Towards More Efficient Dual Magnetron Sputtering (DMS): Strategies for Reducing Cost of Ownership

Dual magnetron sputtering (DMS), now a mature technology, is widely used to deposit films in large-area coaters. Even so, there is room to improve the cost of ownership (CoO) in DMS applications by reducing waste, electrical energy consumption, and downtime. Target material waste can be reduced by balancing target material consumption. The simplest approach is to balance the power to each magnetron. A more advanced strategy takes the reactive sputtering working point of the target surfaces into account, to enable both targets to reach end-of-life (inventory) simultaneously. Operation at the minimum frequency consistent with stable process conditions can reduce electrical energy consumption. Further reduction can be achieved by running incrementally higher on the transition curve, by controlling the working point of each magnetron. Downtime due to maintenance and repair is reduced with a modular approach. This allows end users to self-support by swapping at the module level, with power supply maintenance and repair performed at the depot level. This paper shows how advanced DMS power supplies are a key part of these CoO reduction strategies.