Thin Film
Technology
KDF's R&D team has spent 35+ years developing proprietary thin film deposition technologies that push the limits of what inline PVD sputtering can achieve — from sub-1% uniformity across full pallets to near-room-temperature ITO with metallic conductivity. These aren't spec-sheet claims. They're published, production-proven processes.
Thin Film Is the
Foundation of Modern Devices
Thin film technology is the process of depositing and characterizing functional material layers on a substrate. These layers are the building blocks of modern devices — computer chips, medical implants, laser diodes, sensors, and more — and they require sophisticated know-how and systematic innovation to meet the ever-changing demands of high technology.
KDF has the talents and tools to deposit and characterize, with high precision, various films ranging in thickness from a few angstroms to hundreds of microns. In addition to state-of-the-art deposition and etch equipment, KDF possesses in-house metrology tools and access to characterization facilities through collaboration with research and academic institutions.
The R&D team at KDF has diversified experience in all areas of thin film engineering, devices, process development and characterization, and process integration. KDF research activities are customer-oriented and strongly focused on efficient, competitive technologies that enable production-worthy processes.
Contact Our Technology Team
For further information on R&D projects and process development:
Dr. Ammar Derraa — Director of Technology
(201) 784-5005 ext. 632
KDF R&D Capabilities
Process Innovations Built at KDF
Each of the technologies below was developed, validated, and published by KDF's engineering team — and many are now standard features on KDF production systems deployed worldwide.
Sub-1% Uniformity Across Full Pallet Area
Exceptionally high uniformities and tight repeatabilities have been achieved for dielectric films on KDF 900 series sputtering tools using the proprietary ERPP™ system — a rotating planetary pallet motion combined with the tool's standard linear scanning mode.
The ERPP™ system uses a combination of linear scan velocity profiling and planetary rotation to average out non-uniformities across the full pallet surface. The result is sub-1% thickness uniformity for both metallic and dielectric films — a level of performance that conventional inline sputtering geometries cannot achieve.
Full-Face Target Erosion & Process Stability
With LMM™ technology, the plasma is swept linearly across the target to achieve uniform full-face erosion and high target utilization. Unlike stationary magnetrons where erosion is concentrated in a race-track pattern, the LMM™ cathode distributes sputtering uniformly — dramatically extending target life and reducing particle generation.
The LMM™ cathode is by design a superior technology in terms of process stability and run-to-run repeatability over the target lifetime — translating to higher productivity and lower cost of ownership. Available on the 600ix and 654ix series systems.
Super-Smooth ITO at Near-Room Temperature
A new ionized PVD approach — Negative Sputter Ion Beam technology — was developed at KDF for the deposition of super-smooth indium-tin oxide (ITO) thin films with highly transparent and conductive properties at near-room temperature.
A limited amount of cesium vapor injected onto a conventional sputtering target surface lowers the work function of the target and produces a negatively charged sputter ion beam. The beam carries kinetic energy defined by the potential difference between cathode and substrate — enabling film quality previously achievable only at elevated temperatures.
Dielectric Films at Metallic Deposition Rates
High-rate processes for deposition of dielectric films have been developed at KDF using DC reactive sputtering on scanning batch tools. A typical high-rate process for the deposition of silicon dioxide films from a conductively doped silicon target allows the formation of nearly 1 micron of SiO₂ in 15 minutes — compared with nearly 5 hours by conventional RF magnetron sputtering from a quartz target.
This represents an order-of-magnitude improvement in throughput for dielectric film deposition — enabling production-viable SiO₂ on platforms previously limited to metallic processes.
Production-Worthy AlN for Microelectronics & MEMS
Aluminum Nitride (AlN) has generated significant research interest for microelectronic and optoelectronic applications due to its attractive piezoelectric, thermal, and optical properties. AlN films can be grown by PVD or CVD techniques — CVD can produce highly oriented epitaxial films but suffers from slow deposition rates and thermal stress from substrate heating.
KDF's reactive sputtering approach produces AlN films with high deposition rates at low substrate temperatures — enabling production-worthy AlN with the throughput characteristics that volume manufacturing demands. KDF sputtering systems are proven platforms for growing production-qualified AlN films for MEMS, RF filters, and optoelectronic devices.
Beyond ITO — A Full Family of TCO Materials
In addition to its ITO negative sputter ion beam technology, KDF has developed deposition processes for a full family of transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) — including aluminum-doped zinc oxide (Al-ZnO) for applications requiring transparent conductors in photovoltaics, displays, and electrochromic devices.
TCO development at KDF is driven by customer application requirements — from high-conductivity ITO for photonics to low-cost ZnO-based alternatives for solar and display applications. KDF's inline sputtering platform enables TCO deposition at production scale with the uniformity and repeatability volume manufacturing demands.
Uniform Anisotropic Etching at Low Pressure
The KDF BMC™ is a magnetron-enhanced reactive ion etcher that operates at very low pressure — typically 1–15 mTorr — providing uniform anisotropic etching with minimal radiation damage to the substrate.
Operating at lower pressure than conventional reactive ion etchers, the BMC™ achieves more directional ion bombardment — enabling the precise feature definition and minimal sidewall damage required for advanced microelectronic and photonic device fabrication.
Metrology & Characterization
KDF's Rockleigh, NJ facility houses a range of in-house metrology tools for thin film characterization — enabling process development, qualification, and troubleshooting without third-party delays.
Film Thickness
Profilometry and optical measurement tools for precise film thickness measurement across pallet — enabling uniformity mapping and process qualification.
Sheet Resistance
Four-point probe measurement for resistivity and sheet resistance characterization of metallic, alloy, and TCO films across substrate.
Optical Properties
Transmission and reflectance measurement for dielectric, TCO, and optical coating characterization — supporting photonics and display applications.
Surface Analysis
Access to XRD, XRF, SEM, and other analytical tools through KDF's collaboration with research and academic institutions for advanced film characterization.
Process Development
Full process development capability — from target selection and gas chemistry through recipe development, uniformity optimization, and production qualification.
Application Support
KDF engineers work directly with customers to develop and validate processes before system delivery — reducing integration risk and accelerating production readiness.
Published Research & Technical Papers
KDF's technology team has published peer-reviewed research and conference papers documenting the science behind our proprietary process innovations.
Let's Develop Your Process Together
KDF's R&D team works directly with customers to develop production-worthy processes before system delivery. Tell us your substrate, your film stack, and your performance targets — we'll engineer the path to get there.
