Sputtering Targets

Think PTek offers a complete line of sputtering targets ranging from commercial grade to highest purity, zone refined Ultra-Pure grade. These materials can be fabricated to fit all commercially available systems or to specific dimensions required for your particular applications. A number of metallurgical techniques are employed in PVD material fabrication.

Enhanced Design

Think PTek, Inc.’s unique enhanced design sputtering targets are produced for use in the sputtering of precious metals and magnetic materials, thereby increasing target utilization. Through engineering design, the enhanced profile provides utilization factors far in excess of those conventionally found in planar designed targets.

By taking the inverse of the erosion profile, thus increasing the target thickness in this area, Think PTek has developed long life targets with utilization approaching 100% and with longevity almost twice that of ordinary planar targets. These targets have increased volumes in the area of greatest wear and decreased volumes in areas where little or no deposition takes place. This unique capability is available for both planar and rotary designed cathode assemblies.

Rotary

Think PTek, Inc. has developed a complete line of rotary cathode sputtering targets. Materials are either continuously cast, extruded, HIP’ed or plasma sprayed to provide technological advances in rotary design. In addition, unique profiles can be developed for specific applications to provide targets for better wear characterization, longer life, unique physical characteristics or altered metallurgical properties.

Precious Metals

Think PTek, Inc. offers a full range of precious metal physical vapor deposition materials. They include gold, silver, platinum, palladium and iridium based metals, alloys and composite materials. Most are available in a variety of purity levels ranging from commercial to Ultra-Pure grades. Special alloying and fabricating techniques have been developed to provide homogeneous materials which exhibit an extremely high density and fine grain structure. Here are some of the more popular sputtering target metals:

• Wet ChemistryEmission
• SpectroscopyDirect-Coupled Plasma
• SpectrometryAtomic Absorption
• SpectrometryScanning Electr
• on MicroscopyX-ra
• y diffraction

Evaporation Materials

Think PTek can provide electron-beam starter sources, granules, slugs, wire or powders for all standard evaporation systems. Whether your requirements are for resistance evaporation systems with pre-weighed charges or for continuous feed multi-source E-beam evaporators, Think PTek can meet your material requirements. Crucible liners are available in a variety of material compositions, including intermetallics and refractories, to ensure the purest possible resultant films. Contact your Think PTek Sales Engineer or Representative for assistance in selecting the best liner composition for your application.

Backing Plates

Think PTek manufactures backing plates for nearly all conventional sputtering systems and can also custom design special assemblies. Whether you require OFE copper, stainless steel, molybdenum or aluminum. Think PTek can provide the dimensional tolerances to fit your needs. All backing plates are fabricated on numerically controlled equipment to further ensure absolute reproducibility.

Bonding Services

Think PTek provides all metal bonding to affix sputtering targets to backing plates for systems which do not utilize a bolt-on target assembly. This proprietary process utilizes layers of low vapor pressure metals which have been applied to both the backing plate and the target and are then diffusion bonded together. This bond not only provides the necessary mechanical strength required to hold the two materials together, but it also provides a high thermally and electrically conductive layer for transfer of heat and electricity from the backing plate to the target. In addition, this material provides a differential slip plane to allow for differences in thermal expansion between the target and the backing plate. This prevents the target from debonding or cracking during the heat up and cool down cycle of the plasma deposition process.

Reclamation

Think PTek offers a reclamation program for all precious metal materials, including certain base metals, i.e., indium, indium alloys and oxides. Further details regarding this program and reclamation schedules can be obtained by contacting your Think PTek Sales Engineer or Representative.

Quality Control

All materials provided by Think PTek are furnished with a Certificate of Analysis stipulating exact purity and trace elements present in the product. Through state-of-the-art analytical and diagnostic equipment, our engineering technicians monitor material properties during individual processing. To ensure absolute quality, consistency and purity, our analytical capabilities include:

• Wet ChemistryEmission
• SpectroscopyDirect-Coupled Plasma
• SpectrometryAtomic Absorption
• SpectrometryScanning Electr
• on MicroscopyX-ra
• y diffraction