Semi-autonomous combinatorial sputter system for the synthesis of multinary material libraries

一种组合薄膜沉积系统，其能够通过（反应性）共溅射同时从多达八个源半自主地合成多元薄膜材料库。半自主意味着（I）系统可以在没有用户交互的情况下产生多达10个材料库，以及（II）通过与材料信息学软件耦合，可以在沉积系列期间调整或新创建10个材料库的设计。为此，系统软件应能够通过外部软件工具进行操作。 这样，来自一系列10个材料库中的第一材料库的高通量表征的结果可以并入后续材料库的设计中，并且可以对工艺参数进行任何必要的调整。拟议的系统将使多维参数空间的发现和快速进一步发展的新的多元材料（金属合金，氧化物和氮化物系统）的更有效的探索。例如，用于电催化的新型高熵合金由至少五种元素组成，并且电化学测量需要电极层。此外，溅射源必须被置换以在不改变靶的情况下有效地覆盖多元组合物空间，使得系统必须具有八个源。该系统还必须具有用于半自动成分调整的原位涂覆速率确定。溅射源必须能够以直流电、高频和HPPMS操作，以便能够产生各种不同的材料，并通过控制等离子体来调节它们的性质。该系统还应该具有可移动的孔径系统和阴影掩模，以允许关于层厚度和成分梯度的调节的进一步设计可能性。

A combinatorial thin film deposition system is applied for, which enables a semi-autonomous synthesis of multinary thin-film material libraries by (reactive) co-sputtering, simultaneously from up to eight sources. Semi-autonomous means that (I) the system can produce up to 10 material libraries without user interaction and (II) by coupling with material informatics software it is possible to adapt or newly create the design of the 10 material libraries during a deposition series. For this purpose the system software should be able to be operated by external software tools. This way, results from the high-throughput characterization of the first material libraries in a series of 10 can be incorporated into the design of the subsequent material libraries and any necessary adjustments in the process parameters can be made. The proposed system will enable more efficient exploration of multidimensional parameter spaces for the discovery and rapid further development of new multinary materials (metallic alloys, oxidic and nitridic systems). For example, novel high entropy alloys for electrocatalysis consist of at least five elements and electrode layers are required for electrochemical measurements. Furthermore, the sputter sources have to be permuted to efficiently cover the multinary composition space without changing the target, so that the system must have eight sources. The system must also have in-situ coating rate determination for semi-autonomous composition adjustments. The sputter sources must be able to operate with direct current, high frequency and HPPMS in order to be able to produce a wide range of different materials and to adjust their properties by controlling the plasma. The system should also have a movable aperture system and shadow masking to allow further design possibilities with regard to the adjustment of layer thickness and composition gradients.