What are sputtering targets?
A sputtering target is a material that is used to create thin films in a technique known as sputter deposition, or thin film deposition. As a result, most sputtering target materials are metallic elements or alloys, although there are some ceramic targets available that create hardened thin coatings for various tools.
How does a sputtering system work?
Sputtering is a plasma based deposition process in which energetic ions are accelerated towards a target. The ions strike the target and atoms are ejected (or sputtered) from the surface. These atoms travel towards the substrate and incorporate into the growing film.
What is sputtering yield?
sputtering yield refers to atoms/ion. If an ion of certain energy is hitting the target, and the target atoms are sputtering out, then how many target atoms are ejected out w.r.t to the momentum transfer of a single ion, this is known as sputtering yield.
Is sputtering done in vacuum?
Coating methods include Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) and one technique is called Sputtering. The sputtering method of thin film deposition involves introducing a controlled gas, usually chemically inert argon, into a vacuum chamber, and electrically energizing a cathode to establish a self sustaining plasma.
Why argon is used in sputtering?
Inert gases, specfically argon, are usually employed as the sputtering gas because they tend not to react with the target material or combine with any process gases and because they produce higher sputtering and deposition rates due to their high molecular weight.
What is the thickness of a sputter coating?
Sputter coating. It also increases the amount of secondary electrons that can be detected from the surface of the specimen in the SEM and therefore increases the signal to noise ratio. Sputtered films for SEM typically have a thickness range of 2–20 nm.
Which is the best sputter coating for a vacuum?
To even further enhance your coating results, you can use a Meissner trap to increase the vacuum to 10-7 mbar regime, and then try sputter targets or sample materials which are sensitive to oxygen. 2nm thick fine grained sputter coatings of different materials deposited onto SiOx substate, 200kX magnification.
What are the benefits of sputtered films in SEM?
It also increases the amount of secondary electrons that can be detected from the surface of the specimen in the SEM and therefore increases the signal to noise ratio. Sputtered films for SEM typically have a thickness range of 2–20 nm. Benefits for SEM samples sputtered with metal:
Can a Meissner trap be used for sputter coating?
Adjust the sample distance and coating angle to the needs of the morphology of the sample. To even further enhance your coating results, you can use a Meissner trap to increase the vacuum to 10-7 mbar regime, and then try sputter targets or sample materials which are sensitive to oxygen.
Which is an application of the sputtering phenomenon?
One of the applications of sputtering phenomenon is Deposition. Deposition using sputtering is a method of creating thin films of a few nanometers to a few micrometers on the desired substrate. In this process, the atoms separated from the surface of the target material are gaseous.
What is the difference between Resputtering and sputter deposition?
Sputter deposition is a method of depositing thin films by sputtering that involves eroding material from a “target” source onto a “substrate” e.g. a silicon wafer, solar cell, optical component, or many other possibilities. Resputtering, in contrast, involves re-emission of the deposited material, e.g.
What kind of materials are used to make sputtering targets?
Sputtering targets and other evaporation materials are manufactured by American Elements from samarium cobalt and neodymium iron boron alloy, both advanced magnetic materials. Optical and Architectural Glass.
How big can a rotatable sputtering target be?
Rotatable sputtering targets are available up to 1,000 mm in length and can be produced from a number of single element, oxide and alloy materials for use in many applications where large film areas are required, such as photovoltaic device fabrication.