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.

DST2-TG: Sputter Coater and Thermal Evaporator for Glove Box

The DST2-TG, Double Target Turbo Pumped Sputter Coater with Thermal Evaporator for Glove Box Use, is a multi-vacuum coater system that combines thermal evaporator and sputter coater in one single compact desktop system. The high vacuum system is suitable for the deposition of a wide range of materials. Double magnetron target desk sputter coater can easily switch between evaporation and sputtering deposition for the preparation of multilayer coatings, without breaking the vacuum.

Glove box systems provide a protected environment for sensitive material, preventing any contact with air or humidity and unwanted interactions. DST2-TG high-vacuum coating system with glove box offers a convenient chamber environment contributing to high purity thin layer deposition under high vacuum conditions, along with secure substrate handling under inert gas atmosphere.

The DST2-TG Magnetron Desk Sputter Coater is a high-precision semi/fully automated vacuum coating system equipped with a large chamber (300 mm diameter) and two 2” diameter water-cooled cathodes, which make it suitable for long-time deposition. The system is a single platform for sputtering, carbon fiber, and metal evaporation. The magnetron desk sputter coater can sputter semiconductors, dielectrics, and metal targets. Sputtering cathodes and thermal evaporation boats could be installed together or interchangeably, with an overall three deposition sources accessible (When placing the order). Carbon deposition is also made possible by utilizing carbon fiber (Thread).

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The sputter coater and thermal evaporator for glove box can be equipped with optional facilities including:

RF power supply with an auto-adjustable matching box which minimizes the reflected power in the RF sputtering process
Glow discharge plasma for removing organic matter from the substrate surface before thin film deposition

Clean Vacuum

The vacuum chamber is Cylindrical Pyrex with 300 mm OD and 200-250 mm H. The DST2-TG is fitted with an internally mounted 90L/s turbo molecular pump, backed by a 6 m³/h two-stage rotary vain pump. The glovebox mounted DST2-TG introduces an extremely controllable chamber environment for high purity thin layer deposition, along with safe and clean sample handling before/after a deposition process under inert gas atmosphere inside the glove box.

Touch Screen Control

DST2-TG is equipped with a 7” colored touch-screen panel with a user-friendly interface to control and adjust the deposition process data. Depending on the ordered model, the panel window can be made available on pc through a Wi-Fi connection to easily control the device. The vacuum and coating sequence information can be observed as digital data or curves on the touch screen and the last 300 coatings are saved on the history page.

NSC Product DST2-TG Inner Chamber Square Without Frame Grey Big Border

Features of DST2-TG

Hardware

Two-stage rotary vane backing pump
High-vacuum built-in turbo pump 90l/s
Full range vacuum gauge
Electrical lift arm to ride up and down the vacuum chamber
Two 2” water-cooled sputtering cathodes
Two quartz crystal sensors (1 nm precision) for real-time thickness measurement
Two precision Mass Flow meter (MFC) for fine control of vacuum and pressure
Electronic shutters
Cathode selection motor
Sample rotation, height and tilt adjustable

Automation

Intuitive touch screen to control the coating process and rapid data input
User friendly software, updatable via network
Semi-Fully automatic coating process
Software controllable vertical movement of the vacuum glass chamber
Manual or automatic sputter coating in Timed and Thickness modes
Storing sputter coating recipes for repeatable depositions
Automated cathode selection for multilayer thin film deposition
Co-sputtering with sample oscillation settings

Optional Facilities

RF sputtering for deposition of non-conducting targets
Glow discharge plasma

Specifications

Combination of sputter coater and thermal evaporator for glovebox mounting
Easy and quick target installation without need to target holder
Improved heat conduction utilizing targets with backing plate
Unlimited sputtering time without breaking vacuum
Independent sputtering control rate for each cathode to produce fine grain structures
Automatic safe control of the cathode’s temperatures to protect the life time of the magnets
Real-time plots of coating parameters graphs
Max. power consumption: 4.5kW