Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3) Sputtering Targets
Purity: 99.999%, Size: 3”, Thickness: 0.125”
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 medium and large production batches. Chemical reactions may occur on the target surface, in-flight, or on the substrate depending on process parameters. Although sputter deposition involves many variables, these parameters give experts significant control over film growth and microstructure.
Applications of Sputtering Targets
Sputtering targets are used for film deposition. This method deposits 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 for etching, particularly when a high degree of etching anisotropy is required and selectivity is not a primary concern.
Sputtering targets are also used in analytical applications by etching away the target material. One example is secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), where the target sample is sputtered at a constant rate. As sputtering proceeds, the concentration and identity of released atoms are measured using mass spectrometry. Through the use of the sputtering target, the composition of the material can be determined, including extremely low impurity levels.
Sputtering targets also have applications in space. Sputtering is a form of space weathering 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, as an abrasive due to its hardness, and as a refractory material because of its high melting point. Aluminum oxide thin films obtained from aluminum oxide sputtering targets are widely used in mechanical, optical, and microelectronic applications due to their excellent mechanical strength and hardness, transparency, high abrasion and corrosion resistance, and insulating and optical properties. These film properties depend on sputtering system parameters such as sputtering rate, target-to-substrate distance, and reactive gas pressures.
Aluminum oxide thin films, which have important technological applications in optoelectronics, tribology, sensorics, and nanolithography, can be deposited using various techniques including magnetron sputtering, atomic layer deposition, electron beam evaporation, spray pyrolysis, and oxidation of aluminum films.
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 using aluminum oxide sputtering targets have attracted increasing attention from researchers worldwide. These targets are useful in mechanical and microelectrical applications such as protective coatings, diffusion barriers, electronic seals, dielectric layers, optical layers, and more.
