What to know before you buy
This collection lists MSE PRO sputtering targets for magnetron sputtering and other PVD systems. Most are single elements. These include transition and refractory metals such as titanium, chromium, nickel, molybdenum, niobium and zirconium, conductors such as copper, silver and aluminum, and semiconductors such as undoped silicon and germanium. Compound targets include barium titanate and strontium titanate for oxide films, lithium phosphate for LiPON solid electrolyte films, and PTFE.
To narrow down, start from the film you need and the cathode in your system. Check the target diameter and thickness your sputter gun accepts. Brittle, low melting or poorly conducting materials are often bonded to a backing plate for cooling and support, and indium bonding on a copper backing plate is listed as a separate item. For how purity and bonding affect your films, read what sputtering target purity and bonding change in thin film quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a bonded target?
Bonding helps with targets that are brittle, thin or poor at conducting heat, such as many ceramic and oxide targets, and with soft, low melting metals. The bond carries heat to the cooled backing plate and supports the target if it cracks. Ductile metal targets are often run unbonded. If your material needs it, add indium bonding on a Cu backing plate.
Which targets are used for adhesion layers?
Titanium and chromium targets are common choices for a thin adhesion layer under gold, silver, platinum or copper on glass, silicon and oxide substrates. Deposit the adhesion layer first, then the main film without breaking vacuum where your system allows. Nickel is often added as a barrier layer between metals.
Can I sputter the oxide and other compound targets?
Yes. Targets such as barium titanate and strontium titanate are insulating, so they usually need an RF power supply, while most metal targets run on DC. The lithium phosphate target is typically sputtered in nitrogen to form LiPON. Ramp power slowly on ceramic targets to avoid thermal cracking.
What target size should I order?
Order to fit your sputter gun. Check the cathode manual for target diameter, thickness and whether a backing plate is required. Magnetic targets such as iron, nickel and cobalt may need to be thinner to sputter well on a standard magnetron. If your gun takes a size that is not offered, send the dimensions through the quote request form.
How do I order several targets or a custom composition?
For a set of targets for one system, or repeat orders across a research group, use the bulk order request form. For a custom alloy, purity, shape or bonding option, send the specification through the quote request form.
