Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems – Discharge device load with fluent material supply to the... – Plasma generating
Patent
1999-06-28
2000-12-12
Shingleton, Michael B
Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems
Discharge device load with fluent material supply to the...
Plasma generating
31511181, 118723MP, 118723CB, H01J 724, H05B 3126
Patent
active
061603503
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an ion plating apparatus equipped with a plurality of plasma guns.
PRIOR ART
It has been known that an ion plating apparatus using a pressure-gradient type plasma gun can form a high-quality film on a substrate. However, the thickness of the film formed on the substrate is nonuniform because of distortion of a plasma beam generated by the plasma gun. In view of the above, the present inventors have proposed an ion plating apparatus comprising an annular permanent magnet provided around a hearth serving as an anode so that the distortion of the plasma beam is suppressed.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, description will be made about this ion plating apparatus. A pressure-gradient type plasma gun 101 comprises a cathode 102, a first intermediate electrode 103, and a second intermediate electrode 104. The first intermediate electrode 103 includes an annular permanent magnet while the second intermediate electrode 104 includes an electromagnetic coil. A steering coil 105 is provided around the plasma gun 101. A substrate 107 to be processed is placed in an upper part inside a vacuum chamber 106. A hearth 108 serving as an anode is provided in a lower part inside the vacuum chamber 106. An annular permanent magnet 109 is provided around the hearth 108.
Further referring to FIG. 3, description will be made about magnetic poles of the plasma gun 101, the steering coil 105, and the annular permanent magnet 109. Herein, with respect to the electromagnetic coil in the second intermediate electrode 104, an outgoing side of magnetic flux from the center of the coil is referred to as an N pole.
The first intermediate electrode 103 has an "S pole" at the side faced to the second intermediate electrode 104. Each of the second intermediate electrode 104 and the steering coil 105 has an "S pole" at the side faced to the first intermediate electrode 103. The permanent magnet 109 has an "S pole" at its upper side. This type is called an S type.
On the other hand, another type in which the first intermediate electrode 103, the second intermediate electrode 104, the steering coil 105, and the permanent magnet 109 have magnetic poles completely reverse to those in the above-mentioned S type is referred to as an N type.
When a plasma beam is generated from the plasma gun 101 in the above-mentioned ion plating apparatus, the plasma beam is less distorted as compared with a conventional ion plating apparatus which is not provided with the annular permanent magnet 109. However, in case of the S type, the plasma beam is biased leftwards in the figure from the center of the plasma gun 101, as shown in FIG. 2. On the other hand, in case of the N type, the plasma beam is biased rightwards. This results from a phenomenon, peculiar to the plasma, that distortion occurs in the plasma beam when an electric current flows through the plasma beam within a magnetic field.
Besides the above-mentioned ion plating apparatus, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (JP-A) No. 63-47362 discloses an ion plating apparatus comprising a plurality of plasma guns arranged in parallel in a single vacuum chamber. However, in case of this ion plating apparatus, magnetic fluxes of the plasma guns and steering coils interfere with one another. As a result, the distortion of the plasma beam becomes large in comparison with the ion plating apparatus provided with a single plasma gun.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an ion plating apparatus capable of suppressing distortion of a plurality of plasma beams when a plurality of plasma guns are provided in parallel.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
An ion plating apparatus according to the present invention comprises a vacuum chamber provided with a plurality of plasma guns having magnet means, a steering coil provided in each of the plasma guns, and a plurality of hearths arranged in the vacuum chamber in correspondence to the plasma guns. An annular permanent magnet is arranged around each of the above-mentioned hearths. Orientations of magne
REFERENCES:
patent: 4980610 (1990-12-01), Varga
Sakemi Toshiyuki
Tanaka Masaru
Shingleton Michael B
Sumitomo Heavy Industrie's, Ltd.
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