Sputtering Targets

We provide one of the largest, most comprehensive lines of sputtering target materials. All popular geometries (and sizes) including rings, S-Guns, and circular, rectangular, and triangular planar targets are available.

Most sputtering target materials can be fabricated into a wide range of shapes and sizes. There are some technical limitations to the maximum size for a given single piece construction. In such cases, a multi-segmented target can be produced with the individual segments joined together by butt or bevelled joints.

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The question "what is the sputtering target" may seem trivial to industry insiders, but it's a foundational query in the field. If you search this question on Google, you might find around 3,770,000 results—a staggering number compared to the 4,510,000 results for "sputtering target". So, do you really find an answer in this sea of information? Probably not, or you wouldn’t be here. I’ve been in the same situation, encountering overly broad or highly academic answers that don’t satisfy practical curiosity. But don’t worry, clicking on this article is the best decision to get an easy-to-understand explanation. Let’s dive into it.

The Name: Sputtering Target

The term "target" in "sputtering target" is derived from the idea of a shooting target, which is commonplace. In material deposition processes, the coating material is bombarded by an electron beam or ion beam, similar to a target being shot at, hence the name "target." Once you understand the origin of the name, it doesn’t seem so strange anymore.

Diverse Categories of Sputtering Targets

Sputtering targets encompass a broad range of categories, including metal sputtering targets, alloy sputtering targets, ceramic sputtering targets, and more. This variety explains why broad answers are commonplace. Let me illustrate with an example:

Example: Gold Sputtering Targets

Gold is a well-known, beautiful yet expensive material. To reduce costs in daily production, gold sputter coating is often used instead of pure gold, and the gold sputtering target is the essential raw material for this process. The difference between gold and a gold sputtering target is negligible—they are chemically the same. However, the gold sputtering target is specially manufactured to be installed in sputter coating machines as raw material. This concept applies to other sputtering targets as well.

Shapes of Sputtering Targets

Sputtering targets come primarily in two shapes: planar targets and rotary targets. For detailed information on the advantages and disadvantages of these shapes, you can refer to resources like the Advantages and Disadvantages of Planar and Rotary Targets.

I hope this article helps you understand what a sputtering target is. SAM Sputter Target, a global manufacturer of evaporation materials and sputtering targets, regularly updates industrial knowledge on Acetron. For more information, please visit our website.