Patent ID: 6224724
Filing Date: 2001-05-01
Classification: C23C,H01J,H01L

Abstract:
An apparatus for sputtering material from a source thereof onto a substrate contained in a process chamber that has characteristics which asymmetrically cause a change in the distribution about an axis of the substrate of material moving from a source thereof into an asymmetrically non-uniform distribution onto the substrate, the apparatus comprising:a sputtering chamber having a central axis;a substrate support centered on the axis in the chamber for supporting a substrate thereon for deposition;a target centered on the axis in the chamber providing, when energized, a source of material for processing the substrate;a gas in the chamber providing, when energized, a plasma of sputtering gas ions for removing the material from the target;a cathode assembly including a main magnet configured to confine a plasma of the sputtering gas adjacent the target in a distribution shaped to produce an erosion of the target by the plasma that is symmetrical about the axis and a connection to an energy source for energizing the target and gas to produce the plasma; anda compensating magnet configured and positioned to produce a compensating magnetic field in the plasma effective to change the shape of the distribution of the plasma so as to remove material from the target in a compensated distribution that offsets effects of those characteristics of the chamber to asymmetrically change the distribution about the axis of material onto the substrate so as to compensate for the asymmetrically non-uniform distribution and thereby uniformly treat the substrate with the material.