Services
Bond Service
The product range for bonding targets is increasing in the planar as well as in the tubular target area. This means that the requirements for their manufacture are becoming more and more complex. We use our extensive experience and comprehensive specialist competence to select the best possible bonding process in consultation with the customer.
Our services
- We create cost comparisons: bonded target – monolithic target.
- We can present you with suggestions for the design of the bond targets; such as target segmentation, target thickness, selection of backing plate, bond technique.
- Reusing the backing plates.
- Supply of backing plates from your own production
With bonded targets, you have various options of how you should proceed.
- You can order the target bonded on a new backing plate. We will look after the procurement of all required components.
- You supply us with a (used) backing plate and we will bond a new target onto it.
- You supply us with a used target. We will look after the unbonding and bonding of a new target.
- You supply us with all components (target and backing plate) and make use of our bond service
Of course, we also offer numerous special services for bonded targets, such as
Technologies
To find the suitable process for bonding target and backing plate, various factors must be taken into account:
- different temperature resistance
- different expansion of target and backing plate in the application
- target properties (brittle, soft, ductile)
- wettability of the surfaces (metal, ceramic, precious metals)
| Indium bonds | SnAg bonds | Nanofoil® bonds | bonding | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bond material used | Indium (In) | Tin (Sn) Silver (Ag) | AgSn and Nanofoil® | electrically conductive bonds |
| Melting point solder connection | 155°C | 220°C | 220°C | >250°C |
| suitable for large differences of expansion coefficients for target/backing plate | moderately suited | moderately suited | very well suited | less suited |
| Effort involved in unbonding | very little effort | little effort | little effort | great effort |
Advantages of target bonding
- The use of target materials which cannot be clamped, due to the break sensitivity.
- Optimisation of the target thickness to save costs for precious metals.
- Providing targets – planar and tubular – which cannot technically be manufactured as individual parts
The necessary bonding process is based on
- the pairing of materials - backing plate / target
- (expansion coefficients)
- the size and geometry of the target (diameter 400 mm – length 3000 mm)
- the conditions of use of the target (sputter rate)
- the target material (chemically inert / reactive)
- the customer requirements (segmentation)
Requirement of bonding:
- secure bond between the target and backing plate
- equally good heat transition between the target and backing plate
- good electrical contact between the target and the backing plate
- balancing out of different expansion coefficients between the target and backing plate
- simple unbonding of the used target
Target bonding influence factors:
- Expansion coefficients between the target and backing plate
- target thickness (temperature gradient)
- target size, target properties: brittle, ductile, soft
- target design (individual plate, segmented)
Target backing plates
We can give you comprehensive advice about which target and backing plate geometry and which bond technique are the best for your target.
Backing plates:
- serve to keep the target in position
- as a fastening on the PVD system
- for fast heat conduction
The backing plate used depends on:
- the target material
- the target size
- the conditions of use
The structure of a bonded target is always the same: Backing plate – solder layer – target. The following are in use as backing plates:
- Copper
- aluminium
- molybdenum
- stainless steel
