Apparatus for the coating of material on a substrate using a microwave or UHF plasma

Claim 2

In a plasma generating apparatus for coating a substrate with a material from a plasma including a plasma source employing a radiofrequency, including UHF or microwave, wave coupler means which is metallic and in the shape of a hollow cavity and which is excited in a TM mode of resonance and optionally including a static magnetic field around the plasma which aids in coupling radiofrequency energy at electron cyclotron resonance and aids in confining ions in the plasma in an electrically insulated chamber means in the coupler means, and wherein the chamber means has a central longitudinal axis in common with the coupler means and is mounted in closely spaced and sealed relationship to an area of the coupler means with an opening from the chamber means at one end; gas supply means for providing a gas which is ionized to form the plasma in the chamber means, wherein the radiofrequency wave applied to the coupler means creates and maintains the plasma around the central longitudinal axis in the chamber means; movable metal plate means in the cavity mounted in the coupler means perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis and movable along the central longitudinal axis towards and away from the chamber means; and a movable probe means connected to and extending inside the coupler means for coupling the radiofrequency waves to the coupler means, the improvement which comprises: (a) the probe means which is elongate and is mounted in the coupler means along the central longitudinal axis of the chamber means and coupler means with an end of the probe in spaced relationship to the chamber means; and (b) stage means which forms part of the cavity and provides for mounting a substrate to be coated with the material, the stage means having a support surface which is in a plane around the longitudinal axis and which is movable towards and away from the plasma in the chamber means so that the substrate can be coated with the material from the plasma.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein magnets are provided around and outside of the chamber means.

Claim 4

In a plasma generating apparatus for coating a substrate with a material from a plasma including a plasma source employing a radiofrequency, including UHF or microwave, wave coupler means which is metallic and in the shape of a hollow cavity and which is excited in a TM mode of resonance and optionally including a static magnetic field around the plasma which aids in coupling radiofrequency energy at electron cyclotron resonance and aids in confining ions in the plasma in an electrically insulated chamber means in the coupler means, and wherein the chamber means has a central longitudinal axis in common with the coupler means and is mounted in closely spaced and sealed relationship to an area of the coupler means with an opening from the chamber means at one end; gas supply means for providing a gas which is ionized to form the plasma in the chamber means, wherein the radiofrequency wave applied to the coupler means creates and maintains the plasma around the central longitudinal axis in the chamber means; movable metal plate means in the cavity mounted in the coupler means perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis and movable along the central longitudinal axis towards and away from the chamber means; and a movable probe means connected to and extending inside the coupler means for coupling the radiofrequency waves to the coupler means, the improvements which comprises: (a) the probe means which is elongate and is mounted in the coupler means along the central longitudinal axis of the chamber means and coupler means, with an end of the probe in spaced relationship to the chamber means; (b) the plate means having an opening along the central longitudinal axis of the chamber means, wherein the plate means supports the probe means so that the probe means can be moved in the opening in the plate means along the central longitudinal axis; (c) stage means which forms part of the cavity and provides for mounting a substrate to be coated with the material, the stage means having a support surface which is in a plane substantially perpendicular to and around the longitudinal axis and which is movable towards and away from the plasma in the chamber means so that the substrate can be coated with the material from the plasma; (d) support means for the probe means mounted on the coupler means and including an adjustable means which allows movement of the probe means along the central longitudinal axis of the chamber means so as to vary the spacing between the chamber means and the end of the probe means; and (e) holder means adjustably mounted on the support means and connected to the plate means supporting the probe means so as to allow the plate means to be moved towards and away from the chamber means, wherein movement of the plate means and the probe means in the coupler means achieves a selected TM mode of resonance by iterative movement that adjusts the reflected power to a low level of the radiofrequency wave in the chamber means.

Claim 5

In a plasma generating apparatus for coating a substrate with a material from a plasma including a plasma source employing a radiofrequency, including UHF or microwave, wave coupler means which is metallic and in the shape of a hollow cavity and which is excited in a TM mode of resonance and optionally including a static magnetic field around the plasma which aids in coupling radiofrequency energy at electron cyclotron resonance and aids in confining ions in the plasma in an electrically insulated chamber means in the coupler means, and wherein the chamber means has a central longitudinal axis in common with the coupler means and is mounted in closely spaced and sealed relationship to an area of the coupler means with an opening from the chamber means at one end; gas supply means for providing a gas which is ionized to form the plasma in the chamber means, wherein the radiofrequency wave applied to the coupler means creates and maintains the plasma around the central longitudinal axis in the chamber means; movable metal plate means in the cavity mounted in the coupler means perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis and movable along the central longitudinal axis towards and away from the chamber means; and a movable probe means connected to and extending inside the coupler means for coupling the radiofrequency waves to the coupler means, the improvements which comprises: (a) the probe means which is elongate and is mounted in the coupler means along the central longitudinal axis of the chamber means and coupler means, with an end of the probe in spaced relationship to the chamber means; (b) the plate means having an opening along the central longitudinal axis of the chamber means, wherein the plate means supports the probe means so that the probe means can be moved in the opening in the plate means along the central longitudinal axis; (c) stage means which forms part of the cavity and provides for mounting a substrate to be coated with the material, the stage means having a support surface which is in a plane substantially perpendicular to and around the longitudinal axis and which is movable towards and away from the plasma in the chamber means so that the substrate can be coated with the material from the plasma; (d) support means for the probe means mounted on the coupler means and including an adjustable means which allows movement of the probe means along the central longitudinal axis of the chamber means so as to vary the spacing between the chamber means and the end of the probe means; and (e) holder means adjustably mounted on the support means and connected to the plate means supporting the probe means so as to allow the plate means to be moved towards and away from the chamber means, wherein movement of the plate means and the probe means in the coupler means achieves a selected TM mode of resonance by iterative movement that adjusts the reflected power to a low level of the radiofrequency wave in the chamber means.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein magnets are provided around the outside of the chamber means.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the chamber means is shaped as a cylinder around the central longitudinal axis and has cylindrical sides.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the coupler means is in spaced relationship to the chamber means around the central longitudinal axis and the set of magnets is positioned between the coupler means and the outside wall of the chamber means.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein at least one grid or screen means is provided at the opening at the one end of the chamber means to confine the plasma to the chamber means and to allow removal of ions and excited species generated in the plasma from the chamber means.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the screen means is supported above the substrate and has a plurality of openings that serve to direct the flow of the plasma so that the material from the plasma moves through the screen means to coat the substrate in a uniform manner.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the openings are substantially around the perimeter of the screen means.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the chamber means, probe means, plate means and coupler means are circular in cross-section perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of the coupler means and the chamber means.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the gas supply means is provided on an inside wall of the coupler means so as to supply gas to the chamber means.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the chamber means is shaped as a cylindrical wall around the central longitudinal axis with a cylindrical inside surface and a cylindrical outside surface of the wall, wherein a set of magnets is provided around the central longitudinal axis adjacent the outside surface of the wall of the chamber means.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein a cooling conduit is provided around the chamber means.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 13 wherein a gas supply means for forming the plasma is provided around the chamber means.

Claim 17

The apparatus of claim 14 wherein at least one grid or screen means is provided at the opening at the one end of the chamber means to confine the plasma to the chamber means and to allow controlled removal of ions and excited species generated in the plasma from the chamber means.

Claim 18

The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the chamber means, probe means, plate means and coupler means are circular in cross-section perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of the coupler means and the chamber means.

Claim 19

The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the chamber means is comprised of quartz.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 17 wherein a wall of the coupler means is in spaced relationship to a wall of the chamber means around and perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis with a set of magnets between an inside surface of a wall of the coupler means and the outside surface of the wall of the chamber means and wherein a holding means on the coupler means secures the set of magnets in position between the wall of the chamber means and the wall of the coupler means.

Claim 21

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the coupler means has a length which is greater than a cross-sectional width perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the length of the cavity confining the radiofrequency waves is between about 7 and 40 cm and the width is above about 6 cm at 2.45 GHz.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 1 mounted on a vacuum system.