System for depositing thin films

Claim 1

A system for depositing a thin layer of material on an oBject comprising: source means including a vapor chamber having an outlet and means for providing a selected material in vapor form at said outlet; ionization means for receiving said material in vapor form from said outlet of said vapor chamber and ionizing said material; mass filter means having a flow path therethrough for passing ionized molcules having a selected mass-to-charge ratio unimpeded along said flow path and removing other ionized molecules from said flow path; two pairs of spaced, parallel rods wherein a plane symetrically intercepting the longitudinal axis of said rods of a first pair of said rods intersects at a line a plane symetrically interconnecting the rods of the other said pair of rods and said line generally defines said flow path of said mass filter means; flow control means comprising a source of selectable amplitude voltage of combined direct and radio frequency current, one polarity of said voltage being connected to said first pair of rods and the other polarity of said voltage being connected to said second pair of rods; whereby a selected amplitude of said voltage is applied to said rods enabling ionized molecules having a selected mass-tocharge ratio to proceed along said flow path and to completely transit said mass filter means and enabling the removal of other molecules from said flow path; flow control means for receiving ionized molecules from said ionization means and directing them along said flow path of said mass filter; a deposition chamber adapted to contain an object upon which a selected material is to be deposited; and flow directional means responsive to the output flow of ionized molecules passed by said mass filter for directing ionized molecules along selected paths into said deposition chamber and onto selected areas of said object; whereby precisely selected molecules of a material may be deposited on precisely selected areas of a said object.

Claim 2

A system for depositing a thin layer of material on an oBject comprising: source means including a vapor chamber having an outlet and means for providing a selected material in vapor form at said outlet; ionization means for receiving said material in vapor form from said outlet of said vapor chamber and ionizing said material; mass filter means having a flow path therethrough for passing ionized molcules having a selected mass-to-charge ratio unimpeded along said flow path and removing other ionized molecules from said flow path; two pairs of spaced, parallel rods wherein a plane symetrically intercepting the longitudinal axis of said rods of a first pair of said rods intersects at a line a plane symetrically interconnecting the rods of the other said pair of rods and said line generally defines said flow path of said mass filter means; flow control means comprising a source of selectable amplitude voltage of combined direct and radio frequency current, one polarity of said voltage being connected to said first pair of rods and the other polarity of said voltage being connected to said second pair of rods; whereby a selected amplitude of said voltage is applied to said rods enabling ionized molecules having a selected mass-tocharge ratio to proceed along said flow path and to completely transit said mass filter means and enabling the removal of other molecules from said flow path; flow control means for receiving ionized molecules from said ionization means and directing them along said flow path of said mass filter; a deposition chamber adapted to contain an object upon which a selected material is to be deposited; and flow directional means responsive to the output flow of ionized molecules passed by said mass filter for directing ionized molecules along selected paths into said deposition chamber and onto selected areas of said object; whereby precisely selected molecules of a material may be deposited on precisely selected areas of a said object.