Rate Enhanced Pulsed DC Sputtering System
First Claim
1. A pulsed direct current sputtering system, comprising:
- a plasma chamber enclosing a first magnetron coupled to a first target, a second magnetron coupled to a second target, and an anode;
a first power source coupled to the first magnetron and the anode, the first power source configured to provide a cyclic first-power-source voltage with a positive potential and a negative potential during each cycle between the anode and the first magnetron;
a second power source coupled to the second magnetron and the anode, the second power source configured to provide a cyclic second-power-source voltage with a positive potential and a negative potential during each cycle between the anode and the second magnetron; and
a controller configured to phase-synchronize and control a duty of the first-power-source voltage and second-power-source voltage to apply a bipolar anode voltage to the anode that is a combination of the cyclic first-power-source voltage and the cyclic second-power source voltage, and to phase-synchronize a first magnetron voltage with a second magnetron voltage, wherein the combined anode voltage applied to the anode has a magnitude of at least 80 percent of a magnitude of a sum of the first magnetron voltage and second magnetron voltage.
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Abstract
A pulsed direct current sputtering system and method are disclosed. The system has a plasma chamber with two targets, two magnetrons and one anode, a first power source, and a second power source. The first power source is coupled to the first magnetron and the anode, and provides a cyclic first-power-source voltage with a positive potential and a negative potential during each cycle between the anode and the first magnetron. The second power source is coupled to the second magnetron and the anode, and provides a cyclic second-power-source voltage. The controller phase-synchronizes and controls the first-power-source voltage and second-power-source voltage to apply a combined anode voltage, and phase-synchronizes a first magnetron voltage with a second magnetron voltage, wherein the combined anode voltage applied to the anode has a magnitude of at least 80 percent of a magnitude of a sum of the first magnetron voltage and the second magnetron voltage.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A pulsed direct current sputtering system, comprising:
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a plasma chamber enclosing a first magnetron coupled to a first target, a second magnetron coupled to a second target, and an anode; a first power source coupled to the first magnetron and the anode, the first power source configured to provide a cyclic first-power-source voltage with a positive potential and a negative potential during each cycle between the anode and the first magnetron; a second power source coupled to the second magnetron and the anode, the second power source configured to provide a cyclic second-power-source voltage with a positive potential and a negative potential during each cycle between the anode and the second magnetron; and a controller configured to phase-synchronize and control a duty of the first-power-source voltage and second-power-source voltage to apply a bipolar anode voltage to the anode that is a combination of the cyclic first-power-source voltage and the cyclic second-power source voltage, and to phase-synchronize a first magnetron voltage with a second magnetron voltage, wherein the combined anode voltage applied to the anode has a magnitude of at least 80 percent of a magnitude of a sum of the first magnetron voltage and second magnetron voltage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14)
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9. A non-transitory memory including non-transitory instructions that are at least one of executable by a processor to execute a method and accessible by a field programmable gate array to configure the field programmable gate array to execute the method, the method comprising:
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causing a first power source to apply a first sputtering power having a first voltage and a first current to a first magnetron in a plasma chamber for a first period of time; causing a second power source to apply a second sputtering power having a second voltage and a second current to a second magnetron in the plasma chamber for the first period of time, the first voltage and the second voltage providing a summed sputtering voltage; causing the first power source to apply a first anode power to an anode in the plasma chamber for a second period of time following the first period of time; causing the second power source to apply a second anode power to the anode for the second period of time, the first anode power and the second anode power providing a combined anode power having a combined voltage and a combined current;
whereinthe combined voltage has a magnitude of at least 80 percent of a magnitude of the summed sputtering voltage; and the first period of time is at least 70 percent of a sputtering cycle, the sputtering cycle comprised of the first period of time and the second period of time. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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15. A method of pulsed direct current sputtering, comprising:
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providing a plasma chamber enclosing a first magnetron coupled to a first target, a second magnetron coupled to a second target, and an anode;
a first power source coupled to the first magnetron and the anode;
a second power source coupled to the second magnetron and the anode; and
a controller configured to control the first power source and the second power source, the controller comprising a non-transitory memory including non-transitory instructions that are at least one of executable by a processor to execute a method and accessible by a field programmable gate array to configure the field programmable gate array to execute the method;
the method comprising;causing the first power source to apply a first sputtering power having a first voltage and a first current to the first magnetron for a first period of time; causing the second power source to apply a second sputtering power having a second voltage and a second current to the second magnetron for the first period of time, the first voltage and the second voltage providing a summed sputtering voltage; causing the first power source to apply a first anode power to the anode for a second period of time following the first period of time; causing the second power source to apply a second anode power to the anode for the second period of time, the first anode power and the second anode power providing a combined anode power having a combined voltage and a combined current;
whereinthe combined voltage has a magnitude of at least 80 percent of a magnitude of the summed sputtering voltage; and the first period of time is at least 70 percent of a sputtering cycle, the sputtering cycle comprised of the first period of time and the second period of time. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification