Cleaning a sputter coater is crucial for maintaining its performance and longevity.
Here’s a detailed guide to help you through the process.
How do you clean a sputter coater? – 3 Essential Steps to Keep Your Equipment in Top Shape
1. Cleanliness of the Work Chamber
Glass Chamber Cleaning: Use hot soapy water to clean the glass chamber thoroughly.
Ensure it is dried completely.
If there are stubborn deposits, a kitchen scouring pad can be used.
Avoid using solvents as they are unnecessary and pose health and safety risks.
Metal Surface Cleaning: Clean metal surfaces with isopropyl alcohol.
Avoid using acetone due to its health and safety risks and its longer outgassing time, which can affect vacuum performance.
2. Maintenance of Vacuum
Preventing Suck Back: Always isolate the roughing pump from the coater when the chamber is under vacuum.
This is typically done using a manual valve.
For instance, Quorum high vacuum sputter coaters have a "pump hold" facility that maintains vacuum when the instrument is not in use, preventing contamination from pump oil.
System Dryness and Vacuum Level: Ensure the system is dry and reaches the correct vacuum level before starting the sputtering process.
This helps in achieving a good sputter rate and prevents contamination.
Pump Maintenance: Regularly ballast rotary pumps and service them at regular intervals to maintain optimal performance.
3. Sputter Cleaning
Physical Sputtering: Use physical sputtering in a vacuum to clean the surfaces of solids from contaminants.
This method is commonly used in surface science, vacuum deposition, and ion plating.
However, be cautious of potential issues such as overheating, gas incorporation, surface damage, and roughening.
Ensure the plasma is clean to prevent recontamination during sputter cleaning.
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