Patent ID: 8182662

Claim:
A rotary cathode for a magnetron sputtering apparatus, the rotary cathode comprising: a rotatable target cylinder with an outer surface and an inner surface, the target cylinder having a proximal end and a distal end; a non-rotatable interior structure in the target cylinder and extending from the proximal end to the distal end, the interior structure having an outer surface and an inner passageway; an outer passageway defined between the inner surface of the target cylinder and the outer surface of the interior structure; an end cap affixed at the distal end of the target cylinder, the end cap having a radial outer edge; an aperture partially defined at a junction of the radial outer edge of the end cap and the inner surface of the target cylinder, the aperture configured to direct a fluid toward the inner surface of the target cylinder at the distal end; and a fluid pathway at least partially defined by the end cap, the pathway providing fluid communication between the outer passageway and the inner passageway through the aperture; wherein the aperture changes position along the radial outer edge of the end cap with respect to the non-rotatable interior structure as the target cylinder rotates.