It is extremely important to measure and control the dynamic behavior of the pressure distribution and gas flows near the substrates inside the vacuum process facility. However, it has been rarely accomplished with existing vacuum sensing technology. The authors developed an ultra-small thin film micro pressure sensor using TaAl-N thin film as sensing element, and measured the local pressure distribution at steady state near the target and near the substrate in the sputtering system. Furthermore, continuous measurement of the dynamic pressure variations during the reactive sputtering process was successfully conducted to improve the fabrication quality and productivity in the vacuum fabrication systems.

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