LAB 01. Thin Films Preparation and Thermal Processing

Metallizer

FAN-IFA AVE-500, Romania

Specifications:

• Thermal Vacuum Evaporation (TVE)
• Turbomolecular pump for high-vacuum capability
• QCM thickness monitoring system
• Substrate heating up to 200°C
• Thickness range: 10 nm - 1 µm

Applications:

• Metallic thin films: Au, Ag, Cu, Al, In, etc.
• Metallic alloys: Au-Cu, Ag-Cu, Al-In, etc,

Evaporator for inorganics

Balzers BA 510, Germany

Specifications:

• Thermal Vacuum Evaporation (TVE)
• Turbomolecular pump for high-vacuum capability
• QCM thickness monitoring system
• Substrate heating up to 500°C
• Thickness range: 10 nm - 10 µm

Applications:

• Binary semiconducting inorganic compounds (A^II-B^VI): CdTe, CdS, CdSe, ZnTe, ZnS, ZnSe, etc.

Evaporator for organics

FAN-IFA AVE-300, Romania

Specifications:

• Thermal Vacuum Evaporation (TVE)
• Turbomolecular pump for high-vacuum capability
• QCM thickness monitoring system
• Substrate heating up to 200°C
• Thickness range: 1 nm - 500 nm

Applications:

• Organic semiconducting monomeric compounds: CuPc, ZnPc, FePc, MgPc, TPyP, etc.

PVD system

Tectra GmbH, Germany

Specifications:

• PVD multi-source equipment
• DC and RF magnetron sputtering. Allows for Ar plasma, as well as reactive sputtering in N₂ or O₂. Target diameter: 2" (5 cm)
• Thermal Vacuum Evaporation (TVE)
• Electron-Beam Evaporation (EBE)
• Turbomolecular pump for high-vacuum capability
• QCM thickness monitoring system
• Substrate heating up to 200°C
• Adjustable substrate-source distance
• Thickness range: 1 nm - 5 µm

Applications:

• Metals: Au, Pt, Cu, Al, Ti, etc.
• A^II-B^VI compounds: CdTe, CdS, CdSe, ZnTe, ZnS, ZnSe, etc.
• Oxide compounds: ZnO, ITO, IZO, AZO, IGZO, etc.

Spin-coater

Cost Effective Equipment (CEE) 200, USA

Specifications:

• Spin-coating deposition
• Volatile compound extraction capability
• Maximum substrate size: 200 mm
• Maximum spin: 6.000 rpm
• Maximum acceleration: 30.000 rpm/s
• Thickness range: nanometeres - micrometeres

Applications:

• Polymeric organic compounds and copolymer blends: P3HT, PCBM, ICBA, MEH-PPV, PEDOT:PSS, etc.

Drying oven

Raypa DO-20, Spain

Specifications:

• Natural air convection
• Capacity: 20 L
• Temperature range: 40°C - 250°C

Applications:

• Samples drying, sterilization of laboratory glassware, removal of residual solvents from organic spin-coated thin films, thermal curing of polymeric materials, etc.

Laboratory furnace

Nabertherm P 330, Germany

Specifications:

• Natural air convection
• Ceramic or quartz tube
• Temperature range: 30°C - 1200°C
• Allows operation in controlled atmosphere: Ar, N₂ and O₂

Applications:

• Annealing, calcination, recrystallization, oxidation, sintering, etc.

Accessories, consumables and auxiliary tools available in the lab:

• Substrates used for the fabrication and characterization of electronic and optoelectronic devices, including single-crystal Silicon (Si) with various doping types and concentrations (n- and p-type), optical glass, transparent conductive oxide-coated glass substrates (ITO, FTO, IZO, AZO), and flexible Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) substrates.
• Adaptable sample holders compatible with a wide range of substrate geometries and experimental applications.
• Interchangeable deposition masks available in multiple configurations for the fabrication of patterned structures by thermal evaporation and plasma sputtering.
• Evaporation crucibles of various sizes and configurations, designed to accommodate a broad range of materials used in thermal evaporation processes.
• Four-channel mass flow controller (AERA ROD-4) for precise monitoring and regulation of gas flow rates during reactive plasma sputtering and thermal treatments performed under controlled atmosphere conditions.
• Gas cylinders (Ar, O₂, N₂, etc.) available in various purity grades, depending on the application requirements. These gases are procured on a regular basis and are employed in a wide range of experimental processes, including venting of vacuum chambers, reactive sputtering processes, and thermal treatments carried out under controlled atmospheres.
• Quartz and alumina boats, available in various sizes, used for thermal treatments, drying processes, calcination, and annealing of samples under controlled conditions.
• Tweezers available in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and configurations, manufactured from materials such as stainless steel or Teflon, and used for the handling and transfer of substrates, samples, components, and other materials involved in thin-film deposition and thermal processing procedures.
• Stock of evaporation materials available in the form of powders, wires, granules, tablets, and pellets, covering a wide range of metals, alloys, and functional compounds for vacuum deposition processes.
• 2" (5 cm) sputtering targets available in a variety of materials and inorganic compounds for thin-film deposition by plasma sputtering.
• Stock of chemical reagents, organic and inorganic solvents, and precursor materials used for the preparation of solutions intended for the spin-coating deposition of polymeric thin films and other functional organic materials.
• Set of variable-volume micropipettes (0.5 µL - 1000 µL) with precise dispensing control, together with tips of various capacities, used for the controlled dosing of solutions in polymer thin-film deposition processes by spin-coating.
• Laboratory gloves, lab coats, safety goggles and other personal protective equipment.