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DC sputtering is a process that uses ionized gas to deposit thin films of material onto substrate surfaces. It is widely used in the electronics industry and can also be applied to anti-reflection coatings, metallised plastic packaging, and double glazing coatings. The process involves passing a high-voltage electrical current through a low-pressure inert gas, causing donor atoms to displace and adhere to a negatively charged host material. This technique allows for highly accurate and controllable deposition onto a wide variety of substrate surfaces.
DC (direct current) sputtering is a material deposition process used to coat substrate structures with thin films of different materials. The process involves bombarding a donor material with molecules of ionized gas, causing the donor atoms to displace. These atoms then adhere to a negatively charged host material creating a thin film on its surface. This technique is widely used in the electronics industry to build semiconductor components and printed circuit boards (PCBs). However, it may be appropriate for many other applications such as anti-reflection coatings on glass optical elements, metallised plastic packaging and double glazing coatings.
The application of very thin layers or films of material to sensitive surfaces is generally achieved by sputtering processes. This type of material deposition is accomplished by passing a high-voltage electrical current through a low-pressure inert gas, such as argon, that surrounds a donor and recipient material. The high-energy plasma created causes rapidly accelerated ions to strike the donor material, displacing its atoms. The donor atoms then strike and adhere to the target or recipient material at the atomic level and create a very thin and uniform film. DC sputtering is capable of depositing material in a highly accurate and controllable manner onto a wide variety of substrate surfaces.
The gas used in the process is kept at very low pressures, typically of the order of ten thousandths of the ambient atmospheric pressure. A high voltage negative DC voltage is then applied to the receiving material via a magnetron. This negative charge attracts the donor atoms displaced by the gaseous plasma. The technique has no adverse effects on the receiver or film materials and is ideal for applications in the semiconductor industry. The highly accurate thin coating made possible by DC sputtering allows for the very precise films needed for PCB and component construction.
The process is also used in the manufacture of many other coated products. With this technique, anti-reflection coatings are applied to optics for binoculars and telescopes, as well as those used in double-glazed window panes. Plastics, such as those used to package chips and snacks, are also coated with a metallic film in this method. Other common uses of sputtering are hard nitride coatings on tool tips and metallic coatings on CD and DVD discs. Computer hard drives and solar cells are also coated with various metal films by DC sputtering processes.
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