Erbium Oxide (Er2O3) Sputtering Targets
| Property | Specification |
|---|---|
| Purity | 99.99% |
| Size | 3” |
| Thickness | 0.250” |
Description
Sputtering is a proven technology capable of depositing thin films from a wide variety of materials onto diverse substrate shapes and sizes. The process with sputter targets is repeatable and can be scaled up from small research and development projects. The process with sputter targets can be adapted to production batches involving medium to large substrate areas. The chemical reaction can occur on the target surface, in-flight, or on the substrate depending on process parameters. These many parameters make sputter deposition a complex process but allow experts a high degree of control over the growth and microstructure of the deposited area.
Applications of Sputtering Targets
Sputtering targets are used for film deposition. The deposition achieved by sputter targets is a method of depositing thin films by sputtering, which involves eroding material from a “target” source onto a “substrate,” such as a silicon wafer.
Semiconductor sputtering targets are used to etch the target. Sputter etching is selected in cases where a high degree of etching anisotropy is needed and selectivity is not a concern.
Sputter targets are also used for analysis by etching away the target material. One example is secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), where the target sample is sputtered at a constant rate. As the target is sputtered, the concentration and identity of sputtered atoms are measured using mass spectrometry. Using the sputtering target, the composition of the target material can be determined, and even extremely low concentrations of impurities can be detected.
Sputtering targets also have applications in space. Sputtering is one form of space weathering, a process that changes the physical and chemical properties of airless bodies, such as asteroids and the Moon.
Erbium oxide, with the chemical formula Er2O3, is an oxide of erbium metal.
The applications of erbium oxide are varied due to its electrical, optical, and photoluminescence properties. Nanoscale materials doped with Er³⁺ are of particular interest because they exhibit particle-size-dependent optical and electrical properties. Erbium oxide-doped nanoparticles can be dispersed in glass or plastic for display purposes, such as display monitors. The spectroscopy of Er³⁺ electronic transitions in host crystal lattices of nanoparticles, combined with ultrasonically formed geometries in aqueous solutions of carbon nanotubes, is of great interest for synthesizing photoluminescence nanoparticles in ‘green’ chemistry.
Erbium oxide is among the most important rare earth metals used in biomedicine. It is also used as a gate dielectric in semiconductor devices due to its high dielectric constant (10–14) and large band gap. Additionally, erbium can serve as a coloring agent for glasses, and erbium oxide can act as a burnable neutron poison in nuclear fuel. Erbium oxide films obtained by sputtering can be utilized for their photoluminescence effect.
