A sputtering target is a material used to make thin films using a technique referred to as thin film deposition or sputter deposition. Although it is considered an outdated process, it has many uses and benefits in today’s manufacturing technology.
The sputtering process begins by inserting the substrate, which could also be any other element that is to undergo coating, into a space or vacuum with two magnets. Once a controlled gas (such as argon) has been introduced into space, a strong magnet pulls the atoms out of the substrate.
The extracted atoms will continue to collide against each other while in this gaseous form and then finally condenses into plasma which dries up into a film or layer on the chosen substrate. The end product will therefore be a thin but very permanent coating that can be used for various purposes.
Many products available in the market have their coatings made out of sputtering targets. Many of today’s electronics use essential components that prominently feature these sputtering targets. Some of these components include memory chips, microchips, flat-screen displays, print heads, etc.
Sputtering targets also find great use in the manufacture of low-radiation coatings used in the construction of buildings as a result of their capacity to conserve energy. You can easily find them on Plasmaterials as they are currently in high demand by fabricators who know the value.
Finding sputtering coating manufacturers can be stressful, especially if you don’t know how to do it. We have outlined some tips in this article that might be helpful to you.
Tips on How to Find Sputtering Target Manufacturers
The following tips are recommended to help you find sputtering coating manufacturers:
Check Online
The first step towards finding sputtering target manufacturers is to check online. You can search the internet for manufacturers near you and how they operate. Usually, they upload some of their finished fabrications for prospective clients to see. You can scan through some of them to decipher if they have the capacity to deliver. One of the advantages of checking online is that it affords you the opportunity of going through the finished products of several companies without having to visit their offices.
Referrals
You can inquire from family and friends to know the best sputtering coating manufacturer in your town. Most times, they may have used their services and this puts them in a good position to recommend a manufacturer that will meet your needs. Try to be specific while making inquiries to find out the manufacturer’s terms of service and don’t feel like you are asking too many questions as they are pivotal to influencing your final decision.
Manufacturer Certification
Before you select a sputtering target manufacturer, be sure to conduct thorough research about them. There are manufacturers that make use of inferior materials that affect the finishing of their products. Check if the company is certified by a board regulating its activities. Also, find out about reviews and complaints made about their services. You can find these comments on their social media pages.
With the availability of all the information gotten from the investigative process, you can decide whether or not to choose a manufacturer.
Check Price
There are manufacturers whose sputtering coatings are expensive. While the price might be a major decider in some cases, it is important that you look beyond what is being quoted as the price to know the value of their fabrication. This is because the price can be deceptive. Most manufacturers may not want to scare their prospective customers away with exorbitant pricing and this might make them decide not to sell their products at an expensive rate. Bear in mind that this does not make their products inferior; it might just be a business strategy.
On the other hand, there are products that come at a high cost yet they do not serve the intended purpose effectively. The knowledge of all these should guide your final decision.
Uses of Sputtering Targets
The following are the uses of sputtering targets:
Decorative coating
This refers to the surface coating used for mobile phones, glasses, watches, sanitary ware, hardware parts, and other products. It does not only play the role of beautifying the color of the surface of the product but also has wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and other functions.
With the continuous improvement in the general standard of living, more items that are used daily require decorative coating hence, the need for sputtering targets is increasing daily. The major types of coating materials include chrome targets, zirconium, tantalum target, nickel, tungsten, titanium, and stainless steel.
If you want to see images of fabricated coatings, you can check here: https://www.pinterest.com/haohaititanium/sputtering-targets/.
Glass coating
Target materials applied in glasses are mainly for the production of low-radiation coated glasses used to achieve energy saving, decoration, and light control functions. This is achieved with the use of the principle of magnetron scattering to spray multilayer films on glasses. Traditional building glass is gradually being replaced by energy-efficient glass due to the demand for energy conservation, reduction of emissions, and improvement in the standard of living. This has pushed several large glass deep-processing industries to increase their coated glass production lines.
Solar cell coating
Following the reduction of conventional petrochemical energy, the world is turning to renewable energy. Solar cells are currently in their third generation. The earlier or first generation will be the single-crystal silicon cells while the second will be referring to polycrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon cells. Finally, the third, designated, CIGS refers to the thin film variety of solar cells.
The major targets in the coating of solar cells include zinc oxide target, zinc oxide aluminum target, zinc aluminum target, copper indium gallium selenium target, cadmium sulfide target, etc.
If you are at a loss on how the sputtering process works, this video will show you everything you need to know.
Conclusion
Sputtering targets are a perfect way for several manufacturers to add functionality and durability to parts and substrates in a lot of applications. We have outlined in this article how you can find manufacturers who will use the required materials for your fabrication and coating needs.
We also included some of the applications of sputtering targets in everyday life. You can now go ahead and use the tips outlined in this article to find a good manufacturer.