Patent ID: 8916034

Claim:
A thin-film forming sputtering system, comprising: a) a vacuum container; b) a target-holding means provided inside the vacuum container; c) a substrate-holding means opposed to the target-holding means; d) a plasma-generating gas introducing means for introducing a plasma-generating gas into the vacuum container; e) an electric-field generating means for generating a direct-current electric field or radio-frequency electric field between the target-holding means and the substrate-holding means; f) a magnetic-field generating means for generating a magnetic field on a sputter target held by the target-holding means, the magnetic field containing a component parallel to a surface of the sputter target; and g) a radio-frequency inductively-coupled plasma generating means, which is a planar coil of a conductive wire whose number of turns is less than one, wherein a plane of the planar coil is placed on a side of the target holding means, for generating radio-frequency inductively-coupled plasma in a vicinity of the sputter target and within a space where the magnetic field being generated by the magnetic field generation means and having a strength equal to or higher than a strength necessary for producing a cycloid-trochoidal motion of electrons is present.