Holder for sample materials used in high throughput physical vapor deposition material studies

Abstract

A holder for maintaining substrates in an array during a high throughput materials deposition comprising a face plate, middle plate and retainer plate attached in sequence and aligned in an axis in which a plurality of cylindrical substrates are maintained in cylindrical chambers formed in an array with respect to the face surface of the block assembly. A spring loading mechanism positions the substrates within the chambers during the processing of the substrates, the substrates are removable from the holder after the completion of processing.

1 . A holder for maintaining substrates in an array in which the substrates are subjected to a high throughput materials deposition process comprising: 
 a block assembly comprising a face plate, middle plate and retainer plate attached in sequence and aligned in an axis in which a plurality of cylindrical substrates are maintained in cylindrical chambers formed in an array with respect to the face surface of the block assembly and in which the substrates are positioned within the chambers by a spring mechanism during the processing of the substrates, and removable therefrom after the completion of processing.    
   
   
       2 . The holder of  claim 1  secured to a programmable x-y table in a PVD process in a relationship in which the focus of the PVD plasma source and the surfaces of the substrates maintained in the holder are in approximately the same plane.  
   
   
       3 . The holder of  claim 1  or  claim 2  in which the substrates are arranged in columns and rows in a matrix in the block assembly.  
   
   
       4 . The holder of  claim 3  in which the relationship of the number of substrates in the rows to the number of substrates ( N ) in the columns is rows N =columns N .  
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 3  in which the relationship of the number of substrates in one column to of the number of substrates in an adjacent column is substrates in column N =N and substrates in column N+1=N+1.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 3  in which the relationship of the number of substrates in one row to of the number of substrates in an adjacent row is substrates in row N =N and areas in row N−1=N−1.  
   
   
       7 . The holder of  claim 1  or  claim 2  in which the substrates are arranged in an array in which the location of each substrate in the array is capable of being positioned with respect to a defined point by a programmable x-y table.  
   
   
       8 . The holder of  claim 1  comprising a block including a multiplicity of substrates comprising longitudinally extending cylindrical electrodes maintained in an array of cylindrical columns in the block.  
   
   
       9 . The holder of  claim 8  in which upper surface of the electrode is inset within the block such that the transverse cross-section area of an opening in the upper surface of the column in the block in which the electrode is positioned is less than the transverse cross-section area of the upper surface of the electrode.  
   
   
       10 . The holder of  claim 8  or  claim 9  in which a mask is positioned within a column in the block adjacent the upper surface of the electrode maintained in the column.  
   
   
       11 . The holder of  claim 8  or  claim 9  in which a retainer and spring are positioned within a column in the block between the lower surface of the electrode maintained in the column and the retainer plate.