Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
76 words
A magnetron sputter apparatus comprising: a vacuum chamber; a first magnetron structure including an anode; a cathode having a front surface in said vacuum chamber and a back surface; magnetic means positioned behind said back surface for generating a magnetic field defining a closed loop erosion path on said front surface; and means for rotating said magnetic means about an axis normal to said surface, said axis passing through said erosion path at a point P.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
30 words
A magnetron apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said front surface is flat so that rotation of said magnetic means sweeps out a circular erosion region on said front surface.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
49 words
A magnetron apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said magnetic means comprises a first pole piece and a second pole piece, said first pole piece having opposite magnetic polarity from said second pole piece, said axis of rotation passing between said first pole piece and said second pole piece.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
48 words
A magnetron apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said magnetic means is configured so that said erosion path contains a circular region of radius R₁ centered at P and the average magnetic strength of said field at radius R, denoted by M (R), is substantially constant for R≦R₁.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
A magnetron apparatus as in claim 4 wherein the parallel component of said magnetic field is substantially constant in said circular region.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
52 words
A magnetron apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said magnetic means is configured so that there are numbers R₁ and R₂ greater than zero such that the average magnetic strength of said field at radius R has a substantially constant value for R₁≦R≦R₂ where R is the distance from said point P.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
45 words
A magnetron apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said magnetic means is configured so that there are numbers R₁ and R₂ greater than zero such that the average magnetic strength of said field at radius R, denoted by M (R), is not constant and varies
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
57 words
A magnetron apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said magnetic means is configured so that said point P passes through the boundary of said path and there is a number R₁ such that the average magnetic strength of said field at radius R has substantially constant value for 0≦R≦R₁ were R is the distance from said point.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
A magnetron apparatus as in claim 8 wherein a boundary of said path has a v-shaped configuration in a neighborhood of P.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
53 words
A magnetron apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said magnetic means is configured so that there are numbers R₁ and R₂ greater than zero such that the product of the average magnetic strength M (R) of said field at radius R and ΣL(Arc(R))/R varies as the erosion profile E(R) with R for R₁≦R≦R₂.