Sputtering Targets

Sputtering is a technology capable of depositing thin films from a wide variety of materials on to diverse substrate shapes and sizes. The process is repeatable and can be scaled up from small research and development projects, to production batches involving medium to large substrate areas. The gas use for sputtering is inert such as argon. For efficient momentum transfer projectile mass must match target mass, so for sputtering light elements neon is also used and for heavy elements krypton or xenon.

Most sputtering target materials can be fabricated into a wide range of shapes and sizes. There are some technical limitations to the maximum size for a given single piece construction. In such cases, a multi-segmented target can be produced with the individual segments joined together by butt or beveled joints. Commonly used targets are circular or rectangular, although other shapes including square and triangular.

Nowadays applications of sputtering range from semiconductor industry for Thin Film deposition of various materials in integrated circuit processing, to architectural window glass for energy conservation, decorative with familiar gold-coloured hard coating created by Titanium Nitride and hardwearing coatings for tools and consumer goods, to deposition of metals during fabrication of CDs and DVDs.

Reactive gases are used to sputter compounds. The chemical reaction can occur on the target surface, in-flight or on the substrate depending on the process parameters. The many parameters make sputter deposition a complex process but allow experts a large degree of control over the growth and microstructure of the film.

Sputter Deposition is a method of depositing thin films by sputtering that involves eroding materilas from a “ target” source onto a “substrate” e.g. silicon wafer. Sputtered atoms are ejected into the gas phase but are not in their thermodynamic equilibrium state, and tend to deposit on all surfaces in the vacuum chamber.