Thin-film sputter deposition

Thermal spray, laser deposition, physical vapor deposition, and magnetron sputtering are physical processes that are used for fabrication of electrolyte thin films. Sputtering is a reliable technique for film deposition and is being used in industry... 

The online mass spectrometric analysis of the evolving gas under open-circuit conditions and at different electrode potentials was carried out using nickel film sputter deposited onto a thin Teflon film as a working electrode, which was interfaced to the inlet of the mass spectrometer. Deuterium labeling allowed the rate of partial reactions (19.11) and (19.12) and the isotopic composition of the evolving gas to be monitored as a function of the electrode potential in parallel to faradaic current measurements, providing a solid evidence of the electrochemical mechanism of (electro) catalytic hypophosphite oxidation. 

The main focus of this year s effort has been on the deposition and characterization of platinum-ruthenium films of various compositions produced by co-sputtering of the individual elements. The effect of ruthenium deposited by reactive cosputtering has also been studied. The sputtering chamber was modified with a linear drive to be able to produce films on graphite foils, porous carbon structures, and on membranes. Thin films were deposited on graphite foil electrodes and characterized by XRD, XPS, SEM and polarization experiments. 

J. Pompei, Proc. 2nd Symp. Deposition Thin Films Sputter., Univ. Rochester, 1967, p. 127. 

The most important processes for thin-film formation are physical vapor deposition (PVD) processes. Basic PVD processes are evaporation and sputtering. The coating material is solid thin films are deposited by solid-liquid-vapor-solid phase transition in the case of evaporation and solid-vapor-solid transition in the case of sputtering. 

The requirements of thin-film ferroelectrics are stoichiometry, phase formation, crystallization, and microstmctural development for the various device appHcations. As of this writing multimagnetron sputtering (MMS) (56), multiion beam-reactive sputter (MIBERS) deposition (57), uv-excimer laser ablation (58), and electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma-assisted growth (59) are the latest ferroelectric thin-film growth processes to satisfy the requirements. 

Thin-film media can be made by various technologies, eg, sputtered deposited Co—Cr—X films for longitudinal appHcations, laminated media for hard disk apphcation, metal evaporated tape, and multilayers for possible appHcations in magnetooptic recording. 

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