Apparatus for coating substrates by cathode sputtering

Claim 1

A SUPUTTERING APPARATUS FOR COATING THE SURFACE OF AN OBJECT WITH HIGHLY ACCELERATED ATOMS OF A PRESELECTED MATERIAL COMPRISING: (A) ENCLOSURE MEANS INLCUDING A HOUSING AND BASE PLATE DEFINING THEREWITHIN AN EVACUABLE AIRTIGHT VOLUME; (B) INERT GAS SOURCE MEANS COMMUNICABLY COUPLED TO SAID EVACUABLE VOLUME WITHIN SAID ENCLOSURE MEANS; (C) VACUUM PUMP MEANS COMMUNICABLY COUPLED TO SAID EVACUALE VOLUME WITHIN SAID ENCLOSURE MEANS; (D) ELECTRICAL TERMINAL MEANS INTEGRALLY SECURED TO SAID ENCLOSURE MEANS TO EXTEND INTO SAID EVACUABLE VOLUME IN ELECTRICALLY INSULATED RELATION; (E) SUPPORT MEANS INTEGRALLY SECURED TO THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID PLATE AND EXTENDING UPWARD THEREFROM INTO THE CENTRAL REGION OF SAID EVACUABLE VOLUME, SAID SUPPORT MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO SECURE AND SUSPEND SAID OBJECT TO BE COATED SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE SAID PLATE; (F) FILAMENT MEANS FORMED OF SAID PRESELECTED MATERIAL DISPOSED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SAID OBJECT AT EITHER SIDE THEREOF; (G) GASEOUS DISHCARGE ELECTRODE MEANS INCLUDING AN ALTERNATE PLURALITY OF CATHODE AND ANODE ELECTRODES FORMED OF SAID PRESELECTED MATERIAL DISPOSED IN SPACED ALIGNED RELATION IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SAID FILAMENT MEANS ON EITHER SIDE THEREOF OPPOSITE THE OBJECT TO BE COATED (H) ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD GENERATING MEANS INCLUDING TWO ELECTROMAGNETS DISPOSED IN SPACED-APART ALIGNED RELATION BEHIND SAID GASEOUS DISCHARGE ELECTRODE MEANS ON EITHER SIDE THEREOF OPPOSITE SAID OBJECT TO BE COATED; (I) AND ALTERNATING CURRENT POWER SOURCE MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF OUTPUTS EACH COUPLED VIA RESPECTIVE TERMINAL MEANS IN ELECTRICAL PARALLEL TO SAID FILAMENT MEANS, AND TO SAID GASEOUS DISCHARGE ELECTRODE MEANS, AND IN ELECTRICAL SERIES TO SAID ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD GENERATING MEANS.