIG. 3 is similarly constructed, but the power supplies of the first electrode 340, the second electrode 350 and the third electrode 360 ​​are operated at different energies. The different energies can improve the uniformity of the plasma and better control the distribution of the plasma by correspondingly adjusting these energies at the corresponding power supplies.

[0072] according to Fig. 9 The embodiment of the present invention shows a schematically shown vacuum sealed chamber 100, which has a vacuum sealed chamber according to Figure 2 The chamber 100 of the embodiment is similarly constructed. However, according to Fig. 9 Examples and Figure 2 The difference is that there are a first electrode 120, a second electrode 130 and a third electrode 140, and a first power source 121 is arranged at the first electrode 120, a second power source 131 is arranged at the second electrode 130 and a third power source 141 is arranged at the third electrode 140. In this case, by using different energies and / or different time periods at the first power source 121, the second power source 131 and the third power source 141, the plasma that can be generated in the system can be affected, especially because the first power source 121 supplies the first energy to the first electrode 120 and the second power source 131 can supply the second energy to the second electrode 130 and the third power source 141 can supply the third energy to the third electrode 140. In this case, the first, second and third energies can be adjusted independently of each other, so that the distribution of plasma can be formed by the first, second and third energies.

[0073] Fig. 9The diagram illustrates an embodiment in which three separate electrodes are provided, namely a first electrode 120, a second electrode 130 and a third electrode 140. Thus, corresponding first, second and third electron paths 160 are obtained, which point in the direction of the first, second and third electrodes 120, 130, 140, respectively. Fig. 9 In the schematic drawings of , electrodes 120, 130, 140 are arranged opposite to the evaporator 110. However, it is easy to understand that any suitable positioning of the first, second or optionally also the third electrode is possible in order to influence the electron flow so that improved plasma activation and uniformity can be achieved in the chamber. Correspondingly, any number of electrodes in the chamber is possible in order to deflect the electron flow onto a desired path.

[0074] As from Figure 4-8 It can be seen that the substrate S can be biased not only negatively but also positively, wherein the positive bias must be less than the positive bias of the electrode, because otherwise all electrons flow to the substrate. Of course, the correspondingly pre-biased substrate is also suitable for additional plasma control. In addition, working gas and process gas are supplied to the chamber 100, 200 in the operating state. In this case, the working gas is preferably argon (Ar) and hydrogen (H2), and the process gas is preferably nitrogen (N2).

[0075] according to Figure 9a The embodiment of the present invention shows a schematically shown vacuum sealed chamber 100, which has a vacuum sealed chamber according to Fig. 9 However, in accordance with Figure 9a In the embodiment of the present invention, the electrodes 120, 130, 140 are not only arranged on the chamber wall of the chamber 100. The first electrode 120 is arranged on the chamber wall, the second electrode 130 is arranged at the chamber ceiling and the third electrode 140 is arranged at the chamber bottom. The arrangement of these electrodes in the chamber can be arbitrarily adapted in order to control the plasma distribution in particular.

[0076] exist Figure 2-9a In the embodiment of the present invention, the substrate S can be biased both negatively and positively, wherein the positive bias should be less than the positive bias of the electrode, because otherwise all electrons flow to the substrate. In the operating state, argon (Ar) and hydrogen (H2) can be preferably supplied as working gases and nitrogen (N2) can be preferably supplied as process gas.

[0077] Different exemplary configurations are shown and described within the framework of the present application, but other embodiments with any number of evaporators and any number of electrodes also fall within the scope of protection of the invention claimed herein. Furthermore, the vacuum chamber according to the invention can be used for ion etching processes and equipped with a plurality of individual electrodes, wherein different currents can be supplied to different electrodes. It is also possible to apply the same or different currents to different electrodes at different times in order to manipulate the plasma activation and etching in a desired manner.

[0078] The electron paths 150 , 160 , 260 included in these figures are shown only schematically, since the electron paths 150 , 160 , 260 of course pass by the shields 115 , 230 , 332 , 333 , 334 and do not pass through them.

[0079] Although a series of embodiments have been described within the framework of the present application, it is easy to understand that other variants are possible. For example, the described embodiments can be combined and supplemented in an appropriate manner or replaced by equivalent features of the same effect. Correspondingly, such other solutions also fall within the scope of protection of the claimed invention.

Claims

1. A vacuum chamber for performing plasma processing, the vacuum chamber comprising a plasma processing region and a plasma source, the plasma processing region being surrounded by a chamber wall, the plasma source comprising: A cathode (110, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330) for cathodic vacuum arc evaporation and an arc anode connected to the chamber, wherein the cathode is arranged on a chamber wall in the chamber; a shield (115, 230, 332, 333, 334) for shielding particles and metal ions emitted by the cathode, wherein the shield (115, 230, 332, 333, 334) is disposed in the vacuum chamber so that the shield can be arranged in front of the cathode (110, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330); an electrode (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) arranged in the chamber and spaced apart from the cathode (110, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330), wherein the electrode is fixed to a wall of the vacuum chamber or at least partially arranged in the chamber wall; It is characterized in that The electrode (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) includes a two-dimensional surface for capturing electrons emitted by the cathode (110, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330), and the two-dimensional surface has a first orthogonal extension and a second orthogonal extension relative to the surface normal, wherein the first orthogonal extension is perpendicular to the second orthogonal extension, and the length ratio of the first orthogonal extension to the second orthogonal extension is between 0.1 and 1.

2. The vacuum chamber according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the length of the first orthogonal extension to the length of the second orthogonal extension is between 0.2 and 1; and / or the two-dimensional surface is between 5 and 2000 cm 2 and / or the electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) are at least partially arranged in the chamber wall.

3. The vacuum chamber of claim 2, wherein a ratio of the lengths of the first orthogonal extension to the second orthogonal extension is between 0.4 and 1.

4. The vacuum chamber of claim 2, wherein a ratio of a length of the first orthogonal extension to a length of the second orthogonal extension is 1.

5. The vacuum chamber according to claim 2, wherein the two-dimensional surface is between 25 and 320 cm 2 in the range between.

6. A vacuum chamber according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the two-dimensional surface has a structure, wherein the ratio of the maximum depth of the structure to the smaller orthogonal extension of the two-dimensional surface of the electrode (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is at most 0.4; and / or the two-dimensional surface of the electrode (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is a polygon, a circle or an ellipse.

7. A vacuum chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the electrode (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is arranged on a chamber wall including the cathode (110, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330) or on another chamber wall, wherein the distance between the cathode (110, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330) and the electrode (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is in the range of 1 cm to 200 cm.

8. The vacuum chamber according to claim 7, wherein the distance between the cathode (110, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330) and the electrode (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is in the range between 5 and 150 cm.

9. The vacuum chamber according to claim 7, wherein the distance between the cathode (110, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330) and the electrode (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is in the range between 10 and 100 cm.

10. The vacuum chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the current density of the electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is in the range of 0.1 to 5 A / cm 2 and / or the voltage of the electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is between 5 and 100 V; and / or the power density of the electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is between 0.25 and 500 W / cm 2 and / or the electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) are 80cm 2 The current of the area is between 5 and 400A.

11. The vacuum chamber according to claim 10, wherein the current density of the electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is in the range of 0.1 to 4 A / cm 2 between.

12. The vacuum chamber according to claim 10, wherein the current density of the electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is in the range of 0.2 to 2 A / cm 2 between.

13. The vacuum chamber according to claim 10, wherein the voltage of the electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is between 10 and 100V.

14. The vacuum chamber according to claim 10, wherein the voltage of the electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is between 20 and 60V.

15. The vacuum chamber according to claim 10, wherein the power density of the electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is in the range of 1 to 400 W / cm 2 between.

16. The vacuum chamber according to claim 10, wherein the power density of the electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is between 4 and 120 W / cm 2 between.

17. The vacuum chamber according to claim 10, wherein the electrode (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is 80 cm 2 The current of the area is between 10 and 300A.

18. The vacuum chamber according to claim 10, wherein the electrode (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is 80 cm 2 The current of the area is between 20 and 200A.

19. The vacuum chamber according to claim 10, wherein the electrode (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) is 80 cm 2 The current of the area is between 10 and 150A.

20. The vacuum chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the electrode is designed as a coating source and can be connected to a power supply (121, 241, 341, 131, 251, 351), so that the coating source can be used as an evaporator or as a plasma electrode.

21. The vacuum chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a plurality of electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) and / or a plurality of cathodes (110, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330).

22. The vacuum chamber according to claim 21, wherein the vacuum chamber comprises two electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) and two cathodes (110, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330).

23. The vacuum chamber according to claim 21, wherein the vacuum chamber comprises three electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) and three cathodes (110, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330).

24. The vacuum chamber of claim 21 , comprising the same number of electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) and cathodes; or comprising a greater number of electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) than cathodes; or comprising a greater number of cathodes (110, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330) than electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360).

25. The vacuum chamber according to claim 24, wherein the vacuum chamber comprises two electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) and a single cathode.

26. The vacuum chamber according to claim 24, wherein the vacuum chamber comprises three electrodes (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) and a single cathode.

27. The vacuum chamber according to claim 24, wherein the vacuum chamber comprises two cathodes (110, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330) and a single electrode (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360).

28. The vacuum chamber of claim 24, wherein the vacuum chamber comprises three cathodes (110, 210, 220, 310, 320, 330) and a single electrode (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360).

29. The vacuum chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the portion of the electrode (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) forming the two-dimensional surface is a cooling portion of the electrode.

30. The vacuum chamber of claim 29, wherein the cooling portion is a water cooling portion of the electrode.

31. The vacuum chamber according to claim 29, wherein the cooling portion can be directly cooled or arranged on a cooling body.

32. A vacuum chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the electrode (120, 120a, 130, 140, 240, 250, 340, 350, 360) comprises graphite, copper-carbon alloy, steel, copper, copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy or a conductive evaporator material and / or the cathode comprises titanium, titanium alloy, zirconium, zirconium alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy or an oxygen absorbing material.

33. The vacuum chamber of claim 32, wherein the electrically conductive evaporator material comprises aluminum titanium, chromium, or vanadium.

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