An electrically and magnetically enhanced ionized physical vapor deposition (I-PVD) magnetron apparatus and method is provided for sputtering material from a cathode target on a substrate, and in particular, for sputtering ceramic and diamond-like coatings. The electrically and magnetically enhanced magnetron sputtering source has unbalanced magnetic fields that couple the cathode target and additional electrode together. The additional electrode is electrically isolated from ground and connected to a power supply that can generate positive, negative, or bipolar high frequency voltages, and is preferably a radio frequency (RF) power supply. RF discharge near the additional electrode increases plasma density and a degree of ionization of sputtered material atoms.

Apparatus and methods for improving film uniformity in a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process are provided herein. In some embodiments, a PVD chamber includes a pedestal disposed within a processing region of the PVD chamber, the pedestal having an upper surface configured to support a substrate thereon, a first motor coupled to the pedestal, a lid assembly comprising a first target, a first magnetron disposed over a portion of the first target, and in a region of the lid assembly that is maintained at atmospheric pressure, a first actuator configured to translate the first magnetron in a first direction, a second actuator configured to translate the first magnetron in a second direction, and a system controller that is configured to cause the first magnetron to translate along at least a portion of a first path by causing the first actuator and second actuator to simultaneously translate the first magnetron.

A deposition system is provided capable of extending the chamber running time by preventing the target and other components from deformation due to thermal stress from the sputtering process by maintaining the temperature within the predetermined temperature range. The deposition system includes a substrate process chamber, a target within the substrate process chamber, and a plurality of grooves formed on the target in a circular formation. The plurality of grooves includes a first groove on a center portion of the target and a second groove on a periphery portion of the target.

A deposition apparatus includes a process chamber, a wafer support in the process chamber, a backplane structure having a first surface in the process chamber facing the wafer support, a target having a second surface facing the first surface and a third surface facing the wafer support, and an adhesion structure in physical contact with the backplane structure and the target. The adhesion structure has an adhesion material layer, and a spacer embedded in the adhesion material layer.

A sputtering target according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a plate-shaped target body formed of a metal material. The target body includes a target portion and a base portion. The target portion has a sputtering surface. The base portion has a cooling surface and includes a gradient strength layer, the cooling surface being positioned on a side opposite to the sputtering surface and having hardness higher than that of the sputtering surface, the gradient strength layer having tensile strength that gradually decreases from the cooling surface toward the target portion.

Provided is an optical film (composite tungsten oxide film containing cesium, tungsten, and oxygen), a sputtering target, and a method of producing an optical film by which film formation conditions can be easily obtained. An optical film of the present invention has transmissivity in a visible wavelength band, has absorbance in a near-infrared wavelength band, and has radio wave transparency, characterized in that the optical film comprises cesium, tungsten, and oxygen, and a refractive index n and an extinction coefficient k of the optical film at each of wavelengths [300 nm, 350 nm, 400 nm, 450 nm, . . . , 1700 nm] specified at 50 nm intervals in a wavelength region from 300 nm to 1700 nm are set respectively within specified numerical ranges.

A ruthenium-based sputtering target having a cast structure, in which a sputter surface of the sputtering target includes at least two or more types of regions, and crystal surfaces in the regions are different from each other, each of the crystal surfaces being specified by a main peak of X-ray diffraction.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a Ru-based sputtering target having no void, having high purity and a low degree of structural anisotropy, and capable of forming a Ru-based film having low particle properties, high film thickness uniformity, and high surface uniformity, and a method for manufacturing the same. According to the present disclosure, there is provided a ruthenium-based sputtering target having a cast structure, in which a sputter surface of the sputtering target includes at least two or more types of regions, and crystal surfaces in the regions are different from each other, each of the crystal surfaces being specified by a main peak of X-ray diffraction.

Conventional electrochromic devices frequently suffer from poor reliability and poor performance. Improvements are made using entirely solid and inorganic materials. Electrochromic devices are fabricated by forming an ion conducting electronically-insulating interfacial region that serves as an IC layer. In some methods, the interfacial region is formed after formation of an electrochromic and a counter electrode layer. The interfacial region contains an ion conducting electronically-insulating material along with components of the electrochromic and/or the counter electrode layer. Materials and microstructure of the electrochromic devices provide improvements in performance and reliability over conventional devices. In various embodiments, a counter electrode is fabricated to include a base anodically coloring material and one or more additives.

A cylindrical sputtering target includes a plurality of cylindrical sintered compacts adjacent to each other while having a space therebetween. The plurality of cylindrical sintered compacts have a relative density of 99.7% or higher and 99.9% or lower. The plurality of cylindrical sintered compacts adjacent to each other have a difference therebetween in the relative density of 0.1% or smaller.

A rotary sputter magnetron assembly for use in sputtering target material onto a substrate is provided. The assembly comprises a longitudinally extending target tube having a longitudinal central axis, said target tube extending about a magnet array that is configured to generate a plasma confining magnetic field adjacent the target tube, said target tube supported for rotation about its longitudinal central axis and a pair of side shunts positioned parallel to the longitudinal central axis, and on opposing lengthwise sides of said target tube.