Sputter deposition is a process used to deposit thin films of a material onto a surface, known as a substrate. This is achieved by creating a gaseous plasma and accelerating ions from this plasma into a source material, or target. The energy transfer from the ions erodes the target material, causing it to be ejected as neutral particles, which then travel in a straight line until they come into contact with a substrate, coating it with a thin film of the source material.
Sputtering is a physical process in which atoms in a solid-state (target) are released and pass into the gas phase by bombardment with energetic ions, typically noble gas ions. This process is usually conducted in a high vacuum environment and is a part of the group of PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) processes. Sputtering is not only used for deposition but also serves as a cleaning method for preparing high-purity surfaces and as a method for analyzing the chemical composition of surfaces.
The principle of sputtering involves using the energy of a plasma on the surface of a target (cathode) to pull the atoms of the material one by one and deposit them on the substrate. Sputter coating, or sputter deposition, is a physical vapor deposition process used to apply a very thin, functional coating on a substrate. The process starts by electrically charging a sputtering cathode, which forms a plasma and causes material to be ejected from the target surface. The target material is either bonded or clamped to the cathode, and magnets are used to ensure stable and uniform erosion of the material. At a molecular level, the target material is directed at the substrate through a momentum transfer process. The high-energy target material impacts the substrate and is driven into the surface, forming a very strong bond at an atomic level, making the material a permanent part of the substrate.
Sputtering techniques are widely used for various applications, including creating an extremely fine layer of a particular metal on a substrate, conducting analytical experiments, performing etching at a precise level, manufacturing thin films of semiconductors, optical devices coatings, and nanoscience. Among the sources used to create high-energy incident ions, the radio frequency magnetron is commonly used to deposit two-dimensional materials in glass substrates, which is useful for studying the effect on thin films with applications in solar cells. Magnetron sputtering is an environmentally friendly technique that makes it possible to deposit small quantities of oxides, metals, and alloys on different substrates.
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