Sensors &
Monitoring
Thin Film Technology
A sensor is a device that produces an output signal for the purpose of sensing a physical phenomenon. Many of today's most advanced sensors — from reed switches and waveguide sensors to high-temperature strain gauges — are fabricated with sputtered thin films deposited by KDF Technologies systems.
Thin Film Deposition for Sensor Manufacturing
KDF Technologies' thin film deposition technology plays a crucial role in the production of various sensors and monitoring devices. A sensor is a device, module, machine, or subsystem that detects events or changes in its environment and sends the information to other electronics — and many of today's sensors rely on sputtered thin films for their core functionality.
KDF's sputtering systems are in use at leading sensor manufacturers depositing films including Au, TiW, Ir, Ag, Zr, Ta, TaN, Ti, and TiN. With established technologies such as HIPIMS and Pulsed DC reactive sputtering, KDF is ideally positioned to personalize a system for your unique sensor application.
KDF Technologies has been a significant player in supplying thin film sputtering systems to the sensor market — from reed switches and optical waveguide sensors to high-temperature strain gauges and polymer thin film chemical sensors. KDF's team of dedicated applications, design, and vacuum experts backs every system configuration.
Thin Film Sensor Technologies & Applications
KDF's sputtering systems support a broad range of sensor fabrication applications — each requiring precise control over film composition, uniformity, and process repeatability.
Switches
Reed SwitchThe reed switch is an electromechanical switch commonly used in proximity sensors. It operates based on an applied magnetic field — two ferromagnetic blades separated by only a few microns pull together when a magnet approaches, closing the normally open (NO) contacts and allowing electricity to flow.
KDF Technologies has been a significant player in supplying thin film sputtering systems to the Reed Switch market for decades.
Integrated Waveguide Sensors
Sol-Gel Thin FilmsThese sensors combine optical and chemical sensing, offering advantages including portability, reduced costs, and in-situ measurements. Sol-gel chemistry and top-down processing of sol-gel thin film layers are used to design waveguide-based optical sensors.
Porous sol-gel materials enhance sensitivity and selectivity as claddings and as waveguides with improved light-analyte interaction.
Refractive Index & Spectroscopic Sensors
On-chip optical chemical sensors rely on evanescent field-analyte interaction. In waveguide-based devices, guided light interacts with the surrounding environment through the evanescent field — resulting in phase or intensity changes used for refractive index measurements and spectroscopic analysis including IR absorption and Raman spectroscopy.
Polymer Thin Film Sensors
Polyaniline (PANI)Polyaniline thin films are used in chemical sensors due to their high surface area and fast response time. PANI thin films can be precisely applied onto substrates, making them well suited for sensing stages in chemical sensor applications where rapid analyte detection is critical.
High-Temperature Strain Sensors
PdCr Thin Film GaugesThin film gauges based on materials like PdCr operate at elevated temperatures up to 1100°C. These sensors outperform commercially available technologies — surviving fatigue tests and cyclic strain up to 700 Hz at high temperatures, making them essential for aerospace, turbine, and industrial monitoring applications.
Biosensors & Implantable Sensors
Implantable sensors that monitor various physiological parameters require both biocompatible thin film coatings and hermetic sealing to ensure accurate readings and device longevity over their full operational life inside the body.
System Features for Sensor & Monitoring Applications
KDF's inline sputtering platforms are configured with a comprehensive set of process options for the precision and throughput demands of sensor thin film manufacturing.
3-Dimensional & Large Parts
Parts up to 4" in thickness can be loaded into tall horizontal 900 series systems. Pallets hold total loaded weights of up to 150 lbs (system specific) — accommodating complex sensor housing geometries and large-format substrates.
Pallet Stacker — 900 Series
Increases load lock cassette capacity to 5 pallets, enabling extended unsupervised operation. Each pallet can run the same recipe or its own unique deposition recipe — ideal for high-volume sensor manufacturing.
Upsilon Inset™ Cathode — Precious Metal Sputtering
Specifically designed for high thermal conductivity, high-value materials including Au, Pt, Pd, and Ag. Novel Upsilon-shape targets enable up to 60% target utilization — critical for sensor contact and electrode depositions.
HIPIMS
High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering produces highly dense, smooth films with enhanced conformality — essential for high aspect ratio sensor features and achieving the film densities required for high-temperature strain gauge performance.
Water Pump & Process Stability
High-performance water pumps substantially improve throughput and process stability — particularly important for reactive deposition processes used in oxide and nitride sensor films.
Water Cooling
Chamber, internal shielding, and cathodes can all be water cooled — critical for temperature-sensitive sensor substrates including polymer films, MEMS devices, and precision optical sensor components.
Auto Rate Adjust (ARA)
Automatically adjusts scan speed or deposition power to compensate for target wear — maintaining a stable, repeatable process throughout the target's full life, ensuring consistent sensor film properties batch to batch.
Scan Velocity Control
Create custom pallet velocity profiles through the deposition zone — enabling precise film thickness control across complex sensor pallet configurations and mixed substrate types.
IR Pallet Temperature Measurement
Integrated pyrometer for instant pallet and part temperature feedback. Temperature readings can be integrated into recipes for controlled heating and cooling steps — essential for thermally sensitive sensor substrates.
943ix & 954ix — x Series™
The 943ix and 954ix are KDF's flagship x Series™ systems for sensor and monitoring applications. Their 17-inch cathode design delivers improved uniformity across the full pallet — a critical requirement for sensor films where thickness variation directly impacts device sensitivity, calibration accuracy, and batch-to-batch reproducibility.
x Series™ cathodes are available in Planar™, Inset™, and RF/DC LMM™ form — covering the full range of metallic and reactive depositions required for sensor contacts, resistive films, optical coatings, and high-temperature sensing layers.
- 17" cathode for superior pallet-wide film uniformity
- Planar™, Inset™, and LMM™ cathode configurations
- Compatible with HIPIMS, Pallet Stacker, ARA, Water Cooling, and IR temperature measurement
- Proven at leading sensor and monitoring device manufacturers
- Full MRC batch system lineage and worldwide parts support
Ready to Discuss Your Sensor Thin Film Application?
KDF's applications, design, and vacuum engineering teams are ready to configure the right sputtering solution for your sensor manufacturing process — from reed switches and waveguide sensors to high-temperature strain gauges.
