Patent ID: 6126791
Filing Date: 2000-10-03
Classification: C23C,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
A method for operating a DC magnetron PVD system adapted to receive a target for installation therein, wherein said target has a deposition-producing portion composed primarily of an electrically conductive, to-be-deposited metal, said operating method comprising the steps of:(a) installing a target obtained in accordance with a certification program wherein said certification program qualifies the target as having a content of less than about 10,000 conductivity anomalies per gram of the to-be-deposited metal where each said conductivity anomaly in said content is a region having a detectable size of at least 1 micron and where each said conductivity anomaly defines an insulative or high resistivity region, high resistivity being at least 100 times greater than a corresponding electrical resistivity of an anomaly-free representative portion of the to-be-deposited metal; and(b) ramping up plasma power at an average rate of no more than 2Kw per second.