Cylindrical Sputter Target with Dual Drive Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sputter systems face challenges in achieving uniformity of coatings on large area surfaces, with issues such as high concentrations of contaminating particles and significant deviations in coating thickness, particularly when moving substrates during the sputtering process.
Innovation Solution
A sputter device with cylindrical targets and a dual drive system that allows for rotational and translational movement of the targets within the vacuum chamber, maintaining uniformity by adjusting the target's position and orientation to ensure consistent particle ejection distribution, even when the substrate is static or moving.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the substrate is moved during sputtering to coat large area surfaces, then the coating area increases, but the concentration of contaminating particles increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of moving the substrate through the sputter chamber, the invention inverts the approach by moving the target towards and across the stationary substrate. This reversal of motion eliminates substrate movement-related contamination while still enabling coverage of large area surfaces through systematic target traversal patterns
Solution Approach 2:
The coating process is segmented into multiple passes where the target moves across different regions of the substrate in a controlled manner. The target traverses the substrate width-wise in one direction, then returns in the opposite direction, creating multiple deposition passes that collectively cover the entire large area surface without requiring substrate movement
2Manufacturing precision
If a large single target or multiple targets are used to cover the substrate width, then the coating uniformity improves, but the sputter device size becomes larger than the substrate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs dynamic movement of the target assembly towards and across the substrate, allowing a compact target size to achieve coverage of large substrate areas. The target moves systematically across the substrate width in controlled passes, enabling uniform coating of large areas without requiring oversized stationary targets or complex multi-target arrangements
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds the dimension of target movement in the width direction to the traditional sputtering geometry. Instead of relying on target width to match substrate width, the target utilizes its ability to move transversely across the substrate, effectively transforming a one-dimensional coverage problem into a two-dimensional solution space
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the substrate is held static during sputtering, then fewer contaminating particles are introduced, but multiple chambers or large targets are required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the conventional approach by keeping the substrate stationary and moving the target instead. This single inversion eliminates the need for multiple chambers while maintaining low contamination levels, as the stationary substrate avoids movement-related particle generation
Solution Approach 2:
The movable target assembly serves multiple functions: it coats the entire substrate width through transverse movement, achieves uniform deposition through controlled traversal patterns, and eliminates the need for multiple chambers or large complex target structures, consolidating what would otherwise require multiple components into a single versatile system
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in a highly uniform coating with reduced contaminating particles and minimal deviations in layer properties, such as thickness, across large areas, enhancing the quality and consistency of the sputtered layers without the need to move the substrate.
Implementation Method 1
a sputter device for depositing a layer on a substrate in a vacuum chamber... at least one end block adapted for each holding a cylindrical target having a longitudinal axis in a first direction. The cylindrical target is configured for spatial particle ejection distribution in an average ejection direction
Data Source
AI summary
A sputter device for depositing a layer on a substrate in a vacuum chamber and having a layer property in each point of the substrate surface. The sputter device comprises at least one end block adapted for holding a cylindrical target having a longitudinal axis in a first direction, and a first drive means for providing a rotational movement of the at least one cylindrical target around its longitudinal axis. The sputter device includes a second drive means for applying a translational movement to an end block in a second direction. The first and the second drive means are adapted for, during sputtering, being simultaneously operational in the vacuum chamber. The movement of the first drive means does not impact the uniformity of the layer sputtered on the substrate in the direction on the surface of the substrate corresponding to a perpendicular projection of the second direction onto the substrate.