This invention relates to a coating comprising at least one AlTiN-based film deposited by means of a PVD process, wherein the at least one AlTiN-based film deposited is comprising an Al-contentin relation to the Ti-contentin atomic percentage higher than 75%, and wherein the AlTiN-based film exhibits solely a crystallographic cubic phase and internal compressive stresses and this invention relates to a method involving deposition of an AlTiN-based film.

Reactive sputtering in which, by ion bombardment, material is ejected from the surface of a target and transitions to the gas phase. Negative voltage pulses are applied to the target to establish electric current having a current density greater than 0.5 A/cm.sup.2 at the target surface, such that the material transitioning to the gas phase is ionized. Reactive gas flow is established and reacts with the material of the target surface. Voltage pulse duration is such that, during the pulse, the target surface where the current flows is at least partly covered most of the time with a compound composed of reactive gas and target material and, consequently, the target surface is in a first intermediate state, and this covering is smaller at the end of the voltage pulse than at the start and, consequently, the target surface is in a second intermediate state at the end of the voltage pulse.

A method for reducing the optical loss of the multilayer coating below a predetermined value in a zone by producing coating on a displaceable substrate in a vacuum chamber with the aid of a residual gas using a sputtering device. Reactive depositing a coating on the substrate by adding a reactive component with a predetermined stoichiometric deficit in a zone of the sputtering device. Displacing the substrate with the deposited coating into the vicinity of a plasma source, which is located in the vacuum chamber at a predetermined distance from the sputtering device. The plasma action of the plasma source modifying the structure and/or stoichiometry of the coating, preferably by adding a predetermined quantity of the reactive component to reduce the optical loss of the coating.

A method is provided for depositing a layer on a substrate inside a vacuum chamber by a magnetron sputtering device comprising at least two magnetron cathodes, each equipped with one target, at least one additional electrode, wherein a separate power supply unit is allocated to each magnetron cathode and wherein, in addition to at least one working gas, at least one reactive gas is introduced into the vacuum chamber. In a first phase, a pulsed negative direct current voltage is conducted from each power supply unit to the corresponding magnetron cathode, wherein the power supply units are operated in the push-pull mode. In a second phase, the pulsed direct current voltages provided by the power supply units are switched between the corresponding magnetron cathode and the additional electrode. An electric voltage is applied to the substrate or an electrode at the back of the substrate.

An apparatus includes a chamber, a reactive gas supply unit, an inert gas supply unit, a power source, a light reception unit, and a control unit configured to control at least one of a flow rate of the reactive gas and a flow rate of inert gas in such a manner that an intensity of the light approaches a target light intensity with use of a predetermined function in which an output of the power source in a compound mode and an output of the power source in a transition mode, and a film formation speed are associated with each other.

A target for sputtering having target material for sputtering includes a lamellar structure and a porosity of at least 1% and having a resistivity lower than 1000 ohm.Math.cm and further includes silicon and at least a further element from the group 13 and/or the group 15 of the periodic table. The amount of silicon is at least 98 wt. %, and the amount of the at least a further element is higher than 0.001 wt. % and lower than 0.03 wt. %. The amount does not include the amount of nitrogen if present. A manufacturing method and a sputtering method are also provided.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for preparing reactively sputtered films. The films are generally thin transition metal oxide (TMO) films having an optimum stoichiometry for any useful device (e.g., a sub-stoichiometric thin film for a memristor device). Described herein are systems, methods, and calibrations processes that employ rapid control of partial pressures to obtain the desired film.

A method for depositing a piezoelectric film may be provided containing AlN on a substrate by means of magnetron sputtering of at least two targetsof which at least one target contains aluminumwithin a vacuum chamber, into which a mixture of gases containing at least reactive nitrogen gas and an inert gas is introduced, and during which magnetron sputtering the unipolar pulse mode and the bipolar pulse mode are alternately used. A film may be provided containing AlN of formula Al.sub.XN.sub.YO.sub.Z, where (0.1X1.2); (0.1Y1.2) and (0.001Z0.1).

A component for a semiconductor processing chamber includes a ceramic body having at least one surface with a first average surface roughness of approximately 8-16 micro-inches. The component further includes a conformal protective layer on at least one surface of the ceramic body, wherein the conformal protective layer is a plasma resistant rare earth oxide film having a substantially uniform thickness of less than 300 m over the at least one surface and having a second average surface roughness of below 10 micro-inches, wherein the second average surface roughness is less than the first average surface roughness.

During reactive sputtering using a silicon-containing target, an inert gas, and a nitrogen-containing reactive gas, a hysteresis curve is drawn by sweeping the flow rate of the reactive gas, and plotting the sputtering voltage or current during the sweep versus the flow rate of the reactive gas. In the step of sputtering in a region corresponding to a range from more than the lower limit of reactive gas flow rate providing the hysteresis to less than the upper limit, the target power, the inert gas flow rate and/or the reactive gas flow rate is increased or decreased continuously or stepwise. The halftone phase shift film including a layer containing transition metal, silicon and nitrogen is improved in in-plane uniformity of optical properties.