Sputtering Targets

Carbon targets used for sputtering of carbon films generally consist of nearly pure graphite. The targets are electrically conductive. The target materials are readily available from many vendors world wide.

Carbon sputtering target was replaced after the de- positions of 20-30 films with several thousand A in thickness in mass-separated negative ion beam deposition system. Carbon films can also be deposited by magnetron sputtering in which a magnetically confined plasma torus  acts as a distributed source of ions that impact a carbon sputtering target over a significant part of its area. C -ions were produced from a highly pure carbon-sputtering target by cesium ion sputtering in a neutral and ionized alkaline bombardment-type heavy negative ion source.

The applications for carbon are many and include its use as an alloying element with iron in the manufacture of steel, its use as brushes in electrical generators and motors, the use of colloidal graphite or carbon to coat surfaces (e.g. glass), in electrical assemblies to absorb microwaves and inhibit photoelectrons and secondary electrons, and the use of high purity carbon (graphite) in nuclear reactors to moderate neutrons.