Cathode gas distribution device for improving target utilization rate of magnetron sputtering equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of magnetron sputtering equipment, in particular to a cathode gas distribution device for improving the target utilization rate of magnetron sputtering equipment, which is characterized in that a support structure is arranged at the bottom of a vacuum chamber, and a lower gas distribution plate, a sealing gasket, an upper gas distribution plate and a protection plate are sequentially adhered to the top end of the support structure from bottom to top; one side of each of the lower gas distribution plate and the upper gas distribution plate in the width direction is provided with a gas source interface, two side ends of each of the lower gas distribution plate and the upper gas distribution plate in the length direction are provided with gas outlet holes, and the gas source interfaces are connected with a gas source pipeline for uniformly distributing process gas into the gas distribution plates; the two sides of the protection plate are obliquely arranged above the outer sides of the air outlet holes in a covering mode and used for shielding and preventing the target material from being sputtered to the upper air distribution plate, air is guided to be exhausted upwards along the two sides of the cathode target material, then the air is evenly distributed in the length direction of the cathode target material, the structure is simple, installation is convenient, and the target material coating uniformity, the target material utilization rate and the coating quality can be effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of magnetron sputtering equipment technology, and in particular to a cathode gas distribution device for improving the utilization rate of target materials in magnetron sputtering equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In magnetron sputtering coating, the uniform distribution of process gas plays a crucial role in the utilization rate of the target material and the coating quality. Current gas distribution methods mostly involve arranging rectangular tubes of process gas in the middle of the cathode target, with the main gas path and auxiliary gas path arranged vertically.

[0003] The existing gas distribution method has many shortcomings: First, it is difficult to achieve uniform distribution of process gas along the length of the target, which affects the utilization rate of the target material and the coating quality; second, the structure is complex and occupies a lot of space, which makes installation and maintenance difficult. At the same time, the gas distribution structure is located in the middle of the cathode target, which leads to a large difference in the concentration of special gas between the middle and the edge of the vacuum chamber, thus affecting the uniformity of the target coating. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of this utility model is to propose a cathode gas distribution device for improving the target utilization rate in magnetron sputtering equipment, so as to solve the problem of insufficient uniformity of process gas distribution in the existing gas distribution method of magnetron sputtering coating equipment, which in turn affects the uniformity of target coating, target utilization rate and coating quality.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides a cathode gas distribution device for improving target utilization in magnetron sputtering equipment, which is disposed within the vacuum chamber of the magnetron sputtering equipment:

[0006] The vacuum chamber contains a cathode target, which is designed in a cylindrical shape and placed horizontally within the vacuum chamber.

[0007] The bottom of the vacuum chamber is equipped with a support structure located below the cathode target. The top of the support structure is fitted with a lower gas distribution plate, a sealing gasket, an upper gas distribution plate, and a protective plate from bottom to top. The length direction of the lower gas distribution plate, the sealing gasket, the upper gas distribution plate, and the protective plate is parallel to the length direction of the cathode target. The lower gas distribution plate and the upper gas distribution plate have a gas source interface on one side in their width direction. The lower gas distribution plate and the upper gas distribution plate have gas outlets on both sides in their length direction. The protective plate is inclined on both sides and is positioned above and outside the gas outlets.

[0008] Preferably, the cathode target is mounted on the coated cathode, and the coated cathode is fixed to the vacuum chamber by bolts.

[0009] Preferably, the lower air distribution plate is provided with three independent lower air inlet channels, and lower air distribution channels are symmetrically connected to the two sides of the lower air inlet channels, and each lower air distribution channel extends outward to one end of the side end of the lower air distribution plate to form an air outlet hole.

[0010] Preferably, one side of the lower air distribution plate in the width direction is provided with three gas source interfaces for connecting the lower air inlet channels.

[0011] Preferably, the upper air distribution plate is provided with an upper air inlet channel, and upper air distribution channels are symmetrically connected to the two sides of the upper air inlet channel, and each upper air distribution channel extends outward to one end of the side end of the upper air distribution plate to form an air outlet hole.

[0012] Preferably, one side of the upper air distribution plate in the width direction is provided with one gas source interface for connecting the upper air inlet channel.

[0013] Preferably, the top end of the support structure is vertically connected with auxiliary anodes, and the auxiliary anodes are symmetrically arranged along the two sides of the cathode target material and have a gap with the protective plate.

[0014] The utility model discloses a beneficial effect: the bottom of vacuum chamber is equipped with support structure, and the support structure is located below cathode target material, and the top end of support structure is sequentially attached with lower air distribution plate, sealing pad, upper air distribution plate and protective plate from below to above, and the length direction of lower air distribution plate, sealing pad, upper air distribution plate and protective plate is parallel with the length direction of cathode target material, and one side of lower air distribution plate, upper air distribution plate in the width direction is equipped with gas source interface, and the both sides of lower air distribution plate, upper air distribution plate in the length direction are provided with air outlet hole, and the gas source interface is connected with gas source pipeline, and is used for distributing process gas evenly into air distribution plate, and then the air outlet hole is outwardly discharged to the left and right sides of air distribution plate, and the both sides of protective plate are obliquely covered on the outside of air outlet hole, and are used for shielding to avoid target material sputtering on upper air distribution plate, and are guided to discharge upward along the two sides of cathode target material, and since the air outlet hole is separately arranged on the both sides of the length direction of air distribution plate, then is evenly distributed along the length direction of cathode target material, and the structure is simple, and convenient to install, and the uniformity of process gas distribution is improved through the reasonable arrangement of air distribution structure, and the target material plating uniformity, target material utilization rate and plating quality can be effectively improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical scheme in the utility model or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiment or the prior art description, and obviously, the drawings in the following description are only the utility model, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without creating labor.

[0016] Figure 1 It is the overall structure schematic diagram of the vacuum chamber of the utility model.

[0017] Figure 2 The utility model discloses a Figure 1 The enlarged schematic view of A in the middle;

[0018] Figure 3 The utility model discloses a top view structural schematic diagram of the inside of the upper air distribution plate of the utility model;

[0019] Figure 4 The utility model discloses a top view structural schematic diagram of the inside of the lower air distribution plate of the utility model.

[0020] Marked as:

[0021] 1, vacuum chamber;2, cathode target material;3, support structure;4, lower air distribution plate;41, lower air inlet channel;42, lower air distribution channel;5, sealing gasket;6, upper air distribution plate;61, upper air inlet channel;62, upper air distribution channel;7, protection plate;8, gas source interface;9, air outlet hole;10, auxiliary anode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantage of the utility model more clearly, the following is in combination with specific embodiment, and the utility model is further detailed.

[0023] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the utility model should be the usual meaning understood by the person skilled in the art to which the utility model belongs. The "first", "second" and similar words used in the utility model do not represent any order, quantity or importance, but only distinguish different components. "Include" or "contain" and similar words mean that the elements or objects before the word cover the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects. "Connect" or "connected" and similar words are not limited to physical or mechanical connection, but can include electrical connection, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to represent relative positional relationship, when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0024] A cathode gas distribution device for improving target utilization in magnetron sputtering equipment is provided in the vacuum chamber 1 of the magnetron sputtering equipment. The cathode target 2 is cylindrical and horizontally placed in the vacuum chamber 1. A support structure 3 is provided at the bottom of the vacuum chamber 1, located below the cathode target 2. A lower gas distribution plate 4, a sealing gasket 5, an upper gas distribution plate 6, and a protective plate 7 are attached to the top of the support structure 3 from bottom to top. The length direction of the lower gas distribution plate 4, the sealing gasket 5, the upper gas distribution plate 6, and the protective plate 7 is parallel to the length direction of the cathode target 2. A gas source interface 8 is provided on one side of the lower gas distribution plate 4 and the upper gas distribution plate 6 in the width direction. Gas outlet holes 9 are opened on both sides of the lower gas distribution plate 4 and the upper gas distribution plate 6 in the length direction. The two sides of the protective plate 7 are inclined and covered above the outer side of the gas outlet holes 9.

[0025] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, this utility model is based on existing conventional magnetron sputtering coating equipment, including a vacuum chamber 1, and a cathode target 2 is provided inside the vacuum chamber 1, specifically, as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the cathode target 2 is mounted on the coated cathode, which is fixed to the vacuum chamber 1 by bolts. The cathode target 2 is cylindrical in shape and is horizontally placed inside the vacuum chamber 1, with two sets arranged symmetrically on the left and right. A support structure 3 is provided at the bottom of the vacuum chamber 1, located below the cathode target 2. Specifically, as shown... Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the support structure 3 is a plate-like structure, bolted to the bottom of the vacuum chamber 1 to ensure a certain space between the lower gas distribution plate 4 and the bottom of the vacuum chamber 1, allowing for smooth gas flow. The top of the support structure 3 is sequentially affixed with the lower gas distribution plate 4, sealing gasket 5, upper gas distribution plate 6, and protective plate 7 from bottom to top. The length directions of the lower gas distribution plate 4, sealing gasket 5, upper gas distribution plate 6, and protective plate 7 are parallel to the length direction of the cathode target 2. The lower gas distribution plate 4 and upper gas distribution plate 6 have gas source interfaces 8 on one side of their width direction. Specifically, as shown... Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the lower gas distribution plate 4 is bolted to the support structure 3, and the upper gas distribution plate 6 is bolted to the lower gas distribution plate 4. A sealing gasket 5 is sandwiched between the upper gas distribution plate 6 and the lower gas distribution plate 4 to isolate the process gas in the middle of the gas distribution plates. Gas outlet holes 9 are provided on both sides of the lower gas distribution plate 4 and the upper gas distribution plate 6 along their length. A gas source interface 8 is threaded onto the gas distribution plate and connected to a gas source pipeline to evenly distribute the process gas into the gas distribution plates. Figure 1 , Figure 2As shown, the air outlet holes 9 are outwardly arranged on the left and right sides of the air distribution plate, and the two sides of the protection plate 7 are inclined and arranged above the outer sides of the air outlet holes 9, so as to prevent the target material from being sputtered onto the upper air distribution plate 6, and the protection plate 7 is assembled on the upper air distribution plate 6 through bolts, and preferably, the surface of the protection plate 7 is sandblasted, so as to further prevent the target material from being sputtered onto the upper air distribution plate 6, and the air is guided by the protection plate 7 to be upwardly discharged along the two sides of the cathode target 2, and since the air outlet holes 9 are arranged on the two sides in the length direction of the air distribution plate, the air is uniformly distributed along the length direction of the cathode target 2, so that the structure is simple and convenient to install, the uniformity of the process gas distribution is improved through the reasonable arrangement of the air distribution structure, and the uniformity of the target material film coating, the utilization rate of the target material and the film coating quality can be effectively improved.

[0026] In the embodiment of the utility model, as shown in Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 4 The lower air distribution plate 4 is internally provided with three independent lower air inlet channels 41, the two sides of the lower air inlet channel 41 are symmetrically connected with lower air distribution channels 42, each lower air distribution channel 42 is outwardly extended to one end of the side end of the lower air distribution plate 4 to form an air outlet hole 9, one side of the lower air distribution plate 4 in the width direction is provided with three gas source interfaces 8 for connecting the lower air inlet channels 41 to air, thereby forming uniform air discharge along the two sides in the length direction of the lower air distribution plate 4, and more preferably, three gas source interfaces 8 with different air discharge flow rates can be arranged according to the actual target material consumption and film coating process requirements, thereby forming different process gas discharges at different positions in the length direction of the lower air distribution plate 4, and facilitating flexible adjustment.

[0027] In the embodiment of the utility model, as shown in Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 The upper air distribution plate 6 is internally provided with an upper air inlet channel 61, the two sides of the upper air inlet channel 61 are symmetrically connected with upper air distribution channels 62, each upper air distribution channel 62 is outwardly extended to one end of the side end of the upper air distribution plate 6 to form an air outlet hole 9, and one side of the upper air distribution plate 6 in the width direction is provided with one gas source interface 8 for connecting the upper air inlet channel 61 to air, thereby forming uniform air discharge along the two sides in the length direction of the upper air distribution plate 6.

[0028] The material of the air distribution plate can be made of existing corrosion-resistant and high-temperature-resistant materials, such as aluminum alloy, to ensure that it can work stably in a vacuum environment and under high-temperature conditions.

[0029] The number, size and spacing of the air outlet holes 9 on the air distribution plate can be determined according to the size of the vacuum chamber 1 and the layout of the cathode target 2. The diameter of the air outlet hole 9 is generally between 0.5-2mm, and the spacing is between 50-100mm. The specific parameters can be adjusted according to actual tests to achieve uniform distribution of the process gas in the vacuum chamber.

[0030] The design of the support structure 3 can adopt a conventional height-adjustable structure design, so as to adjust the distance between the gas distribution plate and the bottom of the vacuum chamber 1 according to different vacuum chambers 1 and process requirements, and ensure smooth gas flow.

[0031] In the embodiment of the utility model, as shown in Figure 1 Figure 2 As shown in the drawings, the top ends of the support structure 3 are also connected with auxiliary anodes 10 on both sides, the auxiliary anodes 10 are symmetrically arranged along both sides in the width direction of the cathode target material 2, and a gap is left between the auxiliary anodes 10 and the protective plate 7, so that the gas flows upwards along the gap and passes through the outside of the cathode target material 2. Specifically, the auxiliary anodes 10 are assembled on the support structure 3 through bolts, and the auxiliary anodes 10 are symmetrically distributed, which can balance the electric field distribution around the target material and improve the utilization rate of the target material and the film coating quality.

[0032] Those skilled in the art should understand that the above discussion of any embodiment is only exemplary and is not intended to suggest that the scope of the utility model is limited to these examples; under the idea of the utility model, the above embodiments or technical features in different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other changes of different aspects of the utility model as described above. In order to be brief, they are not provided in details.​

Claims

1. A cathode gas distribution device for improving the utilization rate of target material in a magnetron sputtering device, which is arranged in a vacuum chamber (1) of the magnetron sputtering device, characterized in that: the vacuum chamber (1) is provided with a cathode target (2), which is designed in a cylindrical shape and horizontally placed in the vacuum chamber (1); the bottom of the vacuum chamber (1) is provided with a support structure (3) located below the cathode target (2), and the top end of the support structure (3) is sequentially attached from bottom to top with a lower gas distribution plate (4), a sealing gasket (5), an upper gas distribution plate (6), and a protective plate (7), the length direction of the lower gas distribution plate (4), the sealing gasket (5), the upper gas distribution plate (6), and the protective plate (7) is parallel to the length direction of the cathode target (2), the lower gas distribution plate (4) and the upper gas distribution plate (6) are provided with a gas source interface (8) on one side in the width direction thereof, and the lower gas distribution plate (4) and the upper gas distribution plate (6) are provided with gas outlet holes (9) on both sides in the length direction thereof, and the protective plate (7) is provided with inclined covers on both sides thereof above the outside of the gas outlet holes (9). The cathode target (2) is assembled on a coated cathode, and the coated cathode is fixed on the vacuum chamber (1) by bolts. The lower gas distribution plate (4) is provided with three independent lower gas inlet channels (41) therein, and the lower gas inlet channels (41) are symmetrically connected with lower gas distribution channels (42) on both sides thereof, and each lower gas distribution channel (42) extends outward to form a gas outlet hole (9) on one end of the side end of the lower gas distribution plate (4).

2. The cathode gas distribution device for improving the utilization rate of target material in a magnetron sputtering device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower gas distribution plate (4) is provided with three gas source interfaces (8) on one side in the width direction thereof for connecting the lower gas inlet channels (41) respectively.

3. The cathode gas distribution device for a magnetron sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The upper gas distribution plate (6) is provided with an upper gas inlet channel (61) therein, and the upper gas inlet channel (61) is symmetrically connected with upper gas distribution channels (62) on both sides thereof, and each upper gas distribution channel (62) extends outward to form a gas outlet hole (9) on one end of the side end of the upper gas distribution plate (6).

4. The cathode gas distribution device for magnetron sputtering equipment to improve the utilization rate of target material according to claim 3, characterized in that, The upper gas distribution plate (6) is provided with one gas source interface (8) on one side in the width direction thereof for connecting the upper gas inlet channel (61).

5. The cathode gas distribution device for magnetron sputtering equipment to improve the utilization rate of target material according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top end of the support structure (3) is vertically connected with auxiliary anodes (10) on both sides thereof, and the auxiliary anodes (10) are symmetrically arranged along both sides in the width direction of the cathode target (2) and leave a gap between the auxiliary anodes (10) and the protective plate (7).

6. The cathode gas distribution device for use in a magnetron sputtering apparatus to improve the target material utilization of claim 5, wherein, ​ 7. The cathode gas distribution device for magnetron sputtering apparatus for improving the utilization rate of target material according to claim 1, characterized in that, ​

Images