E-Beam Evaporation, Magnetron Sputtering, Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma, Effusion Cell Evaporation, Ion Assisted Deposition, Chemical Vapor Deposition, Sol-Gel Synthesis, Atomic Layer Deposition
FIRST is equipped for the synthesis of thin film materials using a wide variety of techniques. Metals, semiconductors, and oxides are grown by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), Sol-Gel Synthesis, and Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) techniques. In addition to several individual deposition systems, the Thin Film Synthesis, Processing and Characterization Facility provides a unique combination of film deposition and characterization tools in one integrated cluster tool ultra-high vacuum system.
Thin Film Synthesis & Characterization FacilityThis facility has been established to fabricate, characterize, and develop novel semiconducting and ceramic-based thin film materials. The instrumentation allows for precise control of film structures and compositions, including molecular beam epitaxy, ion-assisted deposition, and plasma techniques.
In this facility, five ultra-high vacuum chambers are interconnected by a sample trolley transportation system. The heart of the facility is a 24″ diameter ultra-high vacuum deposition chamber equipped with many well-controlled deposition sources that can be simultaneously focused onto a 2″ substrate area. These sources include an ECR microwave plasma source, 4-pocket electron beam evaporator, single-pocket electron beam evaporator, Kaufman ion source, two magnetron sputtering sources with off-axis tilt, and two effusion cells. Film structure and interface characterization is carried out in-situ during growth using reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED).
Molecular Epitaxy Deposition Chamber
The four thin film analysis chambers provide capabilities for x-ray and ultra-violet photoelectron spectroscopy using a hemispherical analyzer (XPS and UPS), scanning Auger spectroscopy using a cylindrical mirror analyzer (AES), AES depth profiling with azimuthal sample rotation, low energy electron diffraction (LEED), low energy ion scattering (LEIS), variable temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), and conductivity/Hall Effect measurements.