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Sputtering is a proven technology capable of depositing thin films from a wide variety of materials on to diverse substrate shapes and sizes. The process is repeatable and can be scaled up from small research and development projects to production batches involving medium to large substrate areas.
To achieve the desired characteristics in a sputter deposited thin film, the manufacturing process used to fabricate the sputtering target can be critical. Whether the target material comprises only an element, mixture of elements, alloys, or perhaps a compound; the process to produce that defined material in a form suitable for sputtering thin films of consistent quality is as essential as the deposition run parameters perfected by the thin film process engineers and scientists.
Most sputtering target materials can be fabricated into a wide range of shapes and sizes. There are some technical limitations to the maximum size for a given single piece construction. In such cases, a multi-segmented target can be produced with the individual segments joined together by butt or bevelled joints. Commonly used targets are circular or rectangular, although other shapes including square and triangular designs can also be produced.
Metal Sputtering Target
Manufacturing processes we use depend on the properties of the target material and its application. Fabrication methods vary from vacuum melting and rolling, hot-pressed, special press-sintered process, vacuum hot-pressed and forged.
Currently our standard round target sizes range from 1" to 20" in diameter, and the rectangular targets are available in lengths up to and over 2000mm in single or multiple piece construction depending on the metal.
Our metal targets are offered in various purity levels to suit your specific requirements, with the minimum purity of 99.5% up to 99.9999% for some metals . Although purity levels higher than required increase material costs, in some instances, the use of too low a purity can result in poor film quality. If you have requirements to specific impurities, we may be able to control them within the target.
In addition to standard configurations we welcome custom design target requests.
Compound Sputtering Target
A wide selection of compounds sputtering targets: oxides, nitrides, borides, sulphides, selenides, tellurides, carbides, crystalline and composite mixtures.
Testbourne compound target production methods include vacuum hot pressing, hot isostatic pressing, cold isostatic pressing, and cold press sintering. Depending on the required material targets can be manufactured from 1 inch up to 20 inches in diameter, rectangular targets are available from small to over 1000mm lengths in single or multi sections.
To achieve the best performance and to prevent the target from cracking or over-heating, we strongly recommend bonding any material target to a backing plate.
Rotatable Targets
Rotatable target technology has been used in large area coating manufacturing of architectural glass and flat panel displays.
Rotatable targets have several advantages over planar targets. Rotatable targets normally contain more material and offer a greater utilization in comparison to planar targets. This in turn results in much longer production runs and reduced downtime of the system. The overall benefit is an increase in the throughput of the coating equipment. Secondly, the rotatable targets allow the use of higher power densities due to the heat build-up being spread evenly over the surface area of the target. As a consequence, an increased deposition speed can be seen along with an improved performance during reactive sputtering.
Testbourne Ltd are now supplying cylindrical magnetron sputtering targets which are manufactured in many sizes, ranging from 2" up to 8.625" in diameter, with lengths from a few inches up to 160 inches.
The most commonly used C-MAG rotary targets are available in Chromium, Silver, Aluminium-Silicon, Tin, Titanium Oxide, Stainless steel, Aluminium, Tungsten, Tantalum, Molybdenum, Niobium, Copper and Zinc alloys.
The standard manufacturing methods are plasma spraying onto the base tubes, casting and extrusion of the complete assembly.
Please get in touch to discuss your sputtering target requirements.
Aluminium
Aluminium is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al; its atomic number is 13.
Boron
Boron is a chemical element with atomic number 5 and the chemical symbol B. Boron is a trivalent nonmetallic element which occurs abundantly in the evaporite ores borax and ulexite.
Carbon
Carbon is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is a group 14, nonmetallic, tetravalent element, that presents several allotropic forms of which the best known are graphite (the thermodynamically stable form under normal conditions), diamond, and amorphous carbon.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, the atomic number 12, and an atomic mass of 24.31. Magnesium is the ninth most abundant element in the universe by mass.
Silicon
Silicon is the chemical element that has the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, silicon is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon.
Scandium
Scandium is a chemical element that has the symbol Sc and atomic number 21. A silvery white metal that is always present as compounds, scandium ores occur as rare minerals from Scandinavia and elsewhere.
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It is a light, strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a grayish colour.
Vanadium
Vanadium is a chemical element that has the symbol V and atomic number 23. A soft and ductile element, vanadium is used mainly to produce certain alloys.
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is a steel-grey, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point.
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element that has the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is found as the free element in nature (often in combination with iron), and in many minerals.
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a group 8 and period 4 element. Iron is a lustrous, silvery soft metal. It is one of the few ferromagnetic elements.
Cobalt
Cobalt is a hard, lustrous, silver-grey metal, a chemical element with symbol Co.
Nickel
Nickel is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Ni and atomic number 28. Nickel is a silvery white metal that takes on a high polish.
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (Latin: cuprum) and atomic number 29.
Zinc
Zinc is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. In nonscientific context it is sometimes called spelter.
Germanium
Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. This lustrous, hard, silver-white metalloid is chemically similar to tin.
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element that has the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic was first written about by Albertus Magnus (Germany) in 1250.
Selenium
Selenium is a chemical element with atomic number 34, with the chemical symbol Se. It is a nonmetal, chemically related to sulfur and tellurium, and rarely occurring in its elemental state in nature.
Strontium
Strontium is a chemical element with the symbol Sr and the atomic number 38. An alkaline earth metal, strontium is a soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element that is highly reactive chemically.
Yttrium
Yttrium, is a chemical element that has the symbol Y and atomic number 39. A silvery metallic transition metal, yttrium is common in rare-earth minerals.
Zirconium
Zirconium is a chemical element with the symbol Zr and atomic number 40. It is a lustrous, gray-white, strong transition metal that resembles titanium.
Niobium
Niobium is a chemical element that has the symbol Nb and atomic number 41. A rare, soft, grey, ductile transition metal, niobium is found in pyrochlore and columbite.
Molybdenum
Molybdenum is a Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. It has the sixth-highest melting point of any element, and for this reason it is often used in high-strength steel alloys.
Ruthenium
Ruthenium is a chemical element that has the symbol Ru and atomic number 44. A rare transition metal of the platinum group of the periodic table, ruthenium is found associated with platinum ores and used as a catalyst in some platinum alloys.
Rhodium
Rhodium is a chemical element with the symbol Rh and atomic number 45. A rare silvery-white hard transition metal and a member of the platinum group, rhodium is found in platinum ores and is used in alloys with platinum and as a catalyst.
Palladium
The symbol for palladium is Pd, and its atomic number is 46. Palladium, along with platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium form a group of elements referred to as the platinum group metals (PGMs).
Silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol "Ag" and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal.
Cadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. A relatively abundant, soft, bluish-white, transition metal, cadmium is known to cause cancer and occurs with zinc ores.
Indium
Indium is a chemical element with chemical symbol In and atomic number 49. This rare, soft, malleable and easily fusible poor metal is chemically similar to aluminium or gallium but more closely resembles zinc.
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. This silvery, malleable poor metal that is not easily oxidized in air and resists corrosion, is found in many alloys and is used to coat other metals to prevent corrosion.
Antimony
Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb (Latin: stibium, meaning "mark") and atomic number 51. A metalloid, antimony has four allotropic forms.
Tellurium
Tellurium is a chemical element that has the symbol Te and atomic number 52. A brittle silver-white metalloid which looks like tin, tellurium is chemically related to selenium and sulfur.
Barium
Barium is a chemical element. It has the symbol Ba, and atomic number 56. Barium is a soft silvery metallic alkaline earth metal.
Lanthanum
Lanthanum is a chemical element with the symbol La and atomic number 57.
Cerium
Cerium is a silvery metal, belonging to the lanthanide group. It resembles iron in color and luster, but is soft, and both malleable and ductile.
Praseodymium
Praseodymium is a chemical element that has the symbol Pr and atomic number 59. Praseodymium is a soft silvery metal in the lanthanide group.
Neodymium
Neodymium is a chemical element with the symbol Nd and atomic number 60.
Samarium
Samarium is a chemical element with the symbol Sm and atomic number 62. Samarium is a rare earth metal, with a bright silver luster, that is reasonably stable in air; it ignites in air at 150 °C.
Europium
Europium is a chemical element with the symbol Eu and atomic number 63. It was named after the continent Europe.
Gadolinium
Gadolinium is a chemical element that has the symbol Gd and atomic number 64.
Terbium
Terbium is a chemical element with the symbol Tb and atomic number 65. Terbium is a silvery-white rare earth metal that is malleable, ductile and soft enough to be cut with a knife.
Dysprosium
Dysprosium is a chemical element with the symbol Dy and atomic number 66.
Holmium
Holmium is a chemical element with the symbol Ho and atomic number 67. Part of the lanthanide series, holmium is a relatively soft and malleable silvery-white metallic element.
Erbium
Erbium is a chemical element with the symbol Er and atomic number 68. A rare, silvery, white metallic lanthanide; Erbium is a solid in its normal state.
Thulium
Thulium is a chemical element that has the symbol Tm and atomic number 69. A lanthanide element, thulium is the least abundant of the rare earths.
Ytterbium
Ytterbium is a chemical element with the symbol Yb and atomic number 70. A soft silvery metallic element, ytterbium is a rare earth of the lanthanide series and is found in the minerals gadolinite, monazite, and xenotime.
Lutetium
Lutetium is a chemical element with the symbol Lu and atomic number 71. A metallic element, lutetium usually occurs in association with yttrium and is sometimes used in metal alloys and as a catalyst in various processes.
Hafnium
Hafnium is a chemical element that has the symbol Hf and atomic number 72. A lustrous, silvery gray tetravalent transition metal, hafnium resembles zirconium chemically and it is found in zirconium minerals.
Tantalum
Tantalum is a chemical element with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73. A rare, hard, blue-grey, lustrous, transition metal, tantalum is highly corrosion-resistant and occurs naturally in the mineral tantalite.
Tungsten
Tungsten, also called wolfram, is a chemical element that has the symbol W and atomic number 74. A very hard, heavy, steel-grey to white transition metal.
Rhenium
Rhenium is a chemical element with the symbol Re and atomic number 75. A silvery-white, rare, heavy, polyvalent transition metal, rhenium resembles manganese chemically and is used in some alloys.
Osmium
Osmium is a chemical element that has the symbol Os and atomic number 76. Osmium is a hard, brittle, blue-gray or blue-black transition metal in the platinum family.
Iridium
Iridium is a chemical element that has the symbol Ir and atomic number 77. A dense, very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum family, iridium is used in high-strength alloys.
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the atomic symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. A heavy, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal, platinum is resistant to corrosion and occurs in some nickel and copper ores along with some native deposits.
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from the Latin aurum, meaning shining dawn) and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal.
Thallium
Thallium is a chemical element with the symbol Tl and atomic number 81. This soft gray malleable poor metal resembles tin but discolors when exposed to air.
Lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (Latin: plumbum) and atomic number 82. A soft, heavy, toxic and malleable poor metal, lead is bluish white when freshly cut, but tarnishes to dull gray when exposed to air.
Bismuth
Bismuth is a chemical element that has the symbol Bi and atomic number 83. This heavy, brittle, white crystalline trivalent poor metal has a pink tinge and chemically resembles arsenic and antimony.