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Metal Evaporation
The most widely adopted methods of preparation of thin films of metal are the physical vapour deposition processes such as thermal and electron beam evaporation. Both of these methods are performed under vacuum where the film deposition consists of the following physical stages:
- transformation of the source metal to be deposited by evaporation or sublimation into the gaseous state by heat or an energetic beam of electrons, photons or positive ions;
- atoms travel from the source to the substrate;
- deposition of the atoms on the substrate;
In a high vacuum system, molecules travel from the source to the substrate in straight lines, and the uniformity is controlled for the most part by the geometrical configuration of the system and rate of deposition. The deposition step itself is determined by both source and transport factors, together with the conditions at the deposition surface: such as surface condition (roughness), surface temperature and the sticking co-efficient. As a result, for the formation of films with reproducible properties, it is necessary that these parameters be constant and measurable and the analysis of the films produced lends insight into the deposition process and is often used to evaluate the process and modify the deposition parameters.
Four different metal evaporation systems are available in the Nanofabrication facility at IMS and their characteristics are presented below.
The Edwards AUTO 306 Thermal Evaporation System uses a thermal source to evaporate the source metal and operates at a pressure as low as 10-7 Torr enabled by a diffusion pump. The source carousel can hold up to four targets so that successive evaporations can be achieved in situ.
Two electron beam evaporation systems were built at NRC. The vacuum chambers depend on cryo-pumps to obtain nominal operating pressures of about 10-8 Torr and load-locks ensure rapid and reliable operation. The sources are Temescal scanning electron gun which outputs a 10 keV electron beam. The source carousel can hold up to six targets and target materials separated between the two systems as a function of their application. Typical metals used include gold, titanium, platinum, germanium, nickel and aluminium. These systems can accommodate pieces and wafers as large as 50 mm (2”).
A third electron beam evaporation systems built at NRC uses a diffusion pump to obtain operating pressures of about 10-8 Torr. The sources are Temescal scanning electron gun which outputs a 10 keV electron beam. The source carousel can hold up to four targets and this system can accommodate pieces and wafers as large as 100 mm (4”).
