The CAPOS SM series PVD system boasts an industry first with a cost-effective “Open-Platform” architectural design. This means that the CAPOS SM offers many standard configuration options as well as the ability to incorporate custom features as unique as its user. Created for precise R&D and batch production by the design team at Semicore, a Silicon Valley based manufacturer of PVD, vacuum and other custom application equipment. This innovative advancement extends the processing capabilities while generating high levels of performance. It delivers a range of accurate coatings for a variety of materials and substrates used by electronic, optical, solar energy, medical, automotive, military, aerospace and related “high-tech” industries. Highly Configurable, Batch Sputtering Deposition System CAPOS Sputtering Features & Options: - Process Chamber: Stainless or aluminum, standard size ranges from 18-24 inch D-shape – scaled to match the specific application. - Pumping: Dry rough pump and turbomolecular or cryogenic high vacuum pump. - Load Lock: Stainless or aluminum, manual or automatic transfer, rough or high vacuum pumping, single or multiple substrate. - Glove Box: Standard or custom designed. - Process Control: PC/PLC based process automation with graphical user interface, recipe control, data logging and remote e-support. - In-Situ Monitoring & Control: Optical, reactive, residual gas analyzer and other process feedback/control. - Substrate Fixture: Single, multiple, or custom substrate fixtures. - Substrate Holders: Heated or cooled, etched or biased, rotating or positioned. - Ion Source: Substrate pre-clean, assisted deposition, nanometer-scale modification of surfaces. - Deposition Sources: Magnetron Sputtering, RF, DC, or Pulsed-DC, HIPIMS Glancing, Angle Deposition (GLAD), Cathodic Arc Plasma Deposition, Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD).
Confocal sputtering is the technique of arranging magnetrons within a vacuum chamber in such a way that multiple materials can be applied onto the substrate without breaking vacuum. Confocal sputtering also allows the user to co-sputter, or to create a film of two or more materials at once. This method is popular for research and development tools and for small scale batch productions. For conventional top-down sputtering, only one material can be sputtered at a time. This is because of the geometric relation that the magnetron has with the substrate. Generally, when sputtering in this way, the target material must be larger than the substrate to yield acceptable film uniformity. Because of this, the user must change the targets if they wish to sputter a different material. This method also requires the target material to be much larger than the area of the substrate. With confocal sputtering, the target is positioned at an angle relative to the substrate surface. By doing this, the magnetron system must also be moved off center of the rotational axis and be rotated during deposition in order to create an acceptable uniform film thickness, (see figure 1). Multiple magnetrons with different materials can now be located equidistant to the substrate rotation axis, and each can still provide a very uniform film thickness. This allows for multiple materials to be applied during a single process, either in series, or concurrently, to create complex films. Confocal cathode sputtering is based on changing the angle of the cathode target with respect to the substrate in order to create a more uniform deposition process. Confocal sputtering requires that the cathode be mounted at an angle (θ) relative to the vertical (y) axis (See figure 1). If the substrate was held static, the inner area of the substrate would receive more material during deposition than the outer areas. By rotating the substrate about its own axis with the cathode offset, this non-uniformity is minimized. During rotation, the linear surface velocity of a point on the substrate increases as the radius to that point is increased. This causes the area of the substrate with the shortest distance to the target to be exposed to plasma for a shorter amount of time compared to the center of the substrate which has a slower linear velocity. Uniform deposition is achieved because of the tilted orientation of the cathode. Highly uniform films can be created when the target distance from the substrate and the tilt angle are optimized. Because of this, confocal sputtering can often achieve better than ±5% non-uniformity in film thickness. To position a cathode for confocal deposition, a line is drawn that runs through the center of the cathode (parallel to the particle flow) and intersects the y axis. This line is then to intersect the substrate at a distance of r/2 from its rotational axis. For best results, θ is set to 30°. At this point the only variable left is m, or the distance of the cathode to the substrate. The smaller the value of m becomes, the greater the deposition rate, but at the cost of higher non-uniformity. The accepted ideal distance for m is approximately 4 inches. In most systems, 3-4 cathodes provide the best balance of material flexibility, uniform film thickness, and good deposition rates. Adding more than 4 cathodes to the system will begin to compromise the uniformity capabilities of the system due to the changes in the throw distance. During top down, concentric deposition, the uniformity distribution of the film thickness follows a parabolic curve starting from the center of the substrate (see figure 2). The thickness of the film decreases exponentially from the center as you move towards the outside edge of the substrate. In order to decrease this non-uniformity in film thickness, the magnetron can be moved farther away from the surface of the substrate. By doing this however, the deposition rate decreases substantially. As shown in figure 2, the throw distance to the substrate can drastically change the uniformity for a given area. Confocal sputtering allows the use of a much smaller diameter target material relative to the diameter of the substrate. By tilting the magnetron in a confocal arrangement, one can utilize the flat portion of the parabolic curve to obtain better uniformity, without decreasing the deposition rate. Figure 3 illustrates how this rotation brings the flat part of the curve within +/-5% uniformity. The combination of a 30 degree offset for the magnetron, and a 4 inch throw distance provide the ideal combination to create the most uniform film. Because of this, a high percentage of the sputtered material is being deposited onto the substrate compared to top down sputtering given the same uniformity requirement. This increases the target efficiency as more of the material will be utilized for its intended purpose. This is particularly beneficial for precious metals. Confocal sputtering inherently uses smaller targets than conventional sputtering. When more magnetrons are added to a system, the distance from which they are located relative to the substrate rotation axis must not be changed in order to preserve the complex geometry of the confocal arrangement. At the addition of a fourth or fifth magnetron, this distance must grow in order for all the magnetrons to be equidistant from the rotation axis. Because of this, generally no more than three to four cathodes can be utilized in confocal sputtering. Using more cathodes will result in increased non-uniformity and decreased sputtering system rates. Source to substrate distance, cathode angle, and the location that the centerline of the target intersects with the substrate are all important aspects in producing high quality thin films. One way to ensure adjustability in all of these areas is with the use of flex mount cathodes. These cathodes provide the adjustment necessary to change the angle of the target relative to the substrate. These cathodes allow the user to have the greatest flexibility and precision in depositing highly uniform films. Based upon the above information, it can be seen that confocal sputtering provides many benefits to the user and adds flexibility to the system. Confocal sputtering increases the yield of the sputtered material and improves film uniformity. With the capability of having multiple materials in the vacuum chamber at once, time is shortened in the creation of complex films, as well as allowing for co-sputtering to take place. Another benefit of confocal sputtering is lower target cost. Co-sputtering is highly recommended for today’s cutting-edge research and development systems.
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Thermal Evaporation Deposition involves heating a solid material inside a high vacuum chamber, taking it to a temperature which produces some vapor pressure. Inside the equipment’s vacuum chamber, even a relatively low vapor pressure is sufficient to raise a vapor cloud. This evaporated material now constitutes a vapor stream, which traverses the chamber and hits the substrate, sticking to it as a coating or film. Since, in most instances of Thermal Evaporation processes the material is heated to its melting point and is liquid, it is usually located in the bottom of the chamber, often in some sort of upright crucible. The vapor then rises above this bottom source, and the substrates are held inverted in appropriate fixtures at the top of the chamber. The surfaces intended to be coated are thus facing down toward the heated source material to receive their coating. Steps may have to be taken to assure film adhesion, as well as control various film properties as desired. Fortunately, Thermal Evaporation system design and methods can allow adjustability of a number of parameters in order to give process engineers the ability to achieve desired results. Variables include thickness, uniformity, adhesion strength, stress, grain structure, optical properties, electrical properties, and more. It is common amongst Thermal Evaporation systems (Resistive, E-Beam, or Flash) to include quartz crystal deposition control, whereby real-time deposition rate monitoring and control helps to be more precise in achieving the right thickness. Thin Film Evaporation systems can also be configured with various hardware or software options. These can include ion source capability for in situ cleaning of substrate surfaces, ion beam assisted deposition, or substrate pre-heat stations. Other options can include multiple quartz crystals, co-deposition with multiple sources (either type), or fast cycle load lock stations. ccessories such as residual gas analyzers (RGA’s), and other custom features and specialized automation are also available to help you perfect your Thermal Evaporation system and process methods. Regardless of which options are selected, Thin Film Evaporation systems can offer multiple advantages including relatively high deposition rates, real time rate and thickness control, and (with suitable physical configuration) good evaporant stream directional control for such purposes as lift off processing to achieve direct patterned coatings. Accessories such as residual gas analyzers (RGA’s), and other custom features and specialized automation are also available to help you perfect your Thermal Evaporation system and process methods. Cryogenic pumps are the most popular type of high vacuum pump for Evaporation, but other options are available if desired. Regardless of which options are selected, Thin Film Evaporation systems can offer the advantages of relatively high deposition rates, real time rate and thickness control, and (with suitable physical configuration) good evaporant stream directional control for such purposes as Lift Off processing to achieve direct patterned coatings.
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Semicore offers a wide assortment of sputtering targets and thin film deposition materials that complement our PVD Coating systems satisfying virtually any requirement. Our sputtering targets come in a wide variety of sizes and materials, including pure elements or compounds and alloys in purities ranging from commercial grade 99.9% purity to the highest, 99.999% zone refined Ultra-Pure grade. We supply the most commonly requested target shapes – round, rectangular, Ring, ConMag, Quantum, S-Gun – as well as the more conventional sizes. If we do not have the shape you need, we can create a custom sputter targets order for you with any of the materials and purities we carry. The table below shows the wide range of materials we offer. We supply pure PVD metal targets including gold sputtering targets, titanium-aluminum, vanadium molybdenum and niobium alloy compound targets, rotatable targets as well as small bench top coater targets often used for R&D applications. We can help you determine the deposition materials you need to match your physical deposition requirements, and can help you formulate the best alloys and compounds to meet your exact thin film coating specifications. Materials, compositions, purities, and availability as sputtering targets, e-beam sources and evaporation materials: - Metals: Aluminum Al 99.99- 99.9999%; Antimony Sb 99.999- 99.99999%; Arsenic As 99, 99.999%; Barium Ba 99.5%; Beryllium Be 98- 99.9%; Bismuth Bi 99.9, 99.999%; Boron B 99.5%; Cadmium Cd 99.999%; Calcium Ca 99.5%; Carbon C 99.999%; Cerium Ce 99.9%; Cesium Cs 99.95%; Chromium Cr 99.95%; Cobalt Co 99.9%; Copper Cu 99.99, 99.999%; Dysprosium Dy 99.9%; Erbium Er 99.9%; Gadolinium Gd 99.9%; Gallium Ga 99.999, 99.9999%; Germanium Ge 99.999%; Gold Au 99.99, 99.999%; Hafnium Hf 99.9%; Holmium Ho 99.9%; Indium In 99.99- 99.9999%; Iridium Ir 99.9%; Iron Fe 99.9 99.95%; Lanthanum La 99.9%; Lead Pb 99.995%; Magnesium Mg 99.95%; Manganese Mn 99.9%; Molybdenum Mo 99.95%; Neodymium Nd 99.9%; Nickel Ni 99.7, 99.995%; Niobium Nb 99.95%; Palladium Pd 99.95%; Platinum Pt 99.99%; Praseodymium Pr 99.9%; Rhenium Re 99.9%; Rubidium Rb 99.8%; Ruthenium Ru 99.9%; Samarium Sm 99.9%; Scandium Sc 99.9%; Selenium Se 99.999- 99.9999%; Silicon Si 99.999%; Silver Ag 99.99%; Strontium Sr 99.5%; Tantalum Ta 99.95%; Tellurium Te 99.999%; Terbium Tb 99.9%; Thallium Tl 99.9%; Thorium Th 99.8%; Thulium Tm 99.9%; Tin Sn 99.99%; Titanium Ti 99.7- 99.995%; Tungsten W 99.95%; Vanadium V 99.9%; Ytterbium Yb 99.9%; Yttrium Y 99.9%; Zinc Zn 99.99, 99.995%; Zirconium Zr 99.7% - Alloys: Aluminum – Chromium (Al)X (Cr)1-X 99.99%; Aluminum – Cobalt (Al)X (Co)1-X 99.95%; Aluminum- Copper (Al)X (Cu)1-X 99.9- 99.9999%; Aluminum – Iron (Al)X (Fe)1-X 99.99%; Aluminum – Silicon (Al)X (Si)1-X 99.9- 99.9999%; Aluminum – Silicon – Copper (Al)X (Si)Y (Cu)Z 99.9- 99.9999%; Aluminum – Titanium (Al)50 (Ti)50 99.95%; Chromium – Silicon Monoxide (Cr)X (SiO)1-X 99.9%; Chromium – Nickel (Cr)X(Ni)1-X 99.9%; Chromium – Cobalt (Cr)X(Co)1-X 99.5%; Chromium – Cobalt – Nickel (Cr)X (Co)Y (Ni)Z 99.5%; Cobalt – Nickel (Co)X(Ni)1-X 99.5%; Iron – Nickel (Permalloy) (Fe)19 (Ni)81 99.9%; Indium – Tin (In)X (Sn)1-X 99.99, 99.999%; Nickel – Vanadium (Ni)93 (V)07 99.95%; Titanium – Tungsten (Ti)10 (W)90 99.99%; Titanium – Tungsten (Ti)15 (W)85 99.99% - Superconducting Alloys: Yttrium – Barium Copper Oxide 1-2-3 99.9- 99.999%; Bismuth – Calcium – Strontium – Copper Oxide 2-2-2-3 99.9- 99.999%; Bismuth – Lead – Calcium – Strontium – Copper Oxide 1.94-0.06-2-2-3 99.9- 99.999%; Thallium – Barium – Calcium – Copper Oxide 2-2-2-3 99.9- 99.999%; Erbium – Barium – Copper Oxide 1-2-3 99.9- 99.999% - Borides: Aluminum Boride AlB2 99%; Chromium Boride CrB2 99.5%; Hafnium Boride HfB2 99.5%; Lanthanum Boride LaB6 99.5%; Molybdenum Boride Mo2B5, MoB2 99.5%; Niobium Boride NbB2 99.5%; Tantalum Boride TaB2 99.5%; Titanium Boride TiB2 99.5%; Tungsten Boride WB, W2B 99.5%; Vanadium Boride VB2 99.5%; Zirconium Boride ZrB2 99.5% - Carbides: Boron Carbide B4C 99.5%; Chromium Carbide Cr3C2 99.5%; Hafnium Carbide HfC 99.5%; Molybdenum Carbide MoC 99.5%; Niobium Carbide NbC 99.5%; Silicon Carbide SiC 99.5%; Tantalum Carbide TaC 99.5%; Titanium Carbide TiC 99.5%; Tungsten Carbide WC 99.95%; Vanadium Carbide VC 99.5%; Zirconium Carbide ZrC 99.5% - Fluorides: Aluminum Fluoride AlF3 99.5%; Barium Fluoride BaF2 99.9%; Calcium Fluoride CaF2 99.9%; Cerium Fluoride CeF3 99.9%; Lanthanum Fluoride LaF3 99.9%; Lead Fluoride PbF2 99.9%; Lithium Fluoride LiF 99.9%; Magnesium Fluoride MgF2 99.9%; Sodium Fluoride NaF 99.9%; Strontium Fluoride SrF2 99.9%; Thorium Fluoride ThF4 99.9%; Yttrium Fluoride YF3 99.9% - Nitrides: Aluminum Nitride AlN 99.5%; Boron Nitride BN 99.5%; Hafnium Nitride HfN 99.5%; Silicon Nitride Si3N4 99.9%; Tantalum Nitride TaN 99.5%; Titanium Nitride TiN 99.5%; Vanadium Nitride VN 99.5%; Zirconium Nitride ZrN 99.5% - Oxides: Aluminum Oxide Al2O3 99.99%; Antimony Oxide Sb2O3 99.99%; Barium Titanate BaTiO3 99.9%; Beryllium Oxide BeO 99.5%; Bismuth Oxide Bi2O3 99.9%; Bismuth Titanate Bi4TiO3 99.9%; Cerium Oxide CeO2 99.99%; Chromium Oxide Cr2O3 99.9%; Dysprosium Oxide Dy2O3 99.9%; Erbium Oxide Er2O3 99.9%; Europium Oxide Eu2O3 99.5%; Gallium Oxide Ga2O3 99.999%; Germanium Oxide GeO2 99.999%; Hafnium Oxide HfO2 99.9%; Holmium Oxide Ho2O3 99.9%; Indium Oxide In2O3 99.99%; Indium Tin Oxide (In2O3)X (SnO2)1-X 99.99%; Iron Oxide Fe2O3, Fe2O4 99.5- 99.9%; Lanthanum Oxide La2O3 99.99%; Lead Titanate PbTiO3 99.9%; Magnesium Oxide MgO 99.95%; Manganese Oxide MnO, MnO2, Mn2O3 99.9%; Molybdenum Oxide MoO2, MoO3 99.9%; Neodymium Oxide Nd2O3 99.9%; Nickel Oxide NiO 99.9%; Niobium Oxide Nb2O5 99.95%; Praseodymium Oxide Pr2O3 99.9%; Samarium Oxide Sm2O3 99.9%; Silicon Dioxide SiO2 99.995%; Silicon Monoxide SiO 99.9%; Strontium Oxide SrO 99.5%; Strontium Titanate SrTiO3 99.9%; Tantalum Oxide Ta2O5 99.9%; Thorium Oxide ThO2 99.9%; Tin Oxide SnO2 99.9%; Tin Oxide – Antimony Oxide SnO2 – Sb2O3 99.9%; Titanium Oxide TiO2, Ti2O3 99.9%; Tungsten Oxide WO3 99.9%; Yttrium Oxide Y2O3 99.9%; Zinc Oxide ZnO 99.9, 99.99%; Zirconium Oxide ZrO2 99.9% - Selenides: Cadmium Selenide CdSe 99.995%; Lead Selenide PbSe 99.95%; Molybdenum Selenide MoSe2 99.9%; Niobium Selenide NbSe2 99.8%; Tantalum Selenide TaSe 99.4%; Tungsten Selenide WSe2 99.8%; Zinc Selenide ZnSe 99.9% - Silicides: Aluminum Silicide AlSi2 99.5%; Chromium Silicide CrSi2, Cr3Si 99.5%; Cobalt Silicide CiSi2 99.5%; Hafnium Silicide HfSi2 99.5%; Iron Silicide FeSi2 99.5%; Molybdenum Silicide MoSi2 99.5%; Niobium Silicide NbSi2 99.5%; Tantalum Silicide TaSi2, TaSi3 99.5%; Titanium Silicide Ti5Si2, TaSi3 99.9%; Tungsten Silicide WSi2 99.9%; Vanadium Silicide VSi2, V3Si 99.5%; Zirconium Silicide ZrSi2 99.5% - Sulfides: Arsenic Sulfide As2S3 99.9%; Cadmium Sulfide CdS 99.99%; Indium Sulfide In2S3 99.99%; Lead Sulfide PbS 99.9%; Molybdenum Sulfide MoS2 99%; Tantalum Sulfide TaS2 99.9%; Tungsten Sulfide WS2 99.8%; Zinc Sulfide ZnS 99.99%; Zirconium Sulfide ZrS2 99.9% - Tellurides: Cadmium Telluride CdTe 99.99%; Lead Telluride PbTe 99.99%; Molybdenum Telluride MoTe2 99.9%; Niobium Telluride NbTe2 99.8%; Tantalum Telluride TaTe2 99.8%; Tungsten Telluride WTe2 99.8%; Zinc Telluride ZnTe 99.99%
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Co-Sputtering is where two or more target (or “source”) materials are sputtered, either at once or in sequence in the vacuum chamber, and is often used with Reactive Magnetron Sputtering to produce thin films that are combinatorial such as metal alloys or non-metallic compositions such as ceramics. It is widely used in the optical and architectural glass industries. By utilizing Reactive Co-Sputtering of two target materials such as Silicon and Titanium with dual Magnetron Sputtering, the refractive index or shading effect of the glass can be carefully and precisely controlled on applications ranging from large scale surfaces, like architectural glass, to sunglasses. It is also widely used producing solar panels and displays. The applications for co-sputtering continue to grow every day. Co-Sputtering uses more than one cathode (typically two or three) in the process chamber where the power to each cathode can be controlled independently. It can mean both having multiple cathodes of the same target material operating at the same time to increase deposition rates, or it can also mean combining different types of targets materials in the process chamber to create unique compositions and properties in thin films. Silicon targets which are sputtered into a plasma containing oxygen as the reactive gas forms SiO2 which has a refractive index of 1.5. Titanium sputtered into the plasma with oxygen forms TiO2 with a reflective index of 2.4. By co-sputtering these two targets coating materials and varying the power to each of these dual magnetrons, the precise refractive index of the coating can be customized and deposited on the glass to any desired refractive index between 1.5 and 2.5. In this way, Reactive Co-Sputtering has enabled the creation of thin film coatings on glass and other materials with customizable or graded indexes of refraction – including even coatings that change the reflective characteristics of the architectural glass as the sun grows stronger or weaker. Co-Sputtering utilizes high energy bombardment of the cathode target material requiring more complicated and expensive, higher wattage power sources. Because sputtering utilizes plasma that strikes the substrate with high-speed atoms, it’s possible with these high energies and heat generation to damage the substrate. Compared to evaporation, sputtering has better step coverage – which means more uniform thin film coverage on uneven surfaces. Sputtering tends to deposit thin films more slowly than evaporation.
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