KDF Sputtering Technology
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KDF Sputtering Solutions
KDF Sputtering Technology covers all sputtering applications ranging from hard coating and decoration to state-of-the microchips and medical applications.
Reactive Sputtering
KDF Technologies, with its extensive experience in designing reactive sputtering batch coating production systems, offers several optional features that set it apart from others. These features include:
Optimally Designed Gas Rings: KDF’s gas rings are designed to inject the reactive gas into the sputter plasma at the target. This is particularly useful when the reactive gas is nitrogen, an intermediately chemically active gas. The gas ring effectively distributes the reactive gas, utilizing the energy of the sputter plasma to make the reaction more favorable.
Pressure Control Package: All KDF systems are equipped with downstream pressure control and highly accurate Mass Flow Controllers (MFCs). This technique maintains a constant rate of reactive gas injection throughout the process, making it the most preferable pressure control technique during reactive sputtering.
Prompt Gas Injection: The reactive gas Mass Flow Controllers are located as close as possible to the gas injection port on the chamber. This allows for prompt changes in flow rates with little delay.
Power Supplies: KDF utilizes pulsed DC supplies with a wide range of pulse frequency and reverse time for conductive target reactive sputtering. This outpaces the arcing and creates a more stable high deposition rate process. KDF also specializes in reactive RF sputtering with in-house made and system-tuned matching networks.
Plasma Emission Monitoring (PEM)
KDF continues to innovate in the field of reactive sputtering with its specially designed and patented sputter sources and the integration of Plasma Emission Monitoring (PEM).
Sputter Sources: KDF’s sputter sources, such as the LMM sputter source, are designed for a reactive sputtering process. They reduce the build-up of reacted species on the target surface, decreasing the chances of potential differences building up, causing dreaded arcing and process instability.
In-situ Monitoring with PEM: KDF integrates PEM into the system with precisely placed optical sensors and easy-to-use software controls. PEM tracks the relative emission intensity of the ionized species in the sputtering plasma and controls the reactive gas to maintain an emission intensity setpoint. This setpoint correlates to the deposition rate and reactive gas concentration in the films, making it a great solution for rapidly developing a reactive sputtering process and repeatably depositing films of similar quality.
Linearly Moving Magnetron (LMM™)
The LMM is a KDF proprietary design to achieve the challenging task of target full-face erosion. With the LMM technology, an oscillating magnet behind the target sweeps the plasma across the target to achieve a uniform full-face target erosion and high target utilization. The LMM cathode is by design a superior technology in terms of process stability and repeatability from run-to-run as well as over the target life-time. This, in turn, translates to higher productivity and cost savings for the customer.
Planetary Rotating Pallet
The planetary rotating pallet ERPP™ (enhanced rotating planetary pallet) is a KDF design to achieve exceptionally high uniformity in the sub 1%, as well as tight repeatability.
(Ref: Vacuum Technology and Coating, December 2002).
Related Article:
Highly uniform dielectric films using a combined linear scanning, velocity profiling and planetary rotating motion
This option can be used in all sputtering modes to achieve quality PVD thin films:
- DC Magnetron Sputtering
- RF Sputtering
- Pulsed DC Sputtering
- Reactive sputtering
- HIPIMS Sputtering
Down and Side sputtering
KDF offers both Down and Side sputtering systems in different sizes and configuration with deposition area ranging from 12 x 12 inches to 26 x 30 inches area. Both configurations yield high quality PVD thin films in all sputtering modes:
- DC Magnetron Sputtering
- RF Sputtering
- Pulsed DC Sputtering
- Reactive sputtering
- HIPIMS Sputtering
Metal and Dielectric sputtering
KDF offers metal and dielectric sputtering for various substrate type and sizes, as well as Transparent Conductive Oxides (TCO’s) utilizing materials like ITO and ZnO.
Dielectric Deposition at High-Metallic Rates
High rate processes for deposition of dielectric films have been developed using Pulsed 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 would allow the formation of nearly one micron of SiO2 in fifteen minutes, as compared with nearly five hours when RF magnetron sputtered from a quartz target.
(Ref: Photonics Spectra, pp. 30-31, November 2002)
High-vacuum Loadlock and a pre-heat
All KDF systems can be equipped with a high-vacuum load lock and a pre-heat option to pre-treat the substrates prior to entering the deposition chamber.
