Patent ID: 8133360
Filing Date: 2012-03-13
Classification: C23C,H01J

Abstract:
1. A method of scanning a magnetron in back of a target in a plasma sputter chamber, comprising the steps of: applying power to the target to excite a plasma within the chamber and sputter from the target; scanning the magnetron about a central axis of the chamber along a selected path having radial and azimuthal components with respect to the central axis; calculating an erosion profile as a function of at least a radial distance from a center of the target which is produced by the sputtering from operational parameters used during the scanning to control the power being applied and the path being scanned, wherein the erosion profile includes a plurality of calculated erosion amounts at different ones of at least the radial distance and the operational parameters are applied to the plasma sputter chamber from a computer-based controller; a calibration step of rotating the magnetron at a fixed radius from the central axis for a given energy period and measuring a reference erosion rate profile, wherein the calculating step includes calculating an erosion rate profile for other radii than the fixed radius according to a geometrical relationship between the fixed and other radii; and removing the target from service when the calculated erosion profile indicates a predetermined limit of erosion of the target.