Sputtering is a basic method of the so-called physical vapour deposition methods. This deposition method is based on sputtering effects which can be obtained on a target material surface. These effects are caused by the bombardement of argon ions under low pressure conditions. The sputtered target particles can diffuse to the workpiece and generate a film growth on its surface. The substrates which can be deposited have to be suitable for high-vacuum conditions. Feeding some reactive gases like oxygen or nitrogen into the deposition chamber, it is possible to obtain oxide or nitride thin films.

At INNOVENT there are two deposition chambers with built-in 2 inch sputter sources. One of the chambers contains a flange with three cathodes. Thus, different materials and layer systems can be deposited onto the heatable substrates in-situ. Additionally, in this chamber it is possible to perform co-sputter-processes from three targets leading to composite thin films.

The plasma can be generated by using of a rf- or dc supply. RF excitation allows the sputtering of non-metallic targets and the deposition of composite films partially without feeding reactive gases into the chamber.

Usable target materials:

Ag, Al, Al2O3, Au, Ca, Ca10(OH)2(PO4)6, CaSO4, Cr, C, Cu, CuZn39Pb2 (Messing), Fe, ITO, MO, Nb, NiCr20, Si, SiO2 (SQ1), Si3N4, Sn, Ta, Ti, TiO2, W, V, Zn, ZnSe, Zr