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US4450062A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Sputtering apparatus and methods

Assignee: Raytheon Co
•
Filing: 1983-08-05
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Granted: 1984-05-22
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Expires: 2003-08-05
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Abstract

Abstract A method of depositing material onto an object in an ionization chamber having a shutter therein which has an object-obscuring portion comprising the step of confining particles of matter deposited on the object-obscuring portion of the shutter to such object-obscuring portion while the object is being deposited with material. The object-obscuring portion of the shutter includes an open ended container, the open end thereof being formed in an upper portion of the shutter. During ionization a glow region is formed in the chamber separated from a source of the material by a dark space region. The upper surface of the shutter is disposed in the dark space region and the bottom of the container is separated from the source sufficiently to enable ionization. Prior to deposition of the material onto the object, the object-obscuring portion of the shutter is positioned between a source of the material and the object and contaminents on the surface of such source are removed therefrom and are collected within the container. After this cleaning process, the object-obscuring portion of the shutter is removed from between the source and the object to allow deposition of the material onto the object. The container confines particles of the matter collected therein during the cleaning process and prevents such particles from falling onto the object during the object deposition process.

Inventors

  • 👤 Alexander Macaulay

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-26 16:02
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/32; H01J37/34; H01J37/3411; H01J37/3447; C; C23; C23C; C23C14/00; C23C14/22; C23C14/56; C23C14/564; H01J2237/00; H01J2237/02; H01J2237/022

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 2
Claim 1
Independent Claim 92 words
Sputtering apparatus, comprising: (a) means, including an ionization chamber, for producing ions in the ionization chamber; (b) means, disposed within the ionization chamber, for supporting a target material; (c) means, disposed within the chamber, for supporting an object to be deposited with particles ejected from the target material by bombardment of such target material with the ions produced within the ionization chamber; and (d) a shield, disposed in the ionization chamber between the target supporting means and the object supporting means, such shield having a lip disposed about the object supporting means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 92 words
Sputtering apparatus, comprising: (a) means, including an ionization chamber, for producing ions in the ionization chamber; (b) means, disposed within the ionization chamber, for supporting a target material; (c) means, disposed within the chamber, for supporting an object to be deposited with particles ejected from the target material by bombardment of such target material with the ions produced within the ionization chamber; and (d) a shield, disposed in the ionization chamber between the target supporting means and the object supporting means, such shield having a lip disposed about the object supporting means.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3652444A Cited
US3933644A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1987-05-22 1987-11-21 1988-05-22 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1991-05-22 1991-11-21 1992-05-22 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1995-05-22 1995-11-21 1996-05-22 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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