Sputtering system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11827974-B2
Application number	US-202017117396-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2020
Priority date	Oct 23, 2020
Publication date	Nov 28, 2023
Grant date	Nov 28, 2023

Abstract

A sputtering system is suitable for sputtering a surface to be sputtered having sections. Each section has a projection height. The sputtering system includes a supporting plate, a sputtering array, and a controller. The sputtering array is arranged on the supporting plate. The sputtering array includes sputtering units. Each section corresponds to at least one of the sputtering units. Each sputtering unit has a driving shaft and a target. The target faces the surface to be sputtered. The controller is electrically connected the driving shaft. The driving shaft drives the target to move relative to the surface to be sputtered. The controller controls a distance between each sputtering unit and the corresponding section of the sections in the direction of the projection height to satisfy a given condition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sputtering system configured to sputter a surface to be sputtered, the surface to be sputtered having sections, each of the sections having a projection height, and the sputtering system comprising:
a supporting plate;
a sputtering array, arranged on the supporting plate, comprising sputtering units, wherein each of the sections corresponds to at least one of the sputtering units, each of the sputtering units has a driving shaft and a target, a first end of each of the driving shafts is connected to the supporting plate, a second end of each of the driving shafts is connected to each of the targets, and the target faces the surface to be sputtered;
a controller electrically connected to the driving shafts, wherein the driving shafts are configured to drive the targets to move relative to the surface to be sputtered, and the controller is configured to control a distance between each of the sputtering units and a corresponding section of the sections in a direction of the projection height to satisfy a given condition; and
at least one chamber and a supporting device, the at least one chamber accommodates the supporting plate, the sputtering array, and the controller and surrounds the supporting device, the supporting device supports an object having the surface to be sputtered, and the supporting device drives the object having the surface to be sputtered to rotate about an axis perpendicular to a normal of the supporting plate, and the sputtering array is configured to sputter the surface to be sputtered that is driven by the supporting device to rotate;
wherein, each of the sputtering units comprises a mask arranged between the target of each of the sputtering units and a corresponding section of the sections;
wherein the sections are respectively curved surfaces and the projection height is a height of a highest point of the curved surface or an average height of all points of the curved surface;
wherein the targets of the sputtering units have unequal lengths whose directions are perpendicular to a direction of the projection height.

2. The sputtering system according to claim 1 , wherein the sputtering array is an array with N columns and M rows, M is a positive integer larger than or equal to 2, and N is a natural number.

3. The sputtering system according to claim 2 , wherein each column of the sputtering units has the targets made of a same material and every two adjacent columns of the sputtering units have the targets made of different materials.

4. The sputtering system according to claim 2 , wherein the sputtering units are pillar-shaped sputtering units, the target of each of the sputtering units has a shape of a pillar, and all columns of the sputtering units are staggered from each other in a horizontal direction parallel to the supporting plate.

5. The sputtering system according to claim 2 , wherein the target of each of the sputtering units has a planar shape and all columns of the sputtering units are aligned to each other in a horizontal direction parallel to the supporting plate.

6. The sputtering system according to claim 2 , wherein the target of each of the sputtering units has a planar shape and all columns of the sputtering units are staggered from each other in a horizontal direction parallel to the supporting plate.

7. The sputtering system according to claim 1 , wherein the length of each of the targets depends on a curvature of a corresponding curved surface of the curved surfaces.

8. The sputtering system according to claim 1 , wherein the target of each of the sputtering units has a shape of a pillar and the sputtering units are arranged and extended in a horizontal direction parallel to the supporting plate.

9. The sputtering system according to claim 1 , wherein the target of each of the sputtering units has a shape of a pillar and the sputtering units are arranged and extended in a direction perpendicular to the supporting plate.

10. The sputtering system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the masks comprises movable sub-masks and a sputtering rate of the sputtering array depends on a horizontal movement of the sub-masks.

11. The sputtering system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the masks comprises openings and a sputtering rate of the sputtering array depends on sizes of the openings.

Assignees

• Interface Tech Chengdu Co Ltd
• Interface Optoelectronics Shenzhen Co Ltd
• General Interface Solution Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Po-Lun
• Chen Chun-Ta
• Chou Tsung-Chen
• Wu Chin-Yang
• Shiue Nai-Hau

Classifications

• C23C14/54 Primary

  Controlling or regulating the coating process · CPC title

• C23C14/042

  using masks · CPC title

• C23C14/3464 Primary

  using more than one target (C23C14/56 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C23C14/3407 Primary

  Cathode assembly for sputtering apparatus, e.g. Target · CPC title

• C23C14/542

  Controlling the film thickness or evaporation rate · CPC title