1. What is sputtering deposition?

Sputter deposition is a method of depositing thin films by sputtering material from a “target”. Sputtering is a term used to describe the mechanism in which atoms are ejected from the surface of a material when that surface is stuck by sufficiency energetic ions generated by low-pressure gas plasma, usually an argon plasma. The sputtering takes place at a much lower temperature than evaporation. Sputtered atoms ejected into the gas phase in vapor form are not in their thermodynamic equilibrium state and tend to condense on all surfaces in the vacuum chamber including the substrate.

2. Why are thin films important?

There are many useful applications for thin films. We desire to produce properties in a material that are often conflicting in nature if we use one homogeneous material. Semiconductor devices, for example, are fabricated on a thin layer deposited on a semiconductor substrate. The integrated electronic circuits depend on the confinement of electrical charges, which relies on the interfaces between different materials with different electronic properties. There are also many occasions when the properties demanded an engineering application involve features that are different for the surface than that are for the bulk. Depositing metal films and patterning them on the surface are relatively easy to secure electrical connection between semiconductor devices.

3.How does a sputtering system work?

Generally, in sputtering systems ions are generated and directed at a target, then ions sputter targets atoms. The ejected atoms are transported to the substrate and atoms condense and form a thin film. Below image shows the simple schematic of a sputtering system.

Desk Sputter/Carbon Coater - DSCR - NanoStructured Coatings Co.

The Desk SEM Coater model DSCR is a compact coating system enabling both sputter and carbon coater. This system is able to sputter noble metals such as gold (Au), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt) and gold/palladium (Au/Pd), as well as thermal evaporation of different carbon sources (fiber or rod) to coat on samples with non-conductive or poorly conductive surface for electron microscopy imaging or other applications.

The device is a rotary pumped coater configured for DC sputtering and carbon fiber (thread) or carbon rod coating with interchangeable heads in one instrument.

Since sputtering deposition and carbon evaporation are standard mechanisms for increasing the surface electrical conductivity of the scanning electron microscope (SEM) samples to prevent charge buildup during the imaging process, DSCR is a versatile machine for SEM sample preparation.

The full-automatic sputter and carbon coating processes allows easy, precise, and repeatable performance. DSCR can be equipped with a water-cooled sputtering cathode which make it suitable for long time deposition. The maximum size of substrates in this model could be 4 inches.

Features

Hardware

Two-stage, direct drive rotary vane pump 6 m³/h
80 W DC switching power supply for sputtering
0-25A pulsed DC power supply for carbon fiber evaporation
0-100A DC power supply for carbon rod evaporation (optional)
Quartz crystal thickness monitor with precision of 1nm and resolution of 1 Å
One 2-inch magnetron cathode
Electronic venting valve
Sample rotation, height and tilt adjustable
Planetary sample holder (optional)
Electronic shutter
Easy-to-change specimen stages (rotation stage as standard)
Two-year warranty
CE conformity

Automation

Intuitive touch screen to control the coating process and rapid data input
User friendly software, updatable via network
Precise control over coating rate to achieve finer grain structures
Semi-Full automatic sputtering
Semi-Full automatic carbon fiber/rod deposition process
Repeatable, programmable sputtering and carbon coating process in the automatic mode
Manual or automatic Timed and Thickness sputtering deposition
Records and plots coating parameters graphs
Storing coating recipes for repeatable depositions

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Pulsed Carbon Fiber Evaporation

The DSCR coater is able to perform pulsed carbon fiber evaporation. Short pulses provide more controlled deposition and significantly reduces the amount of debris associated with traditional carbon deposition.

Carbon Rod Evaporation (optional)

The DSCR could be equipped with carbon rod evaporator head (optional). For this case an external 0-100A high current power supply should be used instead of the internal high current power supply which is designed for carbon fiber evaporation.

Touch Screen Control

DSCR, the Desk SEM Coater, is equipped with a 7” colored touch screen panel and full automatic control using a user-friendly software to control and adjust the deposition process data. The vacuum and coating sequence information can be observed as digital data or curves on the touch screen. The last 300 coatings information is saved on the history page.

Sample Holder Stages

The DSCR can be equipped with different sample stage configurations depending on the user requirements. The standard sample stage is rotatable with adjustable height and angle and can be changed easily. The rotary planetary sample stage is a good choice for uniform coating of porous specimens (Optional).

Newly Designed Sample Holder

A new 4-inch rotating sample holder is designed for the system to increase the deposition area and the number of coating stubs in a run (customizable for max. 50×1 mm stubs).

Applications

Fine grain structural deposition of noble metals for SEM & FE-SEM, EDX, and TEM sample preparation
Conductive layers
GLAD sputtering

Note

For sputtering of oxidizing metals, please see the DSCT (Turbo-pumped desk sputter & carbon coater).

Specification

Suitable for deposition of noble metals, carbon fiber, and rod (optional)
170 mm OD x 140 mm Height Pyrex cylinder chamber
Dimensions: 45 cm H x 46 cm W x 37 cm D
Ultimate vacuum: Less than 40 mTorr
Automatic control of the cathode’s temperature to protect the lifetime of the magnets
Rapid data input through fully automatic touch screen panel
Real-time plot of coating parameters
Deposition process data transfer to PC by USB port
Utilities: 220V/110V, 50/60HZ- 1.7 kW.
Shipping weight (Included vacuum pump): 42Kg