Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber and a PVD apparatus. The PVD chamber includes a chamber body. An upper electrode assembly is arranged in the chamber body. The upper electrode assembly includes a base plate assembly for carrying a magnetron, a backplate arranged at an interval with the base plate assembly, and a connection assembly that connects the base plate assembly to the backplate. The connection assembly is connected to the base plate assembly. The connection assembly is threadedly connected to the backplate, so that the interval between the base plate assembly and the backplate can be adjusted by moving the connection assembly relative to the backplate. The PVD chamber and the PVD apparatus of embodiments of the present disclosure can conveniently adjust a size of a target magnetic gap between the base plate assembly and the target according to requirements or actual conditions.

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. For example, a method for processing a substrate comprises applying a DC target voltage to a target disposed within a processing volume of a plasma processing chamber, rotating a magnet disposed above the target at a default speed to direct sputter material from the target toward a substrate support disposed within the processing volume, measuring in-situ DC voltage in the processing volume, the in-situ DC voltage different from the DC target voltage, determining if a measured in-situ DC voltage is greater than a preset value, if the measured in-situ DC voltage is less than or equal to the preset value, maintaining the magnet at the default speed, and if the measured in-situ DC voltage is greater than the preset value, rotating the magnet at a speed less than the default speed to decrease the in-situ DC voltage.

Methods of processing a substrate in a PVD chamber are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of processing a substrate in a PVD chamber, includes: sputtering material from a target disposed in the PVD chamber and onto a substrate, wherein at least some of the material sputtered from the target is guided to the substrate through a magnetic field provided by one or more upper magnets disposed about a processing volume of the PVD chamber above a support pedestal for the substrate in the PVD chamber, one or more first magnets disposed about the support pedestal and providing an increased magnetic field strength at an edge region of the substrate, and one or more second magnets disposed below the support pedestal that increase a magnetic field strength at a central region of the substrate.

Physical vapor deposition target assemblies and methods of manufacturing such target assemblies are disclosed. An exemplary target assembly comprises a flow pattern including a plurality of arcs and bends fluidly connected to an inlet end and an outlet end.

A measuring method is provided. A probe and a first sensor are disposed over a jig including a bar protruding from the jig. The probe is moved until a first surface of the probe is laterally aligned with a second surface of the bar facing the jig. A first distance between the second surface of the bar and the first sensor is obtained by the first sensor. The probe and the first sensor are disposed over a magnetron. Magnetic field intensities at different elevations above the magnetron are measured by the probe. A method for forming a semiconductor structure is also provided.

A magnetic structure in a semiconductor apparatus is arranged outside of a reaction chamber of the semiconductor apparatus and includes an annular support member, a plurality of angle adjustment assemblies, and a plurality of magnetic members. The annular support member is arranged around the reaction chamber of the semiconductor apparatus. The plurality of angle adjustment assemblies are connected to the annular support member and distributed along a circumferential direction of the annular support member. The plurality of magnetic members are connected to the plurality of angle adjustment assemblies in a one-to-one correspondence. An angle adjustment assembly of the angle adjustment assemblies is configured to fix a corresponding magnetic member of the plurality of magnetic members at the annular support member and adjust a magnetic field line direction of the magnetic member and a magnitude of an included angle.

Some embodiments provide a magnetron sputtering apparatus including a vacuum chamber within which a controlled environment may be established, a target comprising one or more sputterable materials, wherein the target includes a racetrack-shaped sputtering zone that extends longitudinally along a longitudinal axis and comprises a straightaway area sandwiched between a first turnaround area and a second turnaround area, a gas distribution system that supplies a first gas mixture to the first turnaround area and/or the second turnaround area and supplies a second gas mixture to the straightaway area, wherein the first gas mixture reduces a sputtering rate relative to the second gas mixture. In some cases, the first gas mixture includes inert gas having a first atomic weight and the second gas mixture includes inert gas having a second atomic weight, wherein the second atomic weight is heavier than the first atomic weight.

An apparatus and method for physical vapor deposition includes a magnetron having a plurality of electromagnets disposed between a base and a magnetic conductive plate. The magnetron includes a plurality of individually controlled electromagnets between a base and an electromagnetic plate. The magnetron controls the polarity and strength of current supplied to the respective electromagnets to generate magnetic fields that confine electrons to areas near a target material within the deposition chamber.

Oxygen controlled PVD AlN buffers for GaN-based optoelectronic and electronic devices is described. Methods of forming a PVD AlN buffer for GaN-based optoelectronic and electronic devices in an oxygen controlled manner are also described. In an example, a method of forming an aluminum nitride (AlN) buffer layer for GaN-based optoelectronic or electronic devices involves reactive sputtering an AlN layer above a substrate, the reactive sputtering involving reacting an aluminum-containing target housed in a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber with a nitrogen-containing gas or a plasma based on a nitrogen-containing gas. The method further involves incorporating oxygen into the AlN layer.

An apparatus for sputter deposition of material on a substrate. The apparatus includes a deposition chamber and a cathode array mounted in the deposition chamber. The array has three or more rotating cathodes. Each cathode has a cylindric target of equal target length L.sub.T and a magnetic system. The cathodes are spaced from one another such that their longitudinal axes Y.sub.Cj are arranged parallel to each other, in a distance T.sub.SD from a substrate plane S, and spaced apart along a projection of a substrate axis X in a distance T.sub.TT, whereat each cathode of the cathode array includes a magnetic system. The magnetic system of at least one cathode is swivel mounted round respective cathode axis Y.sub.Cj to swivel the magnetic system into and out of a swivel plane P.sub.TS. A pedestal is designed to support at least one substrate of maximal dimensions x*y to be coated in a static way. The pedestal is positioned in the deposition chamber in front of and centered with reference to the cathode array. At least one pulsed power supply is configured for supplying and controlling a power to at least one of the cathodes.