Patent ID: 11952654
Assignee: EVATEC AG
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC C  H | IPC C  H

Claim 0:
1. Sputtering device to sputter a liquid target, comprising a trough to receive a liquid target material, wherein the device comprises means being configured to effect at least one of stirring and agitating the liquid target material, degassing the liquid target material, dissipating solid particles or islands on a surface of the target, and moving such particles or islands from an active surface region (SA) to a passive surface region (SP) or vice-versa, the passive surface region (SP) being at least 50% less exposed to sputtering as the active surface region (SA) wherein the means comprise a planar magnetron system with at least an outer and an inner magnet having reversed polarities and being mounted below a liquid level of the liquid target material in respective recesses in a reverse side of a bottom of the trough, which is not in contact with the liquid target, at the reverse side of the bottom of the trough, or at or in a surface of the bottom of the trough being in contact with the liquid target, the planar magnetron system being designed to enable a horizontal and a vertical convection of the liquid target material during sputtering, wherein the means to agitate the liquid target comprise an agitation unit having an inner and an outer agitation-electrode, and a magnet system comprising the outer and inner magnets, whereby at least the inner agitation-electrode is at least in part below the liquid level of the liquid target material, and at least the inner agitation electrode being connected to a DC-current source, a pulsed DC-current source or a low frequency AC-current source.