Optimization of coating uniformity in an ion beam sputtering system using a modified planetary rotation method.

A modified planetary rotation system has been developed to obtain high uniformity optical coatings on large substrates in an ion beam sputter coater. The system allows the normally fixed sun gear to rotate, thus allowing an extra degree of freedom and permitting more complex motions to be used. By moving the substrate platen between two fixed positions around the sun axis, averaging of the distributions at these two positions takes place and improved uniformity can be achieved. A peak-to-valley radial uniformity of ∼0.15% (∼0.07% rms) on a single layer film on a 400 mm diameter substrate has been achieved without the aid of masking.