Application and Classification of Target Sputtering Coating
During physical vapor deposition, the target material is decomposed into a vapor state (usually in a high vacuum environment) and then deposited on other materials (called substrates) to form thin films. Films made by sputtering targets using physical vapor deposition techniques offer many advantages, such as excellent hardness, durability, and good resistance to discoloration and corrosion. As a result, sputter coatings on targets are now increasingly used for a variety of purposes, and the demand for targets is rapidly increasing.
Decorative Coating
Decorative coating mainly refers to the surface coating of mobile phones, watches, glasses, sanitary ware, hardware parts, etc. to make them look more beautiful. Since pure metal sputtering targets and alloy sputtering targets come in a variety of metallic colors, PVD coatings are widely used for decoration. For example, the TiN sputtered film has a noble gold color, and the Cr2N sputtered film has a beautiful silver color. PVD coating is also available in other special colors, such as rose gold, smoke gray, copper, etc.
Optical Coating
PVD coatings in optical coatings are used in cameras including anti-reflection coatings, high reflection coatings in solar receivers, glass low emission coatings, etc. Take Low-E glass as an example, it reflects heat back to its source to keep rooms cool in summer and warm in winter, helping to prevent UV fading without requiring special cleaning. As a result, Low-E coated glass has recently replaced the traditional architectural glass. And almost all large glass processing companies are rapidly adding glass coating lines. Accordingly, the demand for sputtering targets has also increased rapidly.
Protective Coating
A protective coating, applied to the substrate, provides protection and prolongs its service life. The protective film includes corrosion protective film, lubricating film and thermal protective film. TiC sputtered films and BN sputtered films are often used as hard films in cutting and abrasive tools.
Electrical Coating
The rapid development of the electronics industry requires high-purity, high-quality materials. Sputtering targets can be used to manufacture conductive materials and dielectric thin films, superconducting thin films and ITO thin films in semiconductor devices and integrated circuits.
Solar Cell Coating
At present, solar cells have been developed for the third generation. The first generation is monocrystalline silicon solar cells, the second generation is amorphous silicon and polycrystalline silicon solar cells, and the third generation is thin film solar cells (represented by copper indium gallium selenide CIGS thin films), and the sputtering coating process is the preferred preparation method.
