Hot tile sputtering system
First Claim
1. A sputtering assembly for sputtering a coating onto a glass substrate in a vacuum deposition chamber, said sputtering assembly comprising:
- a backing plate;
a separating element disposed at said backing plate;
at least one target element disposed at a surface of said separating element, wherein said at least one target element contacts said separating element and wherein said at least one target element is not bonded to said separating element;
wherein, during a sputtering process that sputters a coating onto a glass substrate, said at least one target element is disposed at an upper surface of said separating element and is vertically held in place by gravity;
wherein at least one expansion gap is provided at or adjacent to said at least one target element to allow for thermal expansion of said at least one target element relative to said separating element during the sputtering process; and
wherein said at least one target element is capable of movement relative to said separating element and along said upper surface of said separating element during the sputtering process.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for sputtering a coating onto a glass substrate in a vacuum deposition chamber includes providing a backing plate with a separating element disposed at the backing plate. At least one target element or tile is disposed on a surface of the separating element, wherein an expansion gap is provided to allow for expansion of the target relative to the separating element during the sputtering process. The method includes sputtering material from the target and heating the target to a substantially elevated temperature during the sputtering process. The separating element may be a sheet having a low-coefficient of friction surface, and the target may be disposed on the low-coefficient of friction surface of the separating element. The separating element may thermally insulate the target from the backing plate, whereby the target may be heated to a substantially greater temperature than the backing plate during the sputtering process.
52 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A sputtering assembly for sputtering a coating onto a glass substrate in a vacuum deposition chamber, said sputtering assembly comprising:
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a backing plate; a separating element disposed at said backing plate; at least one target element disposed at a surface of said separating element, wherein said at least one target element contacts said separating element and wherein said at least one target element is not bonded to said separating element; wherein, during a sputtering process that sputters a coating onto a glass substrate, said at least one target element is disposed at an upper surface of said separating element and is vertically held in place by gravity; wherein at least one expansion gap is provided at or adjacent to said at least one target element to allow for thermal expansion of said at least one target element relative to said separating element during the sputtering process; and wherein said at least one target element is capable of movement relative to said separating element and along said upper surface of said separating element during the sputtering process. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification