Specific Process Knowledge/Thin film deposition/Deposition of Silver

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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 (Temescal) Thermal evaporation (Thermal Evaporator) Thermal evaporation (Wordentec) E-beam evaporation (Physimeca) Sputter deposition (Wordentec) Sputter deposition (Lesker) E-beam evaporation (III-V Dielectric evaporator)
General description E-beam deposition of Ag Thermal deposition of Ag Thermal deposition of Ag E-beam deposition of Ag Sputter deposition of Ag Sputter deposition of Ag E-beam deposition of Ag
Pre-clean Ar ion beam bombardment none RF Ar clean none RF Ar clean RF Ar clean  
Layer thickness 10Å to 1µm* 10Å to 0.5µm ** 10Å to 0.5µm **(0.5µm not on all wafers) 10Å to 2000Å 10Å to about 3000Å 10Å to about 1000Å 10Å to about 1000Å
Deposition rate 1 to 10Å/s 5Å/s 1 to 10Å/s 1 to 10Å/s Depending on process parameters (also written in the logbook). Dependent on process parameters. 2 Å/s to 5 Å/s
Batch size
  • Up to 4x6" wafers or
  • Up to 3x8" wafers *** or
  • smaller pieces
  • Up to 1x8" wafers
  • smaller pieces

very bad uniformity above 4" wafers

  • 6x6" wafers or
  • 6x4" wafers or
  • 24x2" wafers
  • 4x6" wafers or
  • 12x4" wafers or
  • 12x2" wafers
  • 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
  • Photoresist


Comment Pumpdown approx 20 min. Possible to tilt the wafer. Pumpdown approx 10 min. Only very thin layers. Pumpdown approx 1 hour.

* For thicknesses above 600 nm please get permission from ThinFilm group by writing to metal@danchip.dtu.dk

** For thicknesses above 200 nm please get permission from ThinFilm group by writing to metal@danchip.dtu.dk

*** Please ask responsible staff for 8" wafer holder