AJA Dielectric Sputterer Manufacturer: AJA Operating Instructions Authorized Users

General Information and Usage:
This is a RF magnetron, confocal sputtering system, used for depositing dielectrics. It has three guns, three targets (Si, SiO₂, Si₃N₄), and two power supplies with the maximum output power of 500 W. The third gun has no power supply attached to it. When the third target is used, the RF power cable on Si has to be connected to this target and the flip-switch on the upper right corner of the machine’s panel (not the control unit) has to be switched to enable computer control of the power supply and source shutter. Two separate gas lines with two MCFs are available. First gas line (Gas 1) goes to the chamber. The second gas line (Gas 2) feeds to the chimney of the guns. Argon is connected to Gas 1 and O₂ to Gas 2. The system is pumped by a turbo pump backed by a mechanical pump. A gate valve separates the vacuum chamber from the pump. There is a cold trap between the gate valve and the turbo pump. This cold trap can be filled with liquid nitrogen to speed up pump-down process and to obtain better ultimate vacuum.

Sputtering generally will produce some flakes on the targets over time. It is a good idea to clean the targets after several runs, especially for silicon. If the flakes go into the space between the target and its shield, they will cause unstable plasma or shorting.

Contact Information for Users of PRISM Micro/Nano Fabrication Lab:
For additional information regarding the AJA Dielectric Sputterer, please contact the PRISM Staff at: PRISM-CLEANRM-OPS@princeton.edu

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