Barium metal

Barium metal sputtering target is a kind of material with barium metal as the main component, which is used in physical vapour deposition (PVD) and other processes. It is usually in the form of a solid block, and through the sputtering process, barium atoms can be deposited on the substrate, which can play a role in the fields of electronics, optics and so on.

Characteristics

Appearance: Silver-white metallic colour with metallic luster.

Density: Theoretical density is about 3.51g/cm³, the relatively high density helps to maintain the stability and uniformity of the target material during the sputtering process.

Melting point: Relatively low, approx. 725°C. This means that the target is not affected by the sputtering process. This means that no excessive energy is required to melt the target during the sputtering process, but the effect of its melting point may need to be considered in some high temperature environmental applications.

Thermal conductivity: approx. 18 W/m・K. Thermal conductivity affects the heat transfer and temperature distribution of the target during the sputtering process, and lower thermal conductivity may lead to a localised accumulation of heat in the target, which may affect the sputtering effect.

Coefficient of thermal expansion: about 20.6×10-⁶/K, the coefficient of thermal expansion is large, the size of the target material will change significantly when the temperature changes, therefore, this factor needs to be considered in the design of the sputtering equipment and the selection of the process parameters, in order to avoid the damage of the target material due to the thermal expansion or non-uniformity of the sputtering.

Atomic Number and Symbol: Barium has an atomic number of 56 and a symbol of Ba. Barium metal is highly chemically active and does not normally exist as a monomer in nature.

Sputtering method: It is suitable for RF sputtering, and DC sputtering can also be carried out under certain conditions. RF sputtering avoids charge accumulation on the target material due to insulation problems during sputtering and is suitable for sputtering metallic materials like barium.

Sputtering rate: Under proper sputtering conditions, barium metal sputtering targets have a sputtering rate that allows for rapid deposition of thin films on the substrate. The sputtering rate is affected by factors such as sputtering power, working gas pressure, and the distance between the target and the substrate.

Characteristics of thin film: The thin film deposited by barium metal sputtering target has good adhesion, uniformity and densification, and can be widely used in electronics, semiconductors, flat panel displays and other fields.

Applications

Electronics field:

Capacitors and resistors: Barium-based films, such as barium titanate (BaTiO₃), can be used in the production of capacitors and resistors because of their high dielectric constant and stability. Barium titanate films formed by sputtering barium metal targets can improve the capacitance value of capacitors and the stability of resistors, meeting the demand for high-performance electronic components in electronic devices.

Ferroelectric memory devices: Ferroelectric devices such as ferroelectric memory (FeRAM) require materials with strong ferroelectric properties. Barium titanate film can be used to store information in ferroelectric memory, using its ferroelectric properties to read, write and store data. Barium metal sputtering targets provide raw materials for the preparation of such ferroelectric films.

Semiconductor devices: In the semiconductor manufacturing process, barium metal sputtering targets can be used to prepare thin-film structures in semiconductor devices. For example, in the metallisation process of semiconductor chips, barium thin films can be used as diffusion barrier or adhesion layers to improve the performance and reliability of the chips.

Optoelectronic field:

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs): Barium compounds can be used to deposit thin films of light emitting diodes to provide specific optical properties for LEDs. For example, adding barium to the light-emitting layer of an LED improves its luminous efficiency and colour purity, allowing the LED to emit a brighter, more stable light.

Optical Coatings: In optical devices, barium compound films are used to prepare anti-reflective and reflective coatings. Anti-reflective coatings can reduce the reflection on the surface of optical components and improve the transmittance of optical systems; reflective coatings can enhance the reflective ability of optical components and are used in the manufacture of mirrors and other optical devices.

Superconducting films: Barium plays an important role in high-temperature superconducting materials, such as barium copper oxides (BaCuO₂) and other barium-based compounds. High-quality superconducting thin films can be prepared by sputtering barium metal targets, and these films have potential applications in superconducting electronics, quantum computing, and other fields, and can be used to fabricate superconducting electronic components such as superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID).

Magnetics field:

Spintronics devices: barium-based materials such as barium ferrite (BaFe₁₂O₁₉) can be used in the preparation of magnetic thin films for applications in spintronics devices. Spintronics is a technology that uses the spin degrees of freedom of electrons for information storage and processing, and barium-based magnetic thin films can be used as a magnetic layer in spintronics devices for data storage and transmission.

Energy field:

Batteries and supercapacitors: thin films of barium-based materials can be used as electrode materials in batteries and supercapacitors and can improve the performance and stability of energy storage devices. For example, in lithium-ion batteries, barium compounds can be used as additives for electrode materials to improve the charging and discharging performance and cycle life of the batteries; in supercapacitors, barium-based films can increase the specific surface area of the electrodes and improve the capacitor’s energy storage capacity.

Catalysis field:

Catalytic reactions: barium compound films can be used in catalytic processes as catalysts or carrier materials for catalysts. For example, in some chemical reactions, barium-based catalysts can promote the reaction and improve the efficiency and selectivity of the reaction.

Sensor field:

Environmental and Gas Sensors: barium-based films can be used in sensors to detect environmental changes or specific gases. Since barium-based materials are sensitive and stable to certain gases, they can be made into gas sensors for detecting the concentration of oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and other gases in the air.