Why is argon used for sputtering?
Inert gases, specfically argon, are usually employed as the sputtering gas because they tend not to react with the target material or combine with any process gases and because they produce higher sputtering and deposition rates due to their high molecular weight.
What is argon sputtering?
The sputtering, in a space filled with inert gas such as Ar (argon), argon is atomized by discharging a high voltage to the material (target), it is knocked out the target atom by colliding with the target, It is a technology that adheres to the substrate and forms a thin film.
How does ion beam sputtering work?
Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS), also called Ion Beam Deposition (IBD), is a thin film deposition process that uses an ion source to deposit or sputter a target material (metal or dielectric) onto a substrate to create either a metallic or dielectric film.
What is the principle of sputtering?
The principle of Sputtering is to use the energy of a plasma (partially ionized gas) on the surface of a target (cathode), to pull the atoms of the material one by one and deposit them on the substrate.
Why do we use sputtering?
Sputtering is used extensively in the semiconductor industry to deposit thin films of various materials in integrated circuit processing. Because of the low substrate temperatures used, sputtering is an ideal method to deposit contact metals for thin-film transistors.
What is the use of sputtering?
Sputtering targets are used to produce low-radiation coated glass – also known as Low-E glass – which is commonly used in building construction because of its ability to save energy, control light, and for aesthetics. Demands for renewable energy are on the rise.
What are the different types of sputtering?
Several types of sputtering processes exist, including: ion beam, diode, and magnetron sputtering. Angstrom Sciences specializes in Magnetron Sputtering Technology. In a magnetron sputtering application, the high voltage is delivered across a low pressure gas (usually argon) in order to create high-energy plasma.
What is meant by reactive sputtering?
Reactive sputtering is a process that allows compounds to be deposited by introducing a reactive gas (typically oxygen or nitrogen) into the plasma which is typically formed by an inert gas such as argon (most common), xenon, or krypton.
Why is sputtering carried out in high vacuum?
Deposition processes such as sputtering employ a plasma to eject particles from the source. A plasma can only form at low pressures (~ mTorr). High vacuum in the deposition chamber also provides the means to introduce and control gases located externally at a higher pressure.
Why is it called sputtering?
If a collision cascade reaches the surface of the target, and its remaining energy is greater than the target’s surface binding energy, an atom will be ejected. This process is known as “sputtering”.
What are sputtering yields of compounds using argon ions?
An analysis is made of published sputtering yield data for compounds using argon primary ions at normal incidence to evaluate the validity of simple predictive equations. These are sputtering yields at dynamical equilibrium.
What kind of spectroscopy is used for sputtering?
The sputtering of materials using inert gas primary ions, particularly argon, is a routine part of surface and thin film analysis for compositional depth profiling using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) or x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) [ 1, 2 ].
What kind of plasma is used in sputtering deposition?
Sputtering deposition usually uses an argon plasma because argon, a noble gas, will not react with the target material.
Where does the energy that causes sputtering come from?
The ions that cause sputtering come from a variety of sources — they can come from plasma, specially constructed ion sources, particle accelerators, outer space (e.g. solar wind), or radioactive materials (e.g. alpha radiation).