US5855686A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for vacuum deposition of highly ionized media in an electromagnetic controlled environment
Assignee: Depositech Inc
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Filing: 1997-05-09
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Granted: 1999-01-05
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Expires: 2017-05-09
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for vacuum depositing a coating onto a substrate are provided. The method includes the steps of: introducing an evaporant into a magnetically defined deposition region of a vacuum process chamber, ionizing the evaporant to form a plasma; generating a "magnetic bottle" magnetic field configuration to define the deposition region and to confine the plasma to the deposition region, further increasing the percentage ionization of the plasma to form a highly ionized media; creating a static dc electric field that is generally perpendicular to the magnetic field in the deposition region and parallel to the plane of the substrate; and then moving the substrate through the highly ionized media with the plane of the substrate and its direction of motion generally parallel to the magnetic field lines. The method of the invention is particularly suited to deposition of any atomistic evaporant onto intermediate-sized substrates.
Inventors
- 👤 Ray Dean Rust
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 18:49
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01J; H01J37/00; H01J37/32; H01J37/32009; H01J37/32422; C; C23; C23C; C23C14/00; C23C14/22; C23C14/24; C23C14/32; C23C14/56; H01J37/32431; H01J37/3266; H01J37/32697; H01J37/32706; H01J37/32733; H01J37/32752; H01J37/32761
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
112 words
A vacuum deposition apparatus comprising: a process chamber connected to a vacuum source; evaporation means for forming an evaporant within the process chamber containing a deposition species; electric field means for forming an electric field in the process chamber and for ionizing the evaporant to form a plasma; magnetic field means for forming a magnetic mirror field configuration within the process chamber with magnetic field lines oriented (substantially) perpendicular to electric field lines of the electric field; and carrier means for moving a substrate through the process chamber along a direction of motion (substantially parallel to the magnetic field lines to deposit the deposition species on the substrate to a predetermined thickness.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
112 words
A vacuum deposition apparatus comprising: a process chamber connected to a vacuum source; evaporation means for forming an evaporant within the process chamber containing a deposition species; electric field means for forming an electric field in the process chamber and for ionizing the evaporant to form a plasma; magnetic field means for forming a magnetic mirror field configuration within the process chamber with magnetic field lines oriented (substantially) perpendicular to electric field lines of the electric field; and carrier means for moving a substrate through the process chamber along a direction of motion (substantially parallel to the magnetic field lines to deposit the deposition species on the substrate to a predetermined thickness.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the evaporation means comprises a metallization source for vaporizing a solid metal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the evaporant is non-metallic.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the electric field means comprises independent dc field electrodes and separate ionization electrodes mounted within the process chamber.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the magnetic means comprises a pair of magnetic field coils surrounding the process chamber on either side of the electric field electrodes.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the magnetic means comprises two sets of permanent magnets surrounding the process chamber on either side of the electric field electrodes.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising a magazine connected to the process chamber for holding multiple substrates and for loading the substrates one at a time into the carrier means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the substrate is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of a dielectric panel and a metallic panel and the deposition species is a metal.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the deposition species is a dielectric and the substrate is selected from the group consisting of a dielectric panel and a metallic panel.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and wherein the substrate is a generally rectangular-shaped panel.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-01-04 | 2002-07-06 | 2003-01-05 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-01-04 | 2006-07-06 | 2007-01-05 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-01-04 | 2010-07-06 | 2011-01-05 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |