Acquisition of an Ultra-High Vacuum System for the Physical Vapor Deposition of Thin Conducting Films

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9802917 Porter This award provides support for the acquisition of an ultra-high vacuum system with the capability of multiple techniques for the controlled deposition of many types of thin conducting films. The deposition system will have a rare combination of techniques and attributes that will allow for the growth of a variety of conducting films, ranging from ultra-pure elements to refractory compounds, in a highly controlled environment. This system will permit leading research involving studies of the physics and electrical, chemical, and microstructural properties of materials at conducting-to-semiconducting interfaces. Some of the existing and planned research programs include an NSF-supported study of thermally stable contacts to SiC and GaN for high temperature electronic applications and the development of contacts for both SiC-based solar probes and SiC-, GaN-, or BN-based radio isotope batteries. Additional programs that will benefit include "Surface Phase Transitions in Alloys", "Stability of Fine Microstructures in Thin Films", and the "Mesoscale Interface Mapping Project". %%% While all of these research programs involve the fabrication of conducting contacts on semiconducting or insulating substrates, the nature of conducting films varies in terms of the techniques which are most appropriate for depositing the films. The system addresses these differences in its inclusion of two sources for dc sputtering, a multi-pocket electron-beam source for evaporation, and the future capability for the addition of an ion source for ion-beam assisted deposition. The sputtering and evaporation techniques will allow for easier deposition of most types of the films which are being studied, while the ion- assisted process will be used in the future to introduce more control over the parameters for depositing compound materials. ***