[labnetwork] Argon vs Krypton for sputtering

[Matthew Moneck]

Hi Rob,

The main factor in most cases is cost.  Argon is heavy enough to provide
good sputter yield in most cases, and cheap enough that it typically wins
in terms of economics and efficiency.  That said, there are use cases for
the other gases.  We used to run projects developing magnetic media for
hard disk applications.  There have been studies done looking at the
effects of neon, krypton, argon, and even xenon on the film growth and the
resulting grain structure, and there can be differences, especially if you
are doing bias sputtering.  On the flip side, similar studies have been
done for ion beam etching, where there are advantages of using krypton or
neon over argon.  For example, you can change the etching profile and in
some cases minimize the faceting effects.

Best Regards,

Matt

On Thu, Aug 31, 2023 at 1:49 PM Macdonald, Robert (GE Aerospace, US) <
robert.macdonald at ge.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
>
>
> I’m wondering when folks use Krypton or other noble gasses for sputtering
> in their facilities, and why. I have read that ideally, one matches the
> atomic weight of the target with the gas. Thus, Neon for lighter targets,
> Krypton for heavier.
>
>
>
> In practice I see Ar used for all materials.
>
>
>
> Any thoughts or opinions would be of interest.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> Rob
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Robert MacDonald
>
> MEMS Engineer
>
> GE Research
>
> 1 Research Circle
>
> Niskayuna, NY 12309
>
> 518 312-5646
>
> Robert.macdonald at ge.com
>
>
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-- 

--
Matthew T. Moneck, Ph.D
Executive Director, Claire & John Bertucci Nanotechnology Laboratory
Electrical & Computer Engineering | Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
Phone: 412-268-5430
ece.cmu.edu
nanofab.ece.cmu.edu
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