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Combinatorial Thin Film Deposition Systems

We can build complete combinatorial PLD systems using our Nano PLD or larger deposition systems. These systems are built to suit your specific research applications.

Optimize film composition

Combinatorial PLD is used to create compositional gradients across a wafer surface. These gradients are used to determine which thin film composition will have desired electrical, optical, or other specific physical property of interest.

Creating gradients

Compositional gradients can be created via software routines, and/or using programmable masks. Binary, tertiary, quaternary, etc. combinatorial films can be easily grown.

Examples

As an example of a combinatorial thin film, below is a photograph of a 2-inch Silicon wafer with a combinatorial film grown using BaTiO₃, SrTiO₃ and Nb targets. This film is nominally 200 nm thick and the chemical composition varies considerably from center to edge.

Below is a “wafer’s eye view” of a combinatorial thin film system using masks mounted on programmable actuators. The mask holders are designed to hold metal masks with various cutouts to produce a thickness gradient of a given material in the deposited thin film.

Utilizing multiple targets and masks, one can produce a variety of compositional gradients on a wafer surface in a short amount of time. Also shown is the location of the "active" 1-inch diameter ablation target pedestal in this six-target Nano PLD System. The pedestal is sitting below the water-cooled plate.