SWINGING MAGNETS TO IMPROVE TARGET UTILIZATION

摘要

A method and apparatus for uniformly eroding a sputtering target is disclosed. As a racetrack shaped magnetic field formed by a magnetron moves across the sputtering surface of the sputtering target, one or more magnets within the magnetron may swing or pivot relative to other magnets within the magnetron to reduce magnetic field pinching at the turns in the racetrack shaped magnetic field. The swinging or pivoting magnets alter the location on the magnetic field at a turn in the racetrack shape where the coordinate of the magnetic field perpendicular to the sputtering surface equals zero. By altering the location, sputtering target erosion uniformity may be increased.