What Are the Applications of Sputtering Targets? (With Video)

Sputtering targets are a physical vapor deposition (PVD) mechanism with many uses in modern technology and manufacturing.

In the sputtering process, the atoms are pulled from the sputter target with powerful magnets, and a controlled gas (usually argon) is introduced. Then, the processed to collide with each other in their gaseous state before condensing into a plasma that dries into a thin film on the substrate.

Many products commonly used today have a coating created through sputtering materials. These coatings include:

Glass Coating

Sputter coater targets are used to produce low-radiation coated glass (Low-E glass).

Low-E glass is commonly used in building construction because of its ability to save energy, control light, and for aesthetics.

Optical Coating

Optical coatings are largely used in the area of sunglasses, eyeglasses, vehicle headlights, mirrors, windows, optic filters for laser technology.

Solar Cell Coating

With demands for renewable energy on the rise, the third generation, thin-film solar cells are prepared using sputter coating technology.

The Cadmium telluride sputtering target (CIGS target) has a large share of the solar market.

Semiconductors

Most modern-day electronics incorporate essential components which have been produced with tantalum sputtering targets.

These include microchips, memory chips, print heads, flat panel displays as well as others.

Well, the question “what is the sputtering target” may seem stupid for insiders. But undoubtedly it is the most basic question in the relevant industry. Search this question in Google, you may find 3,770,000 results, which is quite a HUGE number! Just compare it with 4,510,000 results of searching “sputtering target”. (data may differ)

So here comes my question, do you really get the answer? Well, I guess not, or you won’t click into this article, right? Believe it or not, I did the same thing as you did, searching in a sea of resources, but the answer I could find is either too broad/general or too academic. As a result, I got nothing but an advertisement. Trust me, clicking into this article is the best choice you have made! Here I promise you that SAM Sputter Target will give you an easy-to-understand answer to “what is the sputtering target”. Here we go.

First, let’s talked about its name—sputtering target. “Target” in “sputtering target” is derived from the shooting target, which is very common in our life. In the process of material deposition, the coating material is bombarded by electron beam or ion beam, just like the target being shot, so such material got its name as “target”. After knowing how the name came from, you may think “sputtering target” is not weird anymore.

Then let’s get to the point. The sputtering target is actually a broad concept, including many categories such as metal sputtering targetmetal sputtering target, alloy sputtering target, ceramic sputtering target and so on. That’s why you always find broad answers. So let’s just illustrate by examples.

You must have heard about GOLD, right? It is very shining, very beautiful, and, of course, very expensive. Therefore, people often use gold sputter coating instead of pure gold in the daily production, and the gold sputtering target is an indispensable raw material for gold sputter coating. So what’s the difference between gold and gold sputtering target? SAME! They have the same chemical substance—gold element, but the gold sputtering target is specially made to be installed in the sputter coating machines as the raw materials for sputter coating, as shown below. And it is similar to other sputtering targets. As for the shapes of the sputtering target, there are mainly planar target and rotatory target. For information about these two kinds of targets, you can refer to the Advantages and disadvantages of planar and rotatory targets.

I really hope that this article helps you understand what the sputtering target is. Here is SAM Sputter Target, a global evaporation material and sputtering target manufacturing company. We regularly update industrial knowledge and news on our website, please visit https://www.sputtertargets.net/ for more information.