A chamber for a physical vapor deposition (PVD) apparatus includes a collimator configured to narrow filter sputtered particles into a beam, an electrostatic chuck configured to support a substrate in the chamber, a shield and a chamber plate. The chamber plate includes a nut plate portion having a plurality of nut plates and a plurality of cavities in the chamber plate that are configured to allow gas to ingress and egress, wherein the cavities and nut plates are provided in equal numbers. The chamber is configured to operate at a target pressure, and the number of nut plates and corresponding number of cavities are determined based on the target pressure.

A sputtering method includes one or more sputtering processes. Each sputtering process includes in a first pre-sputtering phase, sputtering a target material on a baffle plate configured to shield a substrate; in a second pre-sputtering phase, sputtering a target material compound on the baffle plate; and in a main sputtering phase, sputtering the target material compound on the substrate. The first pre-sputtering phase is used to adjust a sputtering voltage for the main sputtering phase.

A coated cutting tool includes a substrate with a coating including a (Ti,Al)N layer having an overall composition (Ti.sub.xAl.sub.1-x)N, 0.34≤x≤0.65. The (Ti,Al)N layer contains columnar (Ti,Al)N grains with an average grain size of from 10 to 100 nm. The (Ti,Al)N layer also includes lattice planes of a cubic crystal structure. The (Ti,Al)N layer shows a pattern in electron diffraction analysis, wherein there is a diffraction signal existing, which is shown as a peak (P) in an averaged radial intensity distribution profile having its maximum within a scattering vector range of from 3.2 to 4.0 nm.sup.−1, the full width half maximum (FWHM) of the peak (P) being from 0.8 to 2.0 nm.sup.−1.

The invention relates to a method and a device to for applying a layer 64 to a body 60, 62, and to a coated body 60. The body 60, 62 is disposed in a vacuum chamber 12 and process gas is supplied. A plasma is generated in the vacuum chamber 12 by operating a cathode 30 by applying a cathode voltage V.sub.P with cathode pulses and by sputtering a target 32. A bias voltage V.sub.B is applied to the body 60, 62 so that charge carriers of the plasma are accelerated into the direction of the body 60, 62 and attached to its surface. In order to achieve favorable properties of the coating 64 in a controlled way, the time course of the bias voltage V.sub.B is varied during the coating duration D. In the coating 64 of the body 60, 62, the material of the layer 64 comprises proportions of a noble gas, the concentration of which in the layer 64 varies over the layer thickness.

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided. For example, a method includes sputtering a material from a target in a PVD chamber to form a material layer on a layer comprising a feature of the substrate, the feature having an opening width defined by a first sidewall and a second sidewall, the material layer having a greater lateral thickness at the top surface of the layer than a thickness on the first sidewall or the second sidewall within the feature, depositing additional material on the layer by biasing the layer with an RF bias at a low power, etching the material layer from the layer by biasing the layer with an RF bias at a high-power, and repeatedly alternating between the low power and the high-power at a predetermined frequency.

Examples disclosed herein relate to an apparatus and method of forming thin film layers on a substrate. A first piezoelectric material layer is deposited on the substrate in a first chamber. The first piezoelectric material layer is formed on the substrate while the substrate is at a first temperature. A second piezoelectric material layer is deposited on the first piezoelectric material layer after cooling the substrate to a second temperature. The second temperature is lower than the first temperature. The first piezoelectric material layer and the second piezoelectric material layer both comprise a first piezoelectric material.

Methods for depositing a dielectric oxide layer atop one or more substrates disposed in or processed through a PVD chamber are provided herein. In some embodiments, such a method includes: sputtering source material from a target assembly onto a first substrate while the source material is at a first erosion state and while providing a first amount of RF power to the target assembly to deposit a dielectric oxide layer onto a first substrate having a desired resistance-area; and subsequently sputtering source material from the target assembly onto a second substrate while the source material is at a second erosion state and while providing a second amount of RF power to the target assembly, wherein the second amount of RF power is lower than the first amount of RF power by a predetermined amount calculated to maintain the desired resistance-area.

A flow rate adjustment valve includes: a flow path portion which has one end at which an opening is formed, and in which a fluid flows; a lifting valve which is configured to close the opening by covering an entire region of the opening, open the opening by being separated from the opening in an opening direction of the opening, and change a distance from the opening in the opening direction to change a flow area with respect to the opening; and a servo actuator as a driver which moves the lifting valve in the opening direction based on a predetermined detection value.

The disclosure relates to a method of determining a velocity profile for the movement of a substrate to be coated relative to a coating source.

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.