For training, please contact the Tool Manager(s).
- Only for use on materials going into the SEM or e-beam lithography systems.
The CNF has two small sputter systems for coating samples prior to SEM imaging or electron beam lithography. One machine is setup for Gold while the other system is setup for Gold / Palladium. The manual machines allow for quick coating of conductive films to assist in electron beam work.
The Polaron sputter system used for: Gold is the most widely used coating material to coat non-conductive samples for standard SEM applications. Due to its low work function it is very efficient to coat. When using cool sputter coaters, such as this one, while sputtering thin layers, there is hardly any heating of the sample surface. The grain size is visible (relatively large grain size) when using high magnifications on modern SEMs. Gold can be used for low and medium magnification applications and is an ideal coating material for low resolution imaging. The L and M of Au lines can interfere with EDX analysis.[1]
The Hummer sputter system used for: Au/Pd alloy (60/40 and 80/20) is less efficient to coat with than using pure gold, which results in lower sputter rates. There is a slight difference between Au and Au/Pd in that the latter offers a slightly smaller sputtered grain size. This material is less suitable for EDX analysis due to the extra set of peaks for Pd, which can interfere with lighter elements.[1]
[1] https://ravescientific.com/resources/education/37-proper-target-material-selection-when-coating-samples-using-an-sem-sputter-coater