Specific Process Knowledge/Thin film deposition/Deposition of Silver

From LabAdviser

Feedback to this page: click here


Deposition of Silver

Silver can be deposited by e-beam evaporation, by sputtering and by thermal evaporation. In the chart below you can compare the different methods on the different deposition equipment.


Sputter deposition of Silver

Thermal deposition of Silver


E-beam evaporation (Alcatel) Thermal evaporation (Wordentec) E-beam evaporation (PVD co-sputter/evaporation) E-beam evaporation (Physimeca) Sputter evaporation (PVD co-sputter/evaporation) Sputter evaporation (Wordentec) Sputter deposition (Lesker) E-beam evaporation (III-V Dielectric evaporator)
General description E-beam deposition of Ag Thermal deposition of Ag E-beam deposition of Ag E-beam deposition of Ag Sputter deposition of Ag Sputter deposition of Ag Sputter deposition of Ag E-beam deposition of Ag
Pre-clean RF Ar clean RF Ar clean RF Ar clean RF Ar clean RF Ar clean RF Ar clean  
Layer thickness 10Å to 1µm* 10Å to 0.5µm (0.5µm not on all wafers) 10Å to 1000Å 10Å to 2000Å 10Å to about 5000Å 10Å to about 3000Å 10Å to about 1000Å 10Å to about 1000Å
Deposition rate 2Å/s to 15Å/s 1Å/s to 10 Å/s About 1Å/s 1 to 10Å/s Dependent on process parameters. Depending on process parameters (also written in the logbook). Dependent on process parameters. 2 Å/s to 5 Å/s
Batch size
  • Up to 1x4" wafers
  • smaller pieces
  • 6x6" wafers or
  • 6x4" wafers or
  • 24x2" wafers
  • 4x6" wafers or
  • 12x4" wafers or
  • 12x2" wafers
  • 4x6" wafers or
  • 12x4" wafers or
  • 12x2" wafers
  • 1x 2" wafer or
  • 1x 4" wafers or
  • Several smaller pieces
  • 6x6" wafers or
  • 6x4" wafers or
  • 24x2" wafers
  • 1x6" wafers or
  • 1x4" wafers or
  • smaller pieces
  • 2" wafers or
  • Smaller pieces
Allowed materials
  • Silicon
  • Silicon oxide
  • Silicon (oxy)nitride
  • Photoresist
  • PMMA
  • Mylar
  • SU-8
  • Metals
  • Silicon
  • Silicon oxide
  • Silicon (oxy)nitride
  • Photoresist
  • PMMA
  • Mylar
  • SU-8
  • Metals
  • Silicon
  • Silicon oxide
  • Silicon (oxy)nitride
  • Photoresist
  • PMMA
  • Mylar
  • SU-8
  • Metals
  • III-V materials
  • Silicon wafers
  • Quartz wafers
  • Pyrex wafers


  • Silicon
  • Silicon oxide
  • Silicon (oxy)nitride
  • Photoresist
  • PMMA
  • Mylar
  • SU-8
  • Metals
  • Silicon
  • Silicon oxide
  • Silicon (oxy)nitride
  • Photoresist
  • PMMA
  • Mylar
  • SU-8
  • Metals
  • Silicon
  • Silicon oxide
  • Silicon (oxy)nitride
  • Photoresist
  • PMMA
  • Mylar
  • SU-8
  • Metals
  • Silicon
  • Silicon oxide
  • Photoresist


Comment Only very thin layers. Only very thin layers (up to 100nm).

* For thicknesses above 200 nm permission is required.