Patent ID: 8460521

Claim:
A sputtering cathode, comprising: a removable target defining a sputtering surface and a back surface, wherein the back surface is opposite the sputtering surface, and wherein the target comprises a semiconducting material; a backing plate positioned facing the back surface of the target and non-bonded to the back surface of the target, wherein a gap exists between the back surface of the target and the backing plate; and, a non-bonding attachment mechanism removably holding the removable target within the sputtering cathode such that the back surface is facing the backing plate during sputtering, wherein the non-bonding attachment mechanism comprises: a first bracket positioned along a first edge of the sputtering surface to overlap a portion of the sputtering surface, and a second bracket positioned along a second edge of the sputtering surface to overlap a portion of the sputtering surface; and a biasing member between the backing plate and the target to push the target against the first bracket and the second bracket.