A sputtering apparatus includes a placement portion where a target having a first opening is placed, an anode, and a metal member. The anode and the metal member are disposed at positions corresponding to the first opening of the target in the placement portion. The anode and the metal member are electrically insulated from each other. The metal member is set to a ground potential or a floating potential.

A film forming apparatus includes: a processing container; a substrate holder that holds the substrate in the processing container; and a target assembly disposed in an upper side of the substrate holder. The target assembly includes: a target made of metal, including a main body and a flange provided around the main body, and emitting sputter particles from the main body; a target holder including a target electrode configured to supply power to the target, and holding the target; a target clamp that clamps the flange of the target to the target holder; and an anti-deposition shield provided around the main body of the target to cover the flange, the target clamp, and the target holder, and having a labyrinth structure in which an inner tip end thereof is disposed to enter a recess between the main body of the target and the target clamp.

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.

The present disclosure provides a shielding mechanism and a thin-film-deposition equipment using the same, wherein the shielding mechanism includes two shield members and a driver. The driver includes a motor and a shaft seal. The motor interconnects the two shield members via the shaft seal, and such that to drive the two shield members to sway in opposite directions and to switch between an open state and a shielding state. Furthermore, each of the two shield members is formed with at least one cavity, for reducing weights thereof and loading of the motor and the driver.

A physical vapor deposition processing chamber is described. The processing chamber includes a target backing plate in a top portion of the processing chamber, a substrate support in a bottom portion of the processing chamber, a deposition ring positioned at an outer periphery of the substrate support and a shield. The substrate support has a support surface spaced a distance from the target backing plate to form a process cavity. The shield forms an outer bound of the process cavity. In-chamber cleaning methods are also described. In an embodiment, the method includes closing a bottom gas flow path of a processing chamber to a process cavity, flowing an inert gas from the bottom gas flow path, flowing a reactant into the process cavity through an opening in the shield, and evacuating the reaction gas from the process cavity.

The present disclosure provides a thin-film-deposition equipment with shielding device, which includes a reaction chamber, a carrier and a shielding device. The shielding device includes a first-carry arm, a second-carry arm, a first-shield member, a second-shield member and a driver. The driver interconnects the first-carry arm and the second first-carry arm, for driving and swinging the first-shield member and the second-shield member to move in opposite directions via the first-carry arm and the second first-carry arm. During a cleaning process, the driver swings the shield members toward each other into a shielding state for covering the carrier, such that to prevent polluting the carrier during the process of cleaning the thin-film-deposition equipment.

The present disclosure provides a position-detectable shielding device, which includes a first-shield member, a second-shield member, a driver and two position sensors. The driver includes a motor, an outer tube and a main shaft within the outer tube. The motor is connected to the first-shield member and the second-shield member, respectively via the outer tube and the main shaft. Such that, the motor drives and swings the two shield members between a shielding state and an open state. The two position sensors are respectively disposed for detecting that the outer tube has rotated to a first position where the first-shield member is in the open state, and for detecting that the outer tube has rotated to a second position where the first-shield member is in the shielding state, thereby to confirm that the two shield members are exactly at the preset shielding state or the open state.

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate using improved shield configurations are provided herein. For example, a process kit for use in a physical vapor deposition chamber comprises a shield comprising an inner wall comprising an upper portion having a first wavy fin configuration and a bottom portion having a second wavy fin configuration different from the first wavy fin configuration such that a surface area of the shield is about 1400 in.sup.2 to about 1410 in.sup.2.

The present disclosure provides a sputtering reaction chamber and a process assembly of the sputtering reaction chamber. The process assembly includes a shield, and the shield includes an integrally formed body member and a cover ring member, wherein the body member may be in a ring shape. The cover ring member may extend from a bottom of the body member to an inner side of the body member and may be configured to press an edge of a to-be-processed workpiece when a process is performed. A cooling channel may be arranged in the cover ring member and the body member and may be configured to cool the cover ring member and the body member by transferring coolant. The process assembly of the sputtering reaction chamber and the sputtering reaction chamber provided by the present disclosure can reduce heat radiation of the process assembly to the to-be-processed workpiece and released gases and impurities to effectively reduce a whisker defect and improve a product yield.

An article comprises a body having a protective coating. The protective coating is a thin film that comprises a metal oxy-fluoride. The metal oxy-fluoride has an empirical formula of M.sub.xO.sub.yF.sub.z, where M is a metal, y has a value of 0.1 to 1.9 times a value of x and z has a value of 0.1 to 3.9 times the value of x. The protective coating has a thickness of 1 to 30 microns and a porosity of less than 0.1%.