Apparatus for reducing the intensity and frequency of arcs which occur during a sputtering process

摘要

An apparatus for reducing the intensity and frequency of arcing in a reactive DC sputtering process when the process uses an arc-suppression system which interrupts or reverses the voltage applied to the sputtering target. A plasma having required properties is introduced into the vicinity of the sputtering target by means of a separate plasma applicator which operates independently of the target.