Sputtering Target, Foil, Thin Film, Deposition & Evaporation Materials

American Elements is a world leader in Sputtering Target, Foil, Rod, Wire, Bar, Sheet, Plate and < 0.5 mm Thin Film from rare earth and other electronic and optic materials. American Elements produces high purity metals and compounds with the highest possible density and smallest possible average grain sizes for use in semiconductor, chemical deposition and physical vapor deposition (PVD) display and optical applications. We also produce the rare earths and most advanced metals as cast rods and plates. 99.999% Gold Foil for chemical vapor deposition

99.999% Gold Foil for chemical vapor deposition

Materials are produced using crystallization, solid state and other ultra high purification processes. American Elements specializes in producing custom compositions for research and new proprietary technologies.

Sputtering Targets. Our standard target sizes range from 1" to 8" in diameter and from 2mm to 1/2" thick. We can also provide targets outside this range in addition to just about any size rectangular, annular, or oval target. Materials are produced using crystallization, solid state and other ultra high purification processes such as sublimation. American Elements specializes in producing custom compositions for commercial and research applications and for new proprietary technologies. American Elements also casts any of the rare earth metals and most other advanced materials into rod, bar or plate form, as well as other machined shapes and through other processes such as nanoparticles (See also application discussion at Nanotechnology Information and at Quantum Dots) and in the form of solutions and organometallics. Other shapes are available by request.

Rotatable Targets. For large area thin film deposition, American Elements produces rotatable sputtering targets by plasma deposition onto a tubular substrate and by casting. Rotatable sputtering targets are available up to 1,000 mm in length and can be produced from a number of metallic, oxide and alloy sources for use in many applications where large film areas are required, such as photovoltaic and other coatings.

All machined pieces are produced by casting oversized blanks, and machining down to required specifications. They are usually machined to tolerances of +0.010"/-0" on diameter, length or width, and +/-0.005" on thickness. Larger targets are also finished to a flatness within 0.015". We can accommodate tighter tolerances upon request.

Sputtering deposition uses a plasma, which is usually formed from a non-reactive gas, to bombard the target material for the thin film and knock the atoms of the target material out of its bulk. The ejected atoms then land on the substrate and form a thin film. Since the target does not need to be heated, the technique is very flexible for a wide range of applications. The targets can even be made of compounds or mixtures, not just pure elements.

Uses & applications for sputtering targets and other evaporation materials have continued to expand. The most recent uses are described below and in the new PBS NOVA series "Making Stuff". When relevant, properties and the latest research is also covered.

Anti-abrasive coatings for Wear Protection. Electroplating of tool, die, drilling and cutting tool active surfaces to protect against wear and extend life has given way in recent years to the deposition of these coating materials as a more cost effective alternative. Typical protective materials using sputtering targets and other evaporation materials include titanium, titanium carbide, silicon carbide, boron carbide, aluminum, nickel, chromium and tungsten carbide.

Magnetic Materials. The use of high strength magnets have found application is numerous industries including automotive, aerospace, biomedical imaging and auditory engineering. sputtering targets and other evaporation materials of these advanced magnetic materials are manufactured by American Elements from samarium cobalt and neodymium iron boron alloy.

Optical and Architectural Glass. The ability of certain elements to selectively absorb and emit highly specific wave length ranges and also reduce glare due to their high refractive index when deposited on a glass substrate resulted in the development of sputtering and evaporation materials of elemental rare earths, such as neodymium and dysprosium and many other optically active and anti-reflective (AR) materials. More recently, architectural glass for residential, commercial and office building applications has benefited from the availability of these same coatings.

Data Storage. Sputtering targets and other evaporation materials are now essential to the coating and manufacturing of optical storage devices such as CDs and DVDs to provide both wear protection and reflectivity.

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) uses pulses of a high-power laser beam to ablate the target material. The material on the target surface is instantly evaporated and turned into plasma, and it returns back to vapor phase. Finally, the ablated material then collects and deposits on top of a correctly placed substrate. This technique has the advatages over the others in that it preserves the stoichiometry of the target on the film formed and the rate of deposition is higher than the others.

Physical vapor deposition (PVD). PVD refers to the purely physical formation of the thin film on top of the substrate, there should be no chemical reaction

Ultra High Purity Cadmium Telluride Boule

involved in the formation of the thin film. Typically PVD is done in a low-pressure environment, though there are a number of PVD techniques. Evaporation deposition raises the temperature of material of thin film so its vapor pressure reaches a useful range. The vapor then moves and deposits on top of the substrate of interest. Electron Beam Evaporation a form of PVD in which the target anode is bombarded with an electron beam given off by a charged tungsten filament under high vacuum. The electrion beam causes atoms from the target material to transform into a gaseous phase, these atoms then return to solid form coating everything in the vacuum chamber with a thin film. It can also be used in conjuction with molecular beam epitaxy (MBE).

Chemical vapor deposition(CVD) refers to the formation of the thin film on the substrate involves chemical reaction. Typically, a fluid precursor moves onto the substrate and one or more chemical reactions take place, which forms a layer of the thin film. Chemical Vapor Deposition generally uses a gas-phase precursor, often a halide or hydride of the element to be deposited. In the case of metal-organic chemical vapor depsoisition(MOCVD), an organometallic gas is used. Commercial techniques often use very low pressures of precursor gas. In the case of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition(PECVD), which is a special case of MOCVD, an ionized vapor, or plasma, is used as a precursor. Commercial PECVD relies on electromagnetic means (electric current or microwave excitation), rather than a chemical reaction, to produce a plasma. MOCVD is currently being used in the manufacturing of graphene, carbon nanotubes, LED, laser-emitting diodes, multijunction solar cell, optoelectronics, microelectronics, semiconductor, phase-change memory, photodectors, and mirco-electro-mechanical systems(MEMS). Chemical depositon is typically much less directional, or sensitive to geometry, than physical deposition

Foils. American Elements produces rolled foils and sheets in various thicknesses and sizes. Most foils are produced from cast Ingots for use in coating and thin film Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) processes including Thermal and Electron Beam (E-Beam) Evaporation, Low Temperature Organic Evaporation, Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), Organometallic and Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) for specific applications such as fuel cells and solar energy. Scandium foils are produced from distilled scandium that does not contain tantalum. Thickness can range from 0.003" to approximately 2mm for all metals. Some metals can also be rolled down as thin as 0.001” for use as an evaporation source in microelectronics, optics, magnetics, MEMS, and hard resistant coatings. Piece sizes are available up to approximately 7" maximum width. Maximum lengths of about 20" can be obtained with a nominal thickness between about 0.005" and 0.020".

Rods and Plates. American Elements casts any of the rare earth metals and most other advanced material into rod, bar or plate form, as well as other machined shapes. All as-cast rods, bars and plates are produced from either the pure metal Ingots or sublimed metals. We have a variety of standard sized rod molds, from a minimum of 1/4" diameter up to 3" diameter for most rod needs. Plates are also offered in standard thicknesses, from 1/4" thick to 1" thick. Maximum rod lengths and maximum plate sizes are dependent on melt capacity and furnace room. Small diameter rods may have only a 4"-6" maximum cast length, whereas larger diameter rods may be cast up to about 16" long. Plate sizes can be cast up to a size of 24" x 16". As-cast rods or plates are saw-cut to length or final dimensions, and the metal surface may have visible flow marks.

Round Metallic Tubes--Selected Dimensions

Tubing. AE produces a complete line of fully characterized round, oval, rectangular and square seamless tubing in diameters from 0.2 to 6.0 inches and wall thicknesses from 0.003 to 0.500 inches produced from advanced and high purity metals for use in industrial and research applications in the fields of electronics, energy, medical devices and aerospace among many others. Tubing can be further processed at the customer's request to rings, washers, sleeves and sheaths. Tubing is produced from most metals including: Aluminum, Bismuth, Carbon, Cerium (as well as most other rare earths), Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Erbium, Germanium, Gold, Indium, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Neodymium, Nickel, Niobium, Ruthenium, Silicon, Silver, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium, Yttrium, Zinc, and Zirconium.