Currently, a film deposition method is one of the most popular surface treatment methods, and is applicable to treat surfaces of decorations, dishware, cutters, tools, molds, semiconductor components, and so on.
The film deposition is to grow a layer of thin film of homogeneous or heterogeneous material on a substrate surface such as various metal surfaces, superhard alloy surfaces, ceramic surfaces or wafer substrate surfaces, to obtain properties such as a good appearance, wear resistance, heat resistance, corrosion resistance, etc. In the process of the film deposition, the required inert gas (which is generally argon (Ar) gas) is filled in a high vacuum chamber. Orthogonal magnetic and electric fields are applied between a sputtering target and a substrate in the high vacuum chamber, particularly, a permanent magnet forms a magnetic field of 250 to 350 gauss on the surface of the sputtering target, and the magnetic field constitutes an orthogonal electromagnetic field together with a high voltage electric field. The Ar gas is ionized to generate positive ions and negative electrons under the effect of the electric field. A certain negative high voltage is applied on the sputtering target, so that electrons emitted from a target pole, which are under the effect of the orthogonal electromagnetic field, increase the ionization possibility of the working gas, to form high-density plasma near the sputtering target. Ar ions are accelerated and moved towards a target surface by a Lorentz force, to hit the sputtering target at a high speed, so that atoms sputtered from the sputtering target depart from the target surface and move at a high kinetic energy to the substrate according to momentum transfer principles, and then are deposited on the substrate surface to form a film.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds