An apparatus for processing or curing a substrate, the apparatus comprising: a support (102) arranged to transport a moving flexible substrate (104), a plasma generator (110) arranged to generate plasma (112), a magnet array (114) arranged to spatially define the plasma, wherein the magnet array comprises: a first elongate magnet (404) having a first polarity; a second elongate magnet (406), substantially parallel to the first elongate magnet, having a second polarity, opposite to the first polarity, such that the first and second elongate magnets define a first straight magnetic flux portion (204); a third elongate magnet (408), substantially parallel to the first elongate magnet, having the first polarity, such that the second and third elongate magnets define a second straight magnetic flux portion, connected to the first straight magnetic flux portion by a first curved magnetic flux portion (206); a fourth elongate magnet (410), substantially parallel to the first elongate magnet, having the second polarity, such that the third and fourth elongate magnets define a third straight magnetic flux portion, connected to the second straight magnetic flux portion by a second curved magnetic flux portion.

A double-sided vacuum coating device for continuously coating a film back and forth is provided, including a vacuum chamber provided with an upper winding and unwinding mechanism, an upper delivery mechanism, a lower delivery mechanism and a lower winding and unwinding mechanism therein, wherein the vacuum coating device is configured that a film to be coated can start from the upper winding and unwinding mechanism and pass through the upper delivery mechanism and the lower delivery mechanism to the lower winding and unwinding mechanism, or start from the lower winding and unwinding mechanism and pass through the lower delivery mechanism and the upper delivery mechanism to the upper winding and unwinding mechanism, and wherein each of the upper delivery mechanism and the lower delivery mechanism is provided with a coating assembly at a position corresponding to the film.

An anti-reflection composite layer including a substrate, a plurality of first optical layers and a plurality of second optical layers is provided. The first optical layers and the second optical layers are alternately formed on the carrier surface of the substrate by a PVD coating process, and the refractive index of the materials forming the first optical layers is higher than that of the materials forming the second optical layers. A manufacturing method thereof is also provided.

A method is for depositing a dielectric material on to a substrate in a chamber by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering with a pulsed DC magnetron device which produces one or more primary magnetic fields. In the method, a sputtering material is sputtered from a target, wherein the target and the substrate are separated by a gap in the range 2.5 to 10 cm and a secondary magnetic field is produced within the chamber which causes a plasma produced by the pulsed DC magnetron device to expand towards one or more walls of the chamber.

An apparatus for transportation of a substrate carrier in a vacuum chamber is provided. The apparatus includes a first track providing a first transportation path for the substrate carrier, and a transfer device configured for contactlessly moving the substrate carrier from a first position on the first track to one or more second positions away from the first track. The one or more second positions include at least one of a position on a second track and a process position for processing of a substrate. The transfer device includes at least one first magnet device configured to provide a magnetic force acting on the substrate carrier to contactlessly move the substrate carrier from the first position to the one or more second positions.

The present disclosure provides a magnetic thin film deposition chamber and a thin film deposition apparatus. The magnetic thin film deposition chamber includes a main chamber and a bias magnetic field device. A base pedestal is disposed in the main chamber for carrying a to-be-processed workpiece. The bias magnetic field device is configured for forming a horizontal magnetic field above the base pedestal, and the horizontal magnetic field is used to provide an in-plane anisotropy to a magnetized film layer deposited on the to-be-processed workpiece. The thin film deposition chamber provided in present disclosure is capable of forming a horizontal magnetic field above the base pedestal that is sufficient to induce an in-plane anisotropy to the magnetic thin film.

A PVD method includes tilting a first magnetic element over a back side of a target. The first magnetic element is moved about an axis that extends through the target. Then, charged ions are attracted to bombard the target, such that particles are ejected from the target and are deposited over a surface of a wafer. By tilting the magnetic element relative to the target, the distribution of the magnetic fields can be more random and uniform.

A magnet assembly is disclosed for steering ions used in the formation of a material layer upon a substrate during a pulsed DC physical vapour deposition process. Apparatus and methods are also disclosed incorporating the assembly for controlling thickness variation in a material layer formed via pulsed DC physical vapour deposition. The magnet assembly comprises a magnetic field generating arrangement for generating a magnetic field proximate the substrate and means for rotating the ion steering magnetic field generating arrangement about an axis of rotation, relative to the substrate. The magnetic field generating arrangement comprises a plurality of magnets configured to an array which extends around the axis of rotation, wherein the array of magnets are configured to generate a varying magnetic field strength along a radial direction relative to the axis of rotation.

Methods and apparatus for producing a uniform deposition layer for a selective plasma vapor deposition (PVD) chamber. Flux generated by a cylindrical target is adjusted using a magnetron assembly that controls the amount of flux that passes through a slit in the selective PVD chamber. In some embodiments, a magnetron assembly disposed within the cylindrical has a magnetic field strength that varies along a length of the magnetron assembly. The magnetron assembly disposed within the cylindrical target may have a center height greater than either end such that flux generated during processing for a center region of the cylindrical target is directed away from the opening. In some embodiments, a magnetron assembly disposed within the cylindrical target is rotatable such that flux generated during processing for a center region of the cylindrical target is directed away from the opening or towards the opening.

A process for producing a radiation resistant nanocrystalline material having a polycrystalline microstructure from a starting material selected from metals and metal alloys. The process including depositing the starting material by physical vapor deposition onto a substrate that is maintained at a substrate temperature from about room temperature to about 850 C. to produce the nanocrystalline material. The process may also include heating the nanocrystalline material to a temperature of from about 450 C. to about 800 C. at a rate of temperature increase of from about 2 C./minute to about 30 C./minute; and maintaining the nanocrystalline material at the temperature of from about 450 C. to about 800 C. for a period from about 5 minutes to about 35 minutes. The nanocrystalline materials produced by the above process are also described. The nanocrystalline materials produced by the process are resistant to radiation damage.