Patent ID: 8480865

Claim:
A magnetron sputtering device including: a planetary drive system having a central rotation axis C for primary rotation, and supporting a plurality of planets, each planet having a secondary axis of rotation at a planet center point C s , and each planet representing a coating area described by r w the planet radius, the planetary drive system having a carrier radius r C from the central rotation axis C to a planet center point C s ; a ring shaped cathode including a ring shaped target comprising material for forming a coating, the cathode having a center point Cc, an outer radius r 2 greater than the planet radius (r 2 >r W ), an inner radius r 1 greater than one quarter of the outer radius (r 2 >r 1 >¼*r 2 ); wherein the cathode center point Cc is disposed an offset distance r T between ⅔ and 4/3 of the carrier radius r C from the central rotation axis C (⅔*r C <r T < 4/3*r C ), and the offset distance r T is greater than one half the outer radius of the cathode (r T >½*r 2 ); and wherein a throw distance h vertically from a target surface to a planet surface is between one third of the outer radius r 2 of the cathode and one times the outer radius of the cathode (⅓*r 2 <h<r 2 ); a chamber for housing the cathode and the planetary drive system adapted to be evacuated in operation; and a gas delivery system for providing a flow of sputter gas into the chamber.