Rf sputtering apparatus including a capacitive lead-in for an rf potential

Claim 1

IN A DEPOSITION SYSTEM UTILIZING A LOW PRESSURE SUPPORTED GAS DISCHARGE PLASMA FOR MAINTAINING AN ENCLOSURE FABRICATED AT LEAST IN PART FROM A DIELECTRIC MATERIAL, AN INERT GASEOUS ATMOSPHERE OF LOW PRESSURE MAINTAINED WITHIN SAID ENCLOSURE, A PLURALITY OF WORKING STATIONS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID ENCLOSURE, AND MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING A GAS DISCHARGE PLASMA THEREWITHIN, SAID WORKING A GAS DISCHARGE PLASMA THEREWITHIN, SAID WORKING STATIONS INCLUDING AN ELECTRON EMITTING ELECTRODE, A PLURALITY OF ELECTRODES INCLUDING AN ANODE FOR SAID ELECTRON SOURCE DISPOSED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP FROM SAID ELECTRON EMITTING ELECTRODE AND BIASED ELECTRICALLY TO ATTRACT SAID ELECTRONS AND DEFINING A REACTION ZONE FOR SAID ELECTRONS AND THE GAS MOLECULES COMPRISING SAID ATMOSPHERE, AND AT LEAST ONE TARGET ELECTRODE DISPOSED IN SAID REACTION ZONE, CERTAIN OF SAID GASEOUS MOLECULES BEING ADAPTED TO BOMBARD THE SURFACE OF SAID TARGET TO REMOVE ATOMS THEREFROM, MEANS FOR COLLECTING SAID REMOVED ATOMS, AND FIELD GENERATING MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING A RF FIELD GENERATING MEANS INCLUDING CAPACITIVE MEANS HAVING A PAIR OF ELECTRICALLY COUPLED ELECTRODE PLATES DISPOSED IN SPACED APART RELATIONSHIP ON OPPOSITE SURFACES OF THE DIELECTRIC OF SAID ENCLOSURE AND INCLUDING AN INNER AND AN OUTER PLATE, AND COUPLING MEANS FOR LOCATING AND ISOLATING SAID RF POTENTIAL ON THE TARGET SURFACE DISPOSED WITHIN SAID ENCLOSURE AND IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP FROM SAID ENCLOSURE SURFACE, SAID COUPLING MEANS INCLUDING AN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR EXTENDING FROM SAID INNER PLATE TO SAID TARGET AND A SHIELD DISPOSED ABOUT SAID CONDUCTOR AND GENERALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID CONDUCTOR TO ELECTRICALLY ISOLATE THE FIELD CREATED ALONG THE EXTENT OF SAID CONDUCTOR FROM SAID PLASMA.