Target arrangement for mounting / dismounting and method of manufacturing

Abstract

So as to provide a target arrangement with improved mounting and dismounting ability, the target arrangement comprises a plate along a plane (E) which has a border (7) defined by a first wedge surface (5u) angled to the addressed general plane (E) and a second wedge surface (5l) which is substantially planar as well and angled with respect to the generic plane (E). The two wedge surfaces mutually convert in a direction along the addressed plane (E) and from a more central area of the plate outwardly.

Description

The invention shall now be further described by means of examples and with a help of figures. The figures show:

FIG. 1: Schematically a border part of a target arrangement according to the invention;

FIG. 2: Still schematically, the target arrangement according to FIG. 1 with clamping members;

FIG. 3: Still in a representation according to that of FIG. 1 a further embodiment of a target arrangement according to the invention;

FIG. 4: A part of a vacuum chamber with a material source and, mounted thereon, a target arrangement according to the invention facing a substrate to be coated;

FIG. 5: Schematically prior art clamping of a target of ferromagnetic material to a magnetron source;

FIG. 6: A magnetic flux line pattern as calculated by a finite element method and showing magnetic field leakage due to inaccurate transition from clamping member to target at the prior art embodiment of FIG. 5.

Claims

1.) A target arrangement for mounting/dismounting onto/from a material source (19;21) to free material to a vacuum coating process, comprising a plate (1) along a plane (E), at least a part (9u) of said plate (1) consisting of said material, said plate(1) having a border(3); at least a predominant part of said border (3) being wedge-shaped (5) by a first substantially planar wedge surface (5u) angled (α) to said plane (E) and a second substantially planar wedge surface (5l) angled to said plane, said first and second wedge surfaces (5u, 5l) mutually converting in a direction (R) along said plane (E) and from a more central area of said plate perpendicularly towards said border(3).

2.) The arrangement of claim 1 wherein said plate has a surface parallel to said plane (E) which is of said material.

3.) The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said plate (1) is a target.

4.) The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said part of said border is of ferromagnetic material.

5.) The arrangement of claim 4 wherein said material to be freed is ferromagnetic material.

6.) The arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a first (11u) and a second (11l) clamping member respectively with a first (13u) and a second (13l) substantially planar wedge counter surface, said first and second clamping members being biased towards each other with said first and second wedge counter surfaces gently biased toward and on said first and second wedge surfaces.

7.) The arrangement of claim 1, being a sputter target arrangement.

8.) The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said first and second wedge surfaces (5u, 5e) are substantially equally angled to said plane (E).

9.) The arrangement of claim 6, wherein said arrangement comprises a target of ferromagnetic material said clamping members and said wedge-shaped part are of ferromagnetic material, arrangement being a magnetron sputtering target arrangement.

10.) A method of manufacturing a device including the step of applying at least one layer comprising a ferromagnetic material on a substrate, comprising the steps of: mounting a target arrangement according to claim 4, to a magnetron source, within a vacuum chamber,positioning at least one substrate with a surface to be coated facing towards said mounted target arrangement andsputter coating said surface.

11.) The method of claim 10 said device being one of a read head, a write head, a read/write head, all for storage disks, a magnetic date storage disc, a semiconductor device.

12.) A magnetron sputter source comprising a target arrangement according to claim 4, and a magnet arrangement generating a magnetron magnetic field upon said target arrangement.