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A novel gradient composition spreading and nanolayer stacking process for combinatorial thin-film materials library
Zongkai Yan1, Shuai Wu1, Yu Song1
1School of Materials and Energy, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan 611731, China.
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|July 3, 2020
Summary
A new magnetron sputtering technique creates precise thin-film materials libraries. This method uses a moving shutter and rotating substrate to achieve gradient composition spreading for over 10,000 unique compositions.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Thin Film Deposition
- Combinatorial Chemistry
Background:
- Fabricating combinatorial thin-film materials libraries requires precise control over composition spreading.
- Existing methods may lack the resolution and uniformity needed for high-throughput materials discovery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and demonstrate a novel magnetron sputtering process for fabricating combinatorial thin-film materials libraries with high compositional precision.
- To develop a system capable of producing a large number of unique compositions on a single substrate.
Main Methods:
- A moving shutter system was employed to achieve step-by-step masked deposition, creating wedge-shaped layers.
- Substrate rotation and sequential deposition from different targets formed a heterogeneous precursor structure.
- A combinatorial magnetron sputtering system with reciprocating targets and quartz crystal microbalance feedback was designed for uniformity control.
Main Results:
- The developed system achieved deposition uniformity better than 3% across a 76 × 76 mm substrate.
- The process enabled the creation of multilayer structures with nanometer-scale layer control, facilitating interlayer diffusion.
- A Ti-Zr-Ni ternary alloy library was successfully fabricated, demonstrating the system's capability to produce over 10,000 compositions.
Conclusions:
- The proposed magnetron sputtering process offers a highly precise and efficient method for fabricating combinatorial thin-film materials libraries.
- This technique significantly enhances composition spreading resolution and enables the exploration of vast compositional spaces.
- The developed system is suitable for high-throughput screening and discovery of new materials with tailored properties.
