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.

High Vacuum Dual Sputter and Carbon Coater

The DSCT-300 is configured as a dual sputter coater & carbon coater capable of performing successive sputtering and carbon evaporation deposition with fine-grain sizes without breaking the vacuum in a large 300 mm dia. chamber, suitable for research purposes and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) sample preparation.

This device can be used for the deposition of uniform coatings of semiconductors, dielectrics and metals (Noble and oxidizing) (Deposition Material Table), such as gold (Au), platinum/palladium (Pt/Pd) alloy, silver (Ag), chromium (Cr), tungsten (W), iridium (Ir), etc., together with carbon thread (Fiber)/rod to coat thin films on various surfaces, for different applications like micro & nano-electronic, metalizing and electron microscopy imaging.

The DSCT-300 high vacuum coater is equipped with a turbomolecular pump that offers high-quality uniform films with fine grain sizes under high vacuum conditions, suitable for specimens that require high resolution characterization such as FE-SEM, EDS/WDS, TEM, and EBSD.

The DSCT-300 coating system is equipped with a 160W switching DC and 24V high current power supply. As optional facilities, the sputtering can be executed with a power of up to 600 W, as well as performing RF sputtering for sputter coating of insulating materials (Based on the order).

DSCT is equipped with a water-cooled cathode, which makes it suitable for long time sputtering deposition.

The full-automatic sputter and carbon coating processes allow easy, precise, and repeatable performance.

The maximum size of the substrates in this model could be 8 inches.

Features

Hardware

High vacuum level with built-in turbo pump 90 L/s (Leybold)
Two-stage rotary vane backing pump (Diaphragm and scroll pump)
160 W sputtering switching DC power supply
500 W switching DC power supply for carbon fiber deposition
Carbon fiber (Thread) evaporation head
Quartz crystal thickness monitor with precision of 1nm and resolution of 1 Å
One 2-inch magnetron cathode
Automatic venting valve
Sample rotation, height, and tilt adjustable
Planetary sample holder (Optional)
Electronic shutter
Easy-to-change specimen stages (Rotation stage as standard)

Automation

Intuitive touch screen to control the coating process and rapid data input
User-friendly software, updatable via network
Repeatable, programmable coating process in the automatic mode
Semi-full automatic sputtering deposition process in Timed or Thickness modes
Semi-full automatic carbon fiber/rod deposition process
Automatic carbon fiber coating in flash or pulsed modes
Automatic carbon rod coating in pulsed or ramped modes
Records and plots coating parameters graphs
Storing coating recipes for repeatable depositions

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Carbon Evaporation of DSCT-300

The DSCT-300 coating system can coat carbon layers with fine grains to produce uniform thin films on different surfaces using carbon fiber or carbon rods (Optional).

Pulsed Carbon Fiber Evaporation

The DSCT-300 coater is able to perform pulsed carbon fiber evaporation. Short pulses provide more controlled deposition and significantly reduce the amount of debris associated with traditional carbon deposition.

Carbon Rod Evaporation (Optional)

The DSCT-300 could be equipped with a 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 thread evaporation.

Clean Vacuum

The vacuum chamber is made up of a cylindrical Pyrex with a diameter of 300 cm. The DSCT-300 is fitted with an internally mounted 90 L/s turbo molecular pump, backed by a 6m³/h two-stage rotary vane pump. It introduces a clean vacuum without oil contamination which normally exists with ordinary diffusion pumps.

Touch Screen Control

DSCT-300 is equipped with a 7” colored touch-screen panel and fully automatic control utilizing 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 Holders Stages

The DSCT-300 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 the uniform coating of porous specimens (Optional).

NSC Product DSCT-300 Sample Stage — 4-inch Sample Stage

NSC Product DSCT-300 Planetary — Rotary Planetary Sample Stage

Applications

Fine grain structural deposition of carbon and metals (Noble and oxidizing) thin films for SEM & FE-SEM, EDX, and TEM sample preparation
Nano and microelectronic
Conductive layers
Thin Film Sensors
GLAD sputtering
TEM grid plasma treatment for improved hydrophilicity (Optional)

NSC DSCT-300 3d face second products page

Specification

Turbo molecular pump with different pumping speeds (Optional):

Pumping Speed (Ls^-1)	90	250	350
Ultimate Pressure (Torr)	8×10^-6	3×10^-6	8×10^-7

Precise control over coating rate and pressure to achieve finer grain structures
Automatic control of the cathode’s temperature to protect the lifetime of the magnets
Real-time plot of coating parameters
consuming power: 2 kW
Appropriate packaging of the instrument for safe delivery