Patent ID: 7686928

Claim:
A plasma sputter reactor having a planar target arranged around a central axis, forming a side of a vacuum chamber, and facing along said central a pedestal disposed in said vacuum chamber for supporting a substrate to be processed, and a magnetron assembly comprising: a member rotating about said central axis on a side of said target opposite pedestal; and first and second magnetrons disjunct from each other and mounted on said member adjacent said planar target and scanning, wherein the first magnetron (1) has an first inner pole facing the target and of a first magnetic polarity along the central axis and a second outer pole facing the target, surrounding the first inner pole, separated from the first inner pole by a first annular gap, and of a second magnetic polarity opposed to the first magnetic polarity and (2) produces a first magnetic field distribution about the first magnetron and wherein the second magnetron (3) has a second inner pole facing the target and of a third magnetic polarity along the central axis and a second outer pole surrounding the second inner pole, which is facing the target, is separated from the second outer pole by a second annular gap, and of a fourth magnetic polarity opposed to the third magnetic polarity and (4) produces a second magnetic field distribution about the second magnetron which is substantially different from the first magnetic field distribution; wherein, at a first combination of sputter operating conditions including a non-zero level of DC power applied to the target and a pressure of a sputter working gas within said chamber, a first plasma of said working gas is more highly concentrated adjacent to said first magnetron than adjacent to said second magnetron; and wherein, at a second combination of sputter operating conditions different from the first combination and including a non-zero level of DC power applied to the target, a second plasma of said working gas is more highly concentrated adjacent to said second magnetron than adjacent to said first magnetron.