650 mm x 830 mm area sputtering deposition using a separated magnet system

In a single-substrate sputtering system for liquid crystal display (LCD) production, areas of the target and backing plate have been increased due to larger substrate areas. Consequently, deformation of the backing plate also increases because the atmospheric force becomes largely proportional to the plate area. However, this deformation should be suppressed because the distance between the magnet assembly and target surface should be kept constant. A new magnetron cathode, which has a backing plate with beam structure for suppressing the deformation and a magnet assembly with gaps, is developed for a 650 mm x 830 mm large substrate sputtering system. Uniform film thickness of +/- 4.5% and smooth erosion profile are obtained in the system. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.