VTC-3RF is a three head 1" RF Plasma magnetron sputtering system designed for non-metallic thin film coating, mainly for multilayer oxide thin films. It is the most cost-effective coater for researching in the new generation of oxide thin films. DC magnetron sputtering option is available upon request for metallic film deposition, enabling three DC, one RF / two DC, and two RF / one DC sputtering head configurations.
SPECIFICATIONS
Input Power
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- Single-phase 220VAC +/- 10%, 50 / 60 Hz
- 1000 W (including a vacuum pump and water chiller)
- If the voltage is 110 V, a 1500 W transformer can be ordered at MTI (Click the picture to the left for detail)
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Power Source
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- 13.5 MHz, 100 W RF generator with manual matching is included and connected to the sputtering heads
- Continuous working time:
- 100W: ≤ 1 hour
- 80W: ≤ 1.5 hours
- 70W: ≤ 2 hours
- 60W: ≤ 4 hours
- 50W: ≤ 8 hours
- Load range: 0 – 80 adjustable. Tuning range: -200j – 200j adjustable
- The rotatable switch can activate one sputtering head at a time. Sputtering heads can be switched “in the plasma” (no breaking of vacuum and plasma during a multilayer process)
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With a DC power supply, the coater can be easily modified into 1” DC sputtering sources for metallic film deposition, enabling three DC, one RF / two DC, and two RF / one DC sputtering head configurations (Bottom left picture. Please select from the Product Options)
- Optional 300 W auto-match RF generator is available at extra cost (Click the bottom right picture for detail )
 500 W DC Power Supply  300 W RF Power Supply
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Magnetron Sputtering Head
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- Three 1" magnetron sputtering heads with water cooling jackets (Click Pic #1 for detail information) are included and inserted into quartz chamber via quick clamps
- RF cable replacement can be purchased at MTI (Click Pic #2 for detail information)
- One manually operated shutter is built on the flange (See Pic #3)
- 10 L/min recirculating water chiller is included for cooling sputtering heads (Click Pic #4 for detail )
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Sputtering Target
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- Target size requirement: 1" diameter x 1/8" thickness max
- Sputtering distance range: 50 – 80 mm adjustable
- Sputtering angle range: 0 – 25° adjustable
- 1" diameter Cu target and Al2O3 target are included for demo testing
- Various oxide 1” sputtering targets are available upon request at extra cost
- For target bonding, 1 mm and 2 mm copper backing plates are included. Silver epoxy (Pic #1) and extra copper backing plates (Pic #2) can be ordered at MTI
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Vacuum Chamber
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- Vacuum chamber: 256 mm OD x 238 mm ID x 276 mm Height, made of high purity quartz
- Sealing flange: 274 mm Dia. made of Aluminum with high-temperature silicone O-ring
- Stainless steel shield cage is included for 100% shielding of RF radiation from the chamber
- Max vacuum level: 1.0E-5 Torr with optional turbopump and chamber baking
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Sample Holder
 
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- The sample holder is a rotatable and heatable stage made of the ceramic heater with stainless steel cover
- Sample holder size: 50 mm Dia. for. 2" wafer max (See picture below)
- Rotation speed: 1 - 10 rpm adjustable for uniform coating
- The holder temperature is adjustable from RT to 600 °C max (5 min max at 600 °C; 2 hr max at 500 °C) with accuracy +/- 1.0 °C via a digital temperature controller
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Vacuum Pump
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- KF40 vacuum port is built-in for connecting to a vacuum pump.
- Vacuum level: 1.0E-2 Torr with included dual-stage mechanical pump (Click the picture on the left)
- 1.0E-5 Torr with optional turbopump (Click the picture 1-2)
- Vacuum level: 1.0E-2 Torr with dual-stage mechanical pump and 1.0E-5 Torr with the turbopump
- The 1 PPm ga purification system may be used to replace turbopump to get a more clean chamber (Pic.3)
   Pic. 3 |
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- Precision quartz thickness sensor is optional. It can be built into the chamber to monitor coating thickness with an accuracy of 0.1 Å (water cooling required)
- Easy USB connection to PC for remote thickness and coating speed monitoring
- 5 pcs quartz sensors (consumable) are included
- Remote PC control of the temperature controller is optional
- Easy USB connection to PC for remote temperature control
- Temperature control software is included. The module is compatible with LabView
- For DC magnetron sputtering, turbopump is recommended
- Reactive sputtering with N2 or O2 is available with optional gas mixing control station
- The coater can be modified into a powder coating
 Pic. 1  Pic. 2
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Compliance
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- CE approval
- NRTL or CSA is NOT available temporarily.
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Application Notes
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- This compact 1" RF magnetron sputtering coater is designed for coating oxide thin films on oxide single crystal substrates, which usually does not need high vacuum set-up
- A two-stage pressure regulator (not included) should be installed on the gas cylinder to limit the output pressure of the gas to below 0.02 MPa for safe usage. Please use > 5N purity Ar gas for plasma sputtering
- For the best film-substrate adhesion strength, please clean the substrate surface before coating:
- Ultrasonic cleaning with the following sequential baths - (1) acetone, (2) isopropyl alcohol - to remove oil and grease. Blow-dry the substrate with N2, then hot bake in vacuum to remove absorbed moisture
- Plasma cleaning may be needed for surface roughening, surface chemical bonds activation, or additional contamination removal
- For best performance, the non-conductive targets must be installed with a copper backing plate. Please refer to the instruction video below (#3) for target bonding
- MTI supplies single crystal substrate from A to Z
- MTI RF Plasma Sputtering Coaters have successfully coated ZnO on Al2O3 substrate at 500 °C
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HIGH VOLTAGE! Sputtering heads connect to high voltage. For safety, the operator must shut down the RF generator before sample loading and target changing operations
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