A sputtering system and a sputtering method are provided. The sputtering system includes a first electrode, a magnet and a second electrode. The first electrode is an elongated tube having a first end and a second end downstream of the first end. The first end is configured to receive a gas flow and the second end is placed next to a substrate. The magnet surrounds at least a portion of the elongated tube and is configured to generate a magnetic field in a space within the elongated tube. The second electrode is disposed within the elongated tube. A voltage is configured to be applied between the first and second electrodes to generate an electric field between the first and second electrodes.

A rotary sputtering cathode assembly is provided that comprises a rotatable target cylinder having a first end and an opposing second end. A first power transfer apparatus is configured to carry radio frequency power to the first end of the target cylinder, and a second power transfer apparatus is configured to carry radio frequency power to the second end of the target cylinder. Radio frequency power signals are simultaneously delivered to both of the first and second ends of the target cylinder during a sputtering operation.

Provided is a cylindrical sputtering target material formed of copper or a copper alloy, in which an average value of the special grain boundary length ratios Lσ.sub.N/L.sub.N which are measured with respect to the outer peripheral surfaces of both end portions and the outer peripheral surface of the center portion in an axis O direction is set to be equal to or greater than 0.5, and each measured value is in a range of ±20% with respect to the average value of the special grain boundary length ratios Lσ.sub.N/L.sub.N, and the total amount of Si and C which are impurity elements is equal to or smaller than 10 mass ppm and the amount of O is equal to or smaller than 50 mass ppm.

A sputtering chamber includes at least two sputtering targets, one of the at least two targets disposed on a first side a substrate conveyor extending within the chamber, and another of the at least two targets disposed on a second side of the conveyor. The at least two targets may be independently operable, and at least one of the targets, if inactivated, may be protected by a shielding apparatus. Both of the at least two targets may be mounted to a first wall of a plurality of walls enclosing the sputtering chamber.

This invention relates to the in-vacuum rotational device on a cylindrical magnetron sputtering source where the target or target elements of the target construction of such device are enabled to rotate without the need of a vacuum to atmosphere or vacuum to coolant dynamic seal. This invention relates to the use of the device in vacuum plasma technology where a plasma discharge, or any other appropriate source of energy such as arcs, laser, which can be applied to the target or in its vicinity would produce suitable coating deposition or plasma treatment on components of different nature. This invention also relates but not exclusively to the use of the device in sputtering, magnetron sputtering, arc, plasma polymerization, laser ablation and plasma etching. This invention also relates to the use of such devices and control during non-reactive and reactive processes, with or without feedback plasma process control. This invention also relates to the arrangement of these devices as a singularity or a plurality of units. This invention also relates to the target construction which can be used in such device. This invention also relates to the use of these devices in different power modes such as DC, DC pulsed, RF, AC, AC dual, HIPIMS, or any other powering mode in order to generate a plasma, such as sputtering plasma, plasma arc, electron beam evaporation, plasma polymerization plasma, plasma treatment or any other plasma generated for the purpose of a process, for example, and not exclusively, as deposition process or surface treatment process, etc.

Methods and systems for depositing a thin film are disclosed. The methods and systems can be used to deposit a film having a uniform thickness on a substrate surface that has a non-planar three-dimensional geometry, such as a curved surface. The methods involve the use of a deposition source that has a shape in accordance with the non-planar three-dimensional geometry of the substrate surface. In some embodiments, multiple layers of films are deposited onto each other forming multi-layered coatings. In some embodiments, the multi-layered coatings are antireflective (AR) coatings for windows or lenses.

In one embodiment, a magnetron assembly comprises a plurality of magnets and a yoke configured to hold the plurality of magnets in at least four independent linear arrays. The plurality of magnets is arranged in the yoke so as to form a pattern comprising an outer portion and an inner portion. The outer portion substantially surrounds the perimeter of the inner portion. The magnets used to form the outer portion have a first polarity and the magnets used to form the inner portion having a second polarity. The outer portion of the pattern comprises a pair of elongated sections that are substantially parallel to one another. The outer portion of the pattern comprises a pair of turnaround sections, wherein each turnaround section substantially spans respective ends of the pair of elongated sections and wherein each turnaround section comprises a plurality of magnets having the first polarity. Other embodiments are described.

An endblock for a rotatable sputtering target, such as a rotatable magnetron sputtering target, is provided. A sputtering apparatus, including one or more such endblock(s), includes locating the electrical contact(s) (e.g., brush(es)) between the collector and rotor in the endblock(s) in an area under vacuum (as opposed to in an area at atmospheric pressure).

One embodiment is directed to a magnetron assembly comprising a plurality of magnets, and a yoke configured to hold the plurality of magnets in at least four straight, parallel, independent linear arrays. The plurality of magnets is arranged in the yoke so as to form a pattern comprising an outer portion and an inner portion, wherein the outer portion substantially surrounds the perimeter of the inner portion. The end portions of the linear array comprise a pair of turnaround sections, wherein each turnaround section substantially spans respective ends of the pair of elongated sections of the outer portion. The magnets in each turnaround section are arranged to form at least two or more different curves in the magnetic field that are offset from each along the target rotation axis.

An Inverted Cylindrical Magnetron (ICM) System and Methods of Use is disclosed herein generally comprising a co-axial central anode concentrically located within a first annular end anode and a second annular end anode; a process chamber including a top end and a bottom end in which the first annular end anode and the second annular end anode are coaxially disposed, whereby the first annular end anode, the second annular end anode, and the central anode form a 3-anode configuration to provide electric field uniformity, and the process chamber including a central annular space coupled to a tube insulator disposed about the central annular space wall; a cathode concentrically coupled to the tube insulator and a target; and a plurality of multi-zone electromagnets or hybrid electro-permanent magnets surrounding the exterior of the process chamber providing a tunable magnetic field.