Patent ID: 7927466
Filing Date: 2011-04-19
Classification: C23C,H01J

Abstract:
1. A process for depositing, in a magnetron reactor ( 1 ) equipped with a magnetron cathode (MC), at least one material on a substrate, according to which process said material is vaporized, by magnetron sputtering, using a gas that is ionized in pulsed mode by applying main voltage pulses (VP) to the magnetron cathode (MC), characterized in that, prior to each main voltage pulse (VP), wherein the gas is preionized so as to generate a current pulse (CP) having a decay time (T d ), after cut-off of the main voltage pulses (VP), wherein the decay time is reduced by discharging a residual current of the current pulse through a resistor, R 1 , to ground, and wherein R 1 is connected in series with the magnetron cathode (MC), the decay time determined by an equivalent inductance, L, of the magnetron reactor, wherein R 1 is chosen such that L/R 1 is shorter than 2.5 μs.