TW201728772A - Device for a physical vapor deposition(PVD)process - Google Patents

Abstract

A device (1) for a physical vapor deposition process, wherein said device has a cylindrical body, and wherein said body comprises a bottom side (2), a top side (3), an upper portion (5) and a lower portion (4), wherein said lower portion (4) comprises a fastening arrangement, wherein said fastening arrangement at the lower portion (4) of the device (1) comprises at least one external groove (7), wherein said groove (7) extends at least partially around a circumference of said cylindrical body.

Description

Device for physical vapor deposition (PVD) method

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This document relates to apparatus for physical vapor deposition (PVD) methods with improved fastening arrangements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In physical vapor deposition (PVD) processes, such as, for example, in sputtering methods, cathode materials, also referred to as targets, are used. The target material is depleted during the process because the atoms of the target are physically removed. The conventional utilization of the target is about 20%. This means that a significant portion of the target material is not used. This is mainly due to constraints such as the attachment or fastening of the target in the PVD fixture. Conventional attachment means for the target comprise an externally threaded pin that is fastened, that is, screwed, into the internal thread of the target. Thus the length of the threaded portion extending inside the target material severely limits the availability of the target.

Different attempts have been made to try to change these connections. In, for example, US Pat. No. 6,551,470 B1, a target assembly comprising a clamp and a target, i.e., in place of a pin and an internal thread, is described, the target being clamped. One difficulty in having a clamp arrangement is that the target becomes extremely hot and can get stuck in the clip fastener. Therefore, it may take a long time to change the target material, resulting in a decrease in the efficiency of the PVD method.

Therefore, there is a need for a new connection arrangement for a target or cathode that not only provides a means to utilize the target to a greater extent, but also provides a safe and easy way to replace the target used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an improved apparatus for a physical vapor deposition process that eliminates or attenuates at least some of the disadvantages of prior art targets.

More specific objectives include providing means for physical vapor deposition methods with improved fastening arrangements or connections.

The invention is defined by the scope of the accompanying independent patent application. The examples are set forth in the accompanying claims and the following description and drawings.

According to a first aspect, there is provided a device for a physical vapor deposition method, wherein the device has a cylindrical body, and wherein the body comprises a bottom side, a top side, an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the lower portion comprises a fastening arrangement, wherein The fastening arrangement at the lower portion of the device comprises at least one outer groove, wherein the groove extends at least partially around the circumference of the cylindrical body.

A device for a physical vapor deposition (PVD) method means a device such as a target or a cathode for a PVD method, such as a sputtering method, an arc evaporation method, or an ion plating method. In contrast to conventional targets or cathodes for PVD methods in which the cathode is internally threaded, the fastening arrangement of the device provides for a better degree of utilization of the target or cathode.

The at least one groove may include a threaded portion that extends from the bottom side to a distance from the top side in the longitudinal direction and extends over the lower portion of the device body.

The outer groove of the device can expand outwardly as it is heated, thereby clamping the device into a corresponding retainer portion, such as a PVD fixture. Targets with external grooves or threads are also easier and cheaper to produce.

The threaded portion can include a coarse thread.

The coarse thread can help to facilitate removal of the device from the holder portion after the device has been used.

The device may be adapted to be secured in a corresponding holder portion. This means that the fastening arrangement of the device is adapted to be fastened in the holder portion or to the holder portion.

The retainer portion can include a dog clutch.

The holder portion can be provided with an internally threaded portion that is matingly connectable to the externally threaded portion.

The device can be any of a metal based device or a compound based device.

A metal-based device means a target or cathode material that generally comprises a mixture of pure metals, alloys or metals.

A compound-based device means a target or cathode material comprising oxides, nitrides, borides, sulfides, selenides, tellurides, carbides, crystals, and complex mixtures.

According to a second aspect, a system comprising a device according to a first aspect and a holder portion is provided.

The retainer portion can be provided with an internally threaded portion that is mated to the threaded portion of the device.

The holder portion can include an offset arrangement that is constructed or arranged such that it can bias or press the holder portion toward the fastening arrangement of the device for the sputtering method.

The holder portion can include at least one dog clutch adapted to be mated to the at least one groove. The system can further include at least two dog clutches and a retainer ring adapted to be arranged to press the dog clutches toward the device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Figure 1 illustrates a device 1 for a PVD process, such as a target or cathode. In the following description, the terms "device, target or target device" for PVD or sputtering methods will be used. The device 1 has a cylindrical shape or body and has a bottom side 2 and a top side 3. The top side 3 is the portion of the device or target that is depleted during the PVD process. From the bottom side 3 and upward in the direction towards the top side, the lower portion 4 is defined as the portion of the body that extends substantially halfway to the top side. The upper portion 5 is defined as a portion of the cylindrical body that extends from the opposite direction to the bottom side to substantially half.

The lower portion 4 of the device 1 provides a fastening arrangement comprising at least one groove 7. The recess 7 can extend at least partially along the circumference of the body of the device 1. In an alternative version, the grooves 7 are intermittently grooved (not shown) circumferentially.

Figure 2 illustrates another alternative in which the lower portion 4 of the device 1 or the fastening arrangement is provided with a male threaded portion 6, i.e., a thread, on its outer circumference. The threaded portion can be straight or tapered (not shown). Therefore, the threaded portion contains a plurality of grooves 7.

The threaded portion 6 can extend upwardly from the bottom side 2 and towards the top side 3, that is to say in the longitudinal direction L, ending at a distance D from the top side 3. Thus, the target upper portion 5 can be defined by this distance D.

Thus, the upper portion 5 of the device is the portion that is at least partially depleted during the PVD process.

The fastening arrangement of the device or device may be adapted to be coupled to a corresponding holder portion. The holder portion can be provided in a PVD device (also not shown).

The holder portion can be any type of biasing device, i.e., a device that is pressed against the fastening arrangement of the target device to hold it in place in the PVD fixture.

The fastening arrangement of the target device and the holder portion or arrangement must be configured such that the target device is firmly held in place during the sputtering or PVD process, but is still easily removed later to ensure proper efficiency of the method.

In an alternative version, the retainer portion can include at least one dog clutch or dog clutch arrangement 12, as shown in FIG. The dog clutch 12 can be adapted to be mated to at least one groove 7 or at least one slot in the circumference of the device, i.e., biased toward the fastening arrangement of the target device. The holder portion may further include a ring 13 to press or bias the dog clutch 12 against the device and the recess. The ring 13 can be arranged to surround the dog clutch arrangement.

The threaded portion 6 can be adapted for attachment, i.e., fastening or threading, in a corresponding retainer portion (not shown) having an internally threaded portion or a female threaded portion.

The cross-sectional shape of the groove 7 is exemplified in Fig. 1 as an inverted V shape or a wedge/key groove. However, the recess 7 can have any suitable shape, such as a channel or a thin tube shape, or a circular or even zigzag, that is, including square or rectangular teeth.

Thus, the shape of the corresponding retainer portion, such as, for example, a dog clutch, is adapted to be mated to the groove 7 or the male threaded portion 6.

The cross-sectional shape of the threaded portion or thread 6, that is, its thread form, may be square, triangular, trapezoidal or other shape. The term thread form may also refer to all design aspects that are combined, that is, the cross-sectional shape, pitch, and diameter.

According to one embodiment, the angular feature of the cross-sectional shape, i.e., the thread angle, may be 60 degrees normalized for a V-shaped thread, although any suitable thread angle may be used.

The thread form can be any of a single or double threaded form.

The threaded portion 6 can comprise a coarse thread, that is, a larger pitch, that is, a larger distance from the peak of one thread to the peak of the next thread, or a smaller number of threads per axial distance (and The so-called fine thread is compared). The coarse thread can have a larger thread form relative to the diameter of the screw. Therefore, the coarse thread has a non-implicit quality lower than the fine thread and only refers to the thread size relative to the screw diameter.

The thread can be truncated, that is, produce a final thread depth that can be expressed as a fraction of the pitch value. According to one embodiment, the threads may be truncated to produce a thread depth of .65p (60% to 75% of the height of the normal thread of UTS or ISO thread having a height of about .65p).

The device can be a so-called target-based metal. The metal target or device used in the sputtering process may comprise a pure metal or alloy or a mixture of different metals.

The device can be a compound based target or device. The compound-based target can comprise any of oxides, nitrides, borides, sulfides, selenides, tellurides, carbides, and crystalline and complex mixtures.

As shown in Figure 3, the top side 3 of the target 1 can taper inwardly such that a circumferential ridge 9 and a lowered or lowered upper surface 8 are provided.

Figures 4A and 4B schematically illustrate the differences in the extent of utilization of prior art devices or targets (Figure 4A) and devices in accordance with the present invention (Figure 4B). As exemplified by the line U', the external groove 7 or the threaded portion 6 can be used in the PVD method, i.e., depleted, as compared to a device having the internally threaded portion 10 in which the use of the target is depicted by the line U. , a larger part of the device. Further to this, less material can be used in the production of the target or cathode because the threaded portion 6 is disposed on the outside of the device, allowing for a higher utilization than the internally threaded portion 10. According to one example, the degree of utilization indicated by lines U, U' by the target according to the invention may be about 40% compared to only 20% by conventional target design.

1‧‧‧ device
2‧‧‧ bottom side
3‧‧‧ top side
4‧‧‧ lower
5‧‧‧ upper
6‧‧‧Threaded part/thread
7‧‧‧ Groove
8‧‧‧ upper surface
9‧‧‧ ridge
10‧‧‧Threaded part
12‧‧‧Claw clutch arrangement / claw clutch
13‧‧‧ Ring
D‧‧‧Distance
L‧‧‧ longitudinal direction
U, U'‧‧‧ line

Embodiments of the present solution will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings. 1 is a schematic side view of an apparatus for a physical vapor deposition method. 2 is a schematic bottom view of an apparatus for a physical vapor deposition method. Figure 3 is a schematic top view of an apparatus for a physical vapor deposition process. 4A and 4B are schematic cross-sectional views of a prior art device for a physical vapor deposition method and a device for a physical vapor deposition method according to the inventive concept, respectively.

1‧‧‧ device

2‧‧‧ bottom side

3‧‧‧ top side

4‧‧‧ lower

5‧‧‧ upper

7‧‧‧ Groove

8‧‧‧ upper surface

12‧‧‧Claw clutch arrangement / claw clutch

13‧‧‧ Ring

Claims (12)

A device for a physical vapor deposition method, wherein the device has a cylindrical body, and wherein the body comprises a bottom side, a top side, an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the lower portion includes a fastening arrangement, the features of which The fastening arrangement at the lower portion of the device comprises at least one outer groove, wherein the groove extends at least partially around a circumference of the cylindrical body. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one groove comprises a threaded portion extending from the bottom side to a distance from the top side in a longitudinal direction and extending over the lower portion of the apparatus body . The device of claim 2, wherein the threaded portion comprises a coarse thread. A device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the device is adapted to be fastened in a corresponding holder portion. The device of claim 4, wherein the holder portion comprises a dog clutch. The device of claim 4, wherein the holder portion is provided with an internally threaded portion that is mated to the externally threaded portion. A device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the device is either a metal-based device or a compound-based device. A system comprising the apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 7 and a holder portion. The system of claim 8 wherein the retainer portion is provided with an internally threaded portion that is matingly coupled to the externally threaded portion of the device. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the holder portion comprises an offset arrangement. The system of any of claims 8 or 10, wherein the retainer portion includes at least one dog clutch adapted to be mated to the at least one groove. The system of claim 11, wherein the system further comprises at least two dog clutches and a retainer ring adapted to be arranged to press the dog clutches toward the device.