Thin film deposition by electric and magnetic crossed-field diode sputtering. [Patent application]

Patent · Fri Apr 04 00:00:00 EDT 1975

OSTI ID:7273635

Welch, K M

Applying a coating of titanium nitride to a klystron window by means of a cross-field diode sputtering array is described. The array is comprised of a cohesive group of numerous small hollow electrically conducting cylinders and is mounted so that the open ends of the cylinders on one side of the group are adjacent to a titanium cathode plate. The workpiece is mounted so as to face the open ends of the other side of the group. A magnetic field is applied to the array so as to be coaxial with the cylinders and a potential is applied across the cylinders and the cathode plate, the cylinders as an anode being positive with respect to the cathode plate. The cylinders, the cathode plate, and the workpiece are situated in an atmosphere of nitrogen which becomes ionized such as by field emission because of the electric field between the cylinders and cathode plate, thereby establishing an anode-cathode discharge that results in sputtering of the titanium plate. The sputtered titanium coats the workpiece and chemically combines with the nitrogen to form a titanium nitride coating on the workpiece. Gas pressure, gas mixtures, cathode material composition, voltages applied to the cathode and anode, the magnetic field, cathode, anode and workpiece spacing, and the aspect ratio (ratio of length to inner diameter) of the anode cylinders, all may be controlled to provide consistent optimum thin film coatings of various compositions and thickness. Another facet of the disclosure is the coating of microwave components per se with titanium nitride to reduce multifactoring under operating conditions of the components.

• Assignee: Energy Research and Development Administration
• OSTI ID: 7273635
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
TITANIUM NITRIDES
SPUTTERING
WINDOWS
COATINGS
FIELD EMISSION
FILMS
GASES
KLYSTRONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
PRESSURE CONTROL
CONTROL
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON TUBES
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EMISSION
FLUIDS
MICROWAVE EQUIPMENT
MICROWAVE TUBES
NITRIDES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OPENINGS
PNICTIDES
RADIATIONS
TITANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
360201* - Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories- Preparation & Fabrication