Learning objectives
<br />The course has a "theoretical" part on the described topics (˜ 10 hours) and a "practical" part in which thin film deposition techniques will be tried out in the "Laboratorio Film Sottili" (Thin Film Laboratory) of the Physics Department (˜ 30 hours). <br />
With this set-up the course aims to provide the basic information necessary to be able to deposit a polycrystalline thin film of any element or compound on both amorphous and crystalline substrates.
<br />Students who have attended the "Vacuum and Low Temperature Technology" lectures do not have to attend parts 1 and 2 (Vacuum topics) of this course. <br />
Course unit content
<br />1 Introduction to vacuum theory <br />
1.1 What vacuum is, how it is obtained, basic concepts of fluid dynamics, flow rate <br />
1.2 Vacuum pumps: <br />
1.2.1. Primary vacuum pumps: Water pump, rotary pumps, root pumps. <br />
1.2.2. High vacuum and ultra high vacuum pumps: diffusion pumps, turbomolecular pumps, cryogenic pumps, ionic pumps, sublimation pumps. <br />
<br />
2 Vacuum measurement <br />
2.1 Unit <br />
2.2 Mechanical, diaphragm, Bourdon gauges, <br />
2.3 Liquid manometers, McLeod gauge, <br />
2.4 Capacitance gauges, <br />
2.5 Thermal gauges, thermocouple vacuum gauges, Pirani gauges, <br />
2.6 Ionization gauges, "hot cathode" ionization heads, "cold cathode", Penning gauges, <br />
2.7 Residual gas analysers (RGA). <br />
<br />
3 Polycrystalline thin film growth <br />
3.1 Condensation, nucleation, thin film growth <br />
3.2 Influence of the substrate on growth <br />
3.3 Influence of deposition parameters on growth <br />
3.4 Thickness of films (measurement) and their composition <br />
<br />
4 Thermal deposition techniques <br />
4.1 Simple evaporation <br />
4.2 Flash-evaporation <br />
4.3 Evaporation in CSS (close-spaced sublimation) controlled atmosphere) <br />
4.4 Evaporation of low vapour tension elements and compounds - e.b.g.- (electron-beam gun) <br />
<br />
5 Sputtering deposition techniques <br />
5.1 Discharge in gases <br />
5.2 The physical phenomenon of sputtering <br />
5.3 D.C. sputtering <br />
5.4 R.F. sputtering <br />
5.5 R.F. magnetron sputtering <br />
5.6 Reactive sputtering <br />
5.7 Influence of deposition parameters on growth
Bibliography
1)"Introduzione alla Tecnologia del Vuoto", Bruno Ferrario, Patron Editore, Bologna,1999. <br />
2)"Handbook of Thin Film Technology", Maissel & Glang, McGraw-Hill, 1997. <br />
3) ?Thin Film Process?, J. L. Vossen and W. Kern, Academic Press, Inc, 1999 <br />
4) Notes from the lectures.
