Specific Process Knowledge/Thin film deposition/Sputter deposition of oxides and other compounds

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Sputter deposition of oxides

Some metal oxides are well suited for sputter deposition. Below you can compare the sputter systems available here at Nanolab for depositing them. We often start with a metal target and deposit the material

This page is a collective page for metal oxides that we do not deposit by any other methods. Other metal oxides that may be deposited both by sputtering and other methods are described on their own individual pages (see the thin film main page).

Metal oxides which may be sputter deposited but cannot be deposited by other methods here at Nanolab include: BaTiO₃ (deposited with the Sputter-System (Lesker), see process log) Cr₂O₃ (deposited several times with the Sputter-System (Lesker), see process log) MgO (deposited with the Sputter-System (Lesker), see process log) NiO (extensively deposited with the Sputter-System (Lesker), see process log) Ta₂O₅ (deposited several times with the Sputter-System (Lesker), see process log) VO_x (deposited several times with the Sputter-System (Lesker), see process log) YSZ (Yttrium stabilized zirconia)

You are welcome to contact us with requests for other materials.

Comparison of sputter deposition options for metal oxides

	Sputter deposition (Sputter-System (Lesker))	Sputter deposition (Sputter-system Metal-Oxide (PC1))
General description	Sputter deposition in chamber with 6 x 2" sputter guns at a slight angle to the substrate.	Sputter deposition in chamber with 6 x 3" sputter guns for metal and oxide deposition. Targets at a sligth angle to the substrate.
Pre-clean	RF Ar clean	RF Ar clean
Target (source material) size	2"	3"
Power supply options	DC and RF	DC, RF, Pulsed DC, and HiPIMS
Batch size	1x4" wafer or 1x6" wafer or several small samples	up to 10x4" wafers or up to 10x6" wafers or many smaller samples
Pumping time from wafer load	Approx. 10 min	Approx. 11 min
Allowed materials	Almost any - see cross contamination sheet	Almost any - see cross contamination sheet
Other options	Source with high-strength magnet available for magnetic oxides	Source with high-strength magnet available for magnetic oxides
Comments	Has been used for many oxides with varying degrees of success. You are welcome to request your material of choice. This is our old workhorse and is a relatively dirty system but works very well for many applications.	We expect that this system will be used for many oxides. You are welcome to request your material of choice. This is our new system for larger batches and more demanding materials. It is also for normal sputtering needs to complement our old Sputter System (Lesker).