Rotatable Target Spacing for Sputtering Film Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sputtering apparatuses in prior art produce films with uneven characteristics due to varying distances and angles of particle travel from target materials to the substrate, leading to device deterioration and reduced yield.
Innovation Solution
A sputtering apparatus with a vacuum chamber containing multiple rotatable target materials spaced between 160 mm to 220 mm apart, each rotating between 30° to 80°, and gas aperture groups for uniform gas distribution, ensuring consistent film formation across the substrate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the rotation angle of target materials is increased to ensure uniform coating thickness, then coating uniformity is improved, but particle travel distance variation increases causing different process gas content in different film locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the rotation angle parameter of target materials to a specific range (30°-80°) rather than using large angles, and controls the distance between adjacent targets (160-220 mm). This parameter optimization ensures uniform coating thickness while minimizing particle travel distance variation, thereby maintaining consistent process gas content throughout the film.
2Ease of operation
If multiple target materials are arranged with larger spacing to reduce interference, then target rotation is easier, but particle travel distance differences increase causing non-uniform film characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies an optimal distance range of 160-220 mm between adjacent target materials, which balances the ease of target rotation with the uniformity of particle travel distances. This parameter control prevents excessive travel distance variation that would cause non-uniform film characteristics.
3Reliability
If the rotation angle of target materials is reduced to minimize particle travel distance variation, then film characteristic consistency is improved, but coating thickness uniformity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent identifies an optimal rotation angle range of 30°-80° that simultaneously achieves both uniform coating thickness and consistent film characteristics. This optimized parameter range prevents coating defects while maintaining uniform process gas content throughout the film.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs rotatable target materials that can dynamically adjust their orientation within the optimized angle range, allowing the system to maintain optimal performance for different coating requirements while ensuring uniform film characteristics.
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
The solution achieves uniform film characteristics and increased yield by reducing distance and angle variations between target materials and optimizing gas aperture configurations, resulting in improved uniformity and stability of the film formed.
Implementation Method 1
a rotating magnetic pole, which allows each of the target materials to rotate left-right by an angle in a range from 30° to 80° with relative to the substrate
Implementation Method 2
supply certain process gas to the vacuum chamber where an electrical field is provided therein to ionize the process gas as plasma
Implementation Method 3
particles on the surface of the target material are sputtered out of the target materials and are attached to the surface of the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a sputtering apparatus, which relates to technical field of vacuum coating and seeks to solve a problem of low yield of devices manufactured by a sputtering apparatus. The sputtering apparatus includes, a vacuum chamber in which a substrate and a plurality of rotatable target materials facing to the substrate are provided. A distance between any two adjacent target materials is in a range from 160 mm to 220 mm. The sputtering apparatus provided by the present invention is used to improve yield of the devices manufactured by the sputtering apparatus.