Penning type cathode for sputter coating

Claim 2

Apparatus for coating a substrate comprising: (a) a first consumable cathode target having a generally planar, circular material emitting surface oriented generally parallel to and spaced from a coating plane for sputtering material onto a substrate surface substantially coincident with said coating plane; (b) an annular anode that borders an outer periphery of the first consumable cathode target and defines an electric field defining surface inclined toward said substrate plane; (c) a second consumable cathode target having an annular ring shaped material emitting surface inclined at an angle with respect to said coating plane for sputtering material onto the substrate surface at the coating plane; (d) field creating means for creating a magnetic field in a region between the coating plane and the first and second consumable cathode targets to confine ionizing electrons in said region between the coating plane and the first and second cathode targets; (e) support means for positioning said anode and said first and second consumable cathode targets in concentric relation about an axis that intersects both said first consumable cathode target and said coating plane; and (f) energization means for electrically biasing said anode and said first and second consumable cathode targets at individually controllable bias potentials to control material coating distributions on said substrate surface during sputtering of target material from said circular and inclined material emitting surfaces.

Claim 3

The sputter coating apparatus of claim 1 wherein said field creating means comprises an electro magnet for generating a magnetic field wherein magnetic field lines intersect both said first and second consumable cathode targets at generally right angles to trap ionizing electrons above said circular and inclined material emitting surfaces.

Claim 4

The sputter coating apparatus of claim 1 wherein the electric field defining surface of said annular anode is inclined with respect to said generally planar, circular material emitting surface and forms an angle with the circular emitting surface that is less that the angle between the inclined material emitting surface of said second consumable cathode target and said generally planar, circular material emitting surface.

Claim 5

The sputter coating apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first and second consumable targets are constructed from a ferro-magnetic material.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 1 where the electric field defining surface of the anode forms a uniform angle with a substrate coating plane from a point adjacent said first consumable cathode target to a point adjacent the second consumable cathode target.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 1 where the electric field defining surface of the anode is notched to form a first planar portion substantially co-planar with the first consumable cathode target and a second portion angled with respect to a substrate coating plane.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the electric field defining surface of the anode is slightly convex but does not significantly disrupt movement of ionizing electrons in the region between the coating plane and the first and second cathode targets.

Claim 9

Apparatus for coating a substrate comprising: (a) a first consumable cathode target having a generally planar material emitting surface oriented generally parallel to and spaced from a coating plane for sputtering material onto a substrate surface substantially coincident with said coating plane; (b) an anode that borders an outer periphery of the first consumable cathode target and defines an electric field defining surface inclined toward said substrate plane; (c) a second consumable cathode target spaced radially outward from the anode having an inclined material emitting surface that borders an outer periphery of said anode and that is inclined at an angle with respect to said coating plane for sputtering material onto the substrate surface at the coating plane; (d) field defining means for establishing a magnetic field in a region between the coating plane and the first and second consumable cathode targets to confine ionizing electrons in said region between the coating plane and the first and second cathode targets; (e) support means for positioning said anode and said first and second consumable cathode targets in symmetric relation about an axis that intersects a center region of said first consumable cathode target and said coating plane while electrically isolating the anode from said first and said second consumable cathode targets; and (f) energization means for electrically biasing said anode and said first and second consumable cathode targets at individually controllable bias potentials to control material coating distributions on said substrate surface during sputtering of target material from said planar and inclined material emitting surfaces.

Claim 10

Apparatus for coating a substrate comprising: (a) a first consumable cathode target having a generally planar material emitting surface oriented generally parallel to and spaced from a coating plane for sputtering material onto a substrate surface substantially coincident with said coating plane; (b) an anode that borders an outer periphery of the first consumable cathode target and defines an electric field defining surface inclined toward said substrate plane; (c) a second consumable cathode target spaced radially outward from the anode having an inclined material emitting surface that borders an outer periphery of said anode and that is inclined at an angle with respect to said coating plane for sputtering material onto the substrate surface at the coating plane; (d) field defining means for establishing a magnetic field in a region between the coating plane and the first and second consumable cathode targets to confine ionizing electrons in said region between the coating plane and the first and second cathode targets; (e) support means for positioning said anode and said first and second consumable cathode targets in symmetric relation about an axis that intersects a center region of said first consumable cathode target and said coating plane while electrically isolating the anode from said first and said second consumable cathode targets; and (f) energization means for electrically biasing said anode and said first and second consumable cathode targets at individually controllable bias potentials to control material coating distributions on said substrate surface during sputtering of target material from said planar and inclined material emitting surfaces.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the support means comprises a planar conductor element biasing the anode at a reference potential and first and second insulating spacer elements supporting the two consumable cathode targets in spaced relation to the planar conductor element, and wherein said field defining means comprises a ferro-magnetic support between one of said insulating spacer elements and said second consumable cathode target.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a shield radially outward from the second consumable cathode target for intercepting material sputtered from said first and second cathode targets.