Evaporation system with glovebox for metals and reactive materials

• Subject Area: Materials Science
• Term: Funded in 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 466658720

Metallic thin films are manifold employed for fundamental materials research and to build functional devices like optical sensors, solar cells and THz antennas. Structured metallic electrodes facilitate the research on functional nanomaterials like 2D semiconductors. Moreover, thin films of highly reactive materials are utilized for our energy research on batteries, solar cells and catalysts.This innovative and flexible evaporation system with dedicated glovebox for processing up to 6” wafer substrates is one major instrument of the central nanofabrication facility at the University of Siegen. This core facility with its clean room systematically provides access to all researchers of the School of Science and Technology and beyond. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia together with the university is integrating this into a new nanoscience center with a modern 600m2 ISO 4 clean room. The strategy is to merge the university’s nanofabrication infrastructure for materials and device development at the Center for Sensor Systems, the Center for Micro- and Nanochemistry and Engineering and the Multidisciplinary Center for Innovative Materials under the clear sharing methodology of the DFG-funded Micro- and Nanoanalytics Core Facility MNaF. This strategy anticipates a sustainable and efficient use of this deposition tool and all other nanotechnological instruments, at the best scientific level, with specialized support personnel, a professional optimization of the involved processes, and a systematic user access organization/training. The close vicinity of the deposition tool to other fabrication instrumentation as well as to the nanoanalytical laboratories allows the efficient development of highly topical research on environmentally sensitive or even reactive materials, e.g., phase-change or energy materials. Therefore, the whole process chain from material’s synthesis to its final device application or characterization will be possible under cryogenic and/or high-vacuum conditions with adequate transport mechanisms between individual instruments.The deposition tool is equipped with one e-beam and two thermal evaporators for subsequent and co-evaporation. It comes with a plasma source with gas inlet for substrate cleaning and, if applicable, to passivate highly reactive thin films as well as a flexible substrate holder and heating. To enable the research on highly reactive materials, the introduction of the needed evaporation source and substrates as well as the handling of all, air has systematically to be excluded. Therefore, the tool is equipped with a dedicated inert-gas glovebox that allows to access the evaporation chamber through a separate door (routine operation maintained). To directly transfer reactive/sensitive samples to other fabrication or characterization tools, the deposition chamber is further equipped with a vacuum load lock. The cryo/vacuum transfer shuttle of this setup is compatible to the other instruments of this bundle.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Verdampferanlage mit Glovebox für Metalle und reaktive Materialien
• Instrumentation Group: 8380 Schichtdickenmeßgeräte, Verdampfungs- und Steuergeräte (für Vakuumbedampfung, außer 833)
• Applicant Institution: Universität Siegen
• Leader: Professor Dr. Benjamin Butz