An apparatus for sputtering target material onto a substrate based on a plasma confining racetrack having two parallel straight portions and two turnaround portions includes a tubular target, an elongated magnet array, and a drive mechanism. The tubular target has two ends in proximity to the two turnaround portions and a longitudinal axis about which the target is rotatable. The magnet array is supported within the target to generate a plasma-confining magnetic field. The array includes a central stationary portion of magnets and two axially movable shunts positioned at the ends of the stationary portion. Each shunt carries a magnet segment configured to slidably extend from each end of the stationary portion to define a gap. The gaps are positioned internal to the turnaround portions. The drive mechanism axially moves the shunts parallel to the longitudinal axis of the target to vary a width of the gaps.

The PVD apparatus includes a chamber, a plurality of stages, a first target holder, a power supply mechanism, and a shield. The plurality of stages are provided inside the chamber, and each of the plurality of stages is configured to place at least one substrate on an upper surface thereof. The first target holder is configured to hold at least one target provided for one stage, the target being exposed to a space inside the chamber. The power supply mechanism supplies power to the target via the first target holder. The shield is provided inside the chamber and a part of the shield is disposed between a first stage and a second stage in the plurality of stages, and between a first processing space on the first stage and a second processing space on the second stage.

A cathode unit for performing a sputtering film formation includes: a target that emits sputtering particles; a target cooler that includes a cooling plate to which the target is bonded; and a power supply that supplies a power to the target. The target has a high-temperature region that has a higher temperature than other regions of the target during a film formation. The cooling plate includes a coolant flow space through which a coolant flows, and a first wall and a second wall that define the coolant flow space in a thickness direction. In the coolant flow space, a flow path of the coolant is formed by a first partition plate and a second partition plate. The first partition plate does not exist at a portion of the coolant flow space that corresponds to the high-temperature region.

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 film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a flexible substrate. The film forming apparatus forms a thin film on a flexible substrate under vacuum. The film forming apparatus includes a first zone into which a first gas is introduced and a second zone into which a second gas is introduced in a vacuum chamber. Zone separators have openings through which the flexible substrate passes. The film forming apparatus includes a mechanism that reciprocates the flexible substrate between the zones. Further, the film forming apparatus includes a mechanism that supplies a raw material gas containing metal or silicon to the first zone, and a mechanism that performs sputtering of a material containing metal or silicon as a target material in the second zone.

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.

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.

A sputtering apparatus includes a rotary target extending in a first direction, a gas supply bar disposed on the rotary target, and a substrate holder positioned opposite the gas supply bar with respect to the rotary target. The gas supply bar includes a first flow path extending in the first direction, and a second flow path spaced apart from the first flow path in the first direction and separated from the first flow path.

A film forming system comprises a chamber, a stage, a holder, a cathode magnet, a shield, a first moving mechanism, and a second moving mechanism. The chamber provides a processing space. The stage is provided in the processing space and configured to support a substrate. The holder is configured to hold a target that is provided in the processing space. The cathode magnet is provided outside the chamber with respect to the target. The shield has a slit and is configured to block particles released from the target around the slit. The first moving mechanism is configured to move the shield between the stage and the target along a scanning direction substantially parallel to a surface of the substrate mounted on the stage. The second moving mechanism is configured to move the cathode magnet along the scanning direction.

A method of manufacturing a battery cathode for a solid state battery is provided. The method includes generating a plasma remote from one or more targets suitable for forming cathodes, such as LiCoO.sub.2, exposing the plasma target or targets to the plasma, thereby generating sputtered material from the target or targets, and depositing sputtered material on a first portion of a substrate, thereby forming crystalline material, such as LiCoO.sub.2 on the first portion of the substrate.