Vertical In-Line Sputter System Build Underway

We have begun to bring up one of our test chambers to use as a vertical R&D coating platform. This chamber was previously used as a load station for a much larger deposition chamber, but will now be modified to accommodate various deposition and plasma processing sources. A system like this is critical for us to demonstrate the feasibility of a process while keeping costs to a minimum.

For our 1st application, the door will be redesigned to accept a linear ion beam sputter system from one of our partners and a small load chamber will be added to the left hand side to increase sample throughput. We will continue to improve the system to add substrate heaters, substrate bias, gas inlet manifolds, plasma diagnostic probes, and symmetric pumping. Initial depositions are planned for the end of September, with the full system completed by the end of the year.