How to select high-quality sputtering targets?

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Susan Jia

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Susan Jia

Sale manager | Sputtering Targets | Metal Materials services for PVD coating | Ti | Zr | Mo | Cr | Ta | Cu | Al | Nb | Metal Alloy | Precious metal

Published Apr 10,

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Purity

Purity is one of the main performance indicators of sputtering targets, because the purity of the targets has a great influence on the performance of the thin film. Commonly, different applications, different purity. The purity demand in electronic and semiconductor is much more higher than in mode and tool coating and decorative coating.

Impurity content

Impurities in the sputtering targets, oxygen and moisture in the pores are the major sources of contamination of the deposited film. Targets for different purposes have different requirements for the content of different impurities.

Density

In order to reduce the porosity in the targets and improve the performance of the thin film, the target is usually required to have a higher density. The density of the target not only affects the sputtering rate, but also affects the electrical and optical properties of the film. The higher density, the better thin film performance. In addition, increasing the density and strength of the targets makes it withstand thermal stresses during the sputtering process better. 

Grain size and grain size distribution

Usually sputtering target is a polycrystalline structure, and the grain size ranges micrometers to millimeters. For the same kind targets, the sputtering rate of the fine-grained target is faster than that of the coarse-grained target; and the thickness distribution of the sputter-deposited thin film of the target with smaller (uniformly distributed) grain size is more uniform. 

Precious metals can be sputtered in any kind of sputter coater. Oxidizing metals should only be used in turbo-pumped high vacuum coaters. The residual oxygen can create an undesired mixture of metal and a non-conductive oxide coating.

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Coating material with lower atomic numbers is more suitable for backscattered electron (imaging) whereas coating with higher atomic number materials is more suitable for SE imaging.

If EDX analysis of the sample is needed, then always choose a material which is not present in the sample, to prevent overlapping peaks in the EDX spectrum.

Here you find some guidance information for selecting the target material. The information is mainly valid when using modern DC magnetron sputter coaters with Argon as process gas.

For more information, please visit alloy sputtering target.