A novel metal oxide or a novel sputtering target is provided. A sputtering target includes a conductive material and an insulating material. The insulating material includes an oxide, a nitride, or an oxynitride including an element M1. The element M1 is one or more kinds of elements selected from Al, Ga, Si, Mg, Zr, Be, and B. The conductive material includes an oxide, a nitride, or an oxynitride including indium and zinc. A metal oxide film is deposited using the sputtering target in which the conductive material and the insulating material are separated from each other.

A method of depositing a material on a substrate is provided. The method includes generating a plasma remote from one or more sputter targets suitable for plasma sputtering, wherein at least one distinct region of the one or more targets includes an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, alkali metal containing compound, alkaline earth metal containing compound or a combination thereof; generating sputtered material from the target or targets using the plasma; and depositing the sputtered material on the substrate, the working distance between the target and the substrate being within +/−50% of the theoretical mean free path of the system.

Objects of the present invention consist in achievement of both of elongation of life of a sputtering target as well as uniformity of a thickness of a resulting thin coating layer formed on a substrate during the period. The present invention provides a sputtering target comprising a target material, which is characterized in that the target material has a sputtering surface having a first area placed at the center, which is circular and flat; and a second area placed outside of the first area and concentrically with the first area, which has a ring shape, wherein the first area is positioned at a location lower than that of the second area by 15% of thickness of the second area at most, and the first area has a diameter which is ranging from 60% to 80% of a circumferential diameter of the sputtering surface.

A physical vapor deposition (PVD) system is provided. The PVD system includes a PVD chamber defining a PVD volume within which a target material of a target is deposited onto a wafer. The PVD system includes the target in the PVD chamber. The target is configured to overlie the wafer. An edge of the target extends from a first surface of the target to a second surface of the target, opposite the first surface of the target. A first portion of the edge of the target has a first surface roughness. The first portion of the edge of the target extends at most about 6 millimeters from the first surface of the target to a second portion of the edge of the target. The second portion of the edge of the target has a second surface roughness less than the first surface roughness.

The present invention provides a magnetron system, comprising a baseplate assembly. The baseplate assembly defining a housing portion and a power feedthrough. A sputtering target is disposed within the housing portion of the baseplate assembly. An electromagnetic assembly is disposed within the housing portion of the baseplate assembly. The electromagnetic assembly comprising a plurality of electromagnet pairs and a plurality of magnet pairs, wherein the plurality of electromagnet pairs and the plurality of magnet pairs are arranged in an alternating order such that at least one electromagnet pair of the plurality of electromagnet pairs is juxtapositioned between two magnet pairs of the plurality of magnet pairs, and at least one magnet pair of the plurality of magnet pairs is juxtapositioned between two electromagnet pairs of the plurality of electromagnet pairs.

A method for forming a layer includes following operations. A workpiece is received in an apparatus for deposition. The apparatus for deposition includes a chamber, a pedestal disposed in the chamber to accommodate the workpiece, and a ring disposed on the pedestal. The ring includes a ring body having a first top surface and a second top surface and a barrier structure disposed between the first top surface and the second top surface. A vertical distance is defined by a top surface of the barrier structure and a top surface of the workpiece. The vertical distance is between approximately 0 mm and approximately 50 mm. A target disposed in the apparatus for deposition is sputtered. A sputtered material is deposited onto a top surface of the workpiece to form a layer. The barrier structure alters an electrical density distribution during the depositing the sputter material.

An apparatus of fabricating a semiconductor device may include a chamber including a housing and a slit valve used to open or close a portion of the housing, a heater chuck provided in a lower region of the housing and used to heat a substrate, a target provided over the heater chuck, a plasma electrode provided in an upper region of the housing and used to generate plasma on the target, a heat-dissipation shield surrounding the inner wall of the housing between the plasma electrode and the heater chuck, and an edge heating structure provided between the heat-dissipation shield and the inner wall of the housing and configured to heat the heat-dissipation shield and an edge region of the substrate and to reduce a difference in temperature between center and edge regions of the substrate.

The invention provides a sputter deposition assembly that includes a sputtering chamber, a sputtering target, and a magnet assembly. The magnet assembly includes a two-part magnetic backing plate that includes first and second plate segments, of which at least one is laterally adjustable. Also provided are methods of operating the sputter deposition assembly.

A an apparatus includes a processing chamber configured to house a workpiece, a target holder in the processing chamber, a first magnetic element positioned over a backside of the target holder, a first arm assembly connected to the first magnetic element, a rotational shaft, and a first hinge mechanism connecting the rotational shaft and the first arm assembly.

A sputtering apparatus includes a substrate holder, a first counterpart target area, a second counterpart target area, and a power supply. The first counterpart target area includes a first target and at least one first magnetic part and operates to form a magnetic field in a first plasma area adjacent to the first target. The second counterpart target area includes a second target and at least one second magnetic part and operates to form a magnetic field in a second plasma area adjacent to the second target. The power supply supplies a first power voltage to the first and second targets. A control anode faces the substrate holder in a second direction, with the first and second plasma areas therebetween, and receives a control voltage greater than the first power voltage.