Neodymium Oxide

Neodymium Oxide sputtering target is a kind of Neodymium Oxide as the main component, used in physical vapour deposition and other processes, usually solid, with good sputtering performance, able to form Neodymium Oxide thin films deposited on the substrate material, and then widely used in optics, electronics, magnetic materials and many other fields of key materials.

Characteristics

High purity: A high purity level is generally required to minimise the effect of impurities on the performance of sputtered films. High purity NdO sputtering targets ensure that the chemical composition of the deposited film is accurate and stable, providing a reliable material base for subsequent applications. For example, in the preparation of optical thin films, purity has a key influence on the optical properties of the film.

Good chemical stability: In the conventional storage and sputtering process, neodymium oxide has good chemical stability, and is not easy to have chemical reaction with oxygen and moisture in the air, which can ensure the quality stability of the target before and during use.

High density: High density NdO sputtering targets can reduce particle splashing during sputtering and improve the uniformity and denseness of sputtered films. Higher density also helps to reduce the target’s porosity during the sputtering process, reducing gas adsorption and impurity doping, thus improving the quality of the film.

Suitable hardness: A moderate hardness ensures that the target is not easily broken or deformed during the sputtering process, maintains the structural integrity of the target, and facilitates processing and fabrication to meet the needs of different shapes and sizes.

Good thermal conductivity: in the sputtering process, the target will be bombarded by high-energy particles and generate heat, good thermal conductivity can transfer the heat out in time to avoid local overheating of the target, thus prolonging the service life of the target, and at the same time, help to maintain the stability of the sputtering process.

Uniform grain size: Uniform grain size distribution can make the target more uniform in the sputtering process of the escape of atoms, so as to ensure the thickness uniformity and performance consistency of the deposited film.

Low defect rate: Minimise defects within the target, such as porosity, cracks, etc. These defects may lead to abnormal discharges or rupture of the target during sputtering, affecting the normal sputtering and the quality of the film.

Applications

Laser materials: dopants used in the manufacture of laser crystals, such as yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) crystals doped with neodymium oxide can be made into Nd:YAG laser crystals, which are widely used in industrial fields such as laser cutting, welding, marking, as well as laser medicine, laser ranging and other fields. Nd:YAG laser crystals are widely used in laser cutting, welding, marking and other industrial fields, as well as in laser medicine and laser ranging. Nd:YAG laser crystals can be made from thin films deposited on the substrate by sputtering process.

Optical glass: It can be used to prepare glass with special optical properties, such as high refractive index glass and coloured glass. In optical lenses, telescopes, microscopes and other optical instruments, the use of this neodymium oxide-containing optical glass can improve the performance of the optical system, such as improving the refractive index, increasing the degree of colour reproduction.

Filters: Filters prepared by sputtering neodymium oxide films can selectively transmit or reflect light of specific wavelengths, and have important applications in the fields of optical communication, spectral analysis, and optical sensors. For example, NdO filters can be used for wavelength selection and signal filtering in optical fibre communication systems.

Semiconductor materials: as a dopant of semiconductor materials, neodymium oxide can change the electrical properties of semiconductors, such as improving the conductivity of semiconductors and adjusting the energy band structure. In integrated circuits and semiconductor device manufacturing, neodymium oxide sputtering targets are used to deposit neodymium-containing films on semiconductor chips to achieve specific electrical functions.

Magnetic storage materials: Used in the preparation of magneto-optical storage media, such as magnetic optical discs (MO). Neodymium oxide films have good magneto-optical properties, and can change the reflection or transmission characteristics of light under the action of a magnetic field to achieve the storage and reading of information. This magneto-optical storage technology has the advantages of high storage density, fast reading and writing, and has certain application prospects in the field of data storage.

Electronic ceramics: can be used to manufacture electronic ceramic materials, such as capacitor ceramics, piezoelectric ceramics. The addition of neodymium oxide can improve the electrical and mechanical properties of electronic ceramics, improve the capacitance value of capacitors, piezoelectric coefficient of piezoelectric ceramics, and so on, so as to meet the demand for high-performance electronic ceramic components for electronic equipment.

Solar cell: In the research and development of new solar cells, neodymium oxide sputtering targets can be used to prepare electrode materials or light absorbing layer materials for solar cells. For example, in chalcogenide solar cells, neodymium oxide film can be used as a modification layer for electrodes to improve the conductivity and stability of electrodes, thus improving the photoelectric conversion efficiency of solar cells.

Fuel cell: used in the preparation of catalyst or electrode materials for fuel cells. NdO can improve the catalytic activity of fuel cells and the reaction rate of electrodes, reduce the cost and improve the performance of fuel cells, and provide support for the wide application of fuel cells.