Sputtering devices and methods

Abstract

The invention provides devices and methods for depositing uniform coatings using cylindrical magnetron sputtering. The devices and methods of the invention are useful in depositing coatings on non-cylindrical workpiece surfaces. An assembly of electromagnets located within the bore of a hollow cylindrical emitter is used to form a magnetic field exterior to and near the exterior surface of the emitter. The magnet assembly configuration is selected to provide a magnetic field configuration compatible with the workpiece surface contour. The electromagnet assembly may be a plurality of magnet units, each unit having at least one electromagnet. The magnetic field strength from each magnet unit is separately and electrically adjustable. Each electromagnet in the assembly has a coil of electrically conducting material surrounding a specially shaped core of magnetic material.

1 . An emitter assembly for magnetron sputtering a coating onto a workpiece surface, the emitter assembly comprising: 
 a. an elongate cylindrical emitter having a longitudinal axis, the emitter being in the form of a tube having an inner bore;    b. a magnet assembly capable of providing a magnetic field exterior to the emitter, the magnet assembly having two ends and being located within the inner bore of the emitter, the magnet assembly comprising: 
 at least one magnet unit, the magnet unit comprising at least one electromagnet, where the number of magnet units and the number of electromagnets in each magnet unit is selected so that the magnet assembly comprises a plurality of electromagnets; and  
 at least one nonmagnetic spacing connector between neighboring electromagnets;  
   c. at least one adjustable source of electrical current, the number of current sources being equal to the number of magnet units, each current source being connected to a different magnet unit; and    d. at least one nonmagnetic end connector at each end of the magnet assembly.    
   
   
       2 . The emitter assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the magnet assembly comprises one magnet unit comprising a plurality of electromagnets.  
   
   
       3 . The emitter assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the magnet assembly comprises a plurality of magnet units.  
   
   
       4 . The emitter assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the workpiece surface is non-cylindrical.  
   
   
       5 . The emitter assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the workpiece surface is cylindrical.  
   
   
       6 . The emitter assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the electromagnets are arranged in series.  
   
   
       7 . The emitter assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the electromagnets are arranged in parallel.  
   
   
       8 . The emitter assembly of  claim 1 , comprising a plurality of spacing connectors all of the same length.  
   
   
       9 . The emitter assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each electromagnet comprises an electrically conductive coil and a hollow core of magnetic material, the longitudinal axis of the coil and core lying along the longitudinal axis of the emitter and the core having a central portion around which the coil is located and two end portions, the maximum diameter of each end portion being equal to or greater than the outer diameter of the central portion.  
   
   
       10 . The emitter assembly of  claim 9 , where the coils and cores of all the electromagnets are identical.  
   
   
       11 . An emitter assembly for magnetron sputtering comprising: 
 a. an elongate cylindrical emitter having a longitudinal axis, the emitter being in the form of a tube having an inner bore;    b. a magnet assembly having two ends, the magnet assembly being located within the inner bore of the emitter, the magnet assembly comprising 
 a plurality of electromagnets, each electromagnet comprising an electrically conductive coil and a hollow core of magnetic material, the longitudinal axis of the coil and core lying along the longitudinal axis of the emitter and the core having a central portion around which the coil is located and two end portions, the maximum diameter of each end portion being equal to or greater than the outer diameter of the central portion;  
 at least one nonmagnetic spacing connector between neighboring electromagnets; and  
   c. at least one nonmagnetic end connector at each end of the magnetic assembly.    
   
   
       12 . The emitter assembly of  claim 11  further comprising at least one source of electrical current connected to the electromagnets.  
   
   
       13 . The emitter assembly of  claim 11  wherein the electromagnets are arranged in parallel.  
   
   
       14 . The emitter assembly of  claim 11  wherein the electromagnets are arranged in series.  
   
   
       15 . The emitter assembly of  claim 11  wherein the spacing between any two adjacent electromagnets is less than or equal to one-half the length of the shortest adjacent electromagnet core.  
   
   
       16 . A method for applying a sputtered coating onto the interior non-cylindrical surface of a hollow elongate workpiece, the workpiece having a longitudinal axis, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a. providing an elongate emitter assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the magnet assembly configuration is selected to provide a magnetic field configuration compatible with the workpiece surface contour;    b. positioning the emitter and the magnet assembly of the emitter assembly within the workpiece so that the longitudinal axis of the emitter is coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the workpiece;    c. providing a low pressure environment containing a sputtering gas exterior to the emitter and interior to the workpiece;    d. creating a plasma field between the emitter and the workpiece; and    e. creating a magnetic field exterior to the emitter by flowing current through the electromagnets of the magnet assembly, wherein the current supplied to each magnet unit is selected to provide a magnetic field configuration compatible with the workpiece surface contour.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the magnet assembly is moved longitudinally relative to the emitter such that the magnet assembly moves back and forth over a selected travel distance.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the selected travel distance is greater than the length of the longest core in the assembly.  
   
   
       19 . A method for applying a coating onto the interior surface of a hollow elongate workpiece, the workpiece having a longitudinal axis, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a. providing an elongate emitter assembly according to  claim 11;     b. positioning the emitter and magnet assembly of the emitter assembly within the workpiece so that the longitudinal axis of the emitter is coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the workpiece;    c. providing a low pressure environment containing a sputtering gas exterior to the emitter and interior to the workpiece;    d. creating a plasma field between the emitter and the workpiece; and    e. creating a magnetic field around the emitter by flowing current through the electromagnets of the magnet assembly.    
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the magnet assembly is moved longitudinally relative to the emitter such that the magnet assembly moves back and forth over a selected travel distance.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the selected travel distance is greater than the length of longest core in the assembly.  
   
   
       22 . A method for applying a sputtered coating onto the exterior non-cylindrical surface of a hollow elongate workpiece, the workpiece having a longitudinal axis, the method comprising the steps of 
 a. providing an emitter assembly according to  claim 1  wherein the magnet assembly configuration is selected to provide a magnetic field configuration compatible with the workpiece surface contour;    b. placing the emitter so that the longitudinal axis of the emitter is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece;    c. providing a low pressure environment containing a sputtering gas exterior to the emitter and the workpiece;    d. rotating the workpiece around its longitudinal axis;    e. creating a plasma field between the emitter and the workpiece; and    f. creating a magnetic field around the emitter by flowing current through the electromagnets of the magnet assembly, wherein the current supplied to each magnet unit is selected to provide a magnetic field configuration compatible with the workpiece surface contour.    
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the magnet assembly is moved longitudinally relative to the emitter such that the magnet assembly moves back and forth over a selected travel distance.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the selected travel distance is greater than the length of the longest core in the assembly.  
   
   
       25 . A method for applying a coating onto the exterior surface of an elongate workpiece, the workpiece having a longitudinal axis, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a. providing an emitter assembly according to  claim 11;     b. placing the emitter assembly so that the longitudinal axis of the emitter is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece;    c. providing a low pressure environment containing a sputtering gas exterior to the emitter and the workpiece;    d. rotating the workpiece around its longitudinal axis;    e. creating a plasma field between the emitter and the workpiece; and    f. creating a magnetic field around the emitter by flowing current through the electromagnets of the magnet assembly.    
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the magnet assembly is moved longitudinally relative to the emitter such that the magnet assembly moves back and forth over a selected travel distance.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the selected travel distance is greater than the length of longest core in the assembly.  
   
   
       28 . A method for applying a sputtered coating onto the interior and exterior surfaces of a hollow elongate workpiece, the workpiece having a longitudinal axis, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a. providing a first elongate emitter assembly according to  claim 11 , the first emitter assembly positioned so that it is external to the workpiece with the longitudinal axis of the first emitter parallel to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece;    b. providing a second elongate emitter assembly according to  claim 11;  the second emitter and second magnet assembly of the second emitter assembly being positioned within the workpiece so that the longitudinal axis of the second emitter is coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the workpiece;    c. providing a low pressure environment containing a sputtering gas exterior to the first and second emitters and both interior and exterior to the workpiece;    d. rotating the workpiece about its longitudinal axis;    e. creating a plasma field between the first emitter and the workpiece;    f. creating a plasma field between the second emitter and the workpiece;    g. creating a magnetic field around the first emitter by flowing current through the electromagnets of the first magnet assembly; and    h. creating a magnetic field around the second emitter by flowing current through the electromagnets of the second magnet assembly.    
   
   
       29 . A method for applying a sputtered coating onto the interior and exterior surfaces of a hollow elongate workpiece, the workpiece having a longitudinal axis, the method comprising the steps of 
 a. providing a first emitter assembly according to  claim 1 , the first emitter assembly positioned so that it is external to the workpiece with the longitudinal axis of the emitter parallel to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece wherein the first magnet assembly configuration of the first emitter assembly is selected to provide a magnetic field configuration compatible with the external workpiece surface contour;    b. providing a second emitter assembly according to  claim 1 , the second emitter and second magnet assembly of the second emitter assembly being positioned within the workpiece so that the longitudinal axis of the second emitter is coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the workpiece wherein the second magnet assembly configuration of the second emitter assembly is selected to provide a magnetic field configuration compatible with the internal workpiece surface contour;    c. providing a low pressure environment containing a sputtering gas exterior to the first and second emitters and both interior and exterior to the workpiece;    d. rotating the workpiece about its longitudinal axis;    e. creating a plasma field between the first emitter and the workpiece;    f. creating a plasma field between the second emitter and the workpiece    g. creating a magnetic field around the first emitter by flowing current through the electromagnets of the first magnet assembly, wherein the current supplied to each magnet unit of the first magnet assembly is selected to provide a magnetic field configuration compatible with the external workpiece surface contour; and    h. creating a magnetic field around the second emitter by flowing current through the electromagnets of the second magnet assembly, wherein the current supplied to each magnet unit of the second magnet assembly is selected to provide a magnetic field configuration compatible with the internal workpiece surface contour.