Dual face shower head magnetron, plasma generating apparatus and method of coating substrate

• US 6,390,020 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2000
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company (Dow, Inc.), Metroline Surfaces Incorporated
• Original Assignee: The Dow Chemical Company (Dow, Inc.), Metroline Surfaces Incorporated
• Inventors: Dykhouse, Jeffrey R., Hu, Ing-Feng
• Primary Examiner(s): Mills, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hassanzadeh, P.
• Application Number:
  US09/509,722
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 118/723.E, 118/723.ER, 156/345, 204/298.34
• US Class Current: 118/723.00E
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/30 Deposition of compounds, mixtures or solid solutions, e.g. borides, carbides, nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/455 characterised by the method used for introducing gases into reaction chamber or for modifying gas flows in reaction chamber
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/45565 Shower nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/50 using electric discharges generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/509 using internal electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3244 Gas supply means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3266 Magnetic control means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3408 Planar magnetron sputtering

Abstract

An electrode is provided which can improve the efficiency and quality of plasma-generated coatings in a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition coating device. The electrode comprises dual shower head faces containing in the preferred mode a plurality of magnets which are aligned so that the poles of the magnets face in the same direction to thus generate two magnetron faces for each set of magnets.

Claims

1. A dual face shower head magnetron, comprising:

a) a pair of face plates, each plate having a plurality of holes for transporting a gas therethrough, said face places being electrically insulted from each other and forming an interior space therebetween;

b) a means for supporting said face plates in a position essentially parallel to each other to form the interior space, said supporting means being electrically insulated from said face plates;

c) at least one magnet supported in the interior space, said at least one magnet being electrically insulted from said face plates and said means for supporting said face plates;

d) means for introducing gas into the interior space and out through the plurality of holes in said face plates in a manner such that the flow rate of the gas through each hole is substantially the same;

e) means for providing electrical power to at least one of said face plates;

wherein the interior space is essentially gas tight except for the plurality of holes and said means for introducing gas.

2. An electrode according to claim 1, wherein said at least one magnet comprises multiple magnets positioned with like magnetic poles facing in substantially the same direction and positioned at a distance such that each magnet creates its own closed loop ExB drift path.