Gold sputtering is a process of depositing a thin, uniform layer of gold on a surface using a special device and controlled conditions. It is commonly used in the electronics industry and sciences, and can be used to coat circuit boards and other objects. The process requires pure sources of gold and a clean room to avoid impurities. It differs from gilding and other decorative methods and is used for its conductivity and other properties.
Gold pulverizing is a process of creating a very thin layer of gold on a surface. Sputtering is also available with other metals and is most commonly seen in the electronics industry and the sciences. This technique requires a special device and controlled conditions for best results, along with gold discs known as “targets” to provide a source of metal for deposition. Manufacturers produce sputtering equipment and private companies can do this process on request.
In gold sputtering, the technician excites the atoms at the target, usually by bombarding them with energy. The target starts ejecting atoms and they land on a substrate. People can coat circuit boards, metals, and other objects using this process. The gold layer will be very uniform and also very fine. The technician can control where and how metal is deposited, creating custom patterns to meet specific needs. Technicians can also use spray etching, where the target releases etching material to lift off parts of a coating.
For processes such as scanning electron microscopy, scientists use gold sputtering to prepare samples so they are visible under a microscope. Circuit boards may require thin layers of gold on specific areas, and other electronic components may require similar treatment. This metal has a number of attractive properties, including good conductivity, making it a very suitable metallic coating. Sputter deposition can also be used for tasks such as adding film to window glass for energy efficiency.
People use very pure sources for gold pulverization and can order targets from manufacturers or prepare them by hand. Technicians usually use a clean room for the process because they want to avoid impurities in the gold. Any problems with deposition can render an item useless, and impurities may not be immediately apparent because they often occur at a microscopic level. Something like a speck of dust, for example, could distort the readings on a scanning electron microscope and force the scientist to start all over again.
This process differs from gilding and other methods people use to apply decorative metallic coatings. Jewelers may employ gold coatings on cores of other metals to reduce manufacturing costs or achieve the look of gold and the strength of a different metal. They do not use gold sputtering technology and impurity tolerances are much higher, with a focus on visual defects rather than problems so small they can only be seen on a very high power microscope.
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