Patent ID: 8685213
Filing Date: 2014-04-01
Classification: C23C,H01J

Abstract:
1. A method of producing plasma flows of either a metal, a gas, or a metal and a gas, the method comprising the steps of: periodically producing high electric discharges between an anode and a metal magnetron sputtering cathode, in crossed electric and magnetic fields in a chamber containing a low pressure gas, the cathode being formed from a metal or metals necessary for metal plasma production, producing a metal vapor by continuous direct-current discharge between the anode and cathode, said direct-current discharge having a first polarity and having a constant amplitude, said continuous direct-current discharge caused by continuously passing a low constant electrical current between the anode and cathode to thereby produce a relatively dense metal vapor with relatively few metal ions by magnetron cathode sputtering, and producing the periodic high electric discharges, said periodic high electric discharges having amplitudes of the same polarity as the direct-current discharges and having amplitudes greater than the constant amplitude of the direct-current discharge, said periodic high electric discharges produced by passing a high pulsed electrical current between the anode and cathode to thereby produce a relatively highly ionized metal vapor and relatively low amounts of sputtered metal atoms, the high pulsed electrical current being superimposed on the low constant electrical current between the anode and cathode; wherein the metal magnetron sputtering cathode is operated during the direct-current discharge in a low intensity operating state where the deposition rate is increasing with increasing discharge current, and where the metal magnetron sputtering cathode is operated during the periodic discharges in a high intensity operating state where the deposition rate is decreasing with increasing discharge current; wherein the current density of the high pulsed electrical current discharges being produced so that a driving current between the anode and the cathode is μ2S, where μ2 is measured in A/cm2 and having a value in the range of 1-10 A/cm2 and S is the area of the active surface of the cathode measured in cm2; and wherein pulses of said high pulsed electrical current have one duration and intervals between said pulses have a different duration, and the intervals between pulses are longer than the duration of the pulses.