Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3) Sputtering Targets
Purity: 99.99%, Size: 4”, Thickness: 0.250”
Sputtering is a proven technology capable of depositing thin films from a wide variety of materials onto diverse substrate shapes and sizes. The process using sputter targets is repeatable and can be scaled from small research and development projects to larger production batches. The chemical reactions can occur on the target surface, in-flight, or on the substrate depending on process parameters. While sputter deposition involves many variables, these parameters provide experts with a high degree of control over the growth and microstructure of the deposited films.
Applications of Sputtering Targets
Sputtering targets are used for film deposition. The deposition process involves eroding material from a “target” source onto a “substrate,” such as a silicon wafer. Semiconductor sputtering targets are used for etching, particularly when a high degree of etching anisotropy is needed and selectivity is not a concern.
Sputter targets are also used for analytical purposes by etching away the target material. An example of this occurs in secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), where the target sample is sputtered at a constant rate. As sputtering proceeds, the concentration and identity of sputtered atoms are measured using mass spectrometry. Using the sputtering target, the composition of the material can be determined, even at extremely low concentrations of impurities.
Sputtering targets also have applications in space. Sputtering is one form of space weathering, a process that alters the physical and chemical properties of airless bodies, such as asteroids and the Moon.
Aluminum oxide is a chemical compound of aluminium and oxygen with the formula Al2O3. It is significant for producing aluminium metal, serving as an abrasive due to its hardness, and functioning as a refractory material because of its high melting point. Aluminum oxide thin films produced using aluminum oxide sputtering targets are widely applied in mechanical, optical, and microelectronic fields due to their excellent mechanical strength, hardness, transparency, high abrasion and corrosion resistance, and insulating and optical properties. These properties depend on sputtering system parameters such as sputtering rate, target-to-substrate distance, and reactive gas pressures.
Aluminum oxide thin films, which are important for technologies such as optoelectronics, tribology, sensorics, and nanolithography, can be deposited by techniques including magnetron sputtering, atomic layer deposition, electron beam evaporation, spray pyrolysis, and aluminum film oxidation.
Summary
Al2O3 exhibits unique properties including chemical inertness, mechanical strength and hardness, high abrasion and corrosion resistance, a high electrical breakdown field, and a high dielectric constant. Thin films produced with aluminum oxide sputtering targets have attracted growing attention from researchers worldwide. These targets are ideal for use in mechanical and microelectrical applications such as protective coatings, diffusion barriers, electronic seals, dielectric layers, optical layers, and more.
